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

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Let’s Go Home and Have One

Leah’s eyes crinkled into a smile. ”I knew it. Just now, my mom told me to ask if you’d be willing to help, but is there even a need to ask? My Asher is so kind.”

Asher chuckled, amused. With a cigarette dangling from his lips, he pinched her cheek. Just then, a message came back from Mabel Grant: ”Old Mr. Tierney will be back in the country for a while next week. Next Friday, have First Master Keating bring the child over. Tell him to bring all her medical records and test results.”

Leah excitedly showed Asher the message, and he took her hand to go back and tell Alan and the others the news.

”Leah, is it true? We can go as soon as next Friday?” Alan Keating and Sharon Shaw both shot to their feet in excitement.

”It’s true. You two should go home and get all of Tanya’s medical records and test results ready. Old Mr. Tierney will need them when you arrive.”

Leah was overjoyed as well. She had thought that even if Mabel Grant spoke to him, it wouldn’t be arranged so quickly. She never expected such a fortunate coincidence.

”Yes, yes! I have all her records filed away, I can find them as soon as I get home. Leah, I... I really can’t thank you enough. I don’t even know what to say.” Sharon Shaw clutched Leah Sinclair’s hand, tears streaming endlessly down her face.

”Sharon, please don’t cry. Tanya is so adorable, and I’m very fond of her too.” Her tears made Leah feel a little awkward, and she cast a pleading look at Asher.

Asher walked over with a smile and said comfortingly, ”Sharon, don’t cry. This is a good thing. You need to take care of yourself, too.”

Alan partly hugged her, consoling her as well. ”Asher’s right. You have to take care of yourself. If we go to Kingsford, it won’t be a short trip.”

”I know. I’m just so emotional right now.”

Sharon Shaw felt a little embarrassed, but she was truly just overcome with emotion. It all stemmed from Tanya’s birth—there had been oxygen deprivation in the womb, and she herself had suffered a massive hemorrhage.

Seeing how adorable Talia Keating was, yet watching her slow reactions, she had always felt a deep sense of guilt. Even though Alan Keating insisted it had nothing to do with her, she just couldn’t get over that mental block.

When Asher Keating had taken over as President of the Keating, he had, on the surface, only left Alan Keating with a ten percent stake. But as long as Alan managed it well, that ten percent was enough to keep their family comfortable for generations.

Furthermore, Asher had also given shares of the Keating to both of Alan’s children. The annual dividends from those shares alone amounted to a great deal of money. He had always treated the two kids very well, which was why Seth Keating was so close to him.

With Aaron Keating, however, Seth could never bring himself to get close. It was even worse for Talia Keating, who used to cry at the very sight of him.

Perhaps it was a child’s intuition, knowing who was good and who was not.

The old Mr. Keating woke up and was thrilled by the news. After Theodore Keating came home, the family had a lively dinner together. When Talia Keating woke up, she was willing to cuddle up to Leah Sinclair and even uttered a single-syllable word, calling her ”Aunt.”

This brought another round of joyous laughter from the Keating Family. The gathering only broke up after Talia Keating fell asleep. Sharon Shaw invited Leah Sinclair to visit their home sometime, and Leah agreed, as she had grown genuinely fond of Talia.

Seeing Leah’s reluctant expression, Asher asked teasingly, ”You like her that much?”

”Yes, Tanya is just so adorable. She felt so soft in my arms, I was afraid to hold her too tightly in case I hurt her.”

”Then...”

Asher drew closer as he spoke, leaning down to whisper in her ear, ”How about we go home and make one of our own?”

Leah’s face instantly turned red. She looked up into Asher Keating’s smiling eyes and said shyly, ”Asher, I... I want to focus on my career for a bit. Can we wait a couple of years?”

Asher Keating was only teasing her; he would never actually make her have a child so soon. Otherwise, the years Leah Sinclair had spent studying abroad would have been meaningless.

He took her by the hand and led her toward his car. ”Of course we can. It’s your decision.”

Leah breathed a sigh of relief and began discussing the gifts for the Peyton siblings with him, asking if her choices were appropriate. Asher Keating thought they were fine.

When they got home, Mrs. Lowell served them a soup she had been simmering. She said it was nourishing and would help them relax. Neither of them gave it much thought and they each drank a bowl.

Afterward, Leah Sinclair felt fine, but Asher Keating sensed something was off. Shortly after his shower, he started feeling hot and restless and came out for a drink of water.

But even the water didn’t help. ’Could it be?’ he realized. ’Did Mrs. Lowell make my soup a little too... potent?’

He clicked his tongue in resigned frustration. When he returned to the bedroom, Leah Sinclair noticed the sweat on his forehead and asked him what was wrong, wondering if he was feeling unwell.

Asher Keating pulled her into his arms and kissed her. ”The soup was a little too potent.”

The result of that ”potent” soup was that Leah Sinclair once again slept until the afternoon. The next day, Asher Keating saw Mrs. Lowell bustling in the kitchen, preparing another soup, and said, ”Mrs. Lowell, you don’t need to prepare a portion for me anymore.”

Although Mrs. Lowell found it odd, she agreed. It was only when she glanced at the closed bedroom door that she suddenly understood. A wide grin spread across her face. ’Young people certainly have a lot of stamina!’

On the day of Myriad Corp’s grand opening, a subsidiary of the Peyton Group, many people from Riverfall’s business community attended. The ground floor of the Peyton building was filled with countless congratulatory flower arrangements.

At the opening ceremony, Liam Peyton, in his capacity as Vice President of the Keating, gave a speech. Afterward, he and Phoebe Peyton cut the ceremonial ribbon together.

The evening banquet was an exceptionally grand affair, attended not only by reporters from Riverfall but also by a considerable number from Kingsford.

Leah had to work, so by the time she changed into an evening gown and hurried over, the banquet was just beginning. Liam Peyton and Phoebe Peyton saw her and came over to greet her. She smiled and presented her gifts, which they both accepted happily.

Phoebe Peyton seemed particularly fond of the tea set Leah had given her; after receiving it, she instructed her assistant to put it away carefully.

Leah scanned the room and spotted Asher Keating. He saw her at the same moment, excused himself from the person he was speaking with, and headed her way.

Asher’s lips curved as he took her hand. Leah asked curiously, ”Asher, are you going to announce the joint project with the Peyton Group later?”

”Yes, so I might be a little busy later. Sheila Hughes and Ethan Shaw are here too. You can go hang out with them.”

”Okay.”

Asher Keating introduced her to a few people before taking her over to find Sheila Hughes and Ethan Shaw.

Sheila Hughes’s face lit up when she saw her. ”Leah, you look gorgeous tonight!”

”Stop it, you’re just flattering me. You look beautiful too.”

The two of them huddled together, giggling and trading compliments. As her gaze swept across the crowd, Leah Sinclair spotted Morgan Sterling standing not far away. He was chatting with someone, impeccably dressed in a suit, with a beautiful young woman in an evening gown on his arm.

Leah was surprised at first, but on second thought, it made sense. Since the Peyton Group had come to Riverfall, of course they would have invited the Sterling Family.

Morgan Sterling seemed to sense her gaze and looked over from across the room, even offering her a small smile and a nod. Leah immediately averted her eyes and didn’t look his way again.

The men were all busy, so Leah Sinclair and Sheila Hughes were left to chat by themselves. However, once word got out that she was the second daughter of the Grant Family, a steady stream of people came up to greet her, much to Leah’s chagrin.