Chapter 108: One Word, Money
After some coaxing from Asher Keating, Leah Sinclair slowly ate about half a bowl. When she really didn’t want to eat any more, he didn’t force her. Once Leah had cleared the dishes, she told Asher Keating he should go back and rest, as it was getting late.
Asher Keating glanced around the courtyard. He had already taken a quick look that afternoon and realized there wasn’t even a room for Leah Sinclair.
Leah Sinclair could tell what he was thinking from his expression. She gently took his hand, leading him toward the gate. "I’ll sleep in Grandma’s room tonight. Asher, you go back and rest. I’m really fine."
Asher Keating didn’t refuse. Instead, he squeezed her hand and had her walk him to the village entrance. Leah Sinclair followed him out, and they walked all the way to his car. Only then did he speak. "I’ll be back tomorrow."
Leah Sinclair nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling into his embrace. Asher Keating lowered his head and kissed her. Her lips were cold. He pulled her into his overcoat, holding her for a long while before letting her go. He watched until her silhouette vanished from sight before finally getting into the car.
Sean Yates started the car. Asher Keating stared out the window at the inky blackness. He couldn’t believe that Leah Sinclair didn’t even have her own room at home.
’Where did she sleep whenever she came back before?’ He’d seen the living room—there was only one small sofa. He couldn’t bear to imagine Leah Sinclair curled up on it. He felt his own heart sinking, little by little, just like the darkness of the night around him.
Sheila Hughes arrived on the afternoon of the third day. Asher Keating was smoking outside the gate when she got there. She froze for a second when she saw him, then glanced up at the funeral banner hanging above. ’This is the right place... Who is he?’
Seeing her travel-worn appearance, Asher Keating had a good idea of who she was. He took the initiative, extending his hand in greeting. "Sheila Hughes? I’m Asher Keating."
"Keat... You’re Leah’s boyfriend?"
Sheila Hughes snapped out of it and quickly shook his hand. "Mr. Keating, hello. I’m Sheila Hughes."
"Mm, Leah Sinclair is inside."
"Oh, oh, okay. I’ll go on in then."
’If the time and place weren’t so completely inappropriate, Sheila Hughes would have stormed right in, grabbed Leah Sinclair, and demanded to know why she’d never mentioned having such a handsome boyfriend.’
Asher Keating didn’t follow her inside. He was waiting for Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling. The two of them knew that Leah Sinclair’s grandmother had passed away, and they had decided to come for the funeral procession and burial tomorrow—both because Leah was their friend and because she was Asher Keating’s girlfriend.
After offering her condolence money, Sheila Hughes rushed to find Leah Sinclair. "Leah!"
"Sheila."
Kneeling on the ground, Leah Sinclair looked up at her. She tried to smile, but the expression was more painful than tears. Sheila Hughes first offered some incense, then knelt beside Leah to help her burn joss paper.
"Leah, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your grandmother wouldn’t want to see you this heartbroken."
Seeing Leah Sinclair in such a state made Sheila Hughes’s heart ache. She knew that Leah’s grandmother was all she had, and that Grandma Sinclair was the person she had cared about most in the world.
"I know. The worst of it has passed. I’m... I’m all right now," Leah Sinclair said softly, her gaze on Grandma Sinclair’s portrait.
Sheila Hughes didn’t know what to say to comfort her. Leah Sinclair finished burning the joss paper in her hands, then stood up and walked outside with Sheila. She scanned the area but didn’t see Asher Keating.
"Are you looking for your boyfriend? I saw him smoking outside just now. Leah, did he come back here with you?"
Sheila Hughes was incredibly curious about Asher Keating. All she knew was that Leah’s boyfriend’s surname was Keating. Leah had promised to visit her during the New Year holiday to explain everything in person, saying her relationship with Asher Keating was too complicated to explain in just a few words.
"Yeah. He happened to be with me when I got the call, so he came back with me."
"Leah Sinclair! We’re here!"
The shout came from Ethan Shaw’s booming voice. Leah Sinclair and Sheila Hughes turned simultaneously to see Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling walk in, followed, to their surprise, by Chester Hale. Asher Keating brought up the rear.
"What are you all doing here?"
Leah Sinclair was taken aback. She knew Asher Keating had told Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling what happened, but she never expected them to actually show up.
"Third Master said your grandmother passed away. By all accounts, we had to come. Leah Sinclair... I’m so sorry for your loss."
Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling gathered around her. For once, neither of them had their usual jokey, carefree expressions; instead, they looked completely serious.
Leah Sinclair thanked them gratefully. "Thank you. I’m okay."
As Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling went to offer their condolence money, Chester Hale stepped forward. "Leah Sinclair, my condolences."
"Dr. Hale, why are you..."
"Third Master Keating had Ethan Shaw inform me. He said that since I was your grandmother’s attending physician and had visited Stonecreek before, I ought to know. And I felt... I should be here to see your grandmother off on her final journey."
Chester Hale looked at Leah before him. She had grown so haggard in just two days, with dark circles under her eyes. ’She must not have slept well.’
"Thank you, Dr. Hale." Leah Sinclair bowed slightly.
"Of course."
Chester Hale also went aside to offer his condolence money. Leah Sinclair’s eyes met Asher Keating’s, who was watching her quietly. He came over and gently stroked her hair, and she felt her heart slowly begin to warm.
Asher Keating, Chester Hale, Ethan Shaw, and Riley Sterling. The moment the four men stood together in the courtyard, a hush fell over everyone present.
It was simply because the four of them seemed so utterly out of place. Even those who knew nothing of brands or luxury goods could tell that everything about them screamed a single word: Money!
First Uncle Sinclair’s family was completely stunned. One Asher Keating was enough to leave them speechless; now there were four. ’When did Leah Sinclair—that little nobody in their eyes—get to know a crowd like this?’
Sheila Hughes was just as stunned. She stared blankly at the four men before her and asked, "Leah, are they about to debut as a boy band or something? Holy shit, they’re way too easy on the eyes."
Leah Sinclair was also a little dazed. She’d never imagined that these four men would one day be standing together in her family’s tiny courtyard, which was barely more than a hundred square feet.
When she snapped out of her daze, she took Sheila Hughes’s hand. "Sheila, wait until I get through tomorrow. I’ll explain everything properly then."
"It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m in no hurry."
"I just saw a whole row of luxury cars at the village entrance! Holy shit! They’re all worth over a million..."
Jack Sinclair burst in excitedly, but the words died on his lips when he saw the men in the courtyard. He suddenly seemed to realize who the owners of those luxury cars were.
He looked back and forth between the four of them, frozen in place. Then his eyes locked on Chester Hale. "You... you’re... have I seen you before? Ah! I remember now! The G-Wagon! The one that picked Leah Sinclair up last time! That was you, wasn’t it!"
Chester Hale had just lit the cigarette Asher Keating had passed him. Hearing the question, he nodded and replied coolly, "Yes, that was me. I’m your grandmother’s attending physician. Leah Sinclair should have told you before my last visit. But... it seems your whole family made yourselves scarce that day, didn’t you?"