"Boss, we have captured one of the remaining suspects, but there's a little problem…" reported Ralf from the other side of the line.
"What is it?" Xander asked.
"He is in a coma at a small hospital in the province…" answered Ralf as he reported everything to Xander, without missing a single detail.
"Transfer him to our hospital, and make sure to do it discreetly," instructed Xander before he ended the call.
Xander stretched his back and neck to relieve muscle stiffness. He was in his study, checking the latest report on Yera and her family's case. Whoever was behind it was undoubtedly a very capable person.
Four culprits were involved in Yera's abduction, but unfortunately, two had been confirmed dead while the other two had gone missing. Now, Ralf had at least found one of them. Yera would still need to verify the identity of the suspect since she was the only one who could do so. She said she could remember the faces of her kidnappers, except for the one whom she assumed to be the leader.
He had planted some people inside the Life Hospitals group because they were the main competitor of his hospital in the capital city. But until now, his people still could not find anything regarding the death of Old Master Han.
Xander leaned his head on the headrest of his chair and closed his eyes. He also wanted to know the person behind Yera's case, and already had some of his people to investigate Yera's former fiance, Lyndon Chu. But to his surprise, he was clean.
He stayed like that for a while, and perhaps because he was a bit exhausted, Xander dozed off.
Yera was watching television and noticed that Xander had been in his study for quite a while.
Yesterday was a long day for her, so she had gone straight to bed as soon as she was home. Surprisingly, she could sleep like a baby at Yang's Mansion. She hadn't had any sleepless nights ever since she moved in there. Those sleepless nights, in which the accident with Bernard would keep replaying in her dream, and would always end up in her waking up in the middle of the night, sweating, crying, and sometimes screaming. She didn't have that anymore.
Today, Xander introduced his best friend to her, who was also one of the best psychiatrists in their country. Like Xander, Dr. Rui Dee seemed to be a carefree and jolly person. Xander told her that Rui knew about her situation and that she could trust him because Rui was like a brother to him.
Xander also emphasized that Rui would soon play a vital role in helping her.
Yera turned off the television and looked at the wall clock. Then she exhaled loudly...
Xander was very thoughtful as he would always message her to remind her not to skip meals. She really appreciated it, but it also made her a bit uncomfortable. She decided that if he still continued to act like a real husband after a week, then she would have no choice but to confront him and remind him that they were just a make-believe couple, so he could stop acting affectionately even in text messages.
"He's overdoing it," she murmured as she looked at the door to Xander's study.
She wondered what that clown was doing in there, so she stood up and walked toward the room.
She knocked on the door a few times, but there was no response. So she opened the door and entered the room. She saw Xander sleeping in his chair. "Why is he sleeping here like that? So uncomfortable," she muttered as she walked toward him.
She noticed the file on his desk and sighed. It was all about her case, and it was the latest report.
Xander was working hard to keep his part of the bargain…
She looked at him and gently tapped his shoulder, trying to wake him up. "Xander, wake up… Don't sleep here… Wake up…"
Xander moved slightly with a creased forehead, so Yera thought he was already awake, but to her horror, he just snored.
"What?!" she burst out as she kept shaking Xander's shoulder gently and called his name, "Xander… Xander…"
Xander's mouth twitched as he stammered drowsily as if he was dreaming, "Stoppp ca-lling me that... Say 'Daaarling'…"
"Hey! Are you dreaming or acting?" Yera frowned suspiciously. She turned around to leave, but Xander pulled her waist, causing her to fall onto his lap, into his embrace.
She tried to squirm her way out of his hold, but Xander hugged her even tighter as he whispered in her ear sluggishly, "How did my pillow become this heavy...? I'm going to scold the butler... I want a light pillow… But, hmmm, this one smells good. And soft too. So it will do."
Yera's face reddened from embarrassment because of the awkward position they were in. She hit his leg and shouted, "Xander Yang, let go of me!!!"
Xander continued to let out little snores as he nestled his face on Yera's back and tightened his arms around her waist. "Call me darling first, and I'll let you go."
"Stop this nonsense, will you? Or I'll soon kill you!" Yera threatened with gritted teeth. "Say 'Darling' first…'D-a-r-l-i-n-g'…" Xander insisted in a sluggish voice as if he was talking in his dream.
Yera was running out of patience. With pursed lips, she sighed and conceded. "Darling, let me go…"
"I can't hear it… Say 'Darling'…" repeated Xander.
Yera inhaled and exhaled loudly, followed by the words, "Darling… Darling… Darling…"
That instant, Xander released her, and Yera immediately stood up to face him. But Xander's eyes remained closed as he continued breathing heavily.
"Are you really sleeping?" Yera asked in disbelief. "Oh… Don't tell me you have parasomnia?!" Yera gasped as she abruptly woke Xander up because if he really had that, it would be best to wake him up.
"Uhm… Why? What happened?" Xander murmured as he opened his eyes and stretched his arms.
"Why didn't you tell me you have a sleeping disorder?" Yera scolded. Xander did not say anything and just stood up.
Instead of answering her question, he changed the topic and said, "Ralf will come tomorrow with one of the perpetrators." Then he disclosed the progress of their investigation to Yera.
"Go and rest now. I will follow you soon…" Xander said, and Yera obeyed.
Xander stared at the door as she walked through it, and with an evil smile, he whispered, "Hmm… So I have a sleeping disorder now? Then I guess some episodes of sleepwalking won't be a bad idea..."