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

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Are You Pitying Me?

Phoebe Peyton hugged Leah Sinclair and cried for a while before letting her go. She smiled, a little embarrassed, and looked at Leah with red-rimmed eyes. ”I’m sorry. I lost my composure just now.”

A beauty in tears is a truly pitiable sight.

Seeing that they were both okay, the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. Shawn Grant asked Phoebe Peyton, ”Phoebe, what just happened? We were watching from up there. How did your car suddenly lose control?”

”It’s because I haven’t driven in so long. I didn’t handle the turn well and almost scraped Leah’s car. I just wanted to pull to the side a little, but I didn’t expect...” Phoebe Peyton chided herself.

”Asher, Shawn, your cars are... I’m so sorry. Can you see if they can be fixed? If not, I’ll buy new ones for you.”

Shawn Grant looked at his car, his heart aching. The price of the car itself wasn’t a huge deal to him—just over nine million—but he had poured so much time and effort into it, tweaking it for ages to get it perfect. Seeing it like this, he was at a loss for words.

”Ah, it’s not a big deal.”

Asher Keating glanced back at his own car and said lightly, ”As long as no one’s hurt, it’s fine.”

”No, that won’t do. You two should calculate the costs when you get back. This is all my fault.” Phoebe Peyton looked at the two cars with their demolished front ends, and her eyes turned red again.

Leah Sinclair hadn’t paid attention earlier, but now that her heart had settled, she felt a pang of pain seeing the two cars. The racetrack staff came over, assessed the situation, and said they would need to have a mechanic make a final judgment. A preliminary look suggested they might be salvageable, but they couldn’t make any guarantees.

Because of the incident, no one was in the mood to race anymore. Seeing that it was getting late, they decided to go get dinner together. Phoebe Peyton insisted on treating them to thank Leah Sinclair, and the others didn’t refuse.

On the way to dinner, Leah Sinclair asked Asher Keating, who was driving, ”Asher, your car... how much did it cost?”

”Why do you ask?” Asher Keating shot her an amused glance.

”This whole thing is my fault. If I hadn’t suggested we do a lap, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Leah Sinclair was frustrated with herself. ’Why did I have to get that sudden impulse? If we had just packed up and gone home then, none of this would have happened. If we had just left, this never would have occurred.’ The thought of the two wrecked cars made her heart tremble.

”Tsk, what are you thinking about?”

Asher Keating reached out and pinched her cheek. This girl always had a habit of blaming herself whenever something went wrong.

”So how much was it? Just tell me! If you don’t tell me, I’ll go ask Ethan Shaw and the others. They’ll definitely know!”

Leah Sinclair was calculating in her head. If Asher Keating’s car really couldn’t be repaired and had to be replaced, would she have enough money?

”It wasn’t expensive. Just... a little over three million. The modifications afterward just cost a bit more.” Asher Keating hesitated before giving her a price he thought would be easier for her to accept.

”Yeah, right! If you say three million, it must be thirty million! You guys always drop a zero when you tell me prices!”

Leah Sinclair glared at him. This was a lesson she’d learned over the past few years. Ever since Mabel Grant accidentally let it slip that a bracelet Leah had was worth nearly five million, Leah hadn’t dared to wear it again.

Besides, Mabel Grant and Brandon Jacobs loved buying things for her, but they were afraid of putting pressure on her, so they would always knock a zero off the price when they told her. After it happened enough times, Leah Sinclair caught on.

”...”

Asher Keating fell silent. ’Well,’ he thought, ’it won’t be so easy to fool her anymore.’ He cleared his throat. ”It’s not that exaggerated. Thirteen million is about right.”

”...”

Leah Sinclair gave him a look of utter misery. ’A base price of thirteen million, plus all the miscellaneous modifications... that has to be pushing seventeen or eighteen million, right?’ She had over ten million in cash on hand, and her black card had funds too.

But she still felt like her heart was bleeding. She could just die from her own foolishness. Because of one impulse, two cars were wrecked. Shawn Grant’s car definitely wasn’t cheap either. The total damage was probably close to thirty million.

Asher Keating glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Seeing her pouting, he knew she was mad at herself and was probably still calculating if she had enough money to buy him a new one.

He smiled, took her hand, and held it. ”As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters. You drove very well. This was just an accident.”

In the other car, Phoebe Peyton also wore a look of frustration. Liam Peyton saw her expression and didn’t know what to say, so he could only comfort her. ”Alright, stop thinking about it. The most important thing is that no one got hurt.”

”Sigh, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to show off. If I hadn’t been trying to overtake her then, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Phoebe Peyton sighed softly and looked out the window. Her fingernails, however, dug deep into her palms. The frustration in her eyes was gone, replaced only by bitter resentment.

’My original plan was to use that turn to force Leah Sinclair to brake hard or slow down, which would have guaranteed me the lead. Shawn Grant said Leah was a good driver, but I just assumed he and Mason Grant used to go easy on her.’

’But I never expected Leah Sinclair’s skills to be genuinely good. She turned the wheel and avoided me in an instant. As for me, it really has been a long time since I’ve driven. I misjudged the distance, and when I tried to correct, I oversteered just a little, which is what caused the car to spin out of control.’

’I wanted to show off, but instead, I caused an accident, and it was Leah Sinclair who saved me. Hearing Asher Keating shout ’Leah’ as he ran over, for a fleeting moment, I was dazed, thinking he was worried about me.’

’But he didn’t even glance at me. He ran straight to Leah Sinclair. Seeing how anxiously Asher Keating pulled Leah into his arms, how could I not feel hatred?’

Dinner was at a riverside restaurant in a private room with a glass enclosure. The ambiance was wonderful; from inside, you could look right through the glass at the scenery of Riverfall Lake.

At this time of day, the sun was setting. The afterglow scattered across the surface of Riverfall Lake, creating ripples of light with every gentle wave. The scene was reminiscent of glittering gold floating on the water, with the reflection of a still jade disk below.

When Asher Keating came out of the restroom, he found Phoebe Peyton outside, apparently waiting for him.

”Is something wrong?”

”Asher, I’m truly sorry about what happened today. When you find out about the cars, you have to let me know. I’ll pay for it,” Phoebe Peyton said, her voice filled with apology.

”As long as everyone’s okay, it’s fine. Don’t worry about the cars,” Asher Keating said, starting to walk back.

”How could I not? Even though I don’t have much liquid cash right now, I still have enough for this.” Phoebe Peyton quickly caught up, walking beside him.

Asher Keating walked at a leisurely pace with one hand in his pocket. ”It was just an accident. It’s not necessary.”

Phoebe Peyton laughed somewhat bitterly. ”Do you think I don’t have any money now? Are you pitying me?”

Asher Keating didn’t reply. Phoebe Peyton didn’t say anything more either. She let out a soft sigh, and just before they went inside, she spoke softly, ”Asher, when you called for Leah earlier... for a second, I almost thought you were calling for me.”