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

The winter air was bleak and cold. Fallen leaves on the street were swept up by the biting wind, tumbling over and over in gusts. Leah Sinclair exhaled a frosty breath, pulled her clothes tighter around herself, and hurried toward Nightfall.

It was New Year’s Day back in Celestia, and the international students had been trickling into the bar since noon. William had put on a channel from back home, and the New Year’s Gala was playing on the screen.

Leah Sinclair no longer worked part-time at Nightfall, usually just going there for a drink. But she knew Nightfall was always swamped on this day, so she would come over to lend a hand.

When William saw her arrive, he shouted to her while taking an order, "Leah, thanks a million! I’ll buy you a drink when we’re done."

"It’s nothing. Who still needs to order?" Leah Sinclair quickly put down her bag, grabbed a menu from the bar, and asked him.

"Those few tables over there." William gestured, then lowered his head and went back to scribbling furiously.

It wasn’t just international students today; a lot of foreigners had shown up too. They were all excited for Celestia’s New Year’s Gala. When the countdown began on screen, the entire bar erupted, everyone shouting along with the hosts.

While Leah Sinclair was busy taking an order at a table, she suddenly overheard someone at the next table mention Riverfall. The name Ethan Shaw drifted into her ears, and the pen in her hand froze.

She looked up. Leah Sinclair remembered the person speaking. She’d met him back when she was still working part-time at Nightfall. He had told her he was from Riverfall, and she had even treated him to one of William’s specialty cocktails.

"You haven’t heard? That Asher Keating from the Keating Family is supposedly keeping a female university student."

"You’re kidding, right? Asher Keating? Isn’t he practically a monk? And now he’s keeping a university student? You’ve got to be joking."

"Tsk, you don’t believe me? The guys back home posted it. It’s a screenshot from Ethan Shaw’s social media feed. They were celebrating New Year’s, and Asher Keating had that girl right next to him. They looked pretty close, see? But since Third Master Keating brought her out, I’m guessing she must be his girlfriend."

Leah Sinclair’s hand suddenly trembled uncontrollably. The customer, a foreigner, saw she wasn’t responding and repeated his order. Snapping back to her senses, Leah quickly wrote down the order and took it to the bar.

She took out her phone and hid in the restroom. With trembling hands, Leah Sinclair opened her social media feed. Ten minutes ago, Ethan Shaw had posted a picture. It was their group celebrating New Year’s. A beaming Sheila Hughes was making a peace sign next to him, with Riley Sterling and Shawn Grant in the background.

In the top left corner, Asher Keating was looking at his own phone, a faint smile on his face. And next to him, a young woman in a white sweater with her hair in a bun was leaning against him, gazing at him with pure admiration.

The color drained from Leah Sinclair’s face. For the past few years, she had forbidden herself from actively seeking out news about Asher Keating, but information about him still found its way to her.

Especially from Sheila Hughes. In the beginning, she would often tell Leah what Asher Keating was up to, how his status within the Keating had risen again, how many more businesses were under his control. This year, Sheila had also finally managed to get into Aevon on her own merit, and even made it into Project Department One.

’But now that I think about it, Sheila really... hasn’t mentioned Asher Keating to me in quite a while.’

’It’s been over three years,’ Leah thought. ’There’s finally another girl by Asher Keating’s side.’ For a moment, she didn’t know whether she should be heartbroken or full of regret.

"Leah, what’s wrong? You don’t look so good. Are you feeling unwell? Want to take a break?"

William had seen Leah come out of the restroom, her face completely white, and he was worried. Things had quieted down a bit, and it wasn’t so hectic anymore.

"I’m fine, William... Just get me some drinks. I want to sit for a bit. What time are Hanson and the guys getting here?"

"Huh? Soon... I think? What’s up?"

"We’re drinking," Leah Sinclair said with a faint smile.

Hanson was a male host at William’s bar. With blond hair, blue eyes, and standing at six-foot-three, he was incredibly handsome. A lot of women came just to see him, making him something of a main attraction for the bar.

"When they get here, tell them to come find me. Hasn’t Hanson always wanted to have a drinking contest with me? Today’s the perfect day for it. And call over Licha and Tallen, too. I’m in a good mood today, and it’s my treat."

「Back in Celestia, in a private room at the Zenith Club.」

Asher Keating, Ethan Shaw, and their friends were celebrating New Year’s Eve here. After finishing his review on the phone, he handed it back to the young woman beside him. "That’s everything. Give it to Edward Yates after you’ve revised it."

"Third Master, thank you for helping me with this file. I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise. Chad said it has to be finished by tomorrow," the young woman beside him said, gazing at him with admiration.

"It’s nothing."

When Asher Keating heard her call him "Third Master," he glanced up at her. She had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, just like Leah Sinclair’s, which were now curved into crescents as she smiled at him.

They were so close that Asher Keating could even see his own reflection in her pupils. The corners of his lips curved up slightly.

Sheila Hughes rolled her eyes and whispered to Ethan Shaw, "Why hasn’t she left yet?"

"Apparently she had a question she couldn’t figure out, so she’s asking Third Master," Ethan Shaw said, glancing over.

"Hmph. What kind of problem needs Third Master Keating to teach her? Doesn’t she have her own mentor? Is she trying to look dedicated? Everyone else is on vacation, but she’s still working—and she chased him all the way here?"

"What’s she ever done to you?" Ethan Shaw asked curiously, pulling Sheila Hughes into his arms.

"At the office, it’s ’Third Master~ Third Master~’ all day long. It’s like she’s afraid people *won’t* know she has a connection to him. Just the other day, hiss... Ugh, forget it. I can’t be bothered to talk about it. It’s New Year’s Eve, I don’t want to get upset."

Sheila Hughes pouted. It was just after midnight; she didn’t want to ruin her mood by complaining on the first day of the new year.

"Let’s not talk about it, then. Third Master knows what he’s doing. By the way, isn’t Leah Sinclair coming back in the summer?" Ethan Shaw suddenly remembered. "She should be graduating soon, right?"

"Just about. Another six months. Oh, right! I haven’t even called her yet."

As she said that, Sheila Hughes reached for her phone, but she caught sight of the other young woman out of the corner of her eye and angrily put it down. "Forget it. I don’t want Leah to see this and get upset."

"Third Master, I’m going to head back now?" the young woman by Asher Keating’s side asked as she stood up and shouldered her backpack.

"Mm, be careful on your way."

"I... I’m afraid I won’t be able to get a cab."

Asher Keating was silent for a moment. "I’ll take you."

Sheila Hughes watched as Asher Keating stood, grabbed his coat, and walked the young woman out. She furiously chugged her drink, and a startled Ethan Shaw quickly snatched the glass from her hand. "What are you doing? Third Master is just seeing her off."

"’Seeing her off?’ Hah. Are you sure he’s coming back after that?" Sheila Hughes shot him a massive eye-roll.

"He... he probably will, right?"

Ethan Shaw couldn’t help but feel a little uncertain. Asher Keating hadn’t had a woman by his side in years. This was the first.

’And the most cliché part,’ Ethan thought, ’is that her eyes are the spitting image of Leah Sinclair’s. No wonder Asher Keating keeps her around. It makes me wonder if Mabel Grant has another daughter out there somewhere.’