Chapter 244: What Do You Mean?
Liam Peyton looked at Asher Keating and smiled. "Yeah, I was in the area for some business, so I figured I’d drop by and check on the progress."
Recalling the earlier conversation about the reception room, Leah Sinclair pushed down her unease and explained it to Phoebe Peyton again. Phoebe frowned after listening. "So we really can’t change them to all floor-to-ceiling windows?"
"It can be done, but what we’re suggesting—only changing a portion of it—won’t delay the construction schedule and will also save on costs." Leah Sinclair felt a little resigned. ’Why is Phoebe Peyton so fixated on these floor-to-ceiling windows?’
Asher Keating looked around the reception room and agreed that Leah Sinclair’s proposal was perfectly adequate. There was no need to add anything superfluous. Noticing his movements, Liam Peyton smiled and asked, "President Keating, do you have any suggestions?"
"None. The location Leah suggested for the change is perfect."
"Then let’s go with what Leah suggested. Phoebe, is that alright?"
With everyone looking at her, Phoebe Peyton paused for a moment before smiling. "Then let’s do as Leah Grant says."
Once the decision was made, Leah Sinclair called the construction crew over and marked out the locations according to the plan.
Liam Peyton and Phoebe Peyton went to the upstairs office. Seeing that Asher Keating was still following her, Leah Sinclair finally couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you busy today?"
"Not busy."
Leah Sinclair stopped paying him any mind. When she finished her work and went downstairs, she assumed Asher Keating would be leaving. Instead, he took her hand and wouldn’t let go, leading her to his car where Sean Yates was waiting outside.
She looked at him steadily. "What happened?"
Asher Keating’s dark eyes were fixed on her, his voice low. "Morgan Sterling... He leaked what happened at Azure Bay."
Leah Sinclair bit her lip, bringing a flush of color to its pale surface. Asher Keating reached out and stroked her lips. "The news has already been buried. He came well-prepared this time, but don’t worry. I’ll handle it. Aunt Mabel is working on it, too."
Asher Keating retaliated by dredging up Madeline Sterling’s old scandals, sparking a new wave of discussion among those who had forgotten and those who had never known.
Morgan Sterling had leaked Leah Sinclair’s hostess portfolio photos and contract from Azure Bay. In response, Asher Keating leaked photos and videos of Madeline Sterling living a life of debauchery in Arcadia, passionately kissing various people. The images of Madeline were explicit and shameless.
Mabel Grant was even more ruthless. In addition to widely sharing those photos, she directly leaked pictures of Madeline Sterling in prison, bluntly pointing out that the Sterling Group had produced a kidnapper.
Not many people knew when Madeline Sterling had been sent to prison. As soon as this news broke, the Sterling Group shot to the top of the trending charts. The phones in Morgan Sterling’s office, and his own, were ringing off the hook.
The Sterling Group quickly issued a formal statement, clarifying that Madeline Sterling had severed all ties with the company three years prior when she was sent abroad. Therefore, none of her actions were connected to the Sterling Group.
Leah Sinclair finished scrolling through the news reports. When she saw her photos and the old contract, she frowned slightly. "There’s nothing unusual about the photos. But this contract... didn’t you get it back for me? Did Azure Bay have a backup copy?"
"Someone in their finance department photocopied every contract signed at Azure Bay. He planned to use them to extort money from people after they left. Since you were with me at the time, he didn’t dare approach you, but he held onto your copy."
"According to his statement, someone bought your file from him for a high price a while ago. He doesn’t know who the buyer was. They were extremely discreet."
Just as Asher Keating finished speaking, he got a call from Morgan Sterling. Over the phone, Morgan’s voice was grim. "Asher, what’s the meaning of this?"
Asher Keating gave a faint smile. "It means whatever you think it means, Chairman Sterling."
Morgan Sterling was silent for a moment. "You think I leaked that story about Leah? I only found out this morning from the news. Do you really think I’m stupid enough to pick a fight with you and the Grant Group? What’s in it for me?"
"Ha. Whether it was you or not, you know the truth. But let me give you a piece of advice, Chairman Sterling. If you don’t want the Sterling Group to go bankrupt, don’t cause her any more trouble. I’m fiercely protective of my own, especially my wife."
Without waiting for Morgan Sterling’s response, Asher Keating hung up.
Asher’s words were brazen, his expression just as audacious. Leah Sinclair’s heart hammered in her chest. Hearing the word "wife" made the tips of her ears turn red. When Asher turned to look at her, she grew flustered and quickly looked away.
It had been several days since Asher Keating had been able to properly hold or kiss her. Seeing her like this, he couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms and lowering his head for a kiss.
Sean Yates was standing right outside the car, which made Leah Sinclair nervous. She clutched his shirt tightly as their breaths mingled. The only sound inside the car was their lips and tongues moving against each other.
After the kiss ended, Leah felt the temperature inside the car had risen noticeably. Asher Keating placed a gentle kiss on the flushed corner of her eye. "I’ll take you home. Don’t go to the office for the next couple of days."
Leah Sinclair thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I can’t hide forever. Besides, it’s a fact that I used to work at Azure Bay. That can’t be erased."
Seeing the serious look on her face, Asher Keating didn’t press the issue. He had Sean Yates drive her back to Baystream. Before she got out, Asher told her he would pick her up after work that evening. Leah Sinclair agreed, and by unspoken consent, neither of them brought up Phoebe Peyton.
As Leah Sinclair approached the main entrance, a horde of reporters swarmed her out of nowhere, surrounding her in an instant. A forest of cameras and microphones was shoved in her face.
"Miss Grant, is it true you used to work as a hostess?"
"Miss Grant, were you really being kept by the president of the Keating Group?"
"Miss Grant, did you really sell your virginity?"
"Miss Grant..."
"Miss Grant..."
An endless barrage of questions rained down. Leah Sinclair, having never faced a situation like this, felt the color drain from her face. She tried to push her way through, but the reporters had her completely penned in.
In the chaos, someone pushed her. She lost her footing and tumbled down the steps. A sharp, piercing pain shot through her ankle. Sean Yates, seeing something was wrong in the rearview mirror, slammed on the brakes, and he and Asher Keating immediately ran back.
Security from Baystream came out, but there were too many reporters. Even with Leah Sinclair on the ground, they relentlessly kept asking questions. Asher Keating ran over, his eyes turning red with fury at the sight of the swarm. He shoved his way through the crowd to find Leah sitting on the ground, her face ashen, clutching her foot.
He pulled Leah’s head into his chest, his gaze sweeping over the people surrounding her. His eyes were filled with an undisguised, piercing coldness that made the previously clamoring reporters gradually fall silent.
Shawn Grant and Louise Holt got word and rushed down as well. Nathan Grant had wanted to come, but Shawn, fearing the chaos, told him to stay in the office. The security guards and bodyguards now had all the reporters contained, unable to move forward or back.
Leah Sinclair’s voice trembled from within Asher Keating’s embrace. "Asher, I sprained my ankle."