Chapter 96
Zinnia said nothing more. She continued massaging for a while, even kneading his shoulders. When he finally relaxed and fell asleep, she stood up, legs to little numb, gently rubbed them, then carefully covered him with the blanket from the sofa.
Zinnia quietly took out herbal sachets from her backpack and placed them by his side. Only then did she lift the bag and tiptoe out, shoes in hand–he was a light sleeper and would wake at the slightest sound.
She quietly changed her shoes at the entrance, opened the door, and glanced back at the sleeping figure on the sofa. Only after making sure he was still resting peacefully did she gently close the door and take the elevator back to her own place.
Next morning, Zinnia left early for school. Meanwhile, on the 19th floor, the shrill ringtone shattered the silence. The man stirred as blinding sunlight stabbed into his eyes.
The man lying on the couch instinctively raised a hand to block the light. His phone, vibrating ceaselessly on the coffee table, just wouldn’t stop. Yannis frowned deeply.
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But he soon sensed something was off. Yannis sat up from the sofa, the light blanket slipping from his shoulders. The living room was empty, and he thought, ‘Was last night’s girl just a figment of my imagination?‘
The phone kept buzzing. He bent down to pick it up and saw his assistant’s name on the screen. “Hello,” he answered, his voice carrying a rare, husky note of relaxation.
concern.
“Mr. Perkins, weren’t you supposed to meet Dr. Wilson last night? He said you didn’t show up. Did something happen?” Toby asked, his tone full of
Toby had every reason to be worried. After days of sleepless nights and a tough business trip, Yannis was completely exhausted. Worried him, Toby called a doctor, hoping to let him rest for a while.
Even medication no longer worked Yannis, even medication was ineffective. Treatments with doctors often required tremendous effort, and even then, success was rare. It usually took multiple attempts just to get him to doze off for a short while.
“I forgot. Nothing happened,” Yannis replied indifferently, his handsome face remaining expressionless.
“Mr. Perkins, your voice… it sounds like you actually slept,” Toby said, surprised.
Those few simple words from Yannis had a lazy, relaxed quality, a stark contrast to his usual subdued and heavy tone. It was the kind of voice one might have after waking from a deep and satisfying sleep.
“If you have nothing better to do, inform the R&D department. There’s a meeting in an hour,” Yannis said brusquely before hanging up the call.
He tossed the phone onto the couch, and his mind kept dwelling on Toby’s words. He glanced at the still–lit screen, which showed the time–7:45 a.m. It was already the next day.
He fell asleep at 8 p.m. and slept soundly through the night. There were no nightmares, no tossing and turning, not even a single dream. It was a natural, uninterrupted sleep that lasted until morning.
For the first time in over a decade, he woke up feeling truly refreshed. There were no headaches, no fatigue–just a revitalizing clarity he thought he’d lost.
Yannis recalled the vague memory. Someone’s soft voice murmuring beside him, blocking out the violent thoughts in his mind. Without realizing it, he’d been soothed by those gentle words and had finally drifted into real sleep.
Last night, when he agreed to let Zinnia give him a massage, it wasn’t because he thought it would be helpful. He simply didn’t want to decline her kindness or make her feel bad. Deep down, he hadn’t had much hope.
Suddenly, his attention was caught by herbal sachets placed on the edge of the sofa behind him. He picked them up and noticed a folded note tucked
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Chapter 96
beneath them.
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