Just then, Maya's phone rang. She swallowed her anger and glanced at the screen. It was her mother calling. She swiped to answer. "Hey, Mom." "Maya, what on earth is going on? Didn't you set up an obstacle for Athena? How did she manage to pass it? The whole internet is raving about how amazing she is, and they're even saying that you ... " "I know, Mom!" Maya cut her off impatiently. Her voice was tight with frustration. "Athena got lucky this time, that's all! I miscalculated. But it's not entirely my fault. If anyone's to blame, it's my brother! If he hadn't been helping her behind my back, things would've never turned out like this!" "What?" Patricia gasped in shock. "You must be mistaken! What does your brother have to do with any of this? He just got back, didn't he? How could he possibly be involved with Athena?" Just hearing that made Maya's chest ache with anger. She had thought the same thing at first, so she never suspected her brother. She had considered Zaden, maybe even other people helping Athena—but her brother? That idea never crossed her mind. "The only reason Athena was able to come back from abroad was because Preston helped her," Maya said, her tone rising with every word. "And this time too. The simulation video that went viral online? He was the one who uploaded it!" The more she spoke, the more furious she became, venting everything she had been holding in. "And now her surgery's being featured in a medical journal! Once it's published, she's going to be everywhere! Everyone will be singing her praises!" Maya knew exactly how the industry worked. A surgery like Athena's would be admired and studied by everyone. Once she gained that recognition, people would rally behind her, and then Maya would have no chance of touching her again. Patricia was stunned into silence, mumbling to herself, "How could this be?" Yeah, how could it? But whether she liked it or not, it had already happened. No matter how unwilling Maya was to accept it, there was nothing she could do to change the outcome. Then, Patricia suddenly said, "Maya, can't that journal accept complaints? Write a letter questioning Athena's surgery—say there are issues with it. As long as you delay the review until after publication, she won't make it into that issue." Maya froze before her eyes lit up. Right. She could file a complaint claiming Athena's surgery was flawed and request a review of the footage. That way, Athena would not make it into the journal at all! But even if Athena missed this chance, it did not mean she would miss the next. Maya quickly pushed those doubts aside. What mattered now was knocking Athena down this time—she could deal with the rest later. Who knew? Maybe she could even pull some strings and get Athena's publication spot canceled for good. ... Athena, of course, had no idea about the schemes going on behind her back. She went grocery shopping with Zaden and Teri, and the three of them decided to cook dinner together at home. Teri immediately declared Athena the hero of the day. "Mommy doesn't have to lift a finger tonight! Daddy and I will take care of everything!" Athena looked at Zaden skeptically. Could he really handle that? Sure, he was great in the boardroom, but in the kitchen? He might just burn the whole place down. Zaden caught the doubt in her eyes and sighed helplessly. "Hey, I can actually cook, you know." Not gourmet-chef level, but at least edible. Back when his mother did not like Teri and they lived on their own, he often had to cook late at night when she got hungry. Despite his high status, he had learned how to handle the basics. Hearing that, Athena finally eased up. "Alright then, I'll leave it to you two." Teri puffed up proudly. "Leave it to us, Mommy!" Zaden nodded too, clearly eager to prove himself. "Mommy, you go rest first!" Teri said, leading Athena to the couch. She even poured Athena a glass of juice. "You worked hard today, so you need to relax. Daddy and I will handle dinner." Athena felt a warm rush in her heart. She smiled softly. "Okay." Teri really was her little sunshine—so thoughtful and sweet. Unlike Dion, who used to be such a handful, Teri was always warm and considerate. Thinking about Dion made Athena's heart ache a little. Those memories felt so distant now, like they belonged to another lifetime ... yet every detail was still so clear.