CHAPTER 152: THEY DON’T FEEL LIKE DREAMS ANYMORE

Doctor Jaden Williams rushed into Glorious International the moment Henry’s urgent call came through.

But the sight that greeted him inside Daniel’s office made him hesitate at the doorway.

Daniel sat behind his massive executive desk, his expression unreadable — cold, composed, and far too quiet. The kind of quiet that made Jaden instantly wary.

"I don’t remember calling you, Jaden," Daniel said flatly, his eyes lifting to meet his old friend’s.

Jaden raised a brow but didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze slowly drifted to the side — landing squarely on Henry.

Henry froze.

Both men were now staring at him, their combined glares cold enough to make the room feel ten degrees colder.

"I—I was just trying to help you, boss," Henry stammered, his voice cracking as he straightened his posture. "You didn’t look... uh... normal this morning, so I thought—"

Daniel arched an eyebrow, his tone low and unimpressed. "You thought calling my doctor without asking me was a good idea?"

Henry’s nervous chuckle died in his throat. "I... I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to, boss."

Daniel leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable. "Oh, I do. But right now, it’s not you I want to talk to."

Henry gulped audibly, feeling the chill crawl up his spine.

Jaden, meanwhile, smirked faintly, trying not to laugh at his friend’s expense. "Relax, Henry," he said casually, adjusting his glasses. "You did the right thing. Someone had to call me before this workaholic ends up in the ER."

Daniel shot him a glare. "I wasn’t dying."

"Not yet," Jaden replied dryly. "But with that face, I’d say you’re halfway there."

Henry bit back a laugh but one glance from Daniel was enough to silence him again.

The tension in the room thickened, but Jaden simply leaned forward, his tone shifting from teasing to serious. "Alright, Daniel. Enough glaring. Henry said you’ve been... off lately. Want to tell me what’s going on?"

Daniel’s jaw tightened.

He wasn’t sure how to start — or if he should at all — but the weight of what he’d seen in that dream still clung to him like a shadow.

And as his silence stretched, Jaden’s professional instincts kicked in. He recognized that look — haunted, restless, too many thoughts behind steady eyes.

This wasn’t stress from work. It was something deeper.

****

After some time, inside the private suite, Jaden sat comfortably across from Daniel, his usual calm demeanor masking his curiosity.

"So," he began, crossing one leg over the other, "what is it this time?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "This time?"

Jaden leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Daniel, please. You really think this is the first time you’ve had one of these episodes? Henry already told me about the last incident — the one where you woke up crying in your office."

Daniel’s lips twitched, his eyes narrowing dangerously as they shifted to his assistant.

Henry immediately straightened, sweating under his boss’s glare.

"You were crying, boss," Henry said quickly, holding up his hands defensively. "And that was... uh... unusual."

Jaden nearly snorted at the understatement.

Henry continued nervously, his words tumbling over themselves. "That evening, when I walked in and saw you asleep, I thought you were just tired. But then you started mumbling... and it got louder. You looked—" he hesitated, "—like you were in pain. I had to shake you awake."

Daniel’s glare deepened, and Henry gulped hard. ’ You weren’t supposed to be so vocal about it’ he conveyed through his eyes that made his assistant cry internally.

’Why am I being tortured like that’

Jaden, noticing the rising tension, decided to step in before the assistant actually melted under Daniel’s stare.

"Alright, enough death glares," he said lightly, waving a hand. "Your assistant did the right thing. Frankly Daniel, I’m surprised you didn’t pass out from stress a long time ago."

Daniel leaned back in his chair, exhaling a slow, controlled breath. "I didn’t call you here to analyze my sleep habits and its was long ago when I actually passed out."

Daniel recalled his initial days when he was still paving his way into the business world and how overworking had caused him stress to the point that he fainted only once.

"Of course you didn’t," Jaden replied easily, "but that’s exactly why I’m here."

The look Daniel gave him was a mix of irritation and reluctant amusement. Jaden had been his doctor for years and his friend even longer and he was one of the very few who could speak to him like that and live to tell about it.

Jaden’s tone softened slightly. "Look, I’m not trying to pry. But if these dreams are recurring and they’re bad enough that Henry here found you crying—" he paused, deliberately emphasizing the last word just to watch Daniel’s jaw tighten, "then something deeper is going on. And you know it."

Daniel said nothing for a long moment, his gaze falling to the floor.

He didn’t mean to worry anyone, least of all them. But ever since that morning, the images — the flashes of pain, the eerie familiarity — wouldn’t leave his mind.

"I’m not sure what’s wrong," he admitted finally, his voice low. "But those dreams... they don’t feel like dreams anymore. They feel—"

"Real?" Jaden finished for him.

Daniel’s eyes flicked up to meet his, and that silence was all the confirmation Jaden needed.

"Alright then," Jaden said quietly, sitting back in his chair. "Let’s figure out what your mind is trying to tell you."

While Jaden was preparing to begin Daniel’s examination, Henry’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen and noticed a call from one of his field informers.

"Excuse me for a moment," he murmured quickly, stepping aside to answer.

Jaden continued to adjust his notepad and jott down the question he would ask, but Daniel’s sharp gaze never missed the way Henry’s face changed the moment he heard the voice on the other end.

The color drained from his expression. His posture stiffened. And his tone dropped an octave lower.

"Are you sure they’re together?" Henry’s voice trembled slightly.

A pause. Then, with a grim look, he nodded to himself and ended the call.

Daniel’s instincts immediately kicked in. "What is it, Henry?"

The assistant froze mid-step. His fingers clenched around the phone, knuckles turning pale.

For a moment, he hesitated but one glance at Daniel’s piercing eyes told him there was no use hiding it.

"Boss..." Henry swallowed hard, his voice low and unsteady. "Miss Kathrine is back."

Jaden’s head snapped up, startled.

But it was Daniel’s reaction that silenced the room. His entire body went still, every muscle drawn tight as his jaw flexed.

"And?" he asked quietly, though the weight in his tone made the question sound like a demand.

Henry exhaled shakily. "And she’s... she’s with Miss Anna. Right now."