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

Chapter 207: Chapter 207: 3 Points, 3 Times

Asher pressed his lips together. Leah Sinclair emerged from her shower, toweling her hair dry. He smoothly took the towel from her, continuing the task for her. After a moment, he asked, ”How much do you know about the Peyton family?”

”The Peyton family?” Leah thought for a moment, then began relaying what Mabel Grant and Mason Grant had told her.

The Peyton family of Kingsford. The old patriarch has passed away, but the grandmother is still alive. The couple had two sons and one daughter.

The current chairman of the Peyton Group is the elder son, Titus Peyton—the father of Liam Peyton and Cecilia Peyton. The CEO is the younger son, Elijah Peyton, who is Phoebe Peyton’s father.

Liam Peyton is currently just a vice president. The daughter’s health isn’t great; she never married and has always lived with the Peyton family without holding any position in the company.

Although their family structure seems simple, they’re not as peaceful as the Grant family. At the Grant Group, the chairman is Simon Grant and the president is Mabel Grant. In all their years working together, the two siblings have performed their respective duties and have never once had a serious argument.

That’s a huge reason why the Grant Group was able to establish such a strong foothold in the Kingsford business world so quickly after relocating from Riverfall.

”As for the Peyton family...” Leah’s brow furrowed in thought. ”My mom said it’s just... very complicated. When Old Mr. Peyton was alive, he could still keep his two sons in line. But after he passed away, the brothers have only been putting on a united front.”

”Plus, Elijah Peyton married a new woman last year who’s the same age as me. Mason was complaining about it, saying the man wants a son in his old age. I think I heard his new wife is pregnant now, too.”

When Leah finished, she noticed Asher’s brow was slightly furrowed. She asked, a little puzzled, ”Asher, what is it?”

Asher handed her his phone. Leah saw the name on the screen: Phoebe Yates. It took her a second to realize this was the Phoebe Peyton that Asher had mentioned. She looked up and asked, ”Are you trying to decide whether or not to help her?”

”Yeah. For the Keating Group, partnering with the Peyton Group on the overseas warehouses doesn’t make much difference. It would just be a nice feather in our cap, that’s all,” Asher said flatly.

”Were you and this Phoebe Peyton close before?”

”We went to the same school. We were all from Celestia, and the Celestian students back then would often get together for meals and things like that.”

Leah had experienced something similar in recent years. After all, meeting people from your own country when you’re in a foreign land is always a happy occasion.

There’s a saying: ”When fellow countrymen meet, their eyes brim with tears.” Especially during major holidays back home, the international students would all gather for meals and celebrations.

”If it won’t have a negative impact on the Keating Group, I think you could help her. It’s not easy for a woman on her own, after all.”

”I heard Cecilia mention before that she has a cousin who has lived abroad since she was little. Apparently, she only came back to the country once, when her mother passed away. She... she must be in a really tough spot now.”

Leah sighed. That’s just how society is. People talk about gender equality, but in many ways, the demands placed on women are always greater than those placed on men.

This is especially true in these powerful families. Daughters may be doted upon, but in the end, the family business almost always falls into the hands of the sons.

The Grant family is a total exception. The old Mr. Grant never differentiated between sons and daughters; his philosophy was that the most capable person should lead.

In that respect, he shared the same philosophy as the old Mr. Keating. That was why Mabel Grant had been so hurt back when Leah said she didn’t want any of Mabel’s assets and that everything should be left to Mason Grant.

”Still, Asher, you should think it over carefully yourself. I really don’t know much about company management. What if it does end up affecting the Keating Group...” Leah looked up, speaking hesitantly.

”Don’t move.”

Asher held her head still. ”Don’t worry, I’m not an idiot.”

Her hair was mostly dry when Asher finally stopped. In this weather, it didn’t take long to air-dry completely. Leah took her laptop and sat back down on the balcony, poring over the documents Mabel Grant had assigned her while her hair finished drying.

Meanwhile, Asher finally replied to Phoebe Peyton’s message: ”Let me see the detailed proposal. If it looks good, I’ll consider partnering with you.”

Phoebe replied quickly: ”Thank you, Asher. As for the details, let’s discuss them in person when I’m back in the country. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, either. We should get a meal together.”

”Mm.”

He put his phone down and walked toward the balcony. He had no intention of looking at any documents concerning the Grant Group, but he could see that Leah was reading about corporate management.

Since she had never studied the subject, she was having trouble understanding parts of it. When Asher came over, she immediately started asking about the sections she couldn’t make sense of. He took the tablet and, after a moment’s review, began to explain it to her in detail.

Mabel Grant knew Leah wasn’t particularly interested in business management, so she hadn’t forced her to change her major. However, as a young lady of the Grant family, she couldn’t afford to be completely clueless about it.

Her original plan was for Leah to stick with her major. She figured Leah could take some business management classes when she returned home to learn the basics, since most real learning happens through hands-on experience anyway.

Listening to Asher, the concepts that had seemed so obscure just moments ago slowly began to make sense. Leah’s eyes widened in admiration. ”Asher, you’re amazing! I read this part twice and still didn’t understand it.”

Asher looked at her expression and couldn’t resist pinching her cheek. ”If I didn’t understand this stuff, what kind of CEO would I be?”

’That’s true,’ Leah thought. Asher explained a few more key points, and she gradually found that the dense text wasn’t as impenetrable as it had seemed before.

She looked up at Asher, who was explaining things so earnestly. He was completely focused, his clear voice laced with a low, rich timbre. The lamplight cast a hazy glow around him. Suddenly, one word popped into Leah’s mind: ’sexy’.

Seeing she hadn’t responded, Asher glanced up. ”What are you thinking about?”

Leah’s face instantly turned red. ”N-Nothing.”

Seeing her flushed face, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smirk. ”I’m giving a serious lecture here. What sort of naughty thoughts are you having?”

His comment made her face burn even brighter. She inwardly cursed herself. ’Why am I thinking about whether he’s sexy or not during a serious lesson?’ She quickly banished the thought and focused on listening again.

Asher gave her cheek another light pinch, finished explaining the last few points, and put the tablet down once he was sure she had a decent grasp of it.

”For now, all you can do is memorize this stuff. You’ll have to figure out the rest through experience. But the text isn’t the most important part.”

”Then what is?” Leah asked, looking at him like a curious child.

Asher’s voice grew husky as he scooped her into his arms and started walking toward the bedroom. ”The most important thing is that I want to do something naughty right now.”

As her fingers turned white from gripping the comforter, Leah finally understood. This man, who had been so serious in his lecture just now, was now demanding his ’tuition fee’.

Just then, Asher was kissing the faintly red corners of her eyes, again and again, his husky voice laced with a teasing laugh. ”I taught you three key points. So, three times.”