Luna, who stood on the other side, folded her arms across her chest and looked at him with a sharp gaze. "Don't tell me you're just going to drink water," she said suspiciously.
Azka glanced at her briefly then looked back at the menu. "I'll just have chicken soup," he finally decided.
Damian nodded. "Alright, I'll order it for you."
After ordering, the three of them chose a seat near the window. Azka leaned back tiredly, while Luna and Damian exchanged glances.
"Are you sure you don't want to look for that woman?" Damian asked, his voice a little softer this time.
Azka was silent for a moment before answering. "I've been looking for her for seven months, but there are no clues whatsoever." His voice sounded frustrated.
Luna sighed. "Then, what are you going to do now?"
Azka stared blankly out the window. "I don't know either."
Damian and Luna occasionally glanced at him, but neither commented. They knew that anything they said would only make Azka's head spin more.
"Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor?" Luna asked suddenly as she saw
Azka stirred his chicken soup listlessly, but still forced himself to eat little by little. "Your condition isn't normal, Azka. Prolonged morning sickness like this isn't ordinary."
Azka sighed, putting his spoon down in the bowl. "I've been to the doctor. They said there's no serious health problem, just possibly the effects of stress or psychological factors."
Damian leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. "Stress, huh? Because of that woman?"
Azka shook his head. "I don't know. But every time I remember her, I feel mixed emotions. There are so many things I can't put into words."
Honestly, Azka felt a little worried about the woman he had a one-night stand with. Despite the annoyance, responsibility, and his mama's orders to find that woman, there was still a feeling of curiosity. Was that woman alright?
Although, on the other hand, he also couldn't deny that he felt used. That woman started everything, then just left him. As if he was just temporary pleasure in one hot night that now left a long trail.
Luna watched Azka eat intently. "I think we really have to find her. At least to ask, why did she do that to you?"
"Is what Uncle Noah has been thinking all this time true?" Luna muttered, thinking hard.
"But if she really had bad intentions, for example wanting to marry you because the Xavier family has power, she shouldn't have just disappeared like this," she continued.
"And if you were both drunk and did it based on mutual consent, then considered it just a mistake... still, there should have been communication afterwards," Luna added.
Damian nodded in agreement with Luna's thoughts. "If she really is pregnant, there might be medical records of it. Any women who are seven or eight months pregnant can be tracked."
He thought for a moment before continuing, "Maybe we should also search in other places, because all this time we've only been focusing on the same area."
All this time, the scope of their search had been limited. Even the CCTV footage from the nightclub where it happened didn't provide any clues. It was as if something was deliberately hindering their search. The more they searched, the more oddities made everything even more confusing.
Their conversation stopped for a moment when Damian protested because Azka suddenly took the lobster from his plate and exchanged it for the soup he had barely eaten. "Hey, that's my food!"
"Alright, don't fight like little kids. Just order another one, Damian," Luna scolded, sighing.
Damian clicked his tongue in annoyance, but finally gave in again for the umpteenth time today. He was about to continue eating when suddenly a question crossed his mind.
"Azka, do you remember anything about that woman?" he asked, this time in a more serious tone.
Azka, who was examining the lobster in his hand, was silent for a moment, then replied, "Nothing, except her hair was blonde and a little wavy."
He brought the lobster closer to his nose. The distinctive aroma of the sea wafted up, and strangely, he felt a little better. Lately, he had indeed felt more comfortable with the smell of seafood, even though he didn't like it much before.
"Maybe her body odor too..." Azka mumbled softly, almost inaudible to anyone but himself. His eyes glazed over, trying to recapture the faint fragments of memory that remained in his mind.
Luna, who had been watching him all this time, could only sigh. "So, no other clues? Besides blonde hair?" she asked, a little frustrated that Azka only mentioned hair color without further information.
Luna's gaze then fell on Azka who was actually smelling the lobster instead of eating it. People around them began to glance in their direction with curious looks.
"Azka, could you please stop doing that?" Luna finally scolded, looking at him in astonishment.
"Doing what?" Azka looked at Luna and Damian alternately with a blank expression. He was completely unaware that his actions were attracting a lot of attention.
Luna raised her chin and looked around them as an indicator. "You're the center of attention. People have been staring at you strangely for a while now."
Azka finally glanced around. It was true, several restaurant patrons were seen glancing and whispering. Feeling embarrassed by the attention, Azka finally began to eat the lobster slowly, albeit reluctantly.
Even though earlier, he had enjoyed the aroma of the seafood because for some reason, the smell made his body feel a little better. Just like when he smelled other foods in this place. The morning sickness that usually bothered him subsided when he smelled the seafood.
"I once heard that if a pregnant woman craves seafood, the child is likely to be a boy," Luna said, recalling an old myth she had heard in Asia.
She thought for a moment before continuing, "I think Azka's child will be a boy. That is, if that woman is really pregnant."
Damian nodded. "But isn't that an Asian myth? In America, more people believe that pregnant women carrying boys will like salty and high-protein foods like meat, cheese, or other heavy meals."
He frowned slightly as his thoughts began to wander further. "And... isn't Azka a man?" he muttered hesitantly. "Can something like that really happen to a man?"
"I mean, if it's the man who experiences food cravings, could that be some kind of sign? Isn't it usually from the mother who's carrying the child?"
"But, considering Azka is experiencing morning sickness, which is known as a sympathetic pregnancy symptom, maybe it could be a sign," Damian said in a half-convinced and half-astonished tone. "And I think... that woman is indeed pregnant with Azka's child."
Just as he turned to look at Azka, Damian saw the man cover his mouth and nose again. In fact, his young boss seemed to be moving away, as if the scent of something was bothering him again. Just like before in the office, Azka had complained about his body odor, which he said smelled bad.
"I think we should take him away from here," Luna said in a worried tone. Her heart ached seeing Azka looking nauseous and tormented by morning sickness again.
"You're right," Damian replied in a flat tone.
"Maybe this will make you feel a little better," Damian said, handing over a plate of lobster that had just arrived after Luna ordered it a while ago. He hoped the dish could help a little, considering Azka had previously felt better just by smelling it.
Arriving back at the company, Azka hurriedly strode towards his office. He intended to finish all his work as quickly as possible before taking a short break and attending the meeting. However, his steps stopped suddenly.
His hand, which was about to open the door, suddenly clenched, and his facial expression changed to annoyance. Inside the room, a strange woman he didn't recognize was sitting casually on the sofa. She was wearing sexy clothes, as if she had come with the intention of seducing him.
Since officially taking control of one of the Xavier family's companies, just like his two older brothers, Azka had often been targeted. He had lost count of how many women had come with the intention of seducing him, claiming to be guests, colleagues, or even pretending to be in the wrong room. Their goal was always the same, which was to get close to the Xavier heir and hope to enter the circle of power and wealth.
This, of course, only added to Azka's headache and annoyance, especially if there was outside interference, especially from his family's business rivals, who were secretly sending bait to trap him in a detrimental situation. He was too tired of dealing with such dramas, especially since he was currently in an unstable physical and mental state.
Maybe those people thought Azka was easier to approach than other members of the Xavier family, if they failed to win the hearts, sympathy, or attention of his parents and older brothers. But the reality was not so. Azka wasn't that easy.
Just like his family, he had also built high and sturdy walls, tightly closing the door to anyone who intended to exploit or bring down the Xavier family.
Azka rested his head against the door for a moment. He was really fed up with women who tried to approach him just because they wanted power. Because he was part of the Xavier family who had great wealth and influence, which would clearly be advantageous if they managed to possess him.