SWNOVELS Chapter 229: Approach
To accompany Meredith to her prenatal checkup, Terrence Sterling had rescheduled all his morning appointments to the afternoon. He never wanted to miss any of Meredith's checkups. With him by her side, Meredith felt secure. "What time are we going tomorrow? Set an alarm; I'm worried I won't wake up on time," she said.
"No rush, sleep until you wake up naturally," Terrence replied, kissing her forehead before heading to take a shower, leaving her to sleep first. "Okay," Meredith replied, unaware of anything unusual about Terrence.
While Terrence was in the shower, Meredith couldn't sleep and played with her phone, coming across a notification about Azure, who was about to appear on a variety show. This sure was a promotional effort by the show's producers to boost popularity. Intrigued, Meredith clicked through to Azure's profile and watched a dance video that had garnered quite some likes.
Azure, dressed in a dance outfit, looked simply ethereal. Her every smile and movement in sync with the music was mesmerizing. After watching the video, Meredith felt a surge of excitement and even envy. No doubt Azure's dance was considered the pinnacle of modern dance, breathtakingly beautiful.
Unbeknownst to Meredith, the Azure in the video was the same Azure that Terrence knew. To Meredith, it was just a coincidence of names. When Terrence returned from the bathroom, Meredith turned off her phone and didn't mention the video, although she normally would have shared such beautiful content with him. But because the woman in the video was named Azure, she hesitated, knowing Terrence had an ex-girlfriend with the same name.
Meredith went to sleep, and Terrence, after changing into his pajamas and turning off the light, climbed into bed, wrapping his arms around her as usual.
The next day, Meredith woke up late, around nine, and they went to the hospital for the checkup, which took until noon. After dropping Meredith off, she insisted on going to check on her restaurant. "It's about time to see how the business is doing today," she said.
"You just want to eat cheese," Terrence laughed, knowing her well.
"I'm really just checking in," Meredith replied playfully, swaying Terrence's hand.
"Alright," he relented but cautioned, "Really you should eat less; the restaurant will be crowded, take care of yourself."
"Yes, yes, I remember," she assured him.
Terrence couldn't stay with her all day; after having lunch together at the restaurant, he left for his office. Left alone, Meredith got an ice cream. Pregnant and often feeling warm, she craved something cold.
Reese, seeing her, commented, "Meredith, too much ice cream is bad for the baby I think?"
"I asked the doctor, it's fine in moderation, I'll just have one," Meredith replied, not without a sense of proportion.
While enjoying her ice cream, a new customer entered the restaurant, drawing attention. Meredith glanced over and gasped, "Azure."
Recognizing her from the video, Azure, although less striking in person, was still exceptionally beautiful. Unlike her glamorous appearance in dance videos, Azure preferred simple long dresses and light makeup in daily life, which made her less stunning but no less elegant.
"Do you know her?" Reese asked. "I've seen her videos, she's an amazing modern dancer," Meredith replied, surprised to see such a celebrity in her restaurant. Azure's presence was sure to attract more customers.
Azure took a seat by the window and ordered her meal but barely touched it, frequently requesting service for trivial things like a towel or more water. From a second-floor private room, Meredith had a good view and watched Azure closely. Over the next few days, Azure returned, always sitting at the same spot, ordering the same dishes, and eating very little. Meredith found it odd; after all, for anyone to come alone to have cheese fondue every day was strange enough.