She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew)

Chapter
45
Someone quickly passed the microphone to Athena.
She took it but remained seated, responding in a calm, detachedtone, "I won't accept your gratitude because your achievements
are the result of your own effort and have nothing to do with me." The crowd was taken aback, thinking. Zoe is genuinely
expressing her thanks-why is Athena being so cold? Is she secretly jealous of Zoe?
"How could it have nothing to do with you?" Zor asked sincerely. "For the past seven years, we've been the best rivals, always
pushing each other to improve...
You think you're qualified to be my rival?" Athena cut her off abruptly, a mocking smile on her lips. "Who gave you the audacity to
even think you could compare yourself to me?"
The lively atmosphere froze instantly,
Everyone was stunned, hardly believing their cars, thinking. Did Athena really just humiliate Zoe like that, tearing her dow in front
of everyone?
Zoe's!
flawless smile stiffened ned completely, like a dried leaf barely hanging on.
"Zoe, if y
if you want to be my rival, thaybe try again in your next life." Athena's face remained indifferent as she handed the microphone
back to the server. "Don't embarrass yourself like this again." The crowd finally snapped out of their shock, murmuring in
disbelief. She's herself f for a a fall."
Such arrogance at such a young aged her out when they found out she wasn't their real daughter. That kind of arrogance is
unbelievable! "No wonder the Kennedy family kicked her
"What a horrible attitude! No manners, no class. If it weren't for Zoe's kindness, she wouldn't have even been invited to this
party..."

Andrew's glare could have burned a hole through Athena. "Athena, what kind of nonserise is that? Zoe treated you with nothing
but sincerity, and you repay her with this kind of cold-heartedness?"
He thought, "My beloved Zoe is humble, hardworking, and kind-so much better than you in every way! And yet, you dare to treat
her like this? I won't forget this; one day, you will pay!

Athena gave a a faint smile. "I'm just stating the truth. If Zoe can't handle reality, she's free to keep living in her fantasy- No one's
stopping her."
The Murray family's sharp glares were like daggers, but Athena remained completely unfazed, casually sipping her drink
Meanwhile, the Donovan family looked at her with near-worshipful admiration, practically ready to give their respect. -Jarred
spoke coldly, "Miss Donovan, if you think so little of us...
The crowd held their breath, eager to see if the Murray family would kick Athena and her family out.
But I
before
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it could escalate, Zoe regained her sweet smile and raised her voice, "Everyone, please quiet down and let me say a few words.
Chmurmurs died down as everyone turned to see how she would handle this.
The
The
With sincerity in her voice, Zoe said, "Athena is indeed incredibile, and she has every right to look down on me. I'll work twice as
hard from now on to hopefully become someone she night one day consider a worthy rival"
The crowd thought, How gracious, humble, and kind-hearted she is! They couldn't help but look at Zoe with admiration and
sympathy.

At that moment, Zoe's mother, Barbara, stood up as well, her voice full of sympathy as she said. "Everyone, my daughter speaks
modestly, but the truth is, the effort she put in during high school far exceeds what most people can imagine. "To use a popular
phrase: given her comfortable background, why would she need to work so hard?
"In middle school, her schedule was packed. Besides extra tutoring, she took lessons in dance, musical instruments, painting.
tennis, swimming, and more-over a dozen different skills. She barely had any time for fun, even during holidays. "Especially in
the final stretch of high school, she studied late into the night, often until midnight. Weekends and holidays. were spent catching
up with private tutors instead of enjoying herself.
"We've prepared some photos and videos of her dedication and hard work so everyone can see for themselves. We hope they
inspire more students to keep striving and achieve even better results."
As
s soon a as she finished speaking, the large

The crowd gasped in shock as they took in tcreen behind the stage dimmed and then lit up, displaying a series of photos.
What are these pictures? Oh
my
the images
is that cramped living room even livable!"
"That tiny space is packed with with so many cabinets, and the walls are covered with shelves. It looks like there's barely room to
move around..."
"Wait, isn't that Athena in the photos? Is this where she's been living since the Kennedy family kicked her out? This is awful. "Oh
my gosh, that's supposed to be a bedroom? It's more crowded than the shelves in a corner store. You'd have to climb up and
down just to sleep, and there's no room to change clothes except on the bed. How depressing." "Does Kitmore City
hore City really have slums like this? If I had to live in a place like that, I'd rather be dead...
Athena and her family hadn't been paying much attention to Zoe's speech, but when they heard the crowd's comments, they all
looked up-and their expressions immediately darkened.

The screen wasn't showing photos of Zoe's diligent study sessions at all. It was displaying images of the Donovan family's daily
life.
There were photos of Athena and her parents entering Block 6, Viento Court, pictures of the family eating together in their
cramped, narrow living room, and even shots of their living room, balcony, and bedrooms.
Some
of the photos had clearly been taken from outside, through the balcony or windows, while others were captured directly inside
the living room.
These photos had obviously been taken recently, but because the Donovan family's house and furniture were so old, the images
had a dingy, yellowish tone that made everything look bleak and shabby.
The Donovan family members' faces were filled with anger as they realized they had been secretly photographed, deceived, and
humiliated.
Only josie, unaware of the cruelty and malice in the world, cheerfully pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "Athena, Athena,
that's our homet 08:53 Fri, Oct 11
Chapter 45
To her, the place where she lived with her parents, siblings, and grandparents was the home she loved most. She had never
imagined that their small, rundown home could be a source of ridicule and scorn from others. Seeing the pictures now only filled
her with warmth and familiarity.
Her innocent, childlike voice caught everyone's attention.
The crowd turned to look at her, smirking with a mix of emotions-sympathy, mockery, contempt, and disgust.
Wesley and the others were at a loss for how to explain the situation to Josie. They deeply regretted bringing her to this
event