CHAPTER 403: CHAPTER 403: POSSIBLY PREGNANT

Sharon Sheridan should be nervous and worried, but in Yvonne’s view, Sharon Sheridan is only nervous, not worried.

Seeing Sharon Sheridan’s quick pace, Yvonne was afraid Sharon Sheridan might trip from excitement and hurried to support her: "Madam, why... why do you seem so happy?"

Sharon Sheridan’s demeanor seemed too unusual to Yvonne, and she couldn’t help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Sharon Sheridan instantly laughed with a face full of wrinkles: "Lauren might be pregnant!"

"Huh?"

Yvonne was confused.

Pregnant...?

So soon?

Celeste.

Ava Sterling got out of the car not long after hanging up the phone with Lauren Howell, as it stopped outside the company.

Ava Sterling closed her book, got out carrying her bag, and went straight into the company.

It was still early, not yet nine o’clock, so she headed straight to the makeup room to continue reading.

She would go to the training room when it was almost class time.

As soon as she entered the company and got in the elevator, Ava Sterling opened her book to continue reading.

Anyone who knew her well would be surprised to see Ava Sterling so attached to her book.

They wondered if she had changed, appearing completely like a poised goddess, even catching the receptionists off guard.

"What’s up with Ava? She feels like a different person, I can’t get used to it."

"I agree, Ava doesn’t seem like herself at all, it’s so unfamiliar."

"..."

Ava Sterling was unaware of the receptionists’ questions as she left the elevator and, still reading, headed straight to the makeup room.

Lauren Howell had arrived at the company earlier, at her station, looking outside. Upon seeing Ava Sterling, she immediately checked the time.

8:18 AM, and the doctor hadn’t arrived yet.

She was gradually becoming anxious.

The doctor needed to arrive quickly, ideally before 8:30. Although she wasn’t afraid of Ava getting angry, it was troublesome when Ava did.

For now, Lauren Howell didn’t plan to go out or appear directly in front of Ava Sterling to remind her about the doctor; she wanted her to keep reading until the doctor arrived.

She thought for a moment, then called the front desk to ask if the doctor had arrived.

The front desk quickly replied that he hadn’t.

Lauren Howell instructed them to call her immediately when he arrived, and the front desk agreed.

Hanging up, Lauren Howell checked the time again and then returned to her work with resolve.

She had many tasks to do.

Ava Sterling, engrossed in her book, indeed forgot about the doctor. When she got to the makeup room, she tossed her bag onto the sofa, continued reading, and paid no attention to the time.

Not a worry, she had set an alarm.

No anxiety at all.

Time ticked away, and at 8:26, Lauren Howell’s phone rang.

Heart tightening, Lauren Howell quickly grabbed her phone to check the call.

It was from the front desk, and she immediately got up, rushed out of the office, and answered the call: "Is the doctor here?"

"Yes, Lauren."

"Please ask him to wait, I’ll be right down."

"Okay."

Lauren Howell hung up and then ran directly to the elevator to go downstairs.

In the company lobby, the doctor stood at the front desk with a medical case, waiting. As the elevator doors opened, Lauren Howell rushed out.

She immediately spotted the doctor at the front desk and hurriedly approached him, speaking quickly: "Hello, I’m Ava’s assistant, Lauren Howell. I’ll take you up now."

The doctor nodded: "Alright."

This was the same doctor who had previously treated Ava Sterling. Quentin Quinn had called him, saying the lady felt unwell, and asked him to come quickly, so he had packed up and rushed over.

Luckily, he didn’t live far away, so it didn’t take long to get here.

The doctor agreed and followed Lauren Howell into the elevator to go upstairs.

Meanwhile, in the makeup room, Ava Sterling was completely immersed in her book, forgetting all about the doctor and her illness, as if those thoughts had drifted as far as the Pacific Ocean.

Not a hint of recollection.

Time passed silently.

Suddenly, with a creak, the door opened, followed by Lauren Howell’s voice: "Ava, the doctor is here!"

Without even knocking, Lauren Howell entered with the doctor, somewhat abruptly.

Ava Sterling furrowed her brows, finally lifting her gaze from the book to see a delighted Lauren Howell in front of her.

Why is seeing a doctor such a joyful event? She wondered why Lauren Howell was so happy.

Ava Sterling furrowed her brows, shifting her gaze from Lauren Howell to the doctor standing behind her, then stood up: "Sorry to trouble you."

She sat in the chair and extended her hand for the doctor to take her pulse.

For Traditional Chinese Medicine, it was natural to take the pulse.

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation from Ava Sterling, as she extended her hand while continuing to read her book with the other.

The doctor took her pulse, and she read her book, completely unaffected.

Lauren Howell was taken aback by Ava Sterling’s deep focus, but quickly, a smile appeared on her face. She spoke to the doctor: "Please go ahead and check on Ava."

"Alright."

The doctor put down his medical case, sat down, and began taking Ava Sterling’s pulse.

Lauren Howell stood by observing the doctor and then Ava Sterling.

She hadn’t closely observed Ava’s complexion before, but now that she looked closely, she noticed Ava didn’t seem as spirited as before. There were dark circles under her eyes, indicating a lack of good sleep.

Must be too exhausted.

Since agreeing to the film project, Ava had been very tense, always busy, without any time to rest.

It reminded her of the first two years when Ava started modeling and practiced day and night to perfect her runway walk, striving to be excellent, capable, confident, and not be eliminated.

During that time, her foot got injured, and illnesses followed one after another.

She pushed herself too hard.

As a result, her body suffered some damage, leading to hospitalizations. There was even a severe incident where she flew across the country for a month without proper rest or meals, continuously working, until during a company event where she drank heavily and suffered from alcohol poisoning, requiring emergency hospitalization.

The poisoning was severe, and her body was already fully exhausted. When she got to the hospital, her condition was terrible; it can be said she almost lost her life.

That time, she scared everyone.

Even herself.

When the doctor issued a critical condition notice for her, she didn’t dare sign it, fearing one signature would mean Ava wouldn’t recover.

But she signed it anyway and waited outside the operating room from dusk till dawn until the doctor came out and told her Ava had been successfully rescued.

In that moment, she finally relaxed.

Despite that, Ava still remained in ICU for a few days before transferring to a regular ward, staying in the hospital for nearly a month before being discharged.

In the past, no matter how much she persuaded Ava to take care of her health and not push herself so hard, Ava never listened.

But that incident frightened everyone, including Ava herself.

She also feared death.

So, after that incident, Ava allowed herself to relax, balancing work and rest, understanding not to stake her life. Otherwise, what she earned wouldn’t be hers to spend.

It was precisely because of this that Ava started taking care of her health up until now.

But now, seeing Ava in a state reminiscent of those two years, Lauren Howell felt she needed to remind Ava later.

She couldn’t be like those two years; otherwise, she might not be so lucky again.

After feeling Ava Sterling’s pulse, the doctor asked her some questions, about her appetite normally, her diet, her bowel movements, and Ava answered them all.

Receiving her answers, the doctor then took out a pen to prescribe medication.

Watching him write the prescription, Ava Sterling’s thoughts drifted from work, and she asked: "Doctor, what’s my condition? Can I get better with just a few rounds of herbal medicine?"