Chapter 09: Cravings

Avery wasn't the type of person to cuss out. But, sometimes, especially at times that she was flabbergasted and extremely embarrassed, she'd end up saying the most inappropriate words in an unfitting situation. 

And what unbecoming situation is there other than what was in front of her now? 

"I'm hanging up." 

Avery kept her face blank. Play it cool. Let's play it cool, Ave.

"Don't," Aidan hurriedly said in response to her. He went on, "It's a little dark over here, I didn't see much." 

Liar!  She just knew that he was lying through his teeth to her face without even as much as a blink of his eyes!

Despite herself, Avery glared at him without taking the camera away from her messy face. It's okay. Since he said he saw nothing, then there's nothing she should be embarrassed about. The person who says something in the end will lose! "Why did you call me?" 

It was even their first video call.

"Of course, to check on you. You didn't reply to my message in the morning." Ever since the day they parted ways in front of the hospital, Avery received a message or two from him. But it wasn't worth much to be suspicious of or make them more than a stranger to each other. 

"I… I forgot to write a reply." The only response she could give him was her honesty. She really did forget about it after dealing with Andrea, her father's secretary. 

"Hm." The purr that came out from his deep voice caught off her guard. Avery couldn't stop herself blushing. She turned her attention away to focus on the half-eaten lobster meat in her hand as she heard him ask her, "Why were you crying?" 

Avery was instantly reminded of how ugly she looked when she answered his call. This time, the blush came rushing to her cheeks and neck to the tips of her ears. "I… I was overjoyed with eating lobsters and crabs and ended up crying." 

"Can you show me?" 

Show him what? Her crying, or the lobsters?

Avery definitely did not want to show him her crying face. It was too humiliating, and it reminded her how she looked so ugly earlier. So, she switched to the back camera and showed him the spoils of her war. 

"Is this one of your pregnancy cravings?" He sounded curious. 

But, Avery ignored the slight strangeness in his tone as she switched to the front camera again, and nodded.

She heard him ask, "What else?" 

"I can't seem to stand the smell of meat. Any type of red meat, even though I liked to eat it before. Chicken meat is okay with me. Fish… I can't eat fish that's too bloody. But lobsters, crabs, and shrimps are my favorite! Especially, if it's too spicy!" Avery said, grinning at him. 

Since finding out she was pregnant, there hasn't been another person who knew about it. So, it had been difficult for her to share the peculiar changes that have been happening to her. But with Aidan, the only person who knew about her secret, Avery felt overly comfortable with him. It felt like she could tell him everything without worrying about the consequences.

It was too strange. So strange that she even suspected he is the father of the child inside her womb. After all, what man would continue keeping in contact with a pregnant woman, who could possibly be married to someone?

But, Aidan, as much as he was concerned about her and stayed in touch with her, he didn't step on any boundaries. She even suspected that if she hadn't replied to his first message to her, they might never talk to each other like this and would have drifted as mere strangers. 

In any case, she didn't want to figure who the father of the child was for now. All Avery wanted right now was to take care of herself and the baby inside her womb. 

***

Inside an opulent office. 

Aidan stared at his phone and listened carefully to what she was saying. Meanwhile, his other hand made a few signals towards his secretary, who just entered the office. 

Richard furrowed his brows, observing the gestures seriously for a few seconds. But it didn't take him long enough to understand what his boss was looking for.

The secretary quickly found a pen and a notebook and gave it to him.

Seeing his boss take the pen and start noting down some words on the blank page, Richard stood in front of the desk, waiting for his boss to finish with whoever he was talking to.

The serious look in his employer's eyes indicated that the matter being discussed on the phone was quite important. Was it another business negotiation? An investment worth hundreds of millions? Or maybe a new company he's planning to build? Richard couldn't stop himself from wondering.

"What about your mood swings? When do they appear?" 

Suddenly, the secretary's thoughts were interrupted as he heard his boss speak to the person on the phone. Mood swings? He wondered if he had heard the right thing. 

However, he soon found out that it wasn't an illusion brought out by stress from work. His boss was indeed talking to a woman! And they were definitely not discussing business!

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, as if he was prying on his employer's private life, Richard wondered whether to leave now or stay there. 

"Are you inside your office?" Richard heard the female voice ask his boss. "I'm not taking up too much of your time, am I?" 

Aidan replied, "No. I'm the only one left in the office. Everyone left home already." 

Richard expressionlessly stared at his boss. Was he invisible to his boss, then? 

…

Avery yawned and covered her mouth. "Why are you still at the office? Go home."

She looked at the time— it was ten thirty— and frowned. She wondered if he was a workaholic. How could he work so late?

'Ugh… I'm sleepy, but I need to wash up first.'

She ordered food as soon as she returned to her hotel room. The sweat she got from staying outside for too long made her skin feel sticky.

"Don't take a bath if you're feeling sleepy," Aidan said, worried that she would fall asleep in the bathroom and get into an accident. "Is someone with you right now?" 

"No. Why?" It was at this moment that she realized that she had spoken her thoughts out loud for him to hear. She bit her lips out of embarrassment.

But it seemed Aidan didn't think too much about what she had just said as he continued. His eyes looked even more serious now. "I heard hundreds of thousands of people have an accident inside the bathroom every year. It is best that you have someone accompany you in the room to look after you while you're taking a bath." 

Where did this come from? Avery blinked at him in disbelief. "Hu—hundreds of thousands?" 

Aidan nodded. "The injuries they suffer may vary. Nonetheless, I still think it's dangerous to enter the bathroom without anyone to look after you. Especially with your condition." 

"It shouldn't be that dangerous." She smiled at him. Avery couldn't help herself. The way he showed his concern made her feel so happy. 

"But—"

When she saw him opening his mouth to say something more, she said, "Really, you don't have to worry about me. I'm not made of glass. See?" She raised her arm and flexed it. "I'm stronger than you think. Besides, I'll just do a quick wash and then, I'm done."

For a moment, Aidan gave her a narrowed look. But then, his eyes suddenly softened as he released a sigh.

After speaking to him for a few more minutes, Avery finally ended the call and went inside the bathroom to wash up. 

Unbeknownst to her, as she entered the ensuite, the door to her hotel room was pushed open, and a man entered the room.