Maya, of course, refused to admit it. She shook her head, looking completely innocent. "Professor Gordon, I don't know what you're talking about." Barbara just stared at Maya, annoyed by her foolishness. It was one thing to scheme behind people's backs, but to actually do it herself—without even sending her assistant—was just dumb. Now there was clear evidence of everything she'd done, and there was no way to talk her way out of it. Kate was now pushing hard for Maya to be held accountable. Barbara had come ahead of time to get a sense of Maya's attitude. After all, she didn't want to see Kate gloat either. Barbara figured Maya was just stupid for getting her own hands dirty. What she didn't know was that Maya was terrified. She'd once trusted her brother, Kit, to mess with Athena and Zaden's relationship, but Kit had betrayed her. Then she'd counted on Preston, thinking he'd be on her side against Athena—only for him to turn against her, too. Even her grandmother, who had once adored her, seemed to be on Athena's side now. At some point, she had started saying nice things about Athena and urging her to stop fighting with her. So Maya hadn't dared let anyone else handle this. But even after doing everything herself, things had still gone wrong. Seeing Maya sticking to her story, Barbara pressed, "There's plenty of evidence showing what you did. You need to take responsibility, or people will never accept it. Come to the conference room." Maya felt panic rising in her chest.She grabbed Barbara's arm and pleaded, "Professor Gordon, do I really have to go? Can't I just skip it?" Barbara saw Maya finally crack, so she asked, "So you admit you did it?" Maya hesitated. With Athena's videos and photos out in the open, there was no way for her to talk her way out of it—denying it now would only make things worse. In the end, Maya gave in. She turned to Barbara. "Professor Gordon, please help me. Can't you just let this go?" Barbara saw that Maya had finally given in and let out a helpless sigh. "It's not just my call anymore. Pack up and come to the conference room. I'll help if I can." With that, Barbara walked out. As soon as Barbara left, Maya deflated and trudged to the conference room. Inside, several people were already seated, including Athena. When Maya came in, Dr. Rick Bennett, a chief physician with glasses, spoke up. "Professor Rice, your actions have had a huge impact on the hospital. We have to deal with this seriously." Maya kept her head down, saying nothing. Barbara said to him, "Dr. Bennett, maybe Professor Rice just made a mistake. Can't she just apologize and get a warning?" But as soon as she spoke, Kate cut her off with a cold laugh. "Just an apology? Do you really think Athena should just brush off all the rumors and trouble she's endured these last few days? This is a hospital. We're here to save lives, not to play dirty games." Barbara was instantly silenced. She and Maya were close, but this time Maya had really brought it on herself. If Barbara pushed too hard, she might drag herself down with her.It wasn't really her fight anyway. With that in mind, Barbara stayed quiet. Rick turned to Kate. "Professor Warner, what do you think is the right way to handle this?" Kate's eyes darkened. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Given how serious this is, I think Maya should be suspended." At that, Maya jerked her head up. "No! I don't want to be suspended!" Rick knew Maya's background—she'd been given her position by Beverly. If she got suspended, there'd be trouble with the higher-ups. Just as he hesitated, the conference room door opened and Elijah walked in. Everyone greeted him with respect. "Mr. Elijah." Though the Storm Group was still technically run by Zaden, Elijah had taken over the hospital from him, so all decisions were his now. Rick realized that since Maya had tried to target Elijah, he was probably here to see justice done. Elijah took a seat. Athena frowned, unsure if Elijah was here to help Maya. Maya was supposed to face consequences for her actions, but Elijah's arrival meant that anything could happen now.