She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew)

Chapter 494

The night was morning sun finally broke through, banishing the darkness, that they felt a sense of warmth return.

already halfway over, but for the van

family the rest of the night felt unbearably long. It wasn't until the

In the kitchen, Brandon, wearing an apron, was frying eggs with focused attention. The hum of the orange juice machine filled the air as it squeezed fresh juice.

Maria walked in, a smile tugging at her lips. "Brandon Donovan, I'm making breakfast with you today."

Brandon nodded with a playful frown on his face. "Sure. You can make the spaghetti and ratatouille. Mine never quite tastes right."

Since his marriage, Brandon had spent his free time learning how to cook, explaining that "Nicolette works so hard in the army, I want her to eat well."

Though he didn't have a natural talent for cooking, he'd applied himself with determination, sticking to the simplest dishes. Over time, he'd become pretty good at making fried eggs, oatmeal, fresh orange juice, and mashed potatoes. The family had started calling him quite the dutiful husband.

Maybe the events of the night before had left Wesley and his wife shaken, because they hadn't come downstairs by midday. The rest of the family respected their space and kept to themselves.

Zayn, however, had been up since the crack of dawn. After his warm-up, he went for his usual run.

As he finished his first lap, he spotted Tina walking slowly along the track. She was holding Dolli in her left arm and pushing Bello, their elderly dog, in a stroller with her right.

Why the stroller? Because Bello, now in the late stages of cancer could barely walk. Tina took it upon herself to carry him in the stroller, taking him on daily walks around the villa or the neighborhood. Bello had only made it this far thanks to Athena, who had performed surgery to remove part of the dog's tumor. Without that, Bello would have passed away shortly after being adopted by the family. Walking the dog and petting the cat was one of Tina's favorite things to do. She loved it so much that she'd taken full responsibility for it. As she walked, she admired the flowers blooming along the path. Suddenly, she stopped and crouched down, gazing at a patch of flowers, lost in thought.

By the time Zayn finished his second lap, she was still crouching, mesmerized by something. Unable to resist, he stopped beside her and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Without lifting her gaze, Tina answered softly, her voice dreamy "Look at that rose and that gardenia. Even though they're so far apart-four or five meters, with all these obstacles between them-they're still close together, almost kissing. They must be in love." "What a romantic, beautiful love..." she whispered.

Zayn studied the flowers in silence for a moment. They were simply close by coincidence, but Tina had already spun a love story for them. He believed that it might be what a romance writer's imagination was like. He couldn't help but feel a bit drawn in by her sense of wonder.

Because of Tina's influence, he, too, found the image of those two flowers side by side oddly beautiful. And with the cats, the dogs, and a lively, charming girl beside him, he didn't want to leave. So he didn't. He knelt beside her, admiring the flowers, while gently petting Bello.

It wasn't until the sound of the dinner bell from the main house rang out that they snapped out of their reverie. One carrying the cat, the other pushing the dog, they walked back to the house together. 08:19 Mon, Dec 2 u

Chapter 494

After half an hour of tennis, Alaric and Diane finally called it a day, wiping the sweat off their faces as they headed back inside for breakfast.

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As soon as they stepped into the hall, they could hear Arthur and Nina, full of excitement, debating what to have for lunch and dinner-and where they would go next to hunt down more delicious food. With so many dishes on their minds but not enough room in their stomachs, they decided to settle the matter with a draw.

The others watched, amused. These two were so young, and all they could talk about was food and where to find more of it. Even when they were in the hospital, all they talked about was eating.

Somewhere along the way, their friendship had turned into something more, and now they were inseparable. Nina had even started working as a waitress at Donovan's Restaurant, saying, "Just looking at the beautiful dishes and smelling the delicious food makes me feel so satisfied and happy."

Everyone was a little in awe of how down-to-earth she was, especially since she was the daughter of the richest family in Vredo City. She was so passionate about food that she'd go to any length just to savor it.

What surprised everyone was when Nina said, "Arthur's cooking that night was incredible-better than anything at Donovan's or even at your house."

Arthur was deeply moved, almost on the verge of tears, replying, "No one's ever said my cooking was better than my mom's, Jaden's, or even my dad's..."

And so, Arthur started cooking for Nina more often, and every time, she'd eat with pure joy.

The Donovan family couldn't help but wonder if Arthur finally found his soulmate.

It seemed their dreams aligned perfectly. Both of them wanted to try every kind of food the world had to offer, and they even made plans to travel abroad to eat together.

To the Donovan family, whenever the two were together, they rarely talked about anything else. No matter the topic, it always seemed to circle back to food.

The only thing they ever argued about was what to eat and which was better.

They also loved playing games together, often leaning against each other while playing mobile games. Neither of them was particularly skilled, but luckily, Arthur's phone had some serious power behind it, and they managed to win more often than not thanks to the hardware. And of course, they often worked out together, shouting, "We work out so we can eat more!"

The Donovan family couldn't help but shake their heads in amused disbelief.

After seeing the flowers, the cats, and the dogs, all a little sweaty, and watching the carefree pair of food lovers dig into a hearty breakfast, everyone felt their spirits lift.

Zayn asked, "Where are Dad and Mom?"

Jaden replied, "Let them wake up naturally. We can eat first."

The Donovan family had a simple rule: when you're hungry, eat when you're tired, sleep; health comes first. After breakfast, Arthur and Nina went off to the restaurant, Alaric and Diane headed to the club, Tina went off to write, and the rest of the family stayed in the main hall. Around midday, Claire finally appeared, slowly descending the stairs with her husband's support. She still looked tired, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, but her expression had softened considerably.

The family rushed to her side, helping her to the couch, and offering her water, milk, and snacks.

08:19 Mon, Dec 24

Chapter 494

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head. "You all have your things to do. There's no need to stay here with me?

D

Brandon looked at her, a lingering unease in his eyes. "Mom, do you hate Catherine? If you do, we can make her pay for what she's done."

Claire shook her head. "Before I fell asleep, I hated her. I hated that I trusted her so much, and she betrayed my daughter

like this.

"I hated where we came from-such a poor, backward, ignorant family. We fought so hard to change our lives. While I don't agree with her values or her worldview, I understand her pain and helplessness. That's why I never blamed her, never criticized her. I did what I could to help her. But she betrayed my trust and the bond of our family?

Her voice grew quieter, heavy with sadness. "But... didn't I make a mistake too? I knew that my child should've been raised and taught by me. If I left her to someone else, I'd never know how they were teaching her behind my back. But I still gambled, trusting that my sister could raise her right. I can criticize her, but... I can't avoid my responsibility."

The room fell into silence. The others thought, 'Yes, Catherine has made her mistakes, but what about us? Did we have no faults of our own?

"We all need to look ahead," Claire said, giving Brandon's arm a reassuring pat. Her eyes were soft yet determined. "Instead of getting stuck in past regrets, we should focus on the happiness we have right now. Let it go. Just let it all go."

The others nodded quietly, taking in her words.

Sunlight poured into the living room, bathing everything in a warm, golden glow. After the stormy night they'd just endured, today still felt like a beautiful new beginning.

The evening was as cozy as ever. But at three in the morning, Athena's phone rang urgently. "Miss Donovan, we're so sorry to inform you that your grandmother has passed away."

Athena's heart stopped for a moment. She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to stay calm. "How... how did she go?"

The voice on the other end was gentle. "She passed away peacefully in her sleep. It was very quiet."

A tear slipped down Athena's cheek as she whispered, "I understand. I'll be there soon."

She hung up the phone, wiped her eyes, and slowly dressed. Then, she drove alone across the city, her heart heavy as she headed to say goodbye to her grandmother. SEND GIFT