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

"Probably not. With your foot like this, just be careful when you’re out. Don’t go hopping around."

Asher Keating casually tossed aside the towel he’d used to dry his hair, picked up the ointment, and pulled Leah Sinclair’s foot over to treat it.

"I’m not an idiot. Besides, Mason will be there. You think he’d let me hop around?"

Leah Sinclair glanced at her foot, which didn’t seem as swollen anymore. She looked up at Asher Keating, who had just gotten out of the shower.

He smelled of shampoo and body wash, his hair still slightly damp. It made him seem less severe than usual as he focused on applying her ointment.

Asher Keating capped the ointment and turned to look at her, his voice laced with amusement. "Are you trying to stare a hole through me?"

Leah Sinclair’s face flushed. After washing his hands, Asher Keating came out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace. "Mason went to see Liam Peyton today."

Leah Sinclair looked up in surprise. "Why did he go looking for Wynn?"

"I’m not sure. Sean Yates just happened to run into him on his way out and asked."

Leah Sinclair thought for a moment, then grabbed her phone and called Mason Grant. He was reluctant to talk at first, but after some persistent coaxing from Leah, he told her he suspected Liam Peyton knew about the reporters in advance.

After a moment of silence, Leah Sinclair said, "Wynn wouldn’t have known beforehand. If he did, he wouldn’t have just led me straight out of there."

"I know, Sis. I was just worried at the time. I apologized to Wynn later."

Mason Grant’s voice sounded a little subdued. Leah Sinclair knew he was just worried about her, and her heart softened. She dropped the subject, and they hung up after a few more words.

Asher Keating idly twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. "You and this Liam Peyton... Are you two very close?"

Leah Sinclair gave him an odd look. "When I was in Eldoria, Wynn would visit Cecilia every so often. We’d all eat together when he came, so we naturally got to know each other over time."

"Every so often?"

"Yeah, about once every two months. He’s really good to Cecilia. He’d bring tons of snacks every time he visited. The three of us would basically spend two months just waiting for him to show up and ’feed’ us with all the good food from home."

Leah Sinclair recalled how every time Liam Peyton came to Eldoria, he would bring so many things from home. She, Mason, and Cecilia Peyton truly felt like exiles getting a care package.

They were guaranteed to gain weight whenever he visited. In a way, the days Liam Peyton was there were some of her happiest. After all, when you’ve been abroad for a long time, you really start to miss things from home.

Asher Keating continued to toy with her dark hair, his gaze darkening. "He certainly is very attentive to you all."

"He just treats me and Mason like a little brother and sister."

When she finished, a playful glint appeared in her eyes. She leaned over him and asked, "Asher, you’re not getting jealous, are you?"

Asher Keating released her hair, cupped her chin, and drew her closer. "I am."

’Why shouldn’t I be jealous? For more than three years, I held myself back from flying to Eldoria to see her. I didn’t look for her, didn’t contact her. Except for that one time, and even then, I only watched from a distance.’

’But some other man got to see her every two months, bring her gifts, see her smile, and talk with her.’

Leah Sinclair was taken aback; she hadn’t expected Asher Keating to be so direct. Seeing his somber expression, Leah pulled his hand down and held it, offering a charming smile. "Asher, you have no reason to be jealous. Wynn had a girlfriend back then."

"Back then?"

"Yeah. I heard from Mason that they were supposed to get engaged, but then they broke up for some reason. Wynn never said why, and it wasn’t our place to ask."

Asher Keating raised an eyebrow. "I suppose the Peyton Family wanted you to marry one of them, too?"

Leah Sinclair’s eyes flew wide. "You—how did you know? Did Shawn tell you?"

Seeing Asher Keating’s eyes narrow dangerously, Leah thought, ’I’m done for.’ She didn’t even have time to try and escape before Asher pulled her tight against him, asking through gritted teeth, "So it’s true?"

Asher Keating had only been asking casually. He figured that with Leah Sinclair’s current status, plenty of families had sought a marriage alliance, so the Peytons had probably entertained the idea as well. He never expected it wasn’t just an idea, but something that had actually been on the table.

"It... it was just mentioned once. Uncle Peyton suggested a marriage alliance. That way, both the Peyton and Grant families would have an unshakable position in Kingsford. But my mom refused. She won’t force me into an arranged marriage."

Leah Sinclair quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Besides, I only love you. I won’t marry anyone else."

Her words soothed Asher Keating. He pinched her cheek. "And what if Aunt Mabel insisted on the alliance? What if she forced you to marry someone else?"

"Then I’d stop being the Second Miss of the Grant Family and run right back to you in Riverfall. Asher, if I weren’t the Grant family’s second daughter... would you still want me?"

Asher Keating laughed in exasperation, pinning her beneath him. "When I first wanted you, were you the Second Miss of the Grant Family?"

’He had a point,’ Leah Sinclair thought. When Asher Keating had first taken her, she was just a bar hostess. At best, she was just a little Canary he was keeping.

’He never cared about her status. He only cared that she was Leah Sinclair.’

But before she could dwell on it, Asher Keating took her earlobe into his mouth. A shiver ran through Leah Sinclair as a soft moan escaped her lips.

In a daze, she vaguely remembered asking Asher Keating, "Asher, what if my mom really forces me into an arranged marriage?"

How had he answered? She thought she heard him say, "Then I’ll kill whoever tries to marry you."

The passion in the room rippled through the long night.

Morgan Sterling looked up at Phoebe Peyton, surprised. "Are you saying Liam Peyton is in love with Leah Sinclair?"

"Yes. I went to his office today to get his signature and overheard Mason Grant talking about it right outside. My brother admitted it himself."

Phoebe Peyton sat at her vanity, trying on the gift Morgan Sterling had brought her that evening: a pair of emerald earrings. Though simple in design, they were exceptionally exquisite.

They perfectly matched the jade-and-lapis-silk qipao Morgan Sterling had given her on their first night together. Then again, Morgan had torn that qipao to shreds that same night, a fact she’d lamented for a long time.

Morgan Sterling lit a cigarette, his mind turning things over. ’I doubt Liam Peyton is actually in love with Leah Sinclair. For a man in his position, love and passion are merely a luxury, not a necessity.’

’The Peyton family’s affairs ran deep. He’d heard rumors before, but he learned much more after getting involved with Phoebe. Still, regardless of whether Liam Peyton’s feelings were genuine or not, this presented an excellent opportunity.’

’He’d lost too much time because of that business with Thomas Sterling’s private seal. After Thomas’s death, he finally had the capital, but by then, Asher Keating’s power base was already unshakable.’

’This recent disaster with Derek, while not a crippling blow, still cost him a sum approaching nine figures. It was an infuriating and humiliating loss.’

’Asher Keating might be powerful enough to blot out the sun in Riverfall, but he was still no match for the Peyton family from Kingsford. If I can incite a conflict between Asher and Liam Peyton, how could I possibly fail to take Asher down?’

’And with that, his chances of getting Leah Sinclair would be even better.’ Morgan Sterling’s gaze darkened. ’Leah Sinclair... Heh. No woman he, Morgan Sterling, had ever set his sights on had managed to get away.’