Today, Xander and Yera had a business meeting with some rather important people who had expertise in joint ventures. It was there that they had to discuss the terms and conditions acceptable to both of the hospitals involved. The pair came with their own group to the private room of one of the finest restaurants in the city. The meeting was very confidential, and the two groups, Life Hospitals and Yang Globals, discussed the pros and cons of the possible merger.
Throughout the meeting, Yera kept a poker face on upon seeing Dr. Yao as one of the members of Xander’s team. Her husband had already explained to her beforehand that Dr. Yao held a vital role since she was responsible for the successful building project at Country V. Hence, most of the directors trusted the woman. Yera understood the technicalities, but what irritated her the most about the woman were her blatant attempts of flirting with Xander. Didn’t she know that he was taken already?
Yera let out a sigh in her head. She didn’t know whether to laugh at the scene in front of her or get angry at the obvious subversion happening on her watch. Whenever Dr. Yao moved closer to Xander to give an explanation for some of the documents, her husband’s face would pale considerably and he would try his best to keep his distance from her. This was all while sneaking glances at his actual wife, checking to see if she noticed their unwanted closeness.
Meanwhile, Raine was trying her best to control her laughter as well. Xander’s wife had already killed her so many times just from deathly her glares alone.
Xander was sweating profusely despite the cold temperature inside the room. He kept cursing Rui hard, the man’s tardiness dooming him to an uncomfortable existence until whenever he decided to arrive.
"With this merger, we have to invest a lot more... There are advantages to it, but this is not profitable to us at all," Raine pointed out as she studied the documents presented by Yera’s side.
Yera sighed. Dr. Yao had a valid point. She herself thought the same, after all. They would need a really solid presentation with conditions good enough for both sides to agree.
"Are you sure you’re going to agree to this merger with such biased conditions? Because with the way these conditions are put, I can see it definitely causing a hostile environment to form between both groups," Raine deliberated with a calculated tone. "None of the board of directors and officers in both of these chains of hospitals can be easily manipulated. We both have a few monsters who are greedy for money and power. Especially power, to be precise. And we all are very well aware of who those members are," she added, staring at Xander intently with a smirk on her face.
Yera held the twitch that almost appeared on her face. That vixen seemed to be enjoying the conflicted look on her husband’s face. She was too irritated with her presence. It was out of her character for her to flare up in public, but Dr. Yao’s antics were getting on her nerves. Enough for her to make her lose control.
And sure enough, she suddenly hit the table with the folder in her hand as soon as she saw Dr. Yao touch Xander’s face as if removing something from it. Everyone in the room was shocked by her actions, including Xander, who suddenly stood up from his chair with an awkward expression on his face.
"W-why is the food not arriving yet?" Xander stuttered and was about to walk out of the room when his assistant replied.
"Sir, the food is about to arrive. Please take your seat and allow me to go and double-check."
Xander’s assistant stood up from his chair, a now empty chair that was far away from Dr. Yao. Taking the chance, Xander deliberately sat on it as he replied, "Uh yeah, check on it..." He then timidly looked at Yera before talking to one of the directors at the side, grabbing the documents from the man. "What about you? Tell me your opinion..." Xander mumbled, trying to ease the tension.
’Ah, what’s wrong with me? I think I should tone my actions down a bit, but why can’t I stop?’ Raine inwardly mused with a grin.
Raine raised her eyebrows and shifted her gaze to Yera. "The Yang Globals group is still number one when it comes to hospitals. We have a higher profit margin, better facilities, and more rooms across the board, including ICUs and ICUs. Our doctors are the best in town, both from local and from abroad, and above all, we have a good and clean reputation in the market compared to yours!" Raine laid out their advantages with a vulpine grin. "So now, tell me, what reason should we have to collaborate or merge with you? With such average terms, why would Yang Globals accept your proposal? Why are you that desperate to latch on to our group?"
"Dr. Yao!" Xander scolded.
Yera looked at Xander and signaled him that it was fine. She confidently smiled while looking straight into Dr. Yao’s eyes. She replied, "It’s natural to have this merger done since I want my husband’s company and mine to be united like our personal relationship."
’Ah, bingo!’ Raine silently snapped. She looked at Xander and mused, ’You should thank me for this, you dimwit!’
Everyone’s jaws in the room dropped as they started looking at Yera with their mouths agape. All except for Dr. Yao, who simply laughed at the situation. She seemed not to be surprised at all.
"Well, now it’s more firm then. The merger is for personal reasons, but I think it will also be more difficult because of that. You see, we can convince our board of directors since at Yang Globals, they all behave like baby alligators. They’re unlike the directors of the Life Hospitals group... who seem to be more like untamed and aggressive alligators. So good luck to you if you wish to succeed..." Raine mocked with a laugh.
Her words were harsh, but she simply stated the truth. She was aware of Yera’s dispute and ordeal from her own hospital and group. The other woman had to solve them first if she didn’t want her own resources to be used by her Uncle Yun in his plot against Xander.
The tense atmosphere popped when the meals finally arrived. Dr. Yao’s demeanor suddenly became gloomy as soon as she saw the waitress who came inside to serve the food. Yera frowned when she noticed the quick change in the other doctor’s expression, going from gloomy into a bright smile, all as she stood up and walked in Xander’s direction.