Chapter 100: I’m No Hangover Cure
Only when she arrived did Leah Sinclair realize that the Zenith Club was completely different from her last visit. The entire interior had been renovated. A floor just above the middle had been turned into a dance pit, with private rooms extending upward from it on all four sides.
The higher up the rooms, the more private they were. The rooms on the top two floors even had secret chambers connected directly to the dance pit.
Without looking closely, it was impossible to spot the passages to the secret chambers. Guests who preferred privacy could take the higher-level rooms, while those who liked a livelier atmosphere could choose the rooms or booths further down.
Guests in the private rooms could go straight down to the dance pit or watch the lively scene from their room via a wall-mounted screen.
Leah Sinclair found the design quite novel. But after observing it for a moment, she understood the principle behind it. A layman sees the spectacle, but an expert sees the method. She even felt an urge to measure the dimensions of the passage leading to their room’s secret chamber.
Asher Keating watched her walk back and forth between the secret chamber and the main room, finding it rather amusing.
When she finally sat down, he asked what she was doing. She said, "I’m trying to figure out how they designed such a narrow passage."
"Why figure that out?"
"Just curious. Professional instinct."
Leah Sinclair took out her phone, opened her email, and pulled up a previous project to show Asher Keating. It was a structural design for a villa.
At the time, she’d thought, ’If I could afford a house like this, I’d definitely want a very private space.’ So, she had incorporated the idea into the design, but she was never satisfied with her attempts at creating the passage—it always felt too obvious.
Asher Keating took the phone. It showed a rendered image of a three-story, single-family villa in a Chinese style.
The top floor had a large balcony with a sofa chair. The ground floor had a large courtyard with a covered walkway and a sunroom. There was even a small vegetable patch. The drawing depicted two small figures sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the cool air.
There was even a small cat and dog playing nearby. Green plants dotted every corner of the house, and a small flower bed bloomed in the yard. The lights were on inside the house, and you could distinguish the kitchen, the living room, and the bedrooms. The entire drawing looked very warm and inviting.
Mr. Langdon had previously shown him the design blueprints Leah Sinclair had drawn for an office building, and he had been quite impressed.
Now, seeing this drawing, he couldn’t help but smile. "Is this your dream house? And the people in the drawing, is that you and your grandmother?"
"Yes. I drew this during the second semester of my sophomore year. I wasn’t as skilled back then."
Leah Sinclair was a little embarrassed. If she were to do this project now, she was sure she could do much better.
Asher Keating gently stroked her face and praised her sincerely, "It’s quite good."
"Hey, hey, you two! Can you not talk about work right now? On a night like this, in this atmosphere, this setting, and you two are talking about building a house?" Ethan Shaw said, looking at them speechlessly with his arm around a girl.
’That’s a good point,’ Leah Sinclair thought. She put down her phone and asked excitedly, "So what’s the grand prize for tonight?"
"I heard they’re waiving the fee for the room and all the drinks. Basically, a free night out," said Riley Sterling’s companion.
"That’s it?"
Riley Sterling was a bit speechless. It wasn’t that he looked down on that amount of money—for their group in this room, with drinks, the bill would easily start at six figures. But for a place like the Zenith Club, a prize of this level felt... a little lacking.
"’That’s it?’ You have the nerve to say ’that’s it?’ I don’t know if the prize is real, but I heard the other rooms are already ordering the expensive stuff. See? Over in Eldest Young Master Sterling’s room, they’ve already opened a Romanee Conti," Riley Sterling’s companion said, swatting him with a playful pout.
"No way, no way. Our Eldest Young Master Sterling didn’t actually believe that and is planning to get free drinks, did he?"
"I doubt Eldest Young Master Sterling would do that, but there are a lot of other people with him. Can’t say the same for them. Still, Romanee Conti... wow. I’ve never even had it," Ethan Shaw’s companion said wistfully.
Ethan Shaw pulled his companion closer and gave her a kiss. "Want to try some? If you do, call me something sweet, and I’ll open a bottle for you."
"Honey~ Honey~" his companion whined sweetly, before giving him another loud kiss.
"There, there, good girl. Go on, get it opened!" Ethan Shaw said with a magnanimous wave of his hand.
His companion went off excitedly but returned a short while later, dejected. When Ethan Shaw asked what was wrong, she said that Morgan Sterling’s party had bought out all the Romanee Conti.
Ethan Shaw clicked his tongue, about to go find the owner and ask if this was intentional—how could Morgan Sterling have possibly bought it all? His companion quickly pulled him back, telling him not to bother, that opening something else would be just as good.
"So, Ian wants some Conti? Why not come over to my table?" The private room door was pushed open, and Morgan Sterling stood in the doorway with a smile.
The room fell silent for a moment before Ethan Shaw recovered. "Hey now, Morgan. We were just messing around."
"It’s just bad timing today. I reserved it all earlier. Come by my place some other time when you’re free. I have some there."
Morgan Sterling walked in slowly, heading in Leah Sinclair’s direction. Leah instinctively shrank back, and Asher Keating pulled her closer to his side.
"Leah, you don’t need to duck away every time you see me. Asher made himself perfectly clear today."
Morgan Sterling didn’t sit directly next to her but instead took a seat one spot away, lit a cigarette, and watched her with a smile.
’Leah didn’t believe his nonsense for a second. If he were the type to take Asher Keating’s words to heart, he wouldn’t have provoked her time and time again.’
Asher Keating kept an arm around Leah and spoke with a hint of disdain. "Can’t be helped. The things Mr. Sterling has done in the past have scared her."
Morgan Sterling’s gaze shifted to Asher Keating. "Asher, calling me ’Mr. Sterling’ is a bit formal, don’t you think?"
"What would you prefer I call you, then? Eldest Young Master Sterling?"
"You always used to call me Brother Morgan." Morgan Sterling sighed softly, as if reminiscing.
Asher Keating scoffed. "I was young and naive back then. I think ’Mr. Sterling’ is perfectly fine now."
Morgan Sterling seemed somewhat exasperated. "Madeline is drunk and won’t stop crying for you. As her brother, it’s hard for me to watch. If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have disturbed you all today. Asher, could you go see her and try to talk some sense into her?"
Asher Keating remained seated, looking indolent. "If she’s drunk, send her home. I’m not a cure for a hangover."
"If I could have sent her home, I would have already. She insists on seeing you. She wanted to follow me here just now, but I was afraid she’d cause a scene and say something she shouldn’t." As he spoke, Morgan Sterling glanced at Leah Sinclair.
Leah Sinclair pressed her lips together and said nothing. Asher Keating was silent for a moment, then ruffled her hair. "I’ll be right back."
Leah Sinclair hummed in agreement. Asher Keating stood up. "After you, Mr. Sterling."
Morgan Sterling gave a wry smile. He knew Asher wouldn’t leave him here alone, so he also stood up and walked toward the door.
Just as he reached the door, Leah Sinclair suddenly called out, "Asher."