Athena rolled her eyes. She quickly cut off Harriet's speculation. No one else knew about her relationship with Fabio, but she did. And Preston helping her? That was impossible. The thought alone was terrifying. Athena knew Harriet was telling the truth about the situation. She did not know why Preston had suddenly stepped in, but because of him, she had made it through this challenge safely. "All right, enough about that. I've already won this time. Maya should settle down now, and I can finally get back to surgery and continue my career!" Athena's eyes shone brighter than ever as she spoke. Harriet grinned, genuinely happy for Athena. "Lewis wasted so many years of your life, but you finally have what you deserve. "Luckily, Lewis has finally gotten his punishment. I heard he's been arrested for intentional injury—no idea how many years he'll get. "Those two are disgusting. Back when they were pretending to be so in love behind your back, and now they're tearing each other apart ... " Listening to Harriet go on about Lewis, Athena felt a strange numbness, as if it all belonged to a past life. She had no connection to Lewis anymore. Maybe the only tie was their child. But where was the child now? Was it a boy? Or a little girl? Seeing Athena's mood dip, Harriet quickly changed the subject. "Don't worry. Even Preston is helping you now, so Maya can't do anything. You're safe." As they talked, Zaden and Teri came in with the dishes. Everyone got up and headed to the living room. Zaden just furrowed his brows slightly at Harriet, but Teri was bouncing with excitement.After washing their hands, everyone sat down to eat. Athena looked at the colorful spread and was pleasantly surprised. It actually looked decent. Maybe she had underestimated Zaden after all. Harriet picked up a piece of beef brisket and bit down—her teeth hurt, her face contorted. "Ugh ... Zaden, how is this even edible? Are we eating plastic?" she groaned. Zaden frowned, clearly not expecting his first attempt at cooking to get roasted like that. Athena noticed Zaden's nervous expression and picked up a piece herself. Zaden glanced at her anxiously, waiting for her verdict. Under his watchful eyes, Athena chewed calmly, then swallowed. "This is really good—not too tough. Just chew a little more and it's perfect." Relief washed over Zaden's face as he smiled. Teri shot Harriet a glare. "Harriet, are your teeth okay? Mommy says Daddy's beef is really good!" Harriet's face went dark. This little protective brat was clearly defending her dad, and Athena must be messing with her to praise Zaden! Harriet finally managed to swallow the beef, almost choking in the process. She gulped down a big mouthful of water and then banged her chest in regret. She seriously felt like she had walked right into trouble on purpose. This whole family was tight-knit, and she could not say a word against them. And to make matters worse, she had just ended up accidentally eating a big helping of Athena and Zaden's PDA—enough already!After Athena's surgery, she became the focus of Vlephia. For days, her procedure dominated Instagram trends. Maya, embarrassed in front of everyone, had not shown up since, and Athena did not give her a second thought. She had no time to rest, keeping close tabs on her patient's recovery. Each day, she visited the hospital, recording progress until the patient was finally ready to be discharged. Only then did Athena feel a real sense of completion. Sending the patient off, Athena exhaled in relief. She had been obsessively monitoring every detail, worried about any possible mistake. Kate, overjoyed by the patient's discharge, called Athena into her office. "Congratulations, Athena." Athena smiled faintly. "You helped a lot too, Professor."