Feeling sorry, Benjamin carried his son and seated him on his lap.
“I'll let you go to school, then. Do you want to?” he asked gently.
Tim nodded before hurriedly shaking his head.
Benjamin was befuddled.
“Do you want to go, or do you not want to?”
The boy bit his lip. “I don't want to. I want to look after Grandma.”
Benjamin was glad to see how thoughtful and appreciative this child was.
“There'll be other people looking after your grandma, but you're at the age where you should be learning. This isn't something you should hold back on. I'll sign you up for school so you can go with Gavin and Zachary, then you can keep your grandma company after your classes are over.”
Tim was visibly fazed, but he still worried about Mary.
“Who will look after Grandma?”
Benjamin noticed the boy's concerned gaze. “There'll be nurses and your mommy to care for her. If you're still worried, I can get the butler to look after her at the hospital too. She'll also have Mr. Bailey and the other doctors tending to her, and they'd be any time better than you taking care of her!”
Tim pondered for a moment and frowned. “Won't it cost a lot of money?”
I can't afford to hire so many people to look after Grandma.
Benjamin smiled. “It's definitely going to cost a bit to look after a patient, but an amount like this means nothing to me. You don't have to worry!”
Tim gazed at the man seriously. “I can't squander your money like that... How about this, Mr. Graham? Lend me some money, and I'll return it when I start making my own. You can also charge me interest. Is that okay?”
Benjamin froze in surprise. This kid even knows about interest charges?
“Sure.”
To ease the boy's unsettlement, he could only agree.
Then, Tim flushed slightly. “I don't know how to write, Mr. Graham. Could you write up an IOU? I'll sign the document with my thumbprint. I promise I won't bail!”
Benjamin turned to a bodyguard, signaling him to do as requested.
Arissa returned after getting some ointment only to spot the father-and-son duo seated outside. She didn't know what they were up to, but she had arrived just in time to see Tim placing his thumbprint on a piece of paper.
The woman strode over.
“What are you two up to?”
Tim immediately tensed up as his face turned crimson.
Benjamin glanced at her before putting the IOU away. “Nothing.”
However, Arissa swiftly grabbed the piece of paper from him.
She exploded upon reading its contents.
“Are you that shameless, Benjamin? How could you sign an IOU with your own son? You should be the one paying for all this, to begin with! Why are you being so calculative?”
She was so close to calling him a cheapskate.
Benjamin merely frowned and said nothing.
“No, Ms. York! I'm the one who asked to sign the IOU, not Mr. Graham. Please don't blame him!”
Tim hastily tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
“You wanted to sign it?” Arissa asked in shock.
She then glanced at both the father and son.
“Yes.” Tim nodded gravely.
The woman shot Benjamin a glare in response to the smug look he was giving her. Why didn't he say so earlier?
Then, she carried the boy and began to rub the ointment on his hand.
“I can afford to pay for your grandma's treatment, Sweetheart,” she explained. “You don't have to borrow money from him.”
Tim stared at her. “It's okay, Ms. York. I'll make lots of money when I grow up.”
Seeing how determined the child looked, Arissa felt relieved yet heartbroken at the same time.
What a kind boy he is. He's always thinking about others.
Benjamin leaned into her ear and whispered, “If he wants to borrow money, let him. It's not like I'll ask him to repay me.”
Arissa gave him a side glance.
He hinted at her to respect the boy's decision.
With that, the woman sighed internally before turning to the child in her arms.
“Do you feel better now, Sweetheart?”
Tim nodded. “Thank you, Ms. York.”
Arissa ran her fingers through his hair before carrying him back into the ward.
“Does Grandma have other illnesses aside from diabetes, Ms. York?”
The woman gave her worried-looking son a peck on his forehead.
“Nothing serious - just some common issues that many older people have.”
She didn't want to tell him too much, lest he grew even more fretful.
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