She Outshines Them All

She Outshines 296

Athena túrned to Adele, her expression thoughtful. “You’re absolutely right. Solving a case is a serious and meticulous task. No matter how agreeable, reasonable, or logical the analysis might be, there must be solid evidence to prove someone is the murderer. In Mrs. Graham’s case, neither Mr. Graham nor I found any concrete evidence.”

Adele’s voice was slightly choked. “In that case, why did you say such a thing? I’m almost eighty years old. It’s cruel of you to say that about me…”

“However, we will find a way to find evidence,” Athena interrupted her. “If we fail, we will make you hand it over.”

The people present were shocked, not knowing what that meant

Adele shook her head. “How can I hand over the so–called evidence for something I didn’t do?”

Athena said, “The most important evidence that can prove that you’re the real murderer is the anonymous phone that you your hands.” sent messages to Mr. Graham’s many lovers back then, as well as the phone that Mrs. Graham used at that time. The former has probably been destroyed by you. The latter was used to send a message some time ago. It should still be in

She continued, “Speaking of Mrs. Graham’s phone, there’s something I think I need to clarify.”

“On the night of the murder, Mrs. Graham received a phone call just seconds before the lights went out. The moment she answered, her expression shifted dramatically. She glanced around nervously, and then the lights plunged into darkness. Then she slipped away from the crowd and headed to the rooftop.”

Athena’s gaze sharpened as she slowly scanned the crowd. “What could make a mother who loved her child to leave when her child was blowing the candle?

“That night, Mr. Graham’s many lovers deliberately provoked Mrs. Graham’s actions. I guess that the phone call Mrs. Graham received probably told her that someone was having a date with Mr. Graham on the roof and asked her to check it if she didn’t believe it.

Athena’s eyes were locked onto Adele’s face. “Mrs. Graham already knew who Mr. Graham was. So why was she so agitated by his secret rendezvous with his lover? She didn’t even seem to care that her son was blowing out his birthday candles. She insisted on heading to the rooftop to investigate!”

Everyone knew the answer. NôvelDrama.Org content.

Adele had watched Maggie be born and raised. She had even followed Maggie to Graham family. Maggie had practically lived with Adele all her life.

Adele was one of the most important people in Maggie’s life.

In addition, Adele was not only extremely conservative and self–disciplined, but she was also more than ten years older than Nicolas. No one would have thought that she had an affair with Nicolas.

Maggie must have been surprised to know this too.

On the night of the murder, Maggie, feeling tipsy, suddenly received a call informing her that Adele was having a rendezvous with her husband on the rooftop. Panic surged through her, and without a moment’s hesitation, she dashed out of the hall and ran to the roof to see for herself.

No other woman would have been enough to lure Maggie away

Everyone looked at Adele with vigilance, shocked by her ruthlessness.

Adele did not say anything. She only gripped her knees tightly with both hands, her body trembling uncontrollably. “I, I didn’t…”

“I assume you were on the roof at that time. Perhaps you set up a small mechanism or took direct action, which caused Mrs. Graham to experience a severe shock and fall from the edge,” Athena continued. “At around sixty years old, you lived a comfortable life and prioritized your health. You didn’t have to worry about men, children, or even distant relatives and friends. Your physical condition was well–maintained, allowing you to easily move between the third floor and the rooftop. When Mrs. Graham fell, her phone may have landed on the roof or been taken by you. You could have quickly grabbed her phone and hidden it somewhere no one would ever find it.”

The Graham siblings had not been able to find their mother’s phone. However, they could not bear to cancel their mother’s phone number. They had been charging the phone, hoping to receive a call from their mother one day.

“These are just your guesses,” Adele said in a trembling voice. “Are you trying to… create some fake evidence to frame me?”

People were stunned for a moment before nodding secretly. With Matthew’s wealth and ability, it was not difficult to create witnesses or evidence, send Adele to jail, or even make her commit suicide.

“Mr. Graham and I will not do such a thing,” Athena said calmly. If you are the real murderer, we will definitely be able to find evidence. If not, it can only mean that there is a problem with our analysis

and investigation.”

Farrah could not take it anymore. “Aren’t you talking nonsense?”

Athena glanced at her indifferently. “Ms. Johnson, you have plenty of time. You have more free time than everyone here, so why are you in a hurry?”

Adele looked calm when she was publicly dissected and executed, but in fact, she must be sitting on pins and needles. Her heart was tormented.

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Farrah was deliberately stalling for time so that Adele would suffer this formless torture.

Farrah’s lips twitched and she suppressed her anger.

Athena continued to stare at Adele. “Since we couldn’t find any evidence, we had to lure you to tell the truth. In fact, you have confessed your crimes

Nicolas’s family were all confused.

Adele’s expression changed rapidly.

Then, she seemed to have thought of something and gasped softly. She raised her hand to cover her chest, and her breathing became rapid.

A cold smile appeared on Athena’s face. “You understand now, right?”

Nicolas sighed and said, “Miss Donovan, please tell me the truth and let me know what happened to Maggie.”

Athena opened her palm, showed a small recording pen, and pressed the button.

Adele’s old and slightly sorrowful voice came from the recording pen.

“My lady, I know you died with a grievance, but I had no choice. I’ve never thought of snatching your husband from you, let alone having anything shameful with him. I just want to maintain our life. With you, sir, and the two children. We could have lived peacefully and forever as a family of five.”

People there were horrified when they heard that. It sounded like Adele treated Nicolas as her husband, Matthew as her child, and Maggie as her “sister“… Or rather, she treated Maggie as her incarnation or clone. That was insane.

Adele’s voice continued, “But why are you dissatisfied with your life? You were born with everything: beauty, talent, a loving family, and a good education. Your family cared for you, and you had plenty of friends. Many men pursued and admired you, and you could easily get whatever you wanted. But I have nothing. I’ve done everything I can to get what I have, yet you can take it away at any moment. This family is all I’ve got. If you divorce, our family won’t be whole anymore, and I won’t be

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