Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours! - Chapter 498

Chapter 498: Meetup IV

Back at the restaurant, everyone was waiting tensely.

Athena could feel it the moment she and Ewan stepped inside. The low hum of conversation had died down, replaced by the kind of silence that holds its breath before bad news.

She reasoned, as she slid into her earlier-occupied seat, that Aiden must have already informed them of what had happened; Ewan had kept in touch with him.

Without waiting for anyone to ask for more details, she gave them a summarized version of the meeting with Fiona—her tone even, clipped, wanting to cut straight to the chase. Every pair of eyes at the table followed her as she spoke, the flickering light from the wall sconce casting long shadows across their faces.

She glanced at her children mid-story, half-expecting confusion, but their sharpened gazes told her otherwise. They weren’t bothered by the “mature talks”—their genius minds had already captured and pieced together, in a little way, everything that was happening.

Athena swallowed a quiet swell of pride.

“We’ll have to inform Spider,” Susan said softly once she finished. “He didn’t come out with us because he’s still resting. Recovery slope or not, he needs to know what’s going on.”

Aiden, who was now standing with his hands shoved into his pockets, nodded in agreement. His jaw was tight, the faintest twitch of muscle showing his tension. “He’ll be informed. But yes—I support the motion. The hideout will be attacked tonight. Everything Fiona said lines up with what we’ve been tracking.”

Old Mr. Thorne nodded along with Aiden’s assessment, though his eyes betrayed unease. “If that’s the case, then time isn’t our friend. We have to move immediately.”

The atmosphere thickened, though, when Athena declared quietly that she wanted to join the mission.

Every head turned.

Chelsea and Areso froze, aghast—not because they doubted her courage, but because they didn’t know. They had never seen that side of her.

To them, she was the strategist, the intellect, the one who carried warmth and reason. None of them, except Gianna, knew she was very skilled in combat.

“No, you can’t.” Sandro said first, breaking the silence. “Athena, you don’t need to come. We can handle it. You have been working incessantly since this week.”

Athena only arched an eyebrow at him, her lips curling into something between amusement and challenge. “I’m not asking for permission, Sandro.”

Gianna gave a knowing little smile beside her, her expression saying she wasn’t surprised. Her friend’s mind was most at times, made up, before she spoke.

Ewan leaned back, folding his arms as if weighing the protest he knew would be useless. The corner of his mouth twitched. “She’s coming,” he said at last, in a tone that made it sound final.

Sandro sighed, shaking his head in defeat. “And just like that, my friend has fallen under her control.”

Zane, seated opposite him, gave a low scoff that carried a trace of laughter. “Under? Please. The man didn’t stand a chance.”

Athena rolled her eyes at the teasing, though a faint blush brushed her cheeks. “Keep talking,” she muttered, and that sent another ripple of laughter through the table—easing, if only briefly, the tightness in the air.

The moment passed, but the urgency didn’t. Plans were finalized quickly after that. It was agreed that they would head out to the hideout immediately. Old Mr. Thorne and his wife would stay back with Athena’s friends and the children. The other men would handle the security arrangements both at Athena’s lab and the Thornes’ mansion.

Athena could feel the energy shift—chairs scraping back, shoes scuffing against the tiled floor, the scraping urgency of people readying for action. She stood too, sliding her jacket on, when something on the table caught her eye.

“What’s this?” she asked, pointing to the glossy card sitting at the center.

Chelsea turned toward her, adjusting her glasses with a small smile. “Oh, that. The owner of the restaurant came by earlier. He offered us discounts — said he wanted us to take pictures and post them on social media to boost his company’s visibility.”

Athena’s brow furrowed slightly, curiosity piqued. “The owner? How is he? An old man?”

Before Chelsea could answer, Gianna leaned forward eagerly, her expression alight with amusement. “Old? Not at all. He’s handsome. Italian.”

That was enough to make the kids perk up, all nodding in playful agreement.

Susan chuckled under her breath and joined in. “He really is. The accent alone, Athena—my God.”

Athena tilted her head, half-smiling as her gaze caught Areso’s. Her friend was blushing furiously, eyes fixed on her phone as though it might save her from the attention.

Athena’s brows rose. “Areso?”

Her friend flinched slightly at being called out, then gave a weak laugh, waving her hand. “Oh, stop. I’m not—”

But the redness in her cheeks deepened, betraying her.

Athena was amazed. “So… my dear friend has a crush on the Italian, hm?”

She had called out the latter out of sheer curiosity, but it seemed something else had happened with the coming of the Italian boss. And she wished she had seen the male that had headstrong Areso in knots this way—a very rare sight.

Gianna burst into laughter while Chelsea grinned, shaking her head. “That’s exactly what I was thinking! She practically melted when he smiled.”

“I did not melt,” Areso said quickly, though her voice carried that lilt of someone who absolutely had. “He just… seemed nice. That’s all.”

“Nice,” Gianna repeated, drawing the word out teasingly. “Sure.”

Athena laughed softly, shaking her head. “Let’s let Areso be. Let’s move. We have little time.”

The laughter faded naturally, replaced by the focused tension that came with readiness.

Ewan came to stand beside her, his hand brushing lightly against hers as they turned to leave. “Have I told you, you look beautiful today?” he murmured.

Athena looked up at him, an edge of a smile still on her lips. “Maybe…”

He had said it more times than she could count. But a girl could never get tired of being complimented by her partner.

Her fingers curled into his, and he squeezed back, a silent promise passing between them.

“You are beautiful, my love…”

Read Gianna and Zane’s story in Dark revenge of a Jilted Bride!