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

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: You Think I’d Bully Leah Grant?

After she finished, Louise Holt added, ”I know it might not sound like a big deal, but I can’t help but feel... that Miss Peyton is a little too sweet and manipulative. It’s a good thing Miss Grant is so good-natured. If it were me, and she kept bringing up my boyfriend in front of me like she did yesterday, I would have definitely lost it.”

Sean Yates scoffed internally. ’A little manipulative? Yesterday she was already plotting her move.’ He didn’t say anything out loud, though. He just told Louise Holt to keep a close eye on things and listen in if Leah Sinclair had any more contact with Phoebe Peyton.

Later, after reporting back to Asher Keating, Asher said while looking over a contract, ”From now on, if Phoebe Peyton wants to discuss anything with me, have Edward Yates handle it.”

”Yes, I understand.”

Just as Sean Yates was about to leave, Asher Keating called him back. ”Have Edward Yates come in, and tell him to bring the file on Derek.”

Sean Yates agreed and went to get him. Edward Yates came in shortly after. The two were just about to start their discussion when there was a knock on the door. It was Ethan Shaw. He had just had dinner with Sheila Hughes, and after dropping her off, he came up to see Asher Keating.

”Asher, did you know that Morgan Sterling is getting ready to acquire Derek?”

Asher Keating raised an eyebrow and lifted the file in his hand. ”I just started planning for that myself, and he’s already making a move?”

Ethan Shaw tsked, quickly sat down, and explained what he knew. Derek’s company was an e-commerce firm whose funding chain had snapped due to issues with payments for goods.

Asher Keating had evaluated it before and was on the fence about the acquisition, so he had only asked Edward Yates and his team to draw up a preliminary plan. He just hadn’t expected Morgan Sterling to make a move so quickly.

The reason Ethan Shaw knew about this was that a senior executive at Derek, someone he used to hang out with, had told him as soon as he got wind of it. Apparently, the price Morgan Sterling offered was very generous—much higher than what Derek had originally hoped for.

Asher Keating lit a cigarette, looking down at the acquisition plan Edward Yates had brought in. He pursed his lips, saying nothing. Ethan Shaw hesitated before speaking. ”Asher, what’s Morgan Sterling trying to do? He already snatched one deal from you last time, and now he’s at it again? Is he planning on targeting all of your deals?”

”Derek’s problems must go beyond just its funding chain, right?” Asher Keating looked at Edward Yates.

Edward Yates quickly filled him in on the other issues. It turned out that on top of the broken funding chain, Derek also had numerous shipping containers impounded abroad. The combined cost of their domestic and international problems was substantial.

Furthermore, given Derek’s situation, even if these problems were resolved now, there would certainly be lingering consequences. This was another reason why Asher Keating had initially considered not acquiring the company.

A slight smile played on Asher Keating’s lips. ”Offer a little more than Morgan Sterling’s price. Let him keep raising his bid. Once it hits a certain point, we pull out.”

Ethan Shaw and Edward Yates exchanged a glance. Edward spoke up, ”President Keating, isn’t that a bit risky? What if Morgan Sterling doesn’t take the bait and pulls out before we do?”

”Don’t worry, he’ll follow. Schedule a meeting with the people from Derek. See when they’re free for dinner.”

It dawned on Ethan Shaw. ”Asher, you mean you’re creating a smokescreen? You’ll meet with them for dinner to make it look like you’re determined to acquire Derek, but in reality, you’re just goading Morgan Sterling into spending more money?”

”Mm.”

Edward Yates hurried out to make the arrangements. Ethan Shaw relaxed as well and started chatting with Asher Keating about other things.

Meanwhile, after Leah Sinclair returned to her office, her team raced against the clock to refine the proposal. By the time they were done, the city lights were just beginning to glow. Leah checked their progress; finishing the complete proposal by Friday shouldn’t be a problem.

She breathed a sigh of relief and said to the others, ”You’ve all worked so hard these past few days. Once the proposal is finalized and we’re done with the talks at Peyton Group, I’ll treat you all to a meal. You can pick whatever you want to eat.”

”Don’t worry, Manager Grant! We definitely won’t hold back then.”

Doris Harlow laughed, full of energy as she had been for the past few days. She was becoming more and more convinced that she had made the right choice back then.

Over the next two days, Leah Sinclair and her team managed to finalize the proposal by Friday morning. She scheduled a meeting with Liam Peyton and Phoebe Peyton for the afternoon. Worried she might overlook something, she brought along the most experienced team member, Juanita Coleman.

The discussion about the proposal went well. Liam Peyton had no objections, and Phoebe Peyton didn’t say anything either. Leah Sinclair and Juanita Coleman exchanged a look, both seeing the relief in the other’s eyes.

Liam Peyton smiled, set down the documents, and said to Leah Sinclair, ”Alright, Leah, let’s go with this proposal.”

”Okay. In that case, Wynn, Phoebe, we’ll start arranging for construction according to this plan. If there’s nothing else, we’ll head back now.”

They stood up to leave, but Phoebe Peyton stopped her. ”Leah Grant, do you have a minute? Shall we go downstairs for a coffee?”

Liam Peyton looked at his sister. Phoebe seemed to say with some exasperation, ”Brother, why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I’m going to bully Leah Grant, am I?”

Leah Sinclair quickly interjected, ”Of course not. Shall we go downstairs then, Phoebe?”

Leah Sinclair had Louise Holt take Juanita Coleman back first, while she followed Phoebe Peyton to the coffee shop downstairs.

After they ordered their coffee, Leah Sinclair noticed Phoebe Peyton’s slightly weary expression and asked softly, ”Phoebe, you haven’t been resting well?”

Phoebe Peyton touched her face and gave a somewhat bitter smile. ”Is it that obvious? I really haven’t slept well these past two days.”

”Did something happen?”

Phoebe Peyton stared fixedly at Leah Sinclair, who found the gaze so baffling that for a moment, she wondered if she had something on her face.

Seeing Leah Sinclair’s confused expression, Phoebe said slowly, ”Leah Grant, do you... not like me interacting with Asher? He’s been avoiding me for the past two days, even having Edward Yates talk to me about business matters.”

Leah Sinclair actually hadn’t known about this. After a moment of silence, she replied, ”Phoebe, if Asher had Edward Yates handle the follow-up discussions with you, it probably just means he’s already finished with his part of the talks.”

”So, you did say something to Asher, didn’t you?”

”I...”

Phoebe Peyton cut her off, a sad look in her eyes. ”Leah Grant, I know I’ve been in contact with Asher a lot recently, and we’ve been having meals together often. You’re probably not very comfortable with that.”

”It’s just that I’m new to Riverfall, and he’s the only person I really know here. Besides, we’re old classmates and business partners, and we’re currently borrowing their office space. That’s why we’ve been seeing each other so frequently.”

”Don’t worry, as soon as the 16th floor of the Peyton Group building is renovated, we’ll move back. I don’t want you to misunderstand, and I don’t want this to affect the cooperation between Peyton Group and the Keating.”

Leah Sinclair’s slender fingers traced the rim of her coffee cup. Her voice was cool. ”Phoebe, is it really just for the sake of cooperation?”

A flustered look appeared in Phoebe Peyton’s eyes, and a blush crept up her pale cheeks. ”I... I really do just want to cooperate well with Asher. You know my situation right now. If I don’t do well on this project, my father...”

Leah Sinclair lifted her gaze slightly, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes perfectly clear. ”Phoebe, if it’s really just for cooperation, then I think you need to have a better sense of boundaries.”

Phoebe Peyton paused. ”What do you mean?”

”You and Asher are old classmates, and you’ve just arrived in Riverfall to partner with the Keating Group, so it’s normal to have more contact in the initial stages of a collaboration. However... no partnership requires frequent dinner meetings to succeed, especially when you’re already working together. There’s more than enough time to discuss what needs to be discussed at the office. Don’t you think so, Phoebe?”