Chapter 180: Cry a Little More Pitifully
Just as Edward Yates was about to say something, Sean Yates hurried out and tossed him a set of car keys. "Go to basement level one. Leah Sinclair’s here to get something she left in the car yesterday. I’m swamped, so you go."
Edward Yates clicked his tongue, forgetting all about Tiana Vaughn as he hurried downstairs.
Tiana Vaughn watched Edward Yates’s retreating back, let out a cold snort, then turned and walked over to knock on Asher Keating’s door. A chilly voice answered from within, "Come in."
Cradling a thermal container, she slowly opened the door and went inside. Asher Keating was reviewing a document, his handsome brows furrowed and his thin lips pressed into a line. Even so, nothing could hide the dashing aura that radiated from him.
Tiana Vaughn was mesmerized. Snapping out of her daze, she walked over and fidgeted for a moment before finally speaking. "Third Brother—oh, I mean, President Keating. I wanted to apologize to you."
Asher Keating glanced up from the document and spoke slowly, "Apologize for what?"
"It’s about what happened with Miss Grant and me yesterday. I don’t know how everyone in the company found out about it. She... she wasn’t trying to give me a hard time on purpose. It was me—I didn’t apologize properly, and that’s what made her angry."
Tiana Vaughn clutched the thermal container, the rims of her eyes red. She looked utterly wronged and helpless.
"It’s fine. It wasn’t your fault. She... was a bit out of line yesterday." Asher Keating pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted.
"President Keating, I made some porridge this morning. If you wouldn’t mind, please have a taste. I simmered it for several hours." Tiana Vaughn quickly set the thermal container on his desk, opened the lid, and pushed it toward him.
Asher Keating turned to look at the thermal container. It had a pink casing, and while he didn’t know what kind of porridge was inside, it smelled quite fragrant.
For some reason, his thoughts drifted back to when he had first joined Aevon, and to the thick, comforting porridge Leah Sinclair used to make for him every morning.
"President Keating?" Tiana Vaughn called out uncertainly, noticing Asher Keating was lost in thought.
Asher Keating snapped back to reality and smiled faintly. He stood and rounded the desk, walking toward her. As Tiana Vaughn watched him draw closer with each step, her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
The slight curve of his lips had added a dazzling brilliance to his handsome face, and she had been completely mesmerized.
Asher Keating ignored the porridge. Instead, he leaned down, bracing his hands on the desk on either side of Tiana Vaughn, effectively trapping her. "You have a crush on me?"
Tiana Vaughn’s face flushed instantly. It was the first time she’d ever been this close to Asher Keating. ’He’s so incredibly handsome.’ Looking into his deep, dark eyes, she felt as if her heart was about to stop.
"I do... I do, President Keating." She quickly lowered her head, gently biting her bottom lip.
Asher Keating watched the blushing Tiana Vaughn. The way she lowered her head, lightly biting her lip... it was so similar to how Leah Sinclair had been a few years ago.
"Why did you stop calling me Third Brother?" Asher Keating’s low, soft voice drifted to her ears.
"Miss Grant told me not to."
As Tiana Vaughn spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened once more. She looked up at Asher Keating, her beautiful eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"It’s fine... She and I, we’ve broken up. You can call me whatever you like."
Tiana Vaughn’s eyes widened. A thrill of joy shot through her, but her expression was one of panic. "Is it because of me? Third Brother, please don’t break up with Miss Grant! She... she’s just angry. It’s my fault, I was being ignorant! Please don’t fight because of me. I just admire you from afar; I would never dare to dream of being with you. Just being able to stay quietly by your side and watch you is more than enough for me."
"It wasn’t entirely because of you. After all, she was abroad for more than three years. We have..."
"Asher Keating! Get your ass out here!"
"Sheila Hughes, don’t go in there! President Keating is..."
"Sheila..."
The office door was thrown open with a BAM! And then, all at once, every sound vanished.
Standing in the doorway were Sean Yates, Edward Yates, Sheila Hughes... and Leah Sinclair.
Seeing Asher Keating pinning Tiana Vaughn against the desk, Sheila Hughes froze for a second before exploding in rage and lunging forward. "What the fuck!"
The color drained from Leah Sinclair’s face, but she held on to Sheila Hughes with an iron grip. Asher Keating straightened up. Tiana Vaughn quickly stood tall, then leaned against him pitifully and whimpered, "Miss... Miss Grant."
"Tiana Vaughn, you fucking green tea bitch!"
"Sheila Hughes, you are Ethan Shaw’s girlfriend, so I don’t want to curse you out. But as an employee of this company, I suggest you watch your mouth." The look Asher Keating gave her was glacial.
"Watch my mouth? Watch my ass! I fucking quit!" Enraged, Sheila Hughes ripped off her employee ID and hurled it at Tiana Vaughn.
"Sean Yates!"
"Sheila Hughes, don’t do this." Sean Yates moved to grab her hand.
Leah Sinclair shoved Sean Yates aside, her expression icy. "You touch her, I dare you."
Sean Yates hesitated, not daring to step forward again. Leah Sinclair turned back, looked at the wronged expression on Tiana Vaughn’s face and the fury on Asher Keating’s, and suddenly laughed. "Sheila, let’s go."
"Go? We’re not going anywhere! No one’s leaving until we get this straight!" Sheila Hughes grabbed her, refusing to budge.
"What else needs to be made clear? She broke up with me yesterday. She dumped me. You haven’t forgotten that, have you? Since she dumped me, am I not allowed to find someone new?" Asher Keating’s voice was unnervingly calm.
Leah Sinclair’s nails dug into her palms. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood, then yanked on Sheila Hughes’s arm. "Let’s go."
"Miss Grant, wait a moment."
Tiana Vaughn suddenly ran over and grabbed her hand, pleading, "I know I’m not good enough for Third Brother, but I really, really like him. Since you’ve already broken up with him, does that... does that mean I can be with him now?"
Leah Sinclair looked down at the hand gripping her own, then raised her eyes to meet Tiana’s. A frosty glint passed through them. "You should let go of me. Now."
"I won’t. Miss Grant, please... I really love Third Brother. I know you used to love him too, but you two..."
"Are you just begging for me to slap you?" Leah Sinclair cut her off.
"Wh-what? No... I’m not trying to take him from you. I know I’m no match for you, but I really, really love Third Brother..."
SLAP!
A sharp slap echoed as it landed across Tiana Vaughn’s face. Tiana was stunned by the blow, and even Sheila Hughes jumped in surprise.
Leah Sinclair’s hand was numb. She shook it out and let out a derisive laugh. "There you go. As you wished. Now remember to go tell everyone how I hit you. It’s perfect this time—you even have the handprint to prove it. Need me to come up with a headline for you?"
"Leah Sinclair, that’s enough," Asher Keating said, his dark eyes swirling with an unreadable emotion.
"I can do much worse."
Leah Sinclair looked at Asher Keating, then raised her hand and slapped Tiana Vaughn’s other cheek. "There. Now they’re symmetrical. Go cry to your Third Brother now. And remember to make it pathetic, or it won’t be tragic enough for him to feel sorry for you."
"You!" Both of Tiana Vaughn’s cheeks were already swelling, and tears began to stream down her face.
Asher Keating walked over and cupped her face to examine it. "Sean Yates, take her to see a doctor."
"Right away." Sean Yates quickly came in and led Tiana Vaughn away, leaving the three of them alone in the office.
Asher Keating looked at Leah Sinclair, who looked right back at him. Sheila Hughes, finally recovering from her shock, grabbed Leah’s hand. "Leah, does it hurt? Wait, why is there blood on your hand?"
Asher Keating’s gaze darkened. Leah Sinclair pulled her hand away and smiled. "It’s nothing. Let’s go."
"Wait."
"What, is President Keating going to take me to task?"