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

Ruth Hughes looked at the girl before her, who was biting her lower lip and blinking her pretty eyes. For a moment, she felt as if she were looking at Leah Sinclair, and her brow furrowed tightly. "You must be Tiana Vaughn?"

Tiana Vaughn looked at the woman before her, who bore a slight resemblance to Asher Keating around the eyes, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "Yes, Auntie. Were you looking for me?"

"I hear you seduced my son and made him break up with Leah?"

"I didn’t!"

Tiana Vaughn cried out in alarm, her eyes immediately turning red. "I didn’t seduce Third Brother! Third... he doesn’t like Miss Grant anymore. Third Brother and I... we got together... normally."

"Got together normally?"

Sheila Hughes laughed mockingly. "Where is that strong scent of green tea coming from?"

"Sheila Hughes, don’t be so smug just because you’re Ethan Shaw’s girlfriend! This is the Keating, not the Shaw Group!"

Tiana Vaughn shot Sheila Hughes a venomous look. She wished Sheila would just disappear. The other day, Sheila had said she was going to resign, but Asher Keating simply wouldn’t approve it.

Now, seeing Sheila Hughes and thinking about how she always met her with cold sarcasm, Tiana Vaughn seethed with anger.

"Well, well, well. Not even married to President Keating yet and you’re already putting on airs. You’ve got some nerve," Zion Sawyer added, looking at her with disdain.

"You two! You’ve gone too far."

Tiana Vaughn wiped her face and began to cry pitifully. With reddened eyes, she looked at Ruth Hughes. She knew Asher Keating was a very dutiful son.

’If Ruth Hughes dislikes me because of this, I’ll never be able to marry Asher Keating. So no one else matters. Only Ruth Hughes is important.’

With this in mind, her voice grew even more pitiful. "Auntie, please don’t listen to their nonsense. They’re all Miss Grant’s friends, so of course they don’t like me. I truly love Third Brother. Our feelings are mutual. It’s Miss Grant who won’t give up, thinking Third Brother still likes her and trying to cling to him."

"What the fuck!"

The moment Sheila Hughes heard this, she exploded with rage. "Who the fuck is clinging to Asher Keating? Tiana Vaughn, you better make yourself clear!"

"Was I wrong? She forced me to kneel and apologize to her! I told her I love Third Brother, and she hit me! She’s just a bully throwing her weight around!"

"Bully my ass!"

Zion Sawyer flared up too. Although she didn’t know the details of the kneeling incident between Tiana Vaughn and Leah Sinclair, she knew Leah. She would never be that kind of person.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Edward Yates quickly had the two women restrained. Tiana Vaughn took two steps back with a frightened expression, secretly glancing out of the corner of her eye at Ruth Hughes, who was frowning but silent.

The scene was momentarily chaotic. Ruth Hughes slapped away Edward Yates’s hand, which was holding Sheila Hughes, and soothingly took hold of her friend who still wanted to lunge forward. Then, her cold gaze fell upon Tiana Vaughn.

Tiana Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat. ’I’d heard before that Ruth Hughes was just a wealthy housewife who didn’t meddle in the Keating’s affairs. I always thought she was rather brainless, but that look from her just now made me feel flustered.’

"What did you just say? I’m getting old, my hearing isn’t what it used to be. Say it again." Ruth Hughes walked up to Tiana Vaughn and spoke lightly.

"What?" Tiana Vaughn was a bit stunned to hear her question.

"You don’t understand?"

Ruth Hughes raised her voice slightly, her face filled with impatience. "It’s normal for me to have bad hearing at my age. But how old are you? Is your hearing failing already too?"

"I..."

Tiana Vaughn detected the sarcasm in Ruth Hughes’s tone, and her face immediately flushed. She could tell Ruth was doing this on purpose. She lowered her eyes, hiding the resentment in her heart.

’If she weren’t Asher Keating’s mother, I wouldn’t waste my time arguing with this old hag.’

After composing herself, Tiana Vaughn looked up again and spoke in a soft, pitiful voice. "Auntie, I know... you might not like me right now, but please believe me, I will do my best to..."

"Tsk. Do your ears not work, or is it your brain? I asked you a question, so you give me an answer. Don’t you understand?" Ruth Hughes cut Tiana Vaughn off mid-pity-party, looking thoroughly impatient.

She then turned to Edward Yates. "Edward Yates! An employee who’s deaf and brainless—what are you keeping her around for? With a face like that, even calling her a decorative vase would be a compliment!"

At these words, Sheila Hughes and Zion Sawyer, who had been fuming just a moment ago, were both stunned. They exchanged a look, their faces filled with admiration for Ruth Hughes.

’They had only one thought right now: Ruth Hughes was a total badass!’

Edward Yates was screaming internally. ’Why isn’t Asher Keating here? Why didn’t I go out with him today!’

After sighing to himself, he could only brace himself and step forward. "Madam, she was specially recruited by President Keating..."

Ruth Hughes scoffed, turning her criticism on her own son. "Oh, ’specially recruited’? To put it plainly, she got in through the back door, didn’t she? Tsk, tsk, tsk. My son... ever since he stopped wearing glasses, it’s like he’s gone blind. How could trash like this catch his eye?"

Tiana Vaughn’s face turned pale. Wringing her hands, she looked at Edward Yates, who stood to the side, not daring to speak. It was clear he wasn’t going to help her. Meanwhile, Sheila Hughes and Zion Sawyer were staring at her with mocking expressions, and her face flushed red again.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the elevator doors open and Asher Keating step out. She quickly made her eyes redden and fill with tears as she looked at Ruth Hughes. "Auntie, please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. Please take care of your health. I..."

SLAP!

A sudden slap cut Tiana Vaughn’s words short. Ruth Hughes’s action took everyone by surprise. Tiana clutched her face, looking at her in disbelief.

After landing the slap, Ruth Hughes sneered, "So young, yet you refuse to learn what’s right. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Asher sponsored your education so you could work hard and get ahead, not so you could be here playing tricks to seduce men."

Ruth Hughes looked at Asher Keating, who had walked in and was now watching them with his lips pressed into a thin line. Ruth let out a heavy snort, then turned back to stare at Tiana Vaughn. "You want to marry my son? Let me tell you, dream on. The only daughter-in-law I will ever accept is Leah. As long as I’m alive, don’t even think about stepping foot into the Keating family home!"

With that, Ruth Hughes grabbed Sheila Hughes and Zion Sawyer and started to leave. As she passed Asher Keating, she stopped and snorted coldly. "And you, you’d better think long and hard about this. Until you’ve figured it out, don’t you dare come home and annoy me!"

Without waiting for Asher Keating’s reply, Ruth Hughes walked out.

"Auntie, you’re so awesome."

"Wow, Auntie, you’re my idol!"

Inside the elevator, Sheila Hughes and Zion Sawyer, one on each side of her, excitedly grabbed Ruth Hughes’s hands and began chattering like two little birds.

Ruth Hughes was amused by the two and couldn’t help but laugh. Then she snorted softly. "That girl... Did she really think I didn’t see Asher get out of the elevator? Don’t you two worry. As long as I’m here, I won’t let Leah be wronged."

Back in the office, Tiana Vaughn watched Asher Keating walk toward her. Tears instantly streamed down her face. Biting her lip, she murmured softly, "Third Brother."

Asher Keating looked at her face and sighed softly. "Have Sean Yates take you to a doctor. If there’s anything you want, have him go with you to buy it."