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

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: You Don’t Trust Him

Phoebe Peyton looked at Leah Sinclair across from her. The corners of Leah’s eyes were slightly upturned, and her lips were curved into a smile, yet Phoebe felt a surprising chill.

Phoebe lowered her head and stirred her coffee. ”You’ve really misunderstood. Like you said, Asher and I are old classmates. We haven’t seen each other in so many years, so we might have a lot to talk about. It was just a normal dinner between friends. Maybe because I’ve spent so much time abroad, I didn’t pay attention to these things.”

”But we’re in the country now, so you should probably adapt to local customs. When you know someone has a girlfriend, you should be mindful of social boundaries and not do things that might cause misunderstandings.”

Leah’s tone was a bit cold with that last sentence. It made Phoebe Peyton’s hand tighten around her coffee spoon, and a dark look flashed in her eyes. But since her head was down, Leah couldn’t see her expression.

After a moment, Phoebe’s mournful voice piped up, ”I really don’t have any feelings for Asher. We... have a purely platonic relationship. I don’t know why you’d misunderstand. Asher never said anything before, so I thought this was normal. Even if you don’t believe me, don’t you believe him?”

Leah Sinclair chuckled softly. ”Phoebe, it’s precisely because I trust Third Master Keating that I haven’t said anything. Since you brought it up today, I’m willing to believe your actions were unintentional. After all, both Third Master Keating and I have partnerships with your Peyton Group. There’s no need to let a misunderstanding affect our business. It’s getting late, so I’ll be heading back now.”

After speaking, Leah didn’t spare Phoebe another glance. She picked up her bag and stood up, only to turn and see Asher Keating standing a short distance behind her.

She froze. Phoebe Peyton saw Asher Keating too and stood up anxiously. She had no idea how much he had just heard, and her heart began to race.

Asher Keating was there because Louise Holt had sent Sean Yates a message saying Phoebe Peyton had asked Leah Sinclair to chat. Sean Yates had thought about it and quickly told him what was happening. In the end, Asher couldn’t shake his unease and had come down to see for himself.

He had walked in just as Phoebe was saying they were old classmates. But at that moment, one of them had her back to him and the other had her head down, so neither had noticed him.

Asher Keating walked over with a steady gait. Leah Sinclair’s hand tightened on her bag, while Phoebe Peyton spoke up nervously, ”Asher, Leah and I...”

But he simply took Leah’s hand and gave Phoebe a cool glance. ”What she said is what I mean, too.”

Without looking at Phoebe Peyton again, Asher Keating led Leah Sinclair out. Once outside, he turned his head and asked her, ”Should I take you back to the office?”

Leah snuck a peek at his expression. He didn’t seem angry. Feeling a little guilty, she asked, ”Aren’t you busy?”

”I can always make time to take my girlfriend somewhere.”

Asher Keating reached out and pinched Leah’s cheek, a faint smile in his eyes. ”Were you nervous just now?”

He had noticed her palms were sweaty. Leah had indeed been nervous. She hadn’t shown any fear on her face, but in the end, it was her first time doing something like this. Hearing him say that made her feel a little awkward.

”A little.”

”You were right. I’ve reflected on it, too. When Phoebe Peyton asked me to dinner, it was always mealtime, so I didn’t think much of it. But looking back, I was indeed thoughtless. It’s my fault for making you so upset. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Asher Keating led her forward, his hand warm in hers. Listening to his steady voice, Leah felt a little dazed.

’Is Asher... apologizing to me?’

Leah stopped walking. Asher Keating turned to look at her. Seeing his slightly unnatural expression, Leah’s eyes slowly curved into crescents as she quickly glanced around.

It was working hours at this point, so there was no one around. She stood on her tiptoes and quickly planted a kiss on Asher’s lips. But Asher didn’t let her go. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss, not releasing her until her face was beet red and she kept pushing him away. Then, he smiled and took her hand, continuing on their way.

From inside the coffee shop, Phoebe Peyton saw the two of them kissing. Her face darkened as she watched their retreating figures, nearly biting through her lip. Just as she was about to leave in a huff, someone sat down across from her.

”Miss Peyton.”

”And you are?” Phoebe Peyton wracked her brain but couldn’t recall this person.

”I’m the chairman of the Sterling Group, Morgan Sterling. I’ve come to find you, Miss Peyton, because I have a business proposal I’d like to discuss.”

Morgan Sterling smiled, placed his business card on the table, and slid it over. Phoebe Peyton picked it up and glanced at it, her brow furrowing slightly. ”You’re the Morgan Sterling who went to Kingsford before to discuss a partnership with my uncle?”

”That’s right.”

”For the overseas warehouse project, we’re already partnering with the Keating Group. So it’s not convenient. I’ll be leaving now.”

As Phoebe Peyton stood up to leave, Morgan Sterling looked at her profile as she turned and said with a smile, ”What if the partnership I’m proposing is about helping you get Asher Keating?”

Phoebe Peyton turned back. Looking at Morgan Sterling’s smiling face, she pursed her lips and sat back down. ”Asher and I are just friends. I don’t know what you mean by that.”

Morgan Sterling leaned back lazily against the sofa and lit a cigarette. ”Miss Peyton, friends can become lovers, and then husband and wife, can’t they? I know all about Third Master Keating and Leah Sinclair. You could say I’ve watched their whole story unfold from the beginning. Would you like to hear it?”

Phoebe Peyton narrowed her eyes. Regarding Leah Sinclair, all she had managed to find out was that Leah’s first twenty-some years of life hadn’t been very good.

As for the fact that Leah had once worked at Azure Bay, Mabel Grant had made some arrangements to cover it up. Plus, Leah really hadn’t been there long before she got together with Asher Keating. As a result, Phoebe hadn’t found out about it. She had always assumed Leah and Asher had met and started dating at Aevon.

”What’s your objective?”

Morgan Sterling sighed softly, a hint of sorrow in his voice. ”I’m sure you know a thing or two about the history between our Sterling Family and the Keating Family, Miss Peyton. My younger sister was so in love with Third Master Keating, but for Leah Sinclair’s sake, he sent her to prison, which caused her to have a mental breakdown.”

”As her older brother, it breaks my heart. I just want Leah Sinclair to get a taste of what my sister went through. You saw how she was just now—acting so fearless, all because she has Third Master Keating’s affection.”

Phoebe Peyton stared into Morgan Sterling’s eyes, the corners of her mouth curving into a smile. ”Then tell me, Mr. Sterling, how exactly do you plan to help me?”

For some time after that, Leah Sinclair was busy with the renovation of the Peyton Group building. This was her first project of her own, so she was hands-on with every single detail.

The more Juanita Coleman and the others worked with her, the more they felt they hadn’t been wrong in their initial judgment. Not only did Leah Sinclair have a great personality, but she was also decisive and never procrastinated.

Sometimes, Juanita Coleman even felt that this young woman wasn’t a project manager but more like an intern learning from her. What kind of project manager spent more time on-site than they did?

One day, the renovation of the sixteenth floor of the Peyton Group building was completed. Liam Peyton and Phoebe Peyton came to inspect the situation and also dropped by to check on the progress of Leah Sinclair’s team. Leah was holding a blueprint and discussing something with the construction crew.

When she heard Liam Peyton call her name, she turned her head and immediately shouted, ”Hold on!”

Liam Peyton, who was just about to step inside, stopped in his tracks and looked at her with some confusion. Miles Kessler quickly handed over two hard hats. ”President Peyton, please put on a hard hat first.”

Liam Peyton laughed, took the hats, and handed one to Phoebe Peyton. ”My mistake.”

Leah Sinclair walked over and asked, ”Wynn, Phoebe, what brings you two here?”