Chapter 18 Stop

Victor's question left Albert slightly perplexed even until he ended the call. Albert began to contemplate what his true feelings towards Yvette really were.

Did he like Yvette? The notion seemed far-fetched. Albert neither experienced love at first sight with Yvette nor harbored deep emotions for her.

Albert himself couldn't fathom why things had escalated to this point with Yvette.

After their initial encounter, neither Albert nor Yvette had exchanged contact information. They tacitly acknowledged it as an unexpected and unbridled one-night stand.

As Albert pondered, he noticed a long-unopened high school alum group chat on his phone. The lively conversation caught his attention. It was then that he realized he didn't even know Yvette's name.

Perhaps it was for the best, sparing Yvette any sense of guilt.

He pondered, 'But what happened next?'

Albert unexpectedly encountered someone at the North Airlines Center's Luken Branch. It was Yvette.

Pilots undergo regular health checks, and Albert was used to them being routine. However, this time, something was different.

As Albert entered the examination room and took a seat, a blue curtain suddenly parted, revealing Yvette in a white coat. The sight of her triggered memories of that night.

The air seemed to freeze suddenly, causing both Albert and Yvette to pause momentarily.

However, they quickly regained their composure and behaved as if they were complete strangers.

Yvette, holding a soft ruler, measured Albert's seated height and then instructed him to stand up.

Upon standing, Albert towered over Yvette, making it challenging for her to reach when measuring his arm's length. She had to tiptoe slightly to reach his arms and gauge the dimensions.

Throughout the process, Yvette kept her head up, maintaining eye contact with Albert. Her hair was jet black, and Albert still remembered the soft touch of her hair brushing against his neck and shoulders that night.

Yvette's gentle hands glided over Albert's body, their touch delicate yet managing to tense the muscles on his back involuntarily.

It was as if a flame had ignited Albert's desire.

With his head down, Albert gazed steadily at Yvette as she completed all the measurements, tidying up the slightly disarrayed ruler.

As the ruler slid through Yvette's palm, it brought back memories of the night they had spent together.

Albert swallowed hard.

As Yvette turned to leave Albert's vicinity, he suddenly pulled her back. His palm trailed down Yvette's arm, around her waist, latching onto her soft and slender lower back. With a slight firmness, she found herself drawn towards his chest.

"Can you get off work at six-thirty?" Albert inquired.

Albert compelled Yvette to lift her head, her eyes mirroring the dampness they had that night.
Still somewhat dazed, Yvette instinctively nodded.

Yvette replied, "At half past six, I'll wait for you at the entrance."

Before Albert and Yvette could fully comprehend why all this was happening, it had already unfolded.

It was another wildly intense night.

The following morning, Yvette, with her back to Albert, dressed quietly, her movements soft and almost soundless.

In the tranquil room, amid the faint rustle of fabric, Yvette made every effort to minimize any noise.

Yvette wanted to leave quietly, just as she had the first time.

But Albert was already awake, silently observing Yvette's silhouette.

After a long while, Albert handed her his phone. "Add me on Instagram," he said.

Albert concluded that Yvette always appeared in inopportune situations, leading him to lose his rationality and restraint.

Albert is just an ordinary man with desires. Yvette, on the other hand, is obedient and undemanding, unlike most women who tend to ask for various things.

Yvette never refused Albert, allowing him to descend into moral decay. Albert never pondered how long their arrangement would last; if Yvette requested to quit everything, he would comply.

Had it not been for Yvette's unexpected pregnancy, Albert and Yvette would likely have parted ways by now.

Albert was certain that his feelings toward Yvette were solely driven by lust.

After coming to this realization, Albert felt a significant relaxation in his body.

Upon returning home, Albert casually took a shower, sipping water as he reached for his phone.

Yvette had sent him a message earlier.

Yvette: [Have you settled on a time for meeting my family this weekend?

Yvette: [If not convenient, we can reschedule.]

Albert furrowed his brow and simply tossed the phone onto the table.

From the moment Yvette woke up, she habitually reached for her phone whenever there was a spare moment, unlocking it to check Facebook.

With no response from Albert, Yvette locked the screen again. She couldn't even recall how many times she had repeated this scene.

A vague sense of unease crept into her mind, yet Yvette reassured herself that it must be because Albert had returned home late the previous night, possibly still asleep.

Sylvia approached Yvette to borrow a stapler, a tool that is rarely used but always seems to be within reach in the most obstructive spots. However, when the need arises, it mysteriously goes missing.

After a prolonged search, Yvette finally recalled that she had casually stashed the stapler away in a cabinet two days ago.

Upon retrieving the stapler, Sylvia lingered instead of leaving immediately, choosing to engage in conversation with Yvette.

Drawing near, Sylvia, somewhat agitated, exclaimed, "Have you heard about Violet's grounding?"

At the mere mention of Violet, Yvette paused in her tracks, her gaze remaining fixed. "No, what happened to her?" she inquired.

Observing Yvette's neutral expression, Sylvia furrowed her brows in frustration, and asked, "A few days ago, Violet got drunk again, and it was your husband who took her to the hospital. Are you unaware?"

Sylvia reproached, "What are you doing, letting your husband tend to his ex-girlfriend? Do you enjoy facilitating his betrayal?"

Yvette lowered her gaze, concealing any hint of desolation within her expression.

"He does as he pleases," Yvette murmured.

What could Yvette do about Albert?

"How do you plan to handle this?" Sylvia asked as she gazed at Yvette with a touch of compassion in her eyes.

Yvette smiled and, with a comforting look, replied self-deprecatingly, "Me? Let me think... maybe ask for more money. That's something else he can't provide."

Sylvia teased, "You do have a way of thinking."

Taking Sylvia's jest in stride, Yvette appeared unperturbed, half-jokingly and half-seriously remarking, "Of course, I have to think about it. You're well aware of my family's circumstances. I need to be a bit materialistic."

After pondering for a moment, she added, "But this time around, it's indeed troublesome; I will have to go through a divorce. By the way, Albert should be wealthier than me, right? Is there a possibility of me striking it rich through the divorce?"

Sylvia was speechless. She suggested, "Why not ask for child support from him since he has a high income? You might not even need to work."

"Ah, is it still possible? I never even considered it," Yvette replied and chuckled. "If that's truly possible, then this marriage would hold significant value for me."

Victor arrived for the pre-flight routine check, with Sylvia in charge of this shift. However, upon his arrival, Sylvia was nowhere to be found. The staff at The Center reminded him that she had gone to look for Yvette.

Being familiar with where Yvette's office was located, Victor skillfully made his way there. The door to Yvette's office was slightly ajar, causing him to hesitate at the entrance, contemplating how to approach the situation.

Before he could make his presence known, he unintentionally overheard the entire conversation between Sylvia and Yvette.

Frowning, Victor took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. He instinctively reached for his pack of cigarettes but then noticed the no-smoking sign in the corridor, deciding to put the pack away.

After a brief pause, Victor turned around and walked back the way he came.

Neither Yvette nor Sylvia had noticed Victor's presence, let alone his departure.