She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 209

hapter 209
A few minutes later, Athena and Brandon were seated on the couch in the old residence. One sat on the left and the other on
the right.
Athena poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Brandon. She asked, “Brandon, aren’t you in Aeloria? Why are you here?”
The man whom Athena caught secretly moving into the Donovan family’s old residence was her second brother, Brandon
Donovan.
Brandon had said in the group chat that he would only be able to return to the country in February or March next year at the earliest.
Brandon decided to come clean.
He took off his hood, picked up the glass, and emptied it in one gulp. Then, he gave Athena a gentle and gratified smile. He said, “Athena, I’m so happy to see you. I truly am very happy. It’s just that I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Athena blinked and sized him up. She asked, “What’s wrong with your appearance? I think you look quite good.”
The Donovan family had good genes, so the children of the family were all good-looking-
Brandon was no exception.
He was slim, handsome, and had distinct facial features. He had a pair of shrewd and sharp eyes like an eagle, an aquiline, nose, and thin lips
His gaze and tone were gentle, and he seemed harmless now. However, when he had yet to realize that the person pounced on him was Athena, the gaze he revealed was extremely cold and sinister. He emanated a dangerous aura.
who
Brandon fell silent for a few seconds. He spread his hands and smiled bitterly. He said, “I completed my studies in advance and obtained my bachelor’s degree. I originally planned to secretly return to the country before Advent Sunday to give everyone a surprise. Unexpectedly, I was robbed on the way to the airport. I lost all my luggage, including the diploma I just obrained.
Athena sighed when she heard that.
The school Brandon studied in Aeloria was prestigious for his major. However, the area where the school was located was infamous for frequent crime. International students were even more likely to be targeted by local hooligans and gangsters
Two years ago, a student from Osceiton was shot to death by gangsters because they refused to hand over their laptop.
Athena reckoned the reason why Brandon could run so fast and move so nimbly might have been due to living in such an
environment.
The bitter smile on Brandon’s face turned into a smile of relief. He said. “Fortunately, I’m experienced. I kept my passport, plane ticket, and identity card on my person, so I managed to board the plane back to the country.”
He explained, “When I reached Kitmore City, I had nothing. I didn’t want anyone to know about this. That’s why I called and emailed the school to send me a new diploma while I hid in the old residence. I planned to wait for the diploma to be sent over before going home. I didn’t expect you to find me here.”
He covered his face with his hands. He said, “I feel so embarrassed now.”
“There’s nothing embarrassing about this.” Athena patted Brandon’s shoulder gently and comforted him. “Everyone has been robbed at some point in their lives. It is very normal. No one will laugh at you for being robbed. The family will be very happy to know that you’re back. Why don’t you come home with me?”
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Chapter 209
“About that…” Brandon hesitated. “I was hoping that I could at least earn some money and buy everyone a gift before going back. I can’t go back empty-handed like this. How could I face the rest of the family?”
ena was speechless.
o
e thought, “Is Brandon someone who cares so much about his image in the eyes of the other family members?
It might be so.
It was said that Brandon was very smart. Aside from Zilvia and Athena, he was the smartest child in the Donovan family. His grades had always been top-notch since he was young, and he had never dropped the ball.
Everyone said that he would definitely become a great person in the future.
Perhaps it was because of his talent and the environment he was in that he had cultivated an extremely high self-image.
He had studied abroad alone for so many years. He must have wanted to return to his hometown in glory. However, in the end, he was robbed and returned penniless. Athena reckoned this might have made him very ashamed to face everyone in the Donovan family.
Athena asked, “What job are you working at now?”
Brandon was silent for a while before saying, “I am working as a food delivery guy”
After saying that, he explained, “It’s almost Christmas. No company is hiring at this time of year. I plan to deliver food for a period of time. After the New Year. I’ll look for a formal job.”
Athena could see the guilt on his face. She did not try to persuade him to go home immediately. She only said. Til help you keep this a secret. Let me know when you decide to go home. I’ll come pick you up in my car.
She thought for a moment and said with a smile, “Claire and Arthur are good at cooking. Until you decide to go home, I’ll send you food from home every day”
“That’s great” Brandon’s eyes lit up at first when he heard Athena say this. Then, he thought of something and shook his head. He said, “No. This place is too far from our new home. The weather is also cold. It would be too tiring for you to make the trip back and forth. How about this? You come once every three days and bring enough food for three days at a time. I’ll heat it up.”
Athena smiled. She said, “Tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. I’ll send food over. You can go to work after eating.”
Brandon was both happy and hesitant. He asked, “Isn’t 9:30 in the morning too early for you? You can come over later.”
“It’s not too early,” Athena lied. “I usually wake up at seven in the morning and can leave the house by 8:30
Delivery men needed to be out working by around ten in the morning.
Athena didn’t want to come too late as it would affect Brandon’s work.
“Alright.” Brandon was not fussy over the details. “Athena, thank you for everything?
After saying that, he took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He said sadly, “Tve been overseas for many years. I’ve grown sick of eating fast food. I’ve almost gone crazy from wanting to eat home cooked food for so long.”
Athena nodded silently, expressing her understanding.
Then, she changed the topic. She asked, “You’ve been secretly following me these past few days, right?”
Brandon choked and smiled bitterly. He replied, “Sure enough, can’t hide it from you.”
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Chapter 209
He explained, “The first thing I wanted to do when I returned to Kitmore City was to see you. However, I was too ashamed to appear in front of you, so I followed you secretly. I tried to see you as often as I could.”
After saying that, he clasped his hands together and bowed to Athena. He apologized, saying, I’m very sorry to have left a bad impression on you by meeting you in this manner.”
“It’s fine.” Athena waved her hand and said. “If it is you, I don’t mind. I just don’t think you need to make things so difficult for yourself. As long as you want to, we can meet openly at any time
Brandon smiled and said melancholically, “You’re right. Perhaps I’ve been overseas for too long. Even though I have returned to my hometown, at times I still can’t believe that I’m really back here. I have mixed feelings. I need a little time to
transition.”
Ever since the two of them acknowledged each other, Brandon had been secretly observing Athena.
This may have been out of habit or because he wanted to get to know his mysterious sister better.
Meanwhile, Athena was also secretly observing Brandon.
She believed that Brandon was not that feeble. The true reason behind him quietly returning to Kitmore City but hiding away and not going home was definitely not as simple as he had claimed.
However, since Brandon didn’t want to tell the truth, Athena didn’t want to force it out of him.
She switched to a pleasant topic. She asked, “Brandon, what do you want to eat the most? I’ll g
and Arthur to make it
Thinking of home cooked food, Brandon could not help but smack his lips. He said, “As long as it is home cooked, I will gladly eat it. Oh right! I only want to eat local delicacies. I don’t want to eat Aelorish food anymore in my life.”
Athena snickered and said, “Alright. I’ll make sure you get something nutritious. I’ll send it over together with Mom’s ratatouille and pancakes.”
Brandon reached out as if he wanted to pat Athena’s head, but he retracted his hand halfway and said gently. “Athena, thank you. You’re a hundred times better than I thought.”
Athena replied, “Thank you, Brandon”
Athena did not ask how Brandon was doing overseas, nor did she stay long.
lour. She stood up a
and bade farewell.
She could tell that even though Brandon looked calm, he was actually in turmoil and needed time to calm down. Therefore, it was better not to chat for too long after the two of them had just met for the first time,
It was already past nine in the evening, and it was very cold outside.
However, Brandon insisted on sending Athena downstairs. After he watched her car drive away, he sighed and went upstairs with heavy footsteps.
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