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

Asher Keating steadily lifted Leah Sinclair into his arms. He looked at the crowd of reporters, his voice laced with ice. "Who pushed her?"

The reporters exchanged glances. The situation had been too chaotic; no one knew who had pushed her. When no one answered, Asher Keating’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Sean Yates, give each of these reporters a red envelope. For their medical expenses."

"Yes, sir."

At first, the reporters didn’t understand what he meant. But as Asher carried Leah out of the crowd, Sean Yates stepped forward and twisted the nearest reporter’s wrist. The man let out a howl of pain, and only then did the others realize what was happening.

’Asher Keating is going to have all of their wrists broken.’

Without a word, Louise Holt also went up, grabbed the hand of the reporter closest to her, and snapped it.

At a signal from Shawn Grant, the bodyguards also moved forward and did the same. In an instant, the entrance to Baystream Group was filled with wails of agony.

The sounds made Leah’s already pale face turn even whiter. She looked up. "Asher, you can’t do this! They’ll call the police."

"Don’t listen."

Asher’s voice was flat. He didn’t look back as he placed her in the car. He carefully rolled up her pant leg and saw that her left ankle was badly swollen and red. Leah gasped in pain at the slightest touch.

He pressed his lips together, saying nothing. A short while later, Sean Yates returned. After starting the car, he began his report. "Young Master, it’s all taken care of. President Shawn said he’ll call you later to give you an update."

"Mm."

Asher grunted in acknowledgment. Just as the car was approaching the hospital, the call from Shawn Grant came through. "Asher, most of these reporters are from Kingsford."

"From Kingsford?"

"Yeah. Some of them were here originally to stake out Wynn. Then, because of the Peyton Group and the Grant Group marriage alliance, more of them came, hoping to catch Wynn and Leah. And some of them... were staking me out at the company as an afterthought. When the news about Leah at Azure Bay broke this morning, they all swarmed over."

Shawn Grant was speechless. He’d overheard a few reporters saying he was just the guy they were staking out as an afterthought. He almost laughed in frustration.

’Since when did I, the great Shawn Grant, become an afterthought?’

"I get it. I’m taking Leah to the hospital first. I’ll message you when I’m done."

After hanging up, Asher Keating frowned and rubbed his fingers together. He felt that the Kingsford reporters coming to Riverfall was no coincidence. Even if they were here to stake out Liam Peyton, it was all too convenient.

After a moment, he spoke. "Sean Yates, have someone look into the first group of reporters who came to stake out Liam Peyton. Find out if they came on their own, or if someone tipped them off."

"Yes, sir."

Leah had recovered a little, but she was still in a lot of pain. Hearing him, she asked, "Asher, do you think there’s something wrong with the reporters who came for Wynn?"

"Not necessarily. I’m not very familiar with the situation in Kingsford. It’s better to investigate first."

Asher gently stroked her ankle, a pang of regret in his heart. ’I should have walked her inside,’ he thought. Leah took his hand and said softly, "I’m fine. I just sprained it. It doesn’t hurt as much now."

Meanwhile, as the Peyton siblings were leaving the Peyton Group building and heading back to their office at the Keating, Liam Peyton asked Phoebe Peyton, "What did President Keating talk to you about today?"

"Nothing much. Just about some... certification documents from abroad."

Phoebe Peyton’s heart pounded with anxiety, especially when Liam Peyton looked over at her, his gaze filled with suspicion.

She quickly added, "Brother, you know how it is. Documents from overseas require a lot of back-and-forth. It’s normal."

"Mm. Still, you should hurry it up. The office here is ready. Pick a date to move in. We can’t keep bothering President Keating."

"I know. I’ll have someone pick a date when I get back."

Seeing that Liam Peyton said no more, Phoebe Peyton breathed a small sigh of relief. That morning, while she was still reveling in the news about Leah Sinclair breaking, Asher Keating had come to her office.

Before she could even react, Asher had bluntly asked her if she still wanted to continue their partnership. She had panicked and asked him what he meant.

"You know what I mean, Phoebe Peyton. Many women have tried to climb into my bed. You’re one of the smarter ones. If you can’t rein in those little ideas of yours, then sign the termination agreement right now."

Asher had said this as he tossed the contract termination agreement in front of her. Phoebe opened it and saw that it detailed all the compensation the Keating was willing to pay—a massive sum of money.

But Phoebe Peyton couldn’t bring herself to sign the agreement. This project was too important to her. She couldn’t lose it. If she did, she would be nothing in the Peyton Family.

’If I tried to make this project a success on my own, it would take at least five years. But where would I find five years to wait?’

’If I don’t have any capital in my hands by the time Elijah Peyton’s new wife gives birth to a son, what will I have left? So, before I can win Asher over, the most important thing is to keep him stable and not let him cancel this project.’

’Once I’m with Asher, why would I need to care about some overseas warehouse or the Peyton Family? The Keating might not be as powerful as the Peyton Family right now, but at least in the Keating Family, Asher is the only one who calls the shots.’

So, after she repeatedly promised that she wouldn’t have any more ulterior motives, Asher had temporarily withdrawn the agreement.

"Phoebe, your phone is ringing."

Liam Peyton’s voice snapped Phoebe Peyton out of her thoughts. Seeing that it was Morgan Sterling, she declined the call and sent him a text: "My brother’s here. Can’t talk."

"Why didn’t you answer?"

"Oh, just a spam call."

A reply from Morgan Sterling came back quickly: "Get all of your reporters out of Riverfall immediately. Asher Keating is starting to get suspicious."

Phoebe Peyton’s heart jumped. She hadn’t expected Asher to react so quickly. She had arranged for all of those reporters, from the ones who first came to stake out Liam Peyton to all the ones who came later.

She started to panic. The moment the car stopped in front of the Keating Group building, she hurriedly got out. "Brother, I just remembered something urgent. I’m going up ahead."

Without waiting for Liam Peyton to reply, Phoebe was already rushing away. Liam watched her frantic figure, then frowned and said to his assistant, "Go and find out who Phoebe has been in frequent contact with recently."

"Yes, sir."

Morgan Sterling was also getting a headache. He hadn’t expected Asher Keating to be so certain that he was behind the incident with Leah Sinclair, nor that his reaction would be so swift.

He carefully replayed everything in his mind, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. Everything had been done covertly. The money, the people—none of them had been connected to him.

Even his meetings with Phoebe Peyton had always been at a house that wasn’t under his name.

So, Morgan Sterling couldn’t figure out how Asher Keating was so sure he was the one behind this. In recent years, Asher had used plenty of iron-fisted tactics; Morgan was far from his only rival.

’Could the problem have come from Phoebe Peyton’s side?’ But Asher had clearly just started investigating the Kingsford connection. He knew yesterday that Asher would look into it, which was why he had told Phoebe to pull the reporters back. But who knew that idiot wouldn’t just fail to withdraw them, but would even call in more.