She Outshines 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,pletely 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 exnation, 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-dor 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, mmed the table so hard it startled everyone.
His face was stone-cold as he red at Andrew, “You’re using 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!” Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.
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
use 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 exnations from the
Kennedy family.
Athena, who had been quietly fiddling with her phone, smiled, impressed by Arthur’s strong
defense.
BB
Chapter 42
Π
“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 ced 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 usations, what you’ve said constitutes nder. 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 using you. If anyone’s taking this to court, it’ll be us suing you.
Athena kept her calm smile. There are security cameras in themon 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 remainedposed. “Mrs. Kennedy, using me of tampering with the cameras without
any evidence is also nder. I’m recording this conversation, so I suggest you choose your words
carefully.”
Regina’s face darkened. She wanted tosh out but, fearing it would be caught on camera, held her
tongue and red at Athena with barely concealed fury.
Athena continued, “You, Mr. Isaac, the housekeeper, and your biological children all have ess to
your bedroom. They’re just as likely suspects as I am.
“On top of that, I was out early and backte 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 nted it in my clothes, the footage will show exactly who did it.”
BB
Chapter 42
89%會
As soon as she said this, Zoe, who had been watching from behind the stage, turned pale, a sh
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 nces, 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 nder.
Athena waited a few moments, then looked directly at Regina. Tm giving you
two options:
“Either retract your usations 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 awsuit,” Athena interrupted, picking up her phone. “I’ll call my
lawyer right now and have them retrieve the footage..