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

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: I Heard You’re Keeping a Woman?

The old Mr. Keating asked Asher Keating what was going on. Instead of explaining, Asher simply showed him the surveillance footage.

After watching it, the old Mr. Keating only said one thing: ”This younger member of the Sterling family... she’s a far cry from Morgan Sterling.”

After that, he didn’t bring the matter up again. He knew his grandson’s character well. Since Asher had already made it clear he would not marry Madeline Sterling, he wouldn’t do something like that.

Calling him back to ask was merely a formality. The incident had caused quite a stir, after all. The main branch of the family, especially Aaron Keating, had been making snide remarks for two days straight.

After dinner, Asher’s parents called him into their room. His mother, Ruth Hughes, asked, ”Asher, are you really not going to offer an explanation?”

Asher patted his mother’s hand reassuringly. ”Mom, there’s no rush.”

Ruth Hughes knew her son was a man with a plan. Since he told her not to worry, she figured he already had a countermeasure in mind, which brought her some relief.

Theodore Keating, on the other hand, tossed Asher a pack of cigarettes. ”I hear you’re keeping a woman?”

Quite a few people knew about Asher keeping Leah Sinclair, so his parents had heard the rumors. After all, he practically paraded the woman around town, making no effort to hide her.

When they first heard about it, the couple had assumed it was false. ’How could our son be keeping a woman?’

But when it turned out to be true, they discussed it and decided not to interfere. After all, it was perfectly normal for a man Asher’s age to have physical needs.

He hadn’t had a woman by his side for so long, so it wasn’t a big deal. Which of those other rich young masters hadn’t kept a few women on the side?

But it had been several months. In the past, while Asher had never been enthusiastic about Madeline Sterling, he had at least maintained a cordial front.

Recently, however, he had repeatedly and publicly disrespected Madeline Sterling. They’d also heard bits and pieces about how much Asher doted on this other woman, which made the couple a little uneasy.

Asher lit the cigarette and grunted in acknowledgment.

”It’s been a few months, hasn’t it? You’re not tired of her yet?”

Asher took a drag from his cigarette, his thoughts turning to Leah Sinclair. ’Tired of her? Not at all. In fact, I’m liking her more and more.’

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly. ”Maybe I’ll stop the arrangement after a while.”

Ruth Hughes quietly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. ”Mhm, it’s about time.”

”I’m going to be with her.”

”...What do you mean, you’re going to be with her?”

Ruth Hughes’s heart skipped a beat. ’Asher said ”I’m going to,” not ”I want to” or ”I plan to.”’

”It means we’ll date. And if that goes well, we’ll get married.”

”COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...”

Theodore Keating choked on his cigarette smoke. Ruth Hughes rushed over, handing him a glass of water and rubbing his back.

”Asher, are you kidding me?!” Ruth Hughes cried out.

”Mom, do you really think I’d joke about something like this?”

”But... I heard she used to be a hostess, didn’t she? Son, your father and I don’t insist that you find someone of equal social standing, but she should at least be a girl with a respectable background.”

Ruth Hughes frowned. She and Theodore Keating were a prime example of an unequal match. Her family was merely middle-class, but back in the day, Theodore had fallen in love with her at first sight and refused to marry anyone else.

In order to marry her, Theodore had a huge falling-out with his family. The old Mr. Keating didn’t mind, feeling that mutual love was enough, but the old Mrs. Keating was dead set against it.

And because he married her, many of the Keating Group’s assets were initially given to Timothy Keating. While what they received was more than enough, she still felt she owed her husband and son.

”Don’t worry, her record’s clean. She only worked as a hostess because she wanted to earn more money for her grandmother’s medical treatments.”

Asher flopped onto the sofa. ’She gave her first time to me. How could she not be ”clean”?’

The couple exchanged a look. That made sense. If Asher was serious about this, he would have already done a thorough background check.

Ruth Hughes asked, still a bit confused, ”Then what did you mean when you said you’d stop the arrangement after a while? If you want to be with her, why wait?”

”She owes me money.”

”...”

”...”

The two of them stared speechlessly at their son. ’Surely he wouldn’t chase the girl down to make her pay him back?’

Seeing his parents’ expressions, Asher’s lips curled into a smirk. ”She insists on paying me back. So I told her the arrangement would last for six months to cover the debt. If we don’t see it through, she’ll feel uneasy.”

”Well, this girl is certainly principled.”

Ruth Hughes couldn’t help but smile. She was suddenly growing curious about this girl. When Asher had spoken about her just now, there was a twinkle in his eyes he couldn’t hide.

She was very curious to see what kind of girl could capture the heart of her usually detached son.

Asher could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her. ”I’ll bring her to meet you after some time has passed. It’s too soon right now; I don’t want to scare her. Mom, Dad, I’m heading back now. She’s home by herself.”

Theodore Keating watched him and chuckled. ”I never thought you’d be such a caring person, son.”

Asher smiled back. ”I get it from my father.”

Theodore Keating smiled and pointed at him. ’Who else would he have inherited it from? Me, of course.’

Even though Asher said he would bring the girl to meet them, Ruth Hughes was still intensely curious.

I mean, come on! Her son suddenly keeping a girl was shocking enough, but now he was talking about dating and even marriage! How could she, as a mother, not be curious? She was dying to go back with Asher right then and there to meet this girl.

Seeing the excited look on his wife’s face, Theodore Keating knew exactly what she was thinking. He pulled her close with an amused smile. ”Alright now, our son knows what he’s doing. If he says he’ll bring her to meet us, he will.”

”But I’m just so curious!”

Less than two days later, Ruth Hughes summoned Sean Yates to the old Keating family residence and, using a mix of threats and enticements, began grilling him about Leah Sinclair.

On the way back that day, Asher had already given Sean Yates instructions: if Ruth Hughes came asking, he was to give her a general rundown of Leah Sinclair’s situation. Asher knew his mother’s personality well and wanted to keep her from jumping to wild conclusions.

”She just graduated? And a top student from Riverfall University? Doesn’t that make her several years younger than Asher? Is she too young?”

Ruth Hughes muttered to herself, ”And she works at Aevon, of all places. Did Asher get her in?”

”No, Madam. She was already an intern there before the Young Master joined Aevon. It was a complete coincidence.”

Sean Yates answered honestly, though he was thinking to himself, ’Leah Sinclair is twenty-three, and the Young Master is only twenty-seven. That’s not much of an age gap, is it? Has the Young Master always acted so mature that even his own mother forgot how young he is?’

”What’s her personality like? Is she pretty? How tall is she? Oh, never mind, just take me to see her. She’s at the company, right? Let’s go, let’s go.” The more Ruth Hughes thought about it, the more excited she became. ’No, I have to see for myself.’

”Madam... I don’t think that’s a good idea. If the Young Master finds out...” Sean Yates didn’t dare.

”If you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, how will he ever know? Quick, quick, I’m going to change! You can’t tell Asher, promise? I’ll just take one look and then we’ll leave.”

With that, Ruth Hughes headed upstairs to change. At the landing, she suddenly turned back. ”If you dare to tip him off, I’ll have you transferred to a branch office!”

The hand Sean Yates was holding his phone with slowly, silently, lowered. ’Young Master... I did my best.’

Ruth Hughes came downstairs, having changed into a deliberately low-key outfit and put on a pair of sunglasses. ”How’s this? This way, even if I’m staring right at her, she won’t know I’m looking at her, right?”

Sean Yates chanted silently in his head, ’You’re the Madam. You’re the Madam. Whatever you say is right.’