For a moment, Ariana was speechless. Putting Maya aside, even she couldn't explain why. But deep down, she just felt that Athena had to be the one to treat her. Anyone else felt wrong. That was why she insisted on Athena. But she would never admit that in front of Zaden. She wouldn't let him see through her feelings and laugh at her. "I only want her!" Ariana demanded like a stubborn child throwing a tantrum, determined to get what she wanted. "No," Zaden replied firmly, not budging an inch. Just as the two of them reached a standoff, the ward door opened. Athena walked in from the hallway. The moment she saw Zaden's tall figure, she froze slightly. She hadn't expected to find him here. She went straight to the point. "Were you the one who reassigned me?" Ariana immediately perked up when she saw Athena. Turning to her, she said, "Dr. Hall, I was wrong to push you earlier. Don't be mad and refuse to treat me. Tell Zaden you'll keep being my doctor, please?" There was even a faint pleading tone in her voice. A hint of surprise flickered in Athena's eyes. From the first day she met Ariana, she had known how difficult this woman could be. She hadn't expected her to apologize. Truthfully, Athena hadn't taken the incident to heart. After all, her relationship with Ariana was complicated and intertwined. Suppressing her thoughts, Athena turned to Zaden and said, "Zaden, let me continue treating her. I already have a full treatment plan in mind. It would be a pity to give it up halfway."Hearing that, Zaden's expression darkened slightly. He had done this for Athena's sake, yet now she was undoing his effort. It made him feel as if she were slapping him in the face. Athena noticed his displeasure right away. She could tell he was upset, but she still wanted to stand by her decision. Ariana, on the other hand, felt a pang of guilt. After all, she had treated Athena terribly, yet Athena wasn't angry and she was still willing to help. Maya had said plenty of bad things about Athena, but from what Ariana could see now, Athena wasn't as awful as she'd imagined. It was just unfortunate that Athena had stolen her granddaughter's man. Athena's dark eyes fixed on Zaden, silently asking him to change his mind. Zaden pressed his lips together. At last, he sighed and relented. "Since you're prepared, I won't interfere. But if she hurts you again, don't regret the decision you made today." Ariana immediately said, "I won't! I promise I won't hurt Dr. Hall again. Don't worry." Athena could hear the displeasure in Zaden's voice. Clearly, he wasn't happy about this. She decided she would have to coax him later. She reached out, tugging lightly on his sleeve, and led him out of the ward. The two of them entered the stairwell. Most people took the elevator, so it was quiet and empty there. Athena looked up at him, her voice soft. "Are you mad?" Zaden gazed at her guilty expression and couldn't help feeling a mix of exasperation and affection. He was a little angry, but seeing her act so gentle now, how could he stay upset?"You're the only one allowed to get mad at me. I can never really get mad at you." This time, Athena had thrown a tantrum suddenly, and he didn't even feel he had the right to be angry. He truly was powerless when it came to her. Athena couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Zaden really was too nice to her. He didn't even know that her recent coldness had been because of Teri's parentage. She shouldn't have given him the silent treatment or made him feel alone just because of that. For a moment, she felt the urge to just ask him if Teri's mother was really Maya, and what he truly felt about it. But before she could speak, Zaden noticed her sudden silence. "Why are you spacing out, Athena?" he asked. Snapping back to reality, Athena looked up cautiously and said, "Zaden, I want to ask you something." "Mm? Go ahead." Just as Athena was about to speak, the stairwell door suddenly swung open. A man with a cigarette dangling from his lips froze when he saw them. He had clearly come to smoke, not expecting to find anyone hiding here. After a few awkward seconds, he blurted out, "Sorry, I didn't know someone was in here. You two carry on." With that, he quickly turned and left. When the door finally closed again, the stairwell fell silent once more.