Chapter 32 Morning at the Restaurant

Sierra was seated at the dining table in the morning when Axton entered the dining room and sat at his usual spot at the head of the table.

Normally, Axton’s mother comes first, followed by Callie and then Axton. However, Sierra couldn’t understand why she had to be stuck with Axton this morning, especially after they had stopped talking to each other for four days.

Axton said nothing and buried himself in his newspaper. Meanwhile, Sierra took out her phone and began replying to several work messages that had popped up in her notifications—even though it wasn’t office hours yet.

“You’re very busy, Sierra,” Callie remarked as she entered the room. She chose to sit across from Sierra, meaning Sierra would now have to sit next to Axton’s mother, who had coincidentally arrived at the same time as Callie.

“Apologies,” Sierra quickly put her phone away as the staff arrived to set up breakfast.

As usual, the maid prepared various breakfast options, and everyone was free to take whatever they wanted. Sierra opted for some soup in her bowl and planned to slice an apple after finishing it.

This wasn’t typical for her, but...

Sierra abruptly stood up and rushed to her room. She entered the bathroom and vomited, her stomach mostly empty except for water. Closing her eyes for a moment, she sat on the toilet seat, hugging her still uneasy stomach.

“Are you okay?”

As always, it was Callie who came to check on her.

Sierra extended her hand and nodded. “I’m fine. Don’t leave the dining table before finishing your meal, Callie.”

Callie knelt in front of her, gazing at her with hopeful eyes.

Sierra knew what Callie was thinking and quickly shook her head. “My cycle hasn’t been late, so I don’t think it’s that.”

“That’s okay,” Callie replied with a brief smile. “Are you feeling sick? Do you want to stay home today?”

“I can’t,” she remembered the packed schedule she had prepared for Axton. The problem was Axton couldn’t handle it alone since most of today’s meetings required her presence. “There’s important work today.”

“Alright. Do you want to go back to the dining table?”

Sierra nodded, and Callie took her hand, walking her back to the table.

When they returned, Axton was busy with his soup while Axton’s mother looked at her with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell, Sierra?” the woman asked, reaching out to touch Sierra’s forehead. She happened to be sitting beside her this morning.

Sierra’s heart warmed at her concern. It had been long since she’d heard such a question from a woman her mother’s age.

“No, ma’am. I’m fine.” She looked at the plate before her and immediately felt nauseous again.

Something was wrong with her.

It seemed she couldn’t continue eating her breakfast. However, leaving the table while everyone else was still eating didn’t feel right either.

“If you’re unwell, you should eat porridge. Would you like me to prepare some for you?”

“There’s no need,” Sierra quickly shook her head. “I’m already full, and I think I’ll just have some milk.” She reached for her glass and drank, but the nausea returned, forcing her to set it down and stifle her urge to vomit at the table.

She would ruin everything if she did that. Thankfully, she managed to swallow her milk, though now she had to fight overwhelming nausea.

“Are you overworked from accompanying me to the projects every day, Sierra? If so, you can skip today,” Axton finally spoke to her for the first time since their incident four days ago. After what they had done in the car, they had stopped talking to each other, except for work-related matters.

The craziest part was… they still had intimate encounters in Axton’s office, and Sierra sometimes had to shower more than three times a day in his private bathroom. But they never spoke afterward.

Ignoring that fact, Sierra smiled and shook her head. “I think I’m fine.”

“Don’t overexert yourself, dear. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed you’re often the first to wake up and be at the table while everyone else is still in their rooms. You also frequently work late on your laptop in the backyard. You’re the hardest worker at the office, even though you don’t need to be,” Axton’s mother chimed in. “In this industry, you only need to work during your hours. You won’t get paid extra for working until midnight. And if you get sick and can’t work anymore, the company will replace you within hours. Isn’t that unfair for all your hard work?”

Sierra could hardly believe what Axton’s mother had just said. The woman was… incredibly kind.

“I have so much work, and I feel like I must keep going today. Otherwise, I’d be burdening others.”

“If you insist on working, stay at the office today. Don’t follow Axton to the projects. I don’t want you getting sicker,” Callie said.

Sierra nodded. “Of course, Callie.”

***

The car ride was filled with silence as neither Sierra nor Axton seemed inclined to start a conversation.

Sierra truly didn’t know what was happening to her. However, her stomach felt incredibly empty, and she doubted she could work properly on an empty stomach.

“Axton,” she finally broke the silence.

Axton glanced at her. “Yes?”

Sierra swallowed her pride before speaking. “Could we stop by a convenience store? I think I want to buy some bread.”

“You’re hungry?”

Sierra nodded. “I didn’t feel hungry at home, but now I’m starving. I won’t take long—just want to grab some bread and maybe a milk.” She spoke quickly.

Axton sped up the car, then suddenly turned into a well-known restaurant near their office.

Sierra furrowed her brows and turned to Axton. “What are you doing? I just wanted to go to the convenience store.”

“Come on, get out,” Axton said as he turned off the engine after finding a suitable parking spot.

Oh no, this was bad. What if someone from work saw them here before heading to the office? She didn’t want anyone seeing her with Axton, especially so early in the morning.

“I don’t want to eat here,” she stated firmly.

“Is there a problem?”

“Of course, there is!” She looked at him seriously. “Aside from not wanting anyone to see you with me, I’m also not sure I can eat in public when I…”

“When you what?” Axton raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

“I don’t know why, but I’ve felt nauseous since this morning. I don’t think eating here is a good idea,” she said softly.

Axton stared at her for a moment, and she could easily read his expression like an open book. Shaking her head, she added, “I’m not late. My period is still on track, so I’m not pregnant. Remember when I was sick a few weeks ago? I think it’s the same thing now.”

“Alright,” Axton nodded, leaving Sierra feeling awkward when he just sat silently behind the wheel without doing anything further.

“I just need to go to the convenience store and eat my breakfast at the office. That’s the most practical option.”

“Let’s go,” Axton said as he stepped out his car door. He walked around to her side, opened her door, and stood there waiting.

“Axton, I’ve already told you this isn’t a good idea.”

“Come on, you haven’t even tried it yet.”

Reluctantly, Sierra followed him inside. They chose a table in the far corner of the room. Thankfully, the restaurant—a luxury spot in New York—wasn’t crowded because not everyone could afford to dine there.

Sierra ensured no familiar faces were around, which made her feel slightly more at ease.

Five minutes later, her order of toast, scrambled eggs, and a warm glass of milk arrived. Oddly enough, the milk was something she had been craving since leaving home.

Staring at her plate, Sierra hesitated before cutting into her toast. Axton had only ordered coffee and toast, and now he was watching her with an expression that made her even more nervous.

And then, something surprising happened.

She managed to chew and swallow her toast.

The nausea was still present, but she could endure it. She finished her toast, scrambled eggs, and even her glass of milk—a feat she usually wouldn’t accomplish during breakfast.

“Do you want my toast?” Axton offered.

He hadn’t touched his toast at all, only sipping his coffee occasionally. She guessed he was still full from his earlier breakfast at home.

“I don’t think so,” she said hesitantly.

Axton nodded, cut his toast, and then swapped their plates, sliding his toast in front of her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Axton picked up his coffee cup. “Finish your toast, and let’s get out of here, Sierra. You don’t want to be late for work, do you?”

She stared at him for a moment before obediently starting on the toast. She must have lost her mind because this morning, she had eaten double her usual breakfast portion despite her stomach feeling nauseous and uneasy.

“Sierra?”

A voice interrupted her mid-bite. Sierra froze, biting back a curse in her mind.

“What are you two doing here so early? Does your job now require you to have breakfast together?”

Axton turned to look behind him as the question came from someone standing right there.

Oh no. Here they go again.