Athena was reading the documents her assistant had submitted to her earlier, which detailed the spread of the strange disease around some towns, when she heard the commotion right outside the door.
A smile slithered across her lips when she heard Fiona’s hysterical scream at Ciara; an order to open the office doors so that she could get through.
For the guards to let Fiona back into the premises, it could only mean that Ewan had come with her.
Athena shook her head. The ruckus was far from over. But she was more than ready for the wacky couple.
Just then her phone started ringing.
When she saw the caller, she piqued an eyebrow. Zane.
Had Ewan really spoken to him about firing her? Or was he calling to inform her to accept Fiona’s request, whatever that was?
Athena silenced the phone, and turned it upside down. She didn’t need Zane’s interference. If he deemed it necessary to interfere, she would resign.
That decided, she placed her hands on the desk, and wore excellently, the posture of the aloof boss that she was.
At the same moment her office door opened, and Ciara led Ewan and Fiona into her mighty office which had a beautiful view of the sky and city.
Probably why Fiona had gone wild with hate the first time.
"I tried to stop them, but Mr. Ewan Giacometti had permission from Mr. Zane."
Athena nodded slowly, before gesturing that Ciara leave the office. "Give me five minutes before you send the other patients in. I think I will be done with this case soonest."
Ciara nodded and gave a bow, before leaving the office.
Fiona couldn’t stop herself from releasing a cuss word at the assistant, whose only response was silence before she shut the door.
But Athena wouldn’t let that go.
"If your fiancée has no self control, then she has to leave. I won’t have her insulting my staff." She said calmly, gazing at Ewan with a bored expression.
Before Ewan could respond however, Fiona shouted at Athena. "Are you stupid? Who do you think you are, speaking about staff and what not?! Zane assured me that you will be fired today!"
"Really?" Athena chuckled, and shook her head. "Then, I guess I am out of here."
She made a show of reaching for her bag, despite knowing that Fiona was lying. Ewan confirmed her deductions the next second.
"Don’t mind my fiancée, Athena..."
"It’s Doctor Athena to you..." Athena interrupted, flipping through the document that was before her.
Ewan stilled at the rebuff, but knew this was what he had to endure to ensure the treatment of the people in his town.
He couldn’t afford to mess the chance up because of an old feud that had gone cold. And there was the fact that she had remarried.
After Sandro had returned with the reports last night, he had been amazed by what he had read—Athena’s accomplishments in the past five years had blown his mind!
He read of her education background, and the speed with which she had moved through health fields and education. It was obvious to him that she had someone backing her. But who?
The document hadn’t explained that. And a particular year’s report was missing from the documents; the year and the next, after she had left the town.
Had it been when she married her husband? Could the husband be the backer? Who was he? And if she was married, why was she frolicking with Zane?
These questions didn’t put Athena in a good light before Ewan but he knew he had to push all that aside to obtain help from his ex wife; not for himself, but for his people.
"Doctor Athena, don’t mind my fiancée..."
"Mr. Ewan, she is not worth minding, neither are you. I gave you both five minutes; that time is almost up!"
Ewan’s nostrils flared in anger at being treated like a nobody. Yet for the love of his people, he stood rimrod straight as if he wasn’t affected by Athena’s subtle insults.
Fiona, however, wasn’t exactly wise.
She strolled to Athena’s desk, and commanded her to stand up. "You are spoiling for a slap... Athena.."
But Athena didn’t even spare Fiona a glance.
Instead she looked at Ewan, who understood that his ex wife was expecting him to do something drastic, or lose her attention.
Fiona’s mouth dropped open in shock.
And when Athena smiled in satisfaction, Fiona raised her hand to slap her, but Ewan was fast enough to catch her flimsy hand.
"Let me Ewan! Let me wipe off that smirk from her lips! Does she know my position in the city???"
But Ewan wasn’t having any of Fiona’s tantrums, not if it could destabilize his plans. He pulled her to himself, and pushed her toward the door.
A glare from the already annoyed male silenced Fiona immediately.
Knowing that Ewan was hanging on a tiny thread, she submissively went to the door, happy at least that his anger wasn’t directed toward her.
Surely, this way, he could see that Athena was evil for him?
Before she left, she glared at Athena. But Athena continued to smile at her, deprecatingly.
Fiona, helpless, held back a retort and walked out of the door.
Immediately she left, Ewan turned to Athena. "I’m sorry for that. She can be a handful."
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Athena wasn’t in the mood for small talk. She went back to reading the documents on the table.
"Athe... Doctor Athena..."
Ewan opened his mouth, then shut it, amazed that he was stuttering.
He couldn’t believe it. Athena had been the one to stutter in front of him years ago, and now he was doing it. How had the tables turned?
He swallowed his pride still. "Doctor Athena, I need your medical help..."
"I’m sure that’s the case, as that is the only reason you will be here. You have one minute more, Mr. Ewan. What do you want?"
"I need your help. The disease you treated Zane’s father for, is spreading in my town. Fiona’s mother is plagued by it already. I know we have a shady past, but can you let bygones be bygones? We need you to cure her."
"Will you come? Will you help us?"