She Outshines Them All

She Outshines 356



Everyone except Athena and Josie sat up straight, their expressions grim as if they'd just heard the enemy was invading.

"I'm going to CineCraft Studios tomorrow," Brandon said, abruptly shutting his laptop with a loud clap. He stood up, his eyes fierce. "I'll take care of those pests myself. Don't try to stop me.

"Anyone who dares to stop me can take care of that family themselves, out of their own pockets. Don't drag our family down with you."

"No, we absolutely won't stop you." Alaric and Arthur huddled together and shook their heads vigorously. "We're not powerful enough to deal with them Maria stood up and hesitated before heading into the kitchen. "Mom, are you going to see the relatives from the Stevens family?"

Claire was busy frying fish and didn't look up. "I cut ties with them long ago. I'm not going to see them."

Maria sighed in relief and came back out, giving Brandon an "OK" sign.

Brandon nodded, clutching his laptop as he plopped down on the couch. “Just hearing about them annoys me. Let's watch TV to shake off this bad vib

At that point, he turned to Wesley. "Dad, Zayn won't just let the Stevens family run wild, will he?"

"Of course not." Wesley shook his head. "Zayn secretly contacted a friend to invite the Stevens family to a high-

end restaurant under his name, then slipped away while they were dining, leaving them to pay the bill. If they don't pay, they'll end up in jail.

"And while they're eating, his crew will be done for the day, with their phones off. The Stevens family won't be able to find

him.

"Zayn also said his crew is heading to a suburb in another city for filming tomorrow morning. With the whole Stevens family tagging along, they'll have to figure it out themselves if they want to come. If they can find him, it's their skill.

"Even if they do find him, Zayn can deny he invited them for the meal. They got fooled."

"Wow. They are so scary." Josie clutched Dolli tightly, her face full of fear. "Are they going to bully Zayn?"

Arthur patted her head and said, "They don't just bully Zayn. They will bully all of us. So if you run

into relatives on your mom's side, you need to stay far away."

Alaric chimed in to scare her, "Little kids like you are

their favorite. Don't get near them or trust them. They'll suck you dry." Josie shrieked and dove into Maria's arms. "I don't want to meet them!"

Wesley shot Alaric a warning look. "Stop saying that. You'll scare her."

Brandon was quite pleased with Zayn's actions. "Zayn's doing well. He's learning to deal with the greedy people."

He clasped his hands, cracking his

knuckles ominously, and laughed sinisterly, "Tomorrow, when Zayn retreats, I'll step in. If the Stevens family doesn't back off, they will have to suffer." Just then, Claire walked in with a plate of chicken potpie, a plate of greens, and a plate of spaghetti. "Alaric, hurry up Guys, keep quiet. I want to watch On-screen, Lockwood's Detective Diary had finished its intro and was diving into the plot.

The group fell silent, munching on snacks while watching.

Athena observed how Brandon, who worked over ten hours a day, dropped everything to deal with the Stevens family. She thought, 'It seems the Stev family to provoke such a patient family

into action.'

However, no matter how firm the Donovan family was, the Stevens family, with their greedy tendencies, wouldn't back down easily.

Moreover, as relatives on Claire's

side, with both old and young

et

among them, Brandon wouldn't actually be able to harm the Stevens family. The Donovan family had too many public figures, and if things escalated, it wouldn't benefit them at alp.

Athena needed to find another way, one that would be thorough yet leave no trace.

After finishing the TV show, the three ladies headed back to the annex.

Once Josie entered her room, Athena quietly asked Maria, "I want to help Brandon deal with the Stevens family. Can you tell me about them, like their When Maria mentioned the Stevens family, her eyes filled with disgust. "I refuse to call them grandpa or grandma or acknowledge them as relatives. I' She spent over ten minutes giving a rough overview of the Stevens family's situation.

Finally, she added, "Athena, you're so beautiful and capable. Just make sure the Stevens family doesn't target you. To them, we're just an ATM. They Athena smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I know how to deal with them."

At this point, she had already come up with a plan.

It was nearly ten o'clock in the evening.

As Ronan and the others had anticipated, after finishing their meal, they refused to pay the bill and couldn't contact the person who brought them. The The police station wasn't a place where they could just bully their way out.

After police intervention, the restaurant owner gave them a 20% discount, but they had to empty their savings to pay for

their meal.

Once out of the police station, they huddled in a corner, either squatting or sitting, the older ones cursing while the younger ones cried, drawing whispe

At that moment, a middle-aged

man in a suit walked up to them, a sympathetic look on his face. "You must be Zayn's family, right? I'm Zayn's friend, Shane. Since Zayn can't be reached, I can't just leave you on the street.

५

"If you don't mind, I'll take you to a hotel for the night, and tomorrow I'll help you find Zayn."

Ronan and the others loved a good deal and were thrilled to hear this. "Thank you so much."

Quentin, however, was skeptical. "You're not going to do what that guy did and just run off after booking us a room, are you?"

Shane smiled. "You can watch me pay first before checking in."

Hearing this, the Stevens family eagerly followed Shane.

Shane led them to a four-star hotel a thousand feet away, ordered three deluxe double rooms, and even paid for their breakfast the next morning. Seeing him really cover all the costs, Ronan and the others felt at ease and expressed their gratitude profusely.

Shane guided them to their rooms, smiling warmly. "I bought a few bottles of wine and ordered takeout. Just enjoy your time. I want to know more abo

Shane was Andrew's new assistant. He wasn't there to help the Stevens family.

Andrew was currently filming a

historical drama in CineCraft Studios, and when he heard about the commotion the Stevens family caused that afternoon, he immediately sent Shane to gather information and find ways to makeOwned by NôvelDrama.Org.

things difficult for the Donovan family an