She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55
After exchanging a few glances, Wesley and the others subtly shook their heads.
They hadn’t really done much for Athena and certainly couldn’t afford to hire an expert like Annie, so it was best not to
trouble her.
Athena noticed their thoughts and smiled slightly but didn’t say anything more.
Another ten minutes passed, and everyone had just about finished eating.
Matthew didn’t insist on making the Donovan family stay longer. Instead, he personally packed some of the snacks that Maria and Josie liked and walked the family to the entrance of the club, handing the food boxes to Louis.
He then apologized, “Mr. Donovan, Mrs. Donovan, I have fome work I need to take care of, so I’ll have to let Louis see you home. I hope you’ll understand.”
His politeness and thoughtfulness left the Donovan family with a very good impression.
After expressing her thanks, Athena had her parents ride in her car while Arthur, Maria, and Josie took Louis’s car.
A few minutes after they set off, Athena asked, “Mom, Dad, how did you end up at Zoe’s graduation party?”
Wesley furrowed his brow. “Athena, we only went because we got a message from you. But when we arrived, we realized you
weren’t even there.”
Athena frowned. “What message?”
Wesley pulled out his phone and showed her the text.
Athena glanced at it and sneered. “Mom, Dad, you were tricked.
“That m
message wasn’t from me. Zoe must’ve used some kind of software or tech to fake my number and send it to you.
“If you had tried calling the number, her trick would’ve been exposed right away. That’s why she told you not to call.
Wesley slapped his thigh in frustration. “Athena, I can’t believe how stupid I was, falling right into her trap and putting you
in this mess.”
Claire shook her head repeatedly. “Isn’t that Zoe just a high school graduate? How can someone so young be so malicious, pulling stunts like this?”
“Dad, you didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t blame yourself, Athena said, shaking her head. “Zoe was targeting me. You were just dragged into it because of me. If anyone should apologize, it’s me.”
She knew that Zoe had always been out to get her, but she had never taken her seriously.
When she was still part of the Kennedy family, the Murray family wouldn’t dare touch them. But now that she was back with the Donovan family, the Murray family probably saw them as easy targets and decided to make a move.
This incident made Athena realize she would need to step up and take responsibility for protecting the Donovan family
Iram now on.
Hearing this, Wesley and Claire quickly reassured her. “Athena, don’t overthink it. You’re a victim in this too, and you’re still Just a kid. None of this is your fault
“We’ll be more cautious from now on, and we’ll keep an eye out so we won’t get fooled by people like them again. You don’t need to blame yourself”
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Athena smiled. “Alright let’s stop blaming ourselves. We’ll just learn from this and make sure to give her a piece of our mind. the next time we run into her.
That night, despite being publicly humiliated, the Donovan family felt like justice had prevailed in the end, so they all slept soundly.
But the next morning, things took an unexpected turn.
When they woke up, they heard loud commotion downstairs, with people shouting their names.
Maria ran to the balcony to take a look and saw a huge crowd gathered below, creating an atmosphere that made it feel like something serious had happened,
Among the crowd were several reporters, looking sharp and professional, holding cameras and camcorders that made Maria’s nerves spike.
As soon as they spotted her, they started snapping photos like crazy
Frightened, she rushed back inside. “Dad, Arthur, there are so many people downstairs, and it looks like they’re here for us.” Wesley stayed calm. “You all stay here. I’ll go down and check it out.”
The building was old, with only a few residents, and just two apartments per floor. He didn’t run into any neighbors as he made his way down.
When he reached the ground floor, he saw that the entrance was completely packed with people, blocking it so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through.
As soon as they saw him, the crowd erupted in excitement.
“Mr. Donovan, we heard your newly reunited daughter scored a perfect score on this exam-congratulations! When are you throwing the celebration party? Let the neighborhood join in on the festivities!”
“We’re reporters from West End TV. Can we get a quick interview with your daughter?”
“Mr. Donovan, have your daughter start a tutoring class for the kids in the community. It’d be great for our local students.”
“Come on, Mr. Donovan, we’re old pals, right? Get your daughter to take a picture with us so we can hang it up at the supermarket entrance!”
There were also influencers live-streaming on the spot, talking into their cameras. T’m here outside the home of West End’s first-ever top scorer. As you can see, she comes from a humble background-her family’s living conditions aren’t exactly
“I’ve heard Athena is drop-dead gorgeous, the prettiest girl ever to attend Kitmore City High School. I hope I can catch a glimpse of her today so everyone can see just how stunning she is..
“I did some digging and found out Athena’s life has been full of twists and turns. When she was born, the hospital caught fire, and the nurse mistakenly handed her to a wealthy family with the last name Kennedy
“Wait, you live here, right? Can you tell us what the top scorer’s family is like?”
These influencers even began interviewing local residents, eagerly digging for every detail about the Donovan family and Athena, asking intrusive questions like whether she had a boyfriend.
The neighbors were more than willing to talk, spilling everything they knew, with some even embellishing their stories with guesses and wild imagination.
Seeing all this, the pride and joy Wesley had felt over Athena’s perfect score quickly evaporated, replaced by a heavy sense of
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He thought, “This isn’t a good sign…”
He walked up to the iron gate and called out loudly, “To all the reporters and everyone here, our farmily is just an ordinary one-there’s nothing special about us.
“Athena isn’t living at home right now. She’s spending her summer break working on a scientific research project and mostly stays at the lab. She rarely comes back, so you won’t find her here.
“The weather’s scorching-why not head back before you get sunburned?”
But the reporters and influencers only became more excited. “What kind of research is Athena involved in? Where’s her lab? Has she mentioned which university or major she plans to apply to?”
Wesley, feeling the headache coming on, replied, “The research is really specialized-I’m not too clear on the details myself…
The reporters immediately jumped in. “How can you not know where your own daughter is staying or what project she’s working on? Do you even care about her? Is there some kind of problem between you two?”
“She’s only eighteen and isn’t living at home-where could she be staying? We heard slie has a car-where did she get the money for that?”
“Is she living with a man and being supported by him?”