Chapter 32: Borrowed Money

"Impossible..." Elena muttered in disbelief as she looked at her son-in-law.

Ethan paid them no attention, merely hugging Evelyn and patting her back reassuringly. Still, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t bother him.

James approached him with a heavy frown on his face. "Boy, where did you get that money from? I hope you didn’t steal it."

His words made everyone in the hallway freeze. Steal? Could Ethan have really stolen ten thousand dollars?

The young man rolled his eyes. "Father-in-law, you really jump to some weird conclusions, don’t you?"

Ignoring the mocking undertone in his voice, James continued pressing for information.

"Then explain how you got the money. You don’t have a job, so how can you have that much?"

Evelyn turned to face her father, still standing close to Ethan. "Dad, can you let it go? Right now, we should be worrying about Nora."

The man grumbled. "I know that. I’m just feeling uneasy. After all, it could be that this boy borrowed money from an organ donation company or something. And I don’t want him to trick you into donating your organs."

Ethan and Evelyn stared at her father in disbelief. ’This man is really delusional!’

"Hmph! Can’t talk? That means you definitely borrowed it. There is no other explanation!"

James insisted with a frightening expression on his face. Behind him, Chris also played the gentle accuser.

"Ethan, is that true? You borrowed money just to pay the bills? I could have helped you."

Elena also nodded. "How are you going to pay back what you owe? You know that you don’t have a job."

"Wait." James suddenly stopped them, his eyes narrowing. "Are you... planning to use my house as collateral?"

Ethan said nothing, merely looking at them with amusement in his eyes. Evelyn had also grown tired of the conversation, so she didn’t say anything.

James continued. "Is that it? Is that what you’re after? I gave you the house where you live, only because of my daughter. Don’t you dare have funny thoughts about the building."

He then turned to Evelyn, who was looking at him with an unreadable expression. He didn’t care.

"Child, if you don’t divorce this boy in two weeks, I’m going to take back the house."

Evelyn’s eyes widened, and she hurriedly spoke up. "Dad?! Why would you do that?"

She was panicking, as she genuinely didn’t understand why he was trying so hard to separate them. Was it really all about Ethan not taking care of her?

"Why wouldn’t I do that? You want him to sell my house? I won’t allow that!"

Evelyn was speechless and wanted to reply. However, Ethan stopped her by gently tugging on her hand. She turned to him with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Let’s go," He said with a smile.

Without waiting for anyone, he took her away from the pediatric section of the hospital, leaving the others behind.

"Ethan... are you not worried?" Evelyn asked as they headed towards the entrance of the hospital.

Ethan ruffled her hair and chuckled. "Worried? No, I’m actually happy. After all, it perfectly aligns with my goal of moving out of that house, anyway."

"But... I thought you’d need some more time," She said, curious.

Ethan shook his head. "No. Just trust me, will you?"

Evelyn nodded, then asked, "Where are we going?"

"Just a restaurant. You’re looking pale already," Ethan answered.

She lowered her head and bit her lip. "What about Nora?"

Ethan paused as he saw the black limousine that had brought him here still waiting outside.

Without mentioning it, he answered Evelyn. "I already informed the doctor to call us whenever she wakes up. We’ll be notified immediately."

Evelyn finally relaxed, allowing the tension to roll away from her.

Ethan stopped beside the limo, and the driver came out to meet him.

"Why haven’t you gone back yet?" Ethan asked.

The young man explained with his head bowed slightly. "Mr. Stark instructed me to drive you home before coming back. Since you’re not home yet, I’ll keep driving you around."

"Eh?" Evelyn gasped in surprise, shifting her gaze between the car, the driver, and Ethan.

After a moment of consideration, Ethan nodded. "Alright. Drive us to the Hogwarts Restaurant."

The driver nodded and opened the back door for them. Ethan let Evelyn enter first before he followed her in.

The young driver also got into the driver’s seat and started the car. In a few seconds, they were already out of the hospital.

Cassie watched the limousine leave with an uneasy feeling in her heart. ’No way that limousine actually belongs to Ethan, right? Is he actually a secret tycoon?’

The thought made her shiver, and a weird glint appeared in her eyes.

’If that’s true, then I’ll seduce him and tear him away from Evelyn. I’m sure I’ll be better in bed than that naive girl.’ She scowled. ’If only she had agreed to this easily, Nora wouldn’t have suffered. Poor child.’

She turned around and walked back into the hospital without mentioning what she had just seen to anyone.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Evelyn finally pulled up at a highly luxurious restaurant in the city, and they alighted from the car.

Several eyes turned to them immediately, surprised to see a plainly dressed young couple coming down from such an expensive car.

Holding Evelyn’s hand as she looked around curiously, Ethan walked into the restaurant.

The place was calm and almost silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the clinking of cutlery against ceramic plates and the murmurs of the people present.

A waiter immediately approached them as they took a seat by the window.

"What would you like to order, sir?"

Ethan considered it, then picked a meal that interested him. He did the same for Evelyn.

The waiter nodded and walked away to have their order served.

Evelyn finally turned back to Ethan, a curious expression on her face. "This... place is for rich people, right? Can we really afford to eat here?"

Ethan laughed lightly, keeping his voice low. "Of course, we can. I’m not that reckless."

Evelyn sighed in relief, then finally asked the question that had been on her mind. "Ethan... the bill. How did you clear it? Do you... really have that much on you? I don’t understand how."

The young man already expected this, so he explained. "Remember Joe, right? He was more generous than you think, so he gave me a huge sum. Paying Nora’s medical bills from it is easy."

Evelyn sighed in relief and smiled. Her doubts had been cleared.

Soon, the waiter returned with their orders.