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

"Alright."

After hanging up, Leah Sinclair flopped onto the bed, feeling listless. She had been on edge ever since Mabel Grant’s call, her heart caught in her throat.

Now, lying on the bed surrounded by Asher Keating’s scent, her heart finally began to settle, and her eyelids started to feel heavy.

Mrs. Lowell, hearing no sound from upstairs for a long time, went up to check, worried. She found Leah Sinclair asleep, her brow slightly furrowed. She gently covered Leah with a small blanket, sighed softly at the sight of her thin face, and quietly left, closing the door behind her.

When Asher Keating got back, he didn’t see Leah Sinclair downstairs. He hurried into the living room and saw her bag from the morning still on the sofa, letting out a small sigh of relief. He had been genuinely afraid the girl would run off again without a word.

Hearing the noise, Mrs. Lowell came out of the kitchen. "Young Master, you’re back. The Young Mistress is upstairs. I think she’s still asleep."

"Okay, I’ll go check on her."

Asher Keating’s heart, which had just relaxed, tensed up again at her words. ’Still sleeping? Could it be that the drug in her system hasn’t worn off yet?’

He quietly opened the door and went in, only to find Leah Sinclair sitting on the bed in a daze, hugging her knees. The lights were off, and the sky hadn’t completely darkened yet. He had no idea how long she’d been sitting like that.

Asher Keating’s brow furrowed slightly as he went over and hugged her. "How long have you been awake?"

"Just a little while."

Leah Sinclair turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Asher, what if my mom gets angry?"

"If Aunt Mabel gets angry, does that mean you won’t be with me anymore?" Asher Keating looked down at her, amused.

"Of course not! I’m just... afraid she’ll blame you," Leah Sinclair hurriedly explained, lifting her head. After speaking, she snuggled back into Asher Keating’s arms.

Asher Keating lowered his head and gave her a reassuring kiss. "After something so major happened, it’s only natural for Aunt Mabel to be angry. Don’t worry, I know what to do."

After dinner, Asher Keating said he would take her home. Leah Sinclair paused for a moment, then pouted slightly but still went to get her things and got in the car with him.

Asher Keating was driving the Bentley from before. Seeing that the peace charm was still hanging there, Leah Sinclair reached out to touch it, then deliberately put on a stern face. "Asher, have you ever given any other girls a ride in this car?"

Asher Keating pinched her cheek. "Do I look like I have that much free time, to be someone else’s chauffeur?"

Leah Sinclair huffed softly, but her eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky. The thought of having to sleep alone again tonight made her a little wistful, and she wondered if she would have trouble sleeping.

She secretly glanced at Asher Keating, who was focused on driving. ’If I ask him to stay the night later, he’ll probably agree, right? Hmm, anyway, Brandon Jacobs secretly told me they won’t arrive in Riverfall until tomorrow afternoon, so we still have time.’

Having made up her mind, Leah Sinclair cheered up again. Catching sight of her sudden shift from wistful to happy out of the corner of his eye, Asher Keating couldn’t help but chuckle.

He walked her up to her apartment. Leah Sinclair fidgeted at the door for a moment, her voice softer than a mosquito’s buzz. "Asher, tonight... do you want to, you know, stay here?"

Asher Keating tipped her chin up with his fingers. "No, it’s too late. I have an early meeting tomorrow, so I’m heading back."

"..."

Leah Sinclair felt a wave of disappointment and said, puffing her cheeks, "Goodbye. I won’t see you out."

With that, she went inside. Asher Keating blocked the door before she could close it, raising an eyebrow at her. "Not coming over to my place for a bit?"

"Didn’t you just bring me home? Why would we go back there?"

Leah Sinclair was clearly unhappy. She had actually asked him to stay, and he’d claimed it was too late. ’Too late? What’s so late about eight o’clock?!’

Asher Keating took two steps back and opened the door to the apartment opposite hers. As the door swung open, Leah Sinclair stood there, dumbfounded, looking at Asher Keating’s teasing expression.

It dawned on her that Asher Keating had bought the apartment across from hers. She hadn’t lived here for long, but she had never once seen the person living opposite her.

Leah Sinclair walked in, her face a mask of disbelief. Asher Keating turned on the lights. When he’d learned Leah was moving back, he’d had someone come over to tidy up and had brought some of his clothes over as well.

He had bought this apartment right after finding out that Mabel Grant had bought one for Leah Sinclair. He’d never actually lived in it after the renovations were complete. He had seriously considered it and felt it wasn’t appropriate for Leah to live with him before they were engaged or married. He didn’t care for himself, but he couldn’t bear the thought of people gossiping behind Leah’s back that she didn’t know propriety.

Since Leah Sinclair was moving back here, he would just move here too. It was just a matter of being across the hall.

Leah Sinclair’s shock turned to understanding, and her heart melted. The decor here was very similar to his place at Europa Gardens, but with a warmer touch—clearly designed according to her tastes. She turned back to Asher Keating, her eyes curving into crescents. "Why didn’t you tell me? When did you buy this?"

"Right after yours was bought."

Asher Keating closed the door to her apartment, then his own, and led her inside. "From now on, Mrs. Lowell will come over every day to cook for you. Just tell her what you feel like eating."

"You don’t have to. That’s too much trouble. I can cook for myself."

"This is to help you recover. You think you’ll actually eat properly on your own?"

Asher Keating clearly didn’t believe her. He knew her too well. If she were on her own, she’d always just make do with something simple. If she was in a good mood, she might boil some noodles; if she was feeling lazy, she’d just fill up on snacks. No wonder she’d gotten so thin after being abroad for three years.

Leah Sinclair excitedly wandered around the apartment, then eagerly ran back to her own place to grab her laptop, plopping right down on the floor with it.

Just now, her phone had notified her of a new email. She opened it and saw that her thesis had been approved. The email included the dates for her thesis defense and graduation ceremony.

She calculated the dates. The email stated there was a one-month gap between the thesis defense and the graduation ceremony. That meant she would have to go back to Eldoria for at least a month.

As she was about to buy a plane ticket, Leah Sinclair looked up at Asher Keating, who was on the sofa with his laptop. "Asher, will you have time to come to my graduation ceremony?"

Asher Keating glanced up. "When is it?"

"July 20th. But the email says I have to attend my thesis defense in late June, so I’ll probably have to get ready to go to Eldoria next week."

Asher Keating quickly checked his work schedule for that period and clicked his tongue internally. He was booked solid until the end of July.

Seeing his slightly furrowed brow, Leah Sinclair knew he probably didn’t have time. A pang of disappointment hit her, but she still said, "It’s okay if you don’t have time. I’ll come right back after the ceremony is over."

Asher Keating was looking to see what he could reschedule. He looked up, saw the hint of disappointment in her eyes, and the corners of his lips curved up slightly. "I’ll be there."

"Really? Won’t it be a lot of trouble?" Leah Sinclair’s eyes lit up again.

"It’s fine. I can definitely make time for a few days."

Reassured by his words, Leah Sinclair relaxed and went back to looking at plane tickets. She decided to leave next week; she still had to prepare some materials, so her schedule was tight. The thought that Asher Keating would be at her graduation ceremony filled her with excitement.

Asher Keating watched her, his eyes filled with amusement. He sent a text to Sean Yates: "Clear my schedule completely from July 15th to July 30th. Make the adjustments."