She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 195

Chapter 195
Matthew stared at Lucas coldly and spat out a word, “Get lost!”
“Sure.” Lucas did not dare to say another word, fleeing at once. The tulips he was holding fell to the ground and were ignored.
Seeing that Lucas was gone, Joy thanked Matthew and got out of the car, closing the door behind her.
Matthew stared at Joy’s back for a few seconds before getting out of the car. He waved at Athena, who was walking toward him. “Miss Donovan, I’m here.”
“Yeah, I see you.” Athena had already seen Lucas and Joy. She didn’t feel angry or suspicious or jealous just because Joy had gotten out of Matthew’s car. She was just a little puzzled. “What’s going on with Lucas and Joy?”
Matthew shook his head. “I’m not too sure either. Lucas was chasing Joy. She probably hid in my car to get rid of him without knowing I’m the driver.
“Oh, I see.” Athena nodded. “With Lucas’s personality, he’s probably targeting Joy this time.”
Matthew strode to the other side of the SUV and opened the door for her. “Please.”
After they got in, Matthew started the car and asked, “Have you noticed Joy looks a little like you?”
Athena nodded. “I have”
Matthew was i
not surprised by her answer. “How do you feel about it?”
“I have no interest in her,” Athena said calmly, “As long as she doesn’t provoke me, I won’t do anything to her either.
A smile appeared on Matthew’s face. It seemed Athena did not like Joy very much. He thought, “Great. I don’t like her either.
About 40 minutes later, the duo arrived at Donovan’s Restaurant
The sky was not dark yet, but the restaurant was already full. Many people were waiting outside the restaurant with number tags. They were either strolling around, admiring the scenery, or playing with their phones while waiting to be seated.
As Athena came to her family’s restaurant to eat, th
there was no need for her to queue.
There was a small seating area in the backyard of the restaurant with a stone table. If there were no scats in the front yard, their family and shareholders could eat there.
Matthew ordered a lot of food, surprising Athena. She said, “Can we finish everything you ordered? Even if you can afford it, you can’t waste food.”
Matthew smiled, “If I can’t finish it, I’ll pack it up and bring it back.”
“Good.” Athena nodded in satisfaction. “One of the rules of the restaurant is not to waste food. Order only what you can finish. If you waste too much food, you will be blacklisted.”
Matthew said humbly, “Well said. I’ll remember it.”
Soon, the delicacies were served
The Donovan family restaurant had been open for almost two months but this was the first time Matthew ate here.
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Athena thought for a moment and imitated the way her family served food to her. For the first time in her life, she served food for someone else. This is my favorite, foie gras with gingerbread toast. Try it.”
Most people didn’t like others putting food on their plates. When the Donovan family ate together, they would not pick up food for each other unless there were special circumstances.
It was the same for Matthew. However, Athena was different. He thought it was his honor that she served him food. Of course, he accepted it.
He carefully tasted the piece of foie gras with gingerbread toast, then closed his eyes slightly in pleasure. “The gingerbread is so soft. I can taste the ginger. It goes perfectly with the foie gras. It’s indeed the best foie gras with gingerbread toast I’ve ever
Calen
When Athena saw his reaction, she was overjoyed. She felt even more satisfied than if she ate it herself. She finally understood why her parents liked to serve food to her sometimes. It would make one very happy to feed delicious food to the person one likes and see them enjoying the food.
Athena eagerly brought the plate of sautéed vegetables to Matthew like an excited bunny. Her eyes were bright, and if she had bunny ears, they would be perked up right now. She said expectantly, “This is also my favorite. Try it.”
Then, she watched in satisfaction as Matthew took a bite and closed his eyes slightly, as though lost in the taste. Eventually, Matthew remarked, “The sautéed vegetables are indeed remarkable. It’s not inferior to the same dish served at state parties.” Athena could not help but snicker, flashing her white teeth. “The other food is also delicious. Hurry up and try them.” Matthew opened his eyes and said politely, “Miss Donovan, you should eat too. There is so much food. We can eat for a long
time
Halfway through the meal, Matthew’s personal phone rang. He didn’t want to pick it up but the call was from Neil. He had no choice but to answer it.
He leaned back and answered the call in front of Athena coolly. “What’s up?”
Neil’s voice was filled with anger. “Come home right now. Anabel is here.”
Matthew remained calm. Im not in Valemont City.”
“You’re at the company during the day. If you’re not in Valemont City right now, where are you?”
Tm not telling you.”
Neil was silent for two seconds. “You’re with a woman?”
Matthew asked, “Is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”
Neil sneered, “Others might not be able to tell what you’re thinking, but you can’t hide it from me.
“I’ll repeat myself. I don’t care how you fool around with another woman outside, but unless the woman you like is better than Anabel, I will never permit you to marry her. If you dare to marry her and have children, I’ll have them killed so you’ll he single again.”
Matthew remained unmoved when faced with Neil’s warning. “Goodbye”
Then, he hung up and continued eating.
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At the same time, in Valemont City. Anabel had already eaten with the Graham family for more than an hour but Matthew still did not appear. Neil even left for a few minutes in the middle of the meal with the excuse that he was going to wash his hands.
Anabel knew Matthew would not appear tonight so she did not say any longer. After politely saying goodbye to the Graham family, she took a car back to the hotel.
Her assistant, Juliet, asked. “When do you plan to return to Dichester?”
Anabel said. “I must see Matthew and talk to him.”
Although the Powell family was into politics and was wealthy and prominent, her grandfather was the only one left in the first generation of the Powell family.
Anabel did not have many uncles and aunts. They were either dead, old, or sick. Almost all of them had retired. Those who did not retire were only marginal figures with limited power and influence.
Although she had a lot of cousins, most were mediocre and would never amount to anything. Anabel was the only
y one.
With her grandfather in charge of the Powell family now, no one could touch them. But her grandfather would be eighty next year. He would not live for long.
Politics was different from business. After the big shots of the business world died, they could leave a lot of money to their descendants.
It wasn’t the same for politics. There were many factions and everyone was power-hungry. When a big shot left, if he did not have a capable successor, the power he held would be swallowed by others. His subordinates could not be loyal to his descendants forever.
Based on the information Anabel and her grandfather had, their family’s trusted aides and distant relatives were already ready to make a move on them. They had already made plans for after Neil passed away,
Therefore, Anabel needed to marry Matthew as he could help her and the Powell family. Moreover, the marriage had to be held when her grandfather was still in good health. This was why she came to look for Matthew.
However, Matthew was not easy to convince.
The next morning, at 9:30 a.m., Anabel went straight to the Graham Group’s headquarters. According to the information she received, Matthew had arrived at the company.
But when she arrived at Matthew’s office, the employees said their boss had left the company to deal with urgent matters
overseas.
Anabel knew Matthew was hiding from her. She was secretly furious and decided to stay in Valemont City no matter what
It was at that moment that she saw a scandal online involving Matthew and two women, Joy Lambert and Athena Donovan. Anabel looked at the photos of the two women with disgust in her eyes. These young girls relied on their youth, beauty, and talent to take shortcuts to marry into a rich family. Yet, they never wondered if they were worthy.
She ordered. Investigate these two women immediately. The more detailed, the better.”
Soon, Athena’s information was placed in front of Anabel. It wasn’t