I'm Afraid I Won't Be Able to Leave

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Hongmen Banquet

”I never mistreat my own people.” Asher Keating patted her head. ”Alright, get ready. We’re going to meet Ethan Shaw and the others first.”

”Okay.” Leah Sinclair went to change her clothes, but Asher Keating just leaned against the doorway. Feeling shy, Leah said, ”Asher, could you step outside for a moment? I need to change.”

Asher Keating raised an eyebrow. ”What’s there to be shy about?”

Leah Sinclair grew a little bashful. Even though they had been so intimate, she still felt shy. Asher Keating chuckled, stepped out, and closed the door. His own clothes were in the living room, so he changed right there.

When Leah Sinclair came out after changing, Asher Keating was just putting on his shirt. Leah found herself staring at him. ’Just a simple white shirt and black dress pants... How can he look so handsome in them?’

Asher Keating looked over at her. In the end, she hadn’t worn the dress she picked out earlier, instead changing into one of her own outfits: a long white shirt, a gray sweater vest, a short skirt, and ankle boots. She had casually tied her hair into a half-up top knot and had only put on some lipstick. Leah Sinclair was tall to begin with, and this outfit made her legs look even longer, giving her a vibrant and youthful aura.

”Not bad at all.”

Hearing Asher Keating’s comment, Leah Sinclair let out a sigh of relief and went over to button his shirt. Asher had told her to wear whatever made her comfortable, and this outfit was definitely in her comfort zone. ’It’s so much better than trying to force a mature look,’ she thought.

”All the way up?”

”However you like it.”

Leah Sinclair gave him a playfully reproachful glance, which made Asher Keating laugh. He pulled her close for a kiss, and just like that, her lipstick was gone. She figured she might as well not reapply it.

The group met at a restaurant next to the Zenith Club. Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling were both surprised to see Leah Sinclair looking like this; it was a refreshing change. The previous times they’d seen her were at Azure Bay, where she was always wearing rather heavy, glamorous makeup.

The last time they’d run into her at Asher Keating’s place, she had also been wearing clothes he’d bought for her. They were beautiful, no doubt, but not quite right for her age. Today, however, Leah looked sweet and youthful—the very picture of a college student.

Ethan Shaw teased Asher Keating, ”Asher, am I crazy, or are you robbing the cradle?”

Then he turned to Leah Sinclair. ”Leah, seriously, don’t you feel like Asher’s a waste of your youth? You’re practically a baby.”

”Asher isn’t old,” Leah Sinclair answered earnestly.

”Hahaha! Sounds like Asher’s still got the magic touch, eh?”

Riley Sterling and Ethan Shaw roared with laughter. With just one sentence, they had managed to make Leah Sinclair blush furiously. All she had meant was that Asher Keating wasn’t old, but they had completely twisted her words.

”Alright, that’s enough. Let’s hear it, what’s the plan?” Asher Keating said with a smile, cutting them off. He could see that if they kept teasing Leah, she’d be too embarrassed to show her face.

Knowing they were about to discuss business, Leah Sinclair made an excuse to go find something to eat. Asher Keating told her not to wander too far.

”Tsk. Asher, to be honest, I’m glad Leah’s with you. It would be a real shame for a girl like her to be corrupted by someone else, especially Morgan Sterling,” Ethan Shaw lamented.

”And how many innocent college girls have you corrupted?” Riley Sterling retorted.

”How is that the same? Mine is a mutually beneficial arrangement! They want stuff, they want money, and I give it to them. All I want is their bodies. I never sleep with the same woman more than three times. Go past three and you’re asking for trouble.”

Asher Keating lit a cigarette and tapped the table. ”Let’s get down to business.”

”Oh, right. I didn’t actually dig up much, but your brother, Second Master Keating, seems to be getting pretty close with Morgan Sterling. Just last night, after you and Leah left, we ran into them on our way out. I asked around, and apparently, your brother has been frequenting The Dynasty Club with Morgan Sterling.” Ethan Shaw laid out what he knew.

”Heh. Second Master Keating is still just a kid, and he’s already this muddle-headed?” Asher Keating scoffed.

”You snatched up the Southwood land, Asher. Second Master Keating is probably getting desperate. But hanging around Morgan Sterling is pointless now; you’ve already signed the contract.”

Riley Sterling was also confused. Aaron Keating, the Second Master, had always been too arrogant to hang out with their crowd, and he didn’t seem to know Morgan Sterling that well either. ’When did those two get so close?’

Asher Keating smoked, his brow furrowed, his fingers drumming lightly on the sofa. He fell silent for a moment. Knowing he was deep in thought, Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling stayed quiet.

After a good while, Asher Keating finally spoke. ”I’ll keep an eye on my brother. When you have a chance, help me check if there’s anything else going on with the Sterling Family. And... check on Madeline Sterling’s situation.”

”Asher, you and Madeline...” Ethan Shaw started to say.

Asher Keating took a drag from his cigarette without a word. Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling exchanged a glance and knew not to press the issue.

The three men chatted about other things for a while before Asher Keating glanced at his watch and texted Leah Sinclair to come back. Leah had been sitting in the outer lounge. As soon as she got the message, she headed back. She had just tried a small cake that was so delicious she couldn’t help but eat two pieces, and she wanted to bring one back for Asher to try.

Ethan Shaw chuckled when he saw her return holding a small cake. ”A young girl through and through, loving all this sweet stuff. Not like us coarse men, especially Asher. Tsk, he won’t even touch it.”

Leah Sinclair, who had been about to offer the cake to Asher Keating, drew her hand back and said with a smile, ”It’s really good.”

The problem was, she’d already had two pieces. Now she was conflicted over the third—it felt wasteful not to eat it, but it was also getting too rich. She forced down another two bites.

Ethan Shaw was about to order some food and asked them what they wanted. Having eaten late that afternoon, neither Asher Keating nor Leah Sinclair were hungry. Leah, in particular, couldn’t imagine eating anything else after all the sweets, so she just ordered a drink.

Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling ordered a few dishes for themselves. Asher ate a little without saying much. ’We’ll be drinking tonight, so I’d better eat something even if I’m not hungry.’ Leah chimed into the conversation now and then.

As dinner was winding down, Asher Keating noticed the piece of cake and asked Leah, ”Didn’t you say it was delicious? Why’d you stop eating?”

Leah didn’t want to waste it and, bracing herself against the overwhelming sweetness, prepared to make one last effort. Seeing her brow crinkle in distaste, Asher Keating smoothly took it from her. ”Don’t eat it if you can’t finish it.”

”I can finish it. It was expensive.”

Leah took it back and started forcing it down. For the last two bites, the look on her face was so tragic that Asher finally took the cake from her and finished it himself. Leah stared, stunned. ”But I thought you didn’t like sweets?”

Asher Keating wiped his mouth. ”A little now and then is okay.”

Leah’s eyes curved into happy crescents as she whispered something to Asher, who listened quietly with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling secretly exchanged a stunned glance. ’Asher is spoiling Leah a little too much, isn’t he? Eating sweets is one thing, but he’s eating her leftovers! This goes way beyond the boundaries of a casual fling, right?’

Sure, it was perfectly normal for them to share food with their own female companions, but this was Asher Keating! ’Why does this scene feel so... shocking?’

Asher Keating glanced at his watch, then stood and straightened his jacket. ”Let’s go. Time to taste the ’Hongmen Banquet’ our Eldest Young Master Sterling has prepared for us.”