Chapter 134 Borrowing Money
Outside the car window, traffic buzzed. Albert checked his watch, frowning.
He'd just been to the medical center to find Yvette, but Sylvia said she left early. Today wasn't her prenatal check-up day, and he couldn't reach her, so he headed to her place.
Albert climbed the stairs and knocked gently.
Lassie opened the door, looking surprised. "Albert, what brings you here?"
Albert walked in, scanning for Yvette. "Mom, where's Yvette?"
"Yvette?" Lassie looked puzzled. "Isn't it early for her to be home from work?"
Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly smiled, pulling Albert to the couch. "She should be back soon. Why don't you wait?"
Albert frowned, checking his watch. "She's not at the Medical Evaluation Center. I just came from there."
"It's okay, Yvette's not a child; she won't get lost," Lassie said, smiling. "I'll get you some water. Sit and relax."
She brought a glass of water. "Albert, Yvette's been living with us. What are your plans after the baby is born?"
Lassie pulled up a chair, sitting next to him. "The baby will need care, and Yvette can't handle it alone. Will your parents help?"
Albert's face darkened. "I don't plan to let the baby go to the Valdemar family."
"So, your parents won't help," Lassie said, eyes lighting up. "Do you have paternity leave? Yvette can't do it alone. Some families here hired nannies, but they gave babies sleeping pills. It's scary."
She straightened up, trying to look kind. Albert checked his watch again, anxious about Yvette.
He followed her lead. "I'll hire a nanny, but I'll need you to keep an eye on things. If needed, I'll get another housekeeper."
Lassie beamed. She'd hoped to earn some money but didn't expect Albert to be so attentive, even arranging two nannies.
She pretended to hesitate. "But I have to take care of Wayne, who's not well, and Kyle, plus side gigs to help with bills."
"Don't worry," Albert said firmly. "If you help with Yvette and the baby, I'll make sure you're all set."
"Great!" Lassie clapped. "I know you care about Yvette and the baby. I feel much better with your plans!"
She cleared her throat, looking troubled. "There's one more thing I need to tell you."
"Just say it," Albert replied.
"Yvette's pregnant, and living here with all these stairs isn't good for her. Plus, the house is old and might have germs, which isn't safe for the baby," Lassie said hesitantly. "I've mentioned this to Yvette, but with Wayne's health issues, she's been helping us a lot. I feel bad asking her for money."
Lassie blinked and cautiously asked, "Albert, we want to move to a newer place with an elevator, but we don't have enough money. Could you lend us sixty thousand dollars? We'll pay you back once we save up."
Albert nodded and took out his phone. "Send me the bank account number, and I'll transfer it now."
Seeing Albert agree so quickly, Lassie was almost in tears.
She jumped up. "Great! Albert, you're so generous. I'll get the card right now, wait a moment!"
Lassie rushed to the room, found the bank card, and hurried back, fearing he might change his mind.
She handed the card to Albert. "Transfer it to this card. Don't worry, we'll pay you back as soon as we can!"
Albert didn't care about her words and transferred sixty thousand dollars to Lassie.
Lassie's phone chimed; the money had been received.
She was so happy she kept praising him. "I always tell everyone how great my son-in-law is, and I'm definitely not just boasting!"
It was already past the time Yvette was supposed to be home, but she was still nowhere to be seen. Albert felt anxious, and even Lassie, who had just received sixty thousand dollars, was a bit nervous.
"Where on earth did Yvette go? She didn't call to say she'd be late. Now that she's pregnant, it's really worrying!" Lassie fretted with her phone. "I can't reach her either."
Albert was getting increasingly anxious. He took out his phone to call Yvette, but she didn't answer, and now her phone was off.
A sense of dread slowly crept into Albert's heart.
Just then, Albert's phone rang. It was an unknown number.
Without considering it might be a prank call from the Valdemar family, Albert answered immediately.
"Is this Mr. Valdemar? I'm Sylvia!" Sylvia's anxious voice came from the other end. "Has Yvette come home? Can you reach her?"
"She hasn't come home yet." Albert's heart sank, and he stood up. "What's going on? Did something happen to Yvette?"
"No. I just heard from Dr. Valdemar, who took over her shift," Sylvia said, out of breath. "Yvette left today without asking for leave or explaining to her supervisor. Later, Dr. Valdemar had a question for her and called. He casually asked where she was."
Albert held his breath. "Where was she then?"
"Yvette said she was in the chairman's office discussing something and would talk later. I just realized, does the chairman be your father or your brother?"
Albert frowned, thinking, 'Chairman? The only person recently appearing in Yvette's life and referred to as the chairman at North Airlines is James!'
