She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42
Andrew soaked in the envious stares from the crowd, a touch of mugness in his tone. “My mom usually keeps this diamond ring in her bedroom, completely out of reach for most people.
“But three days before Athena went back to the Donovan family, the ring suddenly disappeared. We searched everywhere and couldn’t find it.
“Then, the night before Athena left, our housekeeper was packing her clothes and found the ring in the pocket of one of her jackets. Our maid can vouch for this.”
He looked around the room. I should also mention that Athena’s room was right across from my parents’ bedroom. She often saw them using the code to open their bedroom door, so she must have known how to get in.”
Hearing Andrew’s seemingly logical explanation, paired with the knowledge of the Donovan family’s financial struggles, many in the room started to believe him. Their looks toward Athena and her family grew increasingly contemptuous.
“No wonder the Kennedy family was so eager to send her packing. Who’d want to keep someone like that around to cause trouble
“Imagine going from being the sole heir of a billion-dollar empire to just another kid in a poor family-anyone would have a hard time with that. No surprise she’d try to steal her adoptive mother’s diamond ring out of spite…
“Even after falling into poverty, she still has the nerve to show up at an elite party. How desperate is she to cling to her old
connections…”
“Enough!” Arthur, unable to hold back any longer, slammed the table so hard it startled everyone.
His face was stone-cold as he glared at Andrew, “You’re accusing Athena of stealing the ring based solely on what your mom and your maid said. The ring is in your hands now, yet you have no real evidence that Athena took it
“You and your mom are family, and your maid works for you. It’s entirely reasonable to suspect that you could have told her to lie and frame Athena!”
The crowd murmured in agreement, thinking that Arthur had a point.
Andrew shot back angrily. The Kennedy family is worth billions. Do you really think we’d falsely accuse Athena over a single diamond ring?”
Arthur retorted, “With how twisted your family is, why wouldn’t you try to frame Athena?
“If Athena really stole the ring, why didn’t she take it with her when she left? Why would she be foolish enough to leave it in her own room!
“And another thing-why was your maid going through Athena’s clothes so thoroughly, checking every pocket like she was searching for something specific? Does that sound normal to you?
“Finally, if you truly thought Athena stole the ring when you found it in her clothes, why didn’t you confront her about it right then and there?”
He sneered, pressing his point. “It’s been days since this happened. You didn’t say anything then, but now, in front of all these people, you’re bringing it up just to smear Athena’s reputation? That’s beyond low!”
A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd.
Arthur’s arguments were logical and convincing, much more so than the explanations from the Kennedy family.
Athena, who had been quietly fiddling with her phone, smiled, impressed by Arthur’s strong defense.
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“You… you’re spouting nonsense!” Andrew was so furious at Arthur’s rebuttal that he nearly choked on his words. “My parents. didn’t say anything at the time because they wanted to spare Athena some dignity as she was leaving.
“I’m bringing it up now because I realized she hasn’t shown any remorse, Instead, she’s been ungrateful, and I couldn’t keep quiet about it any longer.”
Arthur was about to argue further, but Athena had already stood up. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “Dad, Mom, Arthur, take a seat. I’ll handle this.”
Turning to Andrew, her smile never wavered. “Mr. Andrew, I’ve recorded everything you just said.
“If you don’t have solid proof to back up your accusations, what you’ve said constitutes slander. I can take legal action against you anytime.”
“You’re just trying to scare me.” Andrew stammered, clearly unsettled by her calm mention of legal action. “We didn’t make this up. If this goes to court, we won’t lose.”
“Oh really?” Athena looked directly at Regina. “Mrs. Kennedy, do you believe that too?”
“Of course,” Regina blustered, though Athena’s steady gaze made her feel uneasy. “You did steal the ring. I’m not falsely accusing you. If anyone’s taking this to court, it’ll be us suing you.
Athena kept her calm smile. There are security cameras in the common areas on the second floor of your house. On the day the ring went missing, the footage would show who entered and exited your bedroom. I certainly wasn’t one of them. Are you willing to show that footage to everyone here?”
Aripple of unease ran through the crowd as they began to look at Regina with growing suspicion.
“We… we checked, and the cameras weren’t working that day,” Regina stammered. “Maybe you’re the one who tampered with
them!”
Athena remained composed. “Mrs. Kennedy, accusing me of tampering with the cameras without any evidence is also slander. I’m recording this conversation, so I suggest you choose your words carefully.”
Regina’s face darkened. She wanted to lash out but, fearing it would be caught on camera, held her tongue and glared at Athena with barely concealed fury.
Athena continued, “You, Mr. Isaac, the housekeeper, and your biological children all have access to your bedroom. They’re just as likely suspects as I am.
“On top of that, I was out early and back late during those days, hardly spending any time at the Kennedy family during the day. When I returned at night, you were all home-there’s security footage to prove this. I can’t even think of a time when I could have sneaked into your bedroom to steal a diamond ring.
“And let’s be honest, that ring was probably kept in a well-hidden spot. How long would it take me to find it after sneaking in? If I had done it, I would have been caught in the act.”
Regina found herself at a loss for words.
The crowd quietly nodded, seeing the logic in Athena’s points.
Athena shrugged. “To be honest, I didn’t even know you owned a diamond ring like that.”
Regina sneered, “You expect us to take your word for that?”
Athena smiled calmly. “You might not know this, but I was aware that the Kennedy family’s servants weren’t exactly trustworthy, so I installed a hidden camera in my room. I took the footage with me when I left
“So, if anyone stole your ring and planted it in my clothes, the footage will show exactly who did it.”
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As soon as she said this, Zoe, who had been watching from behind the stage, turned pale, a flash of panic crossing her face.
Zoe thought, ‘If Athena really has set up a camera in her room, this could be a disaster for me… But Athena is clever, it could also be a bluff… What should I do? I can’t afford to take the risk. If I gamble and lose, my reputation would be ruined, and I would lose Andrew.
“With that thought, she quickly pulled out her phone and discreetly sent a text to Jarred.”
Meanwhile, the Kennedy family exchanged uneasy glances, clearly hesitant. None of them dared to say, “Go ahead, check it -we have nothing to hide.”
They were convinced Athena had stolen the ring, but her calm demeanor suggested she might have proof to clear her name. If that were true, they’d be guilty of slander.
Athena waited a few moments, then looked directly at Regina. Tm giving you
two options:
“Either retract your accusations and publicly apologize, or I’ll have someone retrieve the footage right now, expose the real thief, and have her handed over to the police.
“And of course, I’ll sue you for defamation.”
The Kennedy family’s faces turned pale.
Everyone in the room was watching them, waiting to see what they would do.
Regina was cornered, too afraid to make a decision. She could only bluster, “Athena, we didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, which is why we didn’t mention it before. Don’t push your luck and force us to take things further…”
“It sounds like you’re asking for a lawsuit,” Athena interrupted, picking up her phone. “I’ll call my lawyer right now and have them retrieve the footage..