Amidst the city's hustle and bustle, a corporate building stood tall and sturdy, seemingly unintentionally symbolizing glory and leadership.
Inside a white-colored room, a formally dressed man with neatly styled black hair and almond-shaped hazel eyes narrowed, furrowed his brow, and then groaned. He hurriedly covered his nose with both palms, inhaling the unpleasant odor that filled his office.
"Move further away," Azka ordered, pointing to a formally dressed man carrying files, asking him to move even further away.
Damian Calloway, Azka's personal secretary and also his best friend, sighed deeply and rolled his eyes lazily. Since finding out that his young boss had a one-night stand with a woman at a club that resulted in morning sickness, he was quite tired of dealing with Azka's strange behavior.
For some reason, Azka was always bothered by his body odor. Even though Damian had changed his usual soap, shampoo, and perfume, it seemed his efforts had not yet yielded results.
"I've moved far enough away from you, I'm even standing near the wall. Isn't that enough?" Damian asked in an annoyed tone.
Azka didn't respond immediately. He only glanced at Damian, then shifted his gaze to the documents his childhood friend was carrying. Meanwhile, his hands continued to fan himself with another document.
"What's the content?" Azka asked casually, making Damian yelp in panic for fear that the documents his boss was holding would get wrinkled. Even though there were three air conditioners running in the room, Azka still felt hot.
Azka scoffed and simply placed the document he was holding on the table, further annoying Damian.
"As usual," Damian muttered, still holding back his patience. During his time working with Azka's older brother and father, they had never acted like this. Annoying youngest son!
As Damian began to walk closer to hand over the documents he was carrying, Azka immediately yelped, asking the man to return to his original spot when the unpleasant odor was smelled again.
Ugh, this morning sickness is really annoying!
Seven months had passed since Azka began searching for the woman he had a one-night stand with at the club, but she had not been found until now. In between his search, he continued to learn and work gradually until he finally managed to lead one of the Xavier family's companies.
His relationship with his friends also remained intact after his five friends apologized for the incident that night and showed their concern sincerely.
"Then how am I supposed to give you these documents, Azka Xavier?!" Damian exclaimed, losing his patience. "If you're asking me not to come near you!"
"Just throw them then," Azka said casually.
"What? Throw them?!" Damian exclaimed. "I don't want to! What if the documents get damaged?"
"I also don't want to ask for the same documents again!" he added, protesting loudly. He didn't want to have to ask for the documents again just because Azka was acting arbitrarily.
"Then I also don't want to smell your body odor," Azka retorted sharply.
"Heh! What have you two been arguing about all this time?! Why are you shouting like this?! Do you think you're in the middle of the forest, huh?"
A firm voice was heard at the same time as the door to Azka's office opened roughly. An elegantly dressed woman stood in the doorway, her body upright, looking at them with a sharp gaze.
Azka and Damian were startled by the presence of Luna, Damian's fiancée, who suddenly appeared uninvited.
A woman who was always difficult to deal with and someone Azka wanted to avoid. Luna often teased him, and Azka preferred to avoid her rather than have to deal with her.
"He started it first, Luna!" Damian hurriedly defended himself.
Azka immediately shook his head. "I just don't like his smell. He stinks! So I asked him to stay there and throw the documents he was carrying. But Damian didn't accept it and said the documents might get damaged."
"That's why we were arguing," Azka continued in a flat tone.
Luna rolled her eyes lazily. "Goodness, you two are like little kids fighting over trivial things," she said while walking in.
Damian snorted. "Trivial, you say? You don't know how stubborn Azka is. I've tried everything so that my body odor doesn't bother him, but he still says I stink!"
Luna folded her arms across her chest and looked at Azka with a mischievous smile. "So, you're saying Damian stinks?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.
Azka frowned. "I didn't say he stinks... it's just that his smell bothers me."
"That's the same thing!" Damian protested annoyedly.
Luna chuckled before stepping closer to Azka. "Then, what about my scent?" she asked, leaning her body towards him.
Azka reflexively moved away, his expression instantly becoming uncomfortable. "Don't come closer, Luna!" he exclaimed, waving his hands as if chasing away a non-existent smell.
Seeing his reaction, Luna was even more amused. "Oh, so my body odor bothers you too? Wow, wow, this is interesting. Looks like your morning sickness is really bad, huh?" she teased in a seductive tone.
Azka just scoffed annoyedly. He was already suffering enough with this condition, and now Luna was making fun of him.
Damian, who had been observing Azka's expression, suddenly frowned. "Wait... You're still experiencing this after months, Azka? Shouldn't morning sickness only happen in early pregnancy, not?" he asked suspiciously.
Azka was silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze. "I also don't know why... maybe it's just a side effect of stress," he replied carelessly.
Luna and Damian exchanged glances, then looked at Azka with meaningful expressions. Something felt off, but they couldn't be sure what it was.
"Then how am I supposed to hand over these documents to you?" Damian returned to the initial problem. "You don't want me to come near you, I don't want to throw them because it could damage the documents, and I also can't wait here all day!"
Azka sighed, then picked up a pen on his desk and pointed towards the table in the middle of the room. "Put them there," he finally said.
Damian grumbled softly, but still followed Azka's request. After placing the documents on the table, he immediately backed away with an annoyed expression.
Luna just smiled amusedly at their interaction. "Alright, if your business is done, how about we have lunch together? I'm hungry. Besides, it's already break time," she said after hearing the break bell and seeing the time on the wall clock in Azka's room which already showed twelve noon.
"Me too," Damian quickly chimed in.
Azka sighed. "I don't want to come. You guys go ahead."
"Can't," Luna cut in. "You have to come. Who knows, eating out might help relieve your morning sickness, right?" Luna winked mischievously.
"And I don't want you to get sick again to the point of making Aunt Madeline worried. Look at your body. Have you been eating well lately, hmm?" Luna pinched Azka's cheeks which used to be much fuller, but now felt increasingly gaunt. It wasn't fun to play with.
Azka swatted Luna's hand away and wanted to refuse, but seeing the expression on Damian's fiancée's face, which clearly wouldn't accept a 'no' answer, he could only give in. "Alright... But if I feel nauseous, I'll go home immediately," he said half-resigned.
Damian and Luna exchanged glances and smiled. Maybe this was an opportunity to keep a closer eye on Azka's condition. Besides, Madeline did ask them to always pay attention to her youngest son.
While walking in the hallway, Azka walked ahead with a considerable distance from Luna and Damian. However, his ears could still catch the couple's conversation.
"How can this be happening? Isn't it usually the woman who experiences morning sickness? Why is it the man who's experiencing it?" Damian said, still unable to comprehend.
"Maybe God wants to be fair by making this youngest son experience morning sickness as retribution for getting someone pregnant just like that," Luna replied casually. "Irresponsible man."
Azka turned around and glared sharply, not accepting Luna's words.
"That woman must be having a hard time right now," Luna continued. "Damian, don't you dare imitate Azka. Don't be a man who leaves a woman just like that after making love, then throws her away when she's no longer useful."
Azka grew even more annoyed. "Hey! Don't just talk nonsense!" he snapped sharply.
It was clear that he wasn't the one who initiated that night's encounter. It was that blonde woman who did it first when he was unconscious due to the effects of alcohol. Luna spoke as if he had deliberately led that woman astray, when in reality it was the other way around.
Azka looked up, staring at the row of menus in one of the restaurants they chose for lunch. His eyes scanned the list of dishes lazily, not feeling very hungry.
"Just order something light," suggested Damian, who stood beside him. "You need food so you don't get weak."
Azka sighed softly. The morning sickness he was experiencing was truly troublesome. Every time he smelled certain foods, his stomach immediately felt nauseous.
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.