Everyone from the Rices was truly alike, even down to their temper. Athena had met Maya's mother once before. The woman had looked her up and down just like Ariana did, her eyes quickly filling with disdain, making her dislike obvious. But Ariana probably knew who Athena was. She might even know what had happened between her and Maya. And yet, she had come to her deliberately. Maybe she was doing this on purpose—to target her. Fortunately, Athena had already prepared herself for things not to go smoothly. So when she faced Ariana, she showed no reaction at all. When Ariana finished speaking, Athena gave her a calm, faint smile. "Perhaps you don't follow the news," she said. "Professor Rice and I had a medical challenge, and I won. If you haven't seen it, I can send you the article. "Maybe then you'll understand what my skills are like." Ariana's face darkened in fury. Athena's words were clearly meant to slap her in the face. She was just trying to remind her that Maya had lost. The image of Maya crying and complaining about being bullied flashed in Ariana's mind, filling her with fresh heartache. Maya was the only girl in the family. She had been pampered since childhood, never once allowed to be wronged. Yet now, she'd been humiliated like this by an outsider. Ariana pressed her lips tightly together, her voice cold as she said, "I don't care about what you're talking about. All I care about is your treatment. If you can't cure me, I won't let you off!" Athena didn't respond, silently accepting her words.When she saw that Ariana had calmed down, she said evenly, "Shall we begin the examination now?" Ariana gave a dismissive snort. Athena turned to Jaylee. "Take Mrs. Ariana to the CT room." Jaylee, who had been standing behind them the whole time, flinched at Athena's order. Ariana's stern expression from earlier had terrified her, and she was shocked that Athena could stay so composed and even manage to get under the old woman's skin. If it were her, Jaylee would never have dared to do the same. In that moment, her admiration for Athena deepened. She walked forward and said softly, "Mrs. Ariana, let me help you get out of bed." Jaylee carefully supported Ariana, while the two other attendants stepped forward to assist. But somehow, whether from the wrong movements or clumsy hands, Ariana began to cry out in pain. One moment she complained they had pulled her the wrong way, the next she claimed she felt uncomfortable. It took a long while of fussing and complaining before she finally settled into the wheelchair. Jaylee felt as if half her life had been drained away. At least now, Ariana could finally be wheeled off for her scan. But when she thought about having to deal with Ariana again in the coming days, she suddenly felt utterly hopeless. Once Ariana left, the ward grew quiet again. Athena stood still for a moment, then turned and followed to the examination room. She had a feeling Ariana wouldn't behave during the procedure. Sure enough, just as Athena reached the doorway, she heard Ariana's angry voice from inside. She didn't know what Ariana was complaining about this time, but Jaylee was standing to the side, eyes red and tears streaming down her face. Athena finally couldn't hold back. She stepped forward, gently pulling Jaylee aside. "Go stand over there," she said softly. "Let me handle this." "But ... Dr. Hall ... " Jaylee hesitated. She was only a nurse's assistant, and this was part of her job. Athena, as the doctor, was only supposed to oversee treatment. Seeing her take over made Jaylee feel guilty. Before Jaylee could say more, Athena had already stepped forward, intending to help Ariana sit up. The moment Ariana saw her, her anger flared even hotter. "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" she shouted, shoving Athena hard. Athena stumbled backward, her lower back slamming into the edge of a table. A sharp pain shot through her, nearly making her double over. Jaylee rushed forward, quickly helping Athena stand straight again. Then, glaring at Ariana, she summoned all her courage and said, "Mrs. Ariana, disruptive patients can be asked to leave the hospital. If you refuse to cooperate with Dr. Hall, I suggest you request another doctor instead!" Athena hadn't expected Jaylee to talk back to Ariana like that. For the first time, she truly looked at her assistant with newfound respect. Ariana had always been stubborn and bad-tempered, but she had never been this difficult. The only reason she was acting out now was because of Athena. She just wanted to lash out on behalf of her granddaughter.