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

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: You Think You Can Marry Him?

”This is delicious, Mr. Grant. You can call me Leah Sinclair. I...”

Leah Sinclair felt a bit awkward about him calling her ”sister.” He was a Grant, after all.

”Don’t you like me calling you sister? You... you look a lot like a sister I once had.” Mason Grant looked at Leah Sinclair, a hint of grievance in his eyes.

”Uh... is it Madeline Sterling? It’s just, I feel it’s a bit inappropriate.” Leah Sinclair sighed inwardly. ’Here we go again.’

”Madeline Sterling? Is *she* worthy of being called sister by me?” For some reason, Mason Grant’s expression turned cold.

Leah Sinclair was a little surprised. ’So it’s not because I look like Madeline Sterling?’

Mason Grant noticed her expression, and his cold demeanor softened. ”Not her. I’ve never met her. It’s another sister... one who left us a long time ago.”

Looking at Mason Grant’s sorrowful expression, Leah Sinclair’s heart softened for some reason. ’It’s just a title, what’s there to get worked up about? Besides, I really am older than him.’

”If you don’t mind, Mr. Grant, then call me what you like.”

”Really? Then I’ll call you sister from now on! You don’t have to call me Mr. Grant. You can call me Mason, just like Nash and Shawn do.” Mason Grant instantly brightened up.

”Uh, how about we just do that in private? When we’re around other people, should I still call you Mr. Grant?” Leah Sinclair couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s ever-changing expressions.

”Sure. Whatever sister wants to call me is fine.”

Mason Grant’s eyes curved into crescents. He passed his own cake to Leah Sinclair. ”Sister, try this. I haven’t touched it. I grabbed it for you earlier.”

Leah Sinclair accepted it with thanks, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the gesture. The portions of these buffet cakes were small, and one piece really wasn’t enough for her.

Worried that Leah Sinclair hadn’t had enough to eat, but also that she might find it too rich, Mason Grant stood up to get her a drink. Leah Sinclair quickly told him not to bother, but he was already gone, telling her to wait for him there.

Leah Sinclair found it a little amusing but did as he said and sat back down. The sun felt so comfortable on her skin in this weather. Seeing no one nearby, she secretly stretched and closed her eyes, savoring the peaceful moment.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. Leah Sinclair quickly opened her eyes. It was Madeline Sterling. She let out a silent hiss in her mind and stood up to greet her. ”Miss Sterling.”

Today, Madeline Sterling wore a red, sequined gown with what looked to be an expensive fur coat draped over it. Her long, brown hair was styled in large waves, making her look utterly glamorous.

She looked Leah Sinclair up and down. Inside, she had heard constant chatter about how beautiful Third Master Keating’s girlfriend was, and she couldn’t resist coming to see for herself what Leah Sinclair looked like today.

But seeing her in person, she felt a profound sense of humiliation. She never imagined that a bar hostess would not only become Asher Keating’s legitimate girlfriend but also look so stunning after getting a little dressed up.

”Heh, a bar hostess dresses up in fancy clothes and really thinks she’s a sparrow that’s become a phoenix?” Madeline Sterling lit a slim cigarette and looked at Leah Sinclair provocatively.

Leah Sinclair didn’t want to start a fight with her today. She pursed her lips, intending to leave, but Madeline Sterling grabbed her hand the moment she moved.

”Miss Sterling, please let go.”

Leah Sinclair tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t. Her elegant brows furrowed.

”I’m not finished talking, and you’re trying to leave? You have no manners. It’s true what they say: a crow is always a crow. You’re just a bar hostess. Do you really think you can marry into the Keating Family?” Madeline Sterling blew a smoke ring in her face and giggled.

”COUGH, COUGH... If Miss Sterling had any manners, she wouldn’t be harassing me at the old master’s birthday party. Also, I left Azure Bay a long time ago. As for whether or not I can marry Third Master, that’s none of your business.” Leah Sinclair coughed twice and stared coldly at Madeline Sterling.

”So what if you left? You think you can just peel off that label? Leah Sinclair, everyone knows you used to be a hostess at Azure Bay. They just don’t say it to your face out of respect for Third Master. It would have been one thing if it was just for fun, but you actually want to marry him? Do you want people to whisper behind his back that Asher Keating married a bar hostess?!”

Madeline Sterling’s words successfully made Leah Sinclair’s face pale. Her time as a hostess at Azure Bay was indeed the worst experience of her life. Although Asher Keating never cared, she could endure being talked about herself, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him being the subject of gossip.

But facing Madeline Sterling, Leah Sinclair forced herself to speak calmly, ”You don’t need to trouble yourself, Miss Sterling. Please let me go. I’m heading back.”

”And what if I don’t?”

”You’d better...”

”What are you doing?” Mason Grant suddenly rushed over, pulling Leah Sinclair behind him protectively.

The sudden turn of events stunned both Leah Sinclair and Madeline Sterling. Mason Grant glared angrily at Madeline Sterling. Her voice hadn’t been quiet, and with no one else around, Mason had overheard some of it on his way over.

Madeline Sterling sized up Mason Grant. Today was the Keating Family’s event, so he was dressed rather modestly. He looked very young, and Madeline Sterling had never seen him before.

After looking him over, Madeline Sterling couldn’t help but sneer. ”Leah Sinclair, clinging to Third Master is one thing, but who is this who just popped out of nowhere? So protective of you. Was he one of your old clients? He looks pretty young. Just how many connections did you make during your time as a hostess?”

”You’d better watch your mouth. Let’s go.”

Leah Sinclair thought Madeline Sterling was a complete idiot. The Sterling Family might be powerful in Riverfall, but wasn’t she being a little too overconfident?

Mason Grant’s gaze was as cold as winter frost as he stared at Madeline Sterling. Seeing his expression, Madeline was startled. She quickly racked her brain, trying to place him, but came up with nothing.

”My surname is Grant.” After saying this, Mason Grant pulled Leah Sinclair away without a backward glance.

Madeline Sterling instantly felt a thin layer of sweat break out on her back. She had assumed he was just some junior from a minor Riverfall family who had come to offer birthday wishes. She never imagined he would be from the Grant Family.

For a fleeting moment, she seemed to see the imposing figure of Nathan Grant and couldn’t help but shiver.

Mason Grant’s lips were pressed into a tight line as he silently pulled Leah Sinclair back the way they came. Leah didn’t understand why he was so angry, but she knew that returning like this would undoubtedly attract attention, so she quickly stopped him.

”Mason, let me go first.”

Only then did Mason Grant stop. He glanced down at his hand holding Leah Sinclair’s, thinking that it would indeed be inappropriate for him to drag her back into the Keating residence like this. He let go and walked on ahead in silence.

Leah Sinclair looked at him and decided to break the silence. ”You don’t have to take what she said just now to heart.”

Mason Grant stopped walking. His voice was muffled as he asked, ”Sister, have you been living like this all these years?”

”What?”

”What she said... about being a hostess.”

Before, when Nathan Grant found out that Leah Sinclair was Mabel Grant’s daughter, he had already investigated some things about Leah’s past.

He knew she’d had a hard time over the years. And as for how she and Asher Keating got started, that was hardly a secret. They didn’t even need to do much investigating; a few simple inquiries were enough to find out.