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

Asher stopped after one round, worried Leah would catch a chill again. He cleaned up meticulously, and by the time he was done, she was already fast asleep. He tucked her in, slipped on a bathrobe, and went to the living room for a smoke. The heating was on throughout the apartment, so it wasn’t cold.

After lighting a cigarette, Asher began to seriously examine his relationship with Leah for the first time.

He remembered his first night with Leah. He’d accidentally drunk from her spiked drink. If he really hadn’t wanted to touch her then, he could have just called a doctor.

Maybe he was just too exhausted back then and looking for some release. Or maybe, when the drug kicked in and he kissed her, he could clearly feel her inexperience. That innocence had aroused him, made him want her. Who would have thought that the great Third Young Master Keating had never truly kissed anyone before?

He’d fooled around before, but never truly *kissed* anyone. Even though he’d been with other women, he had never kissed anyone the way he’d kissed Leah. Asher couldn’t tell which impulse had been stronger at the time. He had simply taken her.

He’d originally thought it was just a transaction—he paid the money, she provided herself. But then she was cornered by Ben Coleman, and later by Morgan Sterling, one after the other. He could have just ignored it all.

But when he remembered how she’d been beneath him, cautiously asking him to be gentle, biting her lip to keep from crying out even though she was clearly in agony... he couldn’t help but intervene, time and time again. He even put her under his patronage just so she could avoid Morgan Sterling.

That time Ethan Shaw had brought up the subject of dating, Asher had already realized his feelings for Leah were different.

And today, when Leah didn’t answer his call, Asher realized he wasn’t just annoyed—he was also a little panicked.

When he saw Leah on Chester Hale’s bed, wearing a bathrobe, he genuinely had the urge to kill the man.

As a man himself, he knew perfectly well that Chester Hale had designs on Leah. If Chester had only felt pity for her before, now his feelings were...

Asher sneered inwardly. ’He wants my woman? Dream on.’

Leah had been preoccupied with paying him back, so he had proposed sleeping with her for six months for free. It was a way to put her mind at ease; otherwise, with her stubborn personality, she would have remained fixated on repaying the debt.

He didn’t need the money, and he didn’t want her mentally calculating how much debt she’d paid off every time they slept together. It was distasteful.

Now, with less than two months left of their six-month arrangement, he knew he still wouldn’t let her go when the time was up.

’So be it. I won’t let her go.’

Asher smiled softly. ’No more patronage, then. We’ll just date. If things go smoothly, marrying Leah and having children... that wouldn’t be a bad life.’

Having come to this realization, Asher was no longer conflicted. He stretched lazily, returned to the bedroom, and wrapped his arms around the sleeping woman.

Leah broke out in a sweat again during the night while being held by Asher. When she woke up the next day, her fever had broken. Although her throat was still sore, she had much more energy.

Asher told her to rest at home, but she refused, insisting she was all better. She was worried about the files she hadn’t finished the day before and wheedled him into letting her ride in his car, wanting to spend more time with him. Asher was clearly susceptible to her charms, but he made sure to bundle her up warmly before they left.

They ran into Chester Hale on their way out. He had worked a night shift the previous day and was just getting back. Leah started to thank him, but just as she was about to offer to buy him a new bathrobe, Asher grabbed her by the collar and pulled her into the elevator.

"I wasn’t finished!" Leah said, staring speechlessly as the elevator doors closed.

"Stay away from him from now on," Asher said, pinching her cheek.

"Why? Dr. Hale is a nice person," Leah said, puzzled. ’It seems like Asher has never liked Chester Hale.’

"I have houses at Orchid Terrace and Cloudrest Court. I have one at One Grandview, too. Or would you prefer to move back to the villa in Silverwood?" Asher asked casually.

Leah immediately shut up. ’Forget it,’ she thought, ’I’d better not provoke him. Europa Gardens is perfectly fine. I’ll just text Chester Hale later to explain.’

’Then again, is this really how rich people buy houses?’ she wondered. ’All the properties Asher mentioned are in the most expensive, prime locations in Riverfall. His wealth is just obscene.’

A satisfied smile touched Asher’s lips. "What are you grumbling about?"

"Nothing," Leah said, though she couldn’t help but ask, "But why do you have so many houses? Can you even live in all of them?"

"An investment," Asher said with a smile. ’This silly girl will probably fall for it,’ he thought.

Sure enough, her eyes widened in disbelief. "An investment? Buying such high-end properties? For an investment, shouldn’t you buy smaller units that are easier to sell? The places you mentioned are so expensive; they must be hard to unload."

Asher couldn’t resist pulling her in for a kiss. "How have you been this naive for over twenty years without someone selling you off?"

Leah finally realized he was teasing her and grumbled, "I only believed you because you were the one who said it."

Asher heard her and his lips curved into a smile. He was in a great mood this morning. ’Maybe I should buy something to reward this silly girl.’

’Her coat from yesterday is gone, after all. I’ll just buy her some clothes, purses, and jewelry—the kinds of things girls like.’

Asher went to the Keating family’s old residence for dinner. When Leah returned to the apartment, she froze in shock. The living room was filled with shopping bags from all sorts of brands. At first, she assumed they were Asher’s clothes and moved to tidy them up.

But when she opened them, she found women’s clothes, purses, shoes, perfume, and all sorts of bracelets and necklaces. With trembling hands, she sent Asher a text: "Did you win the lottery?"

It was a while before he replied, "The lottery pays more than I make?"

Looking at the mountain of gifts, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t touched. But Leah couldn’t accept them with a clear conscience.

’Returning them is out of the question,’ she thought. ’Asher would probably kill me if I did. Should I sell them at a consignment shop?’

’No, that won’t work either. What if he asks about them someday? How would I magic them back into existence? What if I just don’t wear them? Or leave them behind when we eventually part ways? Knowing his personality, he’d probably just throw everything out.’

For the first time in her life, Leah felt stressed about receiving too many gifts. She began to tidy up, organizing the clothes and shoes and putting them away in the walk-in closet.

Asher had even taken her low salary into account; many of the items were practical things she could actually wear and use. As she put everything away, her heart ached with a bittersweet feeling.

「The Keating Estate.」

The old Mr. Keating had summoned Asher home for dinner specifically to discuss the situation with Madeline Sterling. The story had been festering for two days, and many people who knew Asher had already guessed he was the man in the video. They were discreetly contacting the Keating Family, trying to find out if a marriage alliance between the Keating and Sterling Groups was in the works.

Madeline Sterling had fanned the flames by posting an ambiguous message on Weibo: "Just some playful fun between good friends. Thanks for all your concern! 😉"

Her post shot the story to the top of several trending lists. After all, what kind of "playful fun" involves a man and a woman alone in a hot spring? The implication was obvious.