Chapter 152: I Want to Go to Kingsford
Behind him, Morgan Sterling’s lips curled into a sinister smile. Thomas Sterling had been diagnosed with kidney problems four months ago. The doctor had recommended a transplant, warning that his body wouldn’t hold out otherwise. He had first looked to Morgan and Madeline Sterling, but surprisingly, neither of the siblings was a match.
To make matters worse, Thomas Sterling had a rare Rh-negative blood type, which made finding a compatible kidney even more difficult. In fact, Morgan Sterling had already located a suitable donor, but he hadn’t told his father.
He couldn’t wait for Thomas Sterling to die!
After returning home, Leah Sinclair slept the entire day away. As the sun began to set, Asher Keating, feeling concerned, woke her to get her to eat some dinner.
But Leah Sinclair threw her arms around him and refused to let go. From nightfall to the crack of dawn, within the silent room and between the sheets, their breaths intertwined. An intimate ambiguity hung in the air, and the silhouettes cast by the dim, yellow light bore witness, time and again, to their desperate, passionate entanglement.
Though surprised by Leah Sinclair’s forwardness, Asher Keating knew the recent upheavals had left her utterly exhausted, body and soul. She wasn’t one to wear her heart on her sleeve, and with so much happening, she didn’t know how else to express herself. So, time and again, when she was wild, he matched her wildness.
When everything settled into stillness, Leah Sinclair fell into a deep sleep once more, and Asher Keating gently caressed her face.
Though she seemed sated, the alluring corners of her eyes were still faintly damp. He sighed, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her again and again until Leah Sinclair’s furrowed brow finally smoothed out.
The next morning, Asher Keating headed to the office early again. ’I feel a nagging sense of unease,’ he thought. Leah Sinclair’s status was different now. He had to accelerate his plans. There was no way Mabel Grant, having acknowledged Leah, would allow her to simply remain with him.
’If Mabel Grant was interested, she would have sought me out in the days since she arrived. But she hasn’t reached out even once, as if she couldn’t care less. When I offered to meet with her, she simply said she was too busy and had no time at the moment.’
When Leah Sinclair woke up, she lay in bed for a long time, her body aching as if it were about to fall apart. Remembering how wantonly she’d demanded of Asher Keating the night before, she couldn’t help but blush. She slowly sat up, needing a long moment to adjust before she could even get out of bed.
The past two days had been a chaotic mess, and Asher Keating had asked for time off for her from Mr. Langdon. But after showering, Leah Sinclair went to the office anyway. She headed straight for the 28th floor. When Edward Yates saw her, he was taken aback, momentarily unsure of how to address her.
"Executive Assistant Yates, is President Keating in?"
"He is, he is."
Edward Yates led her to the door and knocked. The other employees in the office found it strange; although Leah Sinclair was Asher Keating’s girlfriend, she had never once come up to this floor since they had made their relationship public.
Asher Keating had just finished signing a document and was a little surprised to see her. "Why aren’t you resting at home?"
Leah Sinclair sat across from him and fell silent for a moment. "Asher, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you."
At her words, Asher Keating’s hand, which had been fiddling with his pen cap, paused. He set the pen down and watched her quietly.
Their gazes met and held in the air. After a long moment, Leah Sinclair was the first to look away. Before the words could even leave her lips, the rims of her eyes grew red. "Asher, I want to go to Kingsford."
"Why?"
"I... I’ve been a mess lately. I want to get away for a while, to clear my head."
"For how long?"
"I don’t know. Maybe a few days, maybe a few months..." Leah Sinclair’s voice trailed off as she slowly lowered her head.
"Or maybe never coming back at all, is that it?" Asher Keating’s level voice sounded from above her.
"That’s not it!"
Leah Sinclair’s head snapped up to meet a pair of dark, profound eyes. Asher Keating gently lifted her chin. Unlike the times he’d been angry before, his touch was incredibly gentle.
They just gazed at each other. Any onlooker at that moment would have marveled at the tender, intimate atmosphere between them.
"Asher, I just... I want to go to Kingsford. I want to improve myself, to become a little better."
Leah Sinclair grabbed his hand, wave after wave of aching sorrow washing over her.
"Have I ever made you feel like you weren’t good enough?!"
Asher Keating let go of her, barely able to control himself. His voice was laced with suppressed fury.
’He’d been on edge for days, but he’d trusted Leah Sinclair’s feelings for him. He believed that even if Mabel Grant disapproved, Leah would stay with him. For her, he was adjusting all his plans, step by step. And now, today, she was suddenly telling him she wanted to leave.’
"It’s different, Asher. Before, I didn’t have the means, but now I do. I really want to give this a try."
"If you want to improve yourself, you can go to grad school. If you want to study abroad, I can send you. Does it have to be Kingsford?" Asher Keating’s dark eyes bored into Leah Sinclair.
"It’s not just that, Asher. I’m so tired of being here in Riverfall. Everyone knows what my status used to be. I’ve never said it out loud, but it really bothers me. If you’re the one who sends me, people will only ever say I’m relying on you. But the Grant family... it’s different..."
Leah Sinclair brutally suppressed the pain clenching her heart and forced the words out in a single breath. ’I have to be cruel,’ she thought, ’it’s the only way Asher Keating might let me go.’
As expected, Asher Keating fell silent after she spoke. A long moment passed before he let out a self-mocking laugh. "Heh, right. You’re now the second young lady of the Grant family from Kingsford. It’s only natural you’d look down on a minor household like ours in Riverfall."
Leah Sinclair’s hands clenched into tight fists, her nails digging deep into her flesh, yet she felt nothing. The expression on Asher Keating’s face moments ago had stung her so sharply, she nearly burst into tears.
"That’s not what I meant. I just... I need some time to, to properly... sort everything out. So, Asher, please, will you let me go?" Leah Sinclair’s voice trembled as she forced out the words.
"Leah Sinclair, are you certain that while you’re in Kingsford, for however long you’re gone, I won’t fall for someone else? Your Grant family of Kingsford might look down on the Keating family, but here in Riverfall, there are plenty of women who would love to marry me." Asher Keating’s voice was soft, but piercingly cold.
His words made Leah Sinclair’s heart sink. She knew it was a promise she couldn’t ask him to make. For a fleeting moment, she wanted to give up.
’I don’t want to go anywhere,’ she thought. But then, Mabel Grant’s words from the other day echoed in her mind. She couldn’t risk it. She truly couldn’t.
"If that’s what happens... then that’s fine too. Asher, we’ve only been together for a little over six months. It’s not just me; you too... we should both take some time to properly think about this relationship. If we don’t contact each other before I return, and yet neither of us falls for anyone else... then maybe that will be proof that we truly love each other."
After saying this, Leah Sinclair lowered her head and bit down hard on her lip. ’It hurt so much.’ The pain spreading through her chest made it feel as if she couldn’t breathe.
"Go, then."
It felt like an eternity before Asher Keating spoke those two words. After he said them, he stood looking out the window, never turning back to look at Leah Sinclair again.
Leah Sinclair desperately suppressed the urge to run over and hug him. Steeling herself, she walked toward the door. ’If I don’t leave now,’ she thought, ’I might just die from the pain right here.’
"Take care, Asher."