Soon, Zaden returned. Athena quickly stood up and walked to him. "How did it go? Is it fixed? Can I go back to Vlephia now?" Zaden nodded. "It's all settled. Let's head to security." Hearing that, Athena finally smiled. The heavy weight pressing on her chest lifted at last. She knew deep down that things would be taken care of, but hearing the good news still made her feel relieved. "You're amazing!" Athena said, grinning at him. Zaden pressed his lips together, a faint smile in his eyes. In truth, he hadn't done much at all. The officials had come to him first, apologizing and calling it a misunderstanding. It was obvious someone had been pulling strings behind the scenes. But since the problem was solved, he didn't dwell on it. He simply came to tell Athena the good news. "Let's go," Athena said as she grabbed his hand with one and pulled her suitcase with the other. They went through security again. This time, everything went smoothly. No one stopped them. They finally reached the boarding gate and waited for their flight. When Athena stepped onto the plane, she felt completely at ease for the first time that day. Zaden turned to her. "If you're tired, you should take a nap." Athena shook her head. "I'm not tired." She was too fired up to sleep. Athena couldn't wait to face Maya head-on.After a long flight, they finally landed at Vlephia Airport. As soon as they stepped out of the arrival gate, Athena spotted Tommy in the crowd, craning his neck, looking around for them. When he saw them, he hurried over right away. Taking Athena's suitcase, he said politely, "Ms. Hall and Mr. Storm, welcome back. The car's parked in the lot—I'll take you there." As Tommy led the way, something seemed to come to mind. He slowed down, stepped closer to Zaden, and whispered, "Mr. Storm, I think Mr. Rice also returned to Vlephia today. I ran into Ms. Rice at the airport just now." He paused, then added quietly, "But don't worry, I made sure she didn't see me." Zaden's eyes darkened slightly. Now it all made sense. Why the airport situation earlier had felt so off. It must've been Maya's doing. She must have used Preston to block Athena's departure. Preston was the eldest of the Rices. He'd been raised as the heir since birth, trained to lead, not some clueless rich kid. He was capable, brilliant, and ambitious. If anyone had the power to stop Athena from leaving, it would be him. Everything fits now. Athena noticed Tommy and Zaden whispering but assumed they were discussing business. She didn't pry, simply walking a few steps ahead. It had only been a week, but Zaden had stayed with her the entire time overseas. Even though they'd had a small disagreement and spent two nights apart, they were still only separated by a single hotel room wall. He must have postponed all his work just to be with her. The thought warmed Athena's heart. Zaden nodded at Tommy's report and said quietly, "Got it. Don't mention this to anyone, and especially not to Athena." Zaden knew how much Athena cared about anything involving Maya. There was no reason to let her know about these troubles; it would only distract her. She had a surgery coming up, and he'd rather handle all the problems himself. Clearing the path for her was something he was willing to do quietly. Since Tommy knew Athena would return that day, he'd already brought Teri home early. The moment Athena walked through the door, Teri ran straight into her arms. "Mom! You're home! I missed you so much!" Athena crouched down and pulled Teri into a tight hug. Even though Teri was getting older, Athena still treated her like a little girl. Holding her close, she laughed softly. "I missed you too, sweetheart." The two clung to each other, talking about how much they had missed one another. It was a warm, tender moment. From the doorway, Zaden watched them quietly. A small smile tugged at his lips. If only things could stay like this forever. ... The next day marked the deadline for Athena and Maya's wager. Maya was certain Athena couldn't make it back. The thought filled her with smug satisfaction. She couldn't hide the smile on her face. Roxanne turned out to be useless. After sending Maya just two leaked videos of Athena's practice sessions, she was fired. Still, those videos had done plenty of damage. While Athena was away, Maya had uploaded the clips online, turning Athena into a laughingstock. People mocked her for being overconfident, calling her foolish for even trying. As Preston walked into the hospital, Maya turned toward him with a smirk. "Preston, since when do you care about this kind of thing? What, did pigs start flying today? Why are you showing up here?"