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

Asher Keating, fresh out of the shower and with a towel wrapped around his waist, opened the door. Seeing who it was, he turned and went back inside. "Spit it out."

"Chester Hale! That guy, Second Master Hale, just sent me a message. He said you have one hour. If you don’t get to Azure Bay, he’s taking Leah Sinclair with him."

Ethan Shaw shouted frantically. Asher Keating’s hand, which was drying his hair, froze. He shot Ethan an icy glare.

"Third Master, you and Leah Sinclair still haven’t made up? Or are you really just letting it go?"

Ethan Shaw watched him cautiously. He had already experienced just how bad Asher Keating’s mood had been these past few days. He wouldn’t reply to texts, and he’d hang up after just a few words on the phone.

Last time, Ethan had wanted to bring up what Asher had said about Leah Sinclair liking him, but Asher’s voice over the phone had been so cold that he didn’t dare.

Asher Keating threw the towel aside, grabbed his clothes from the sofa, and started dressing. "Call Leah Sinclair."

"Leah Sinclair’s phone is off! I’ve already tried calling several times."

"Then call Chester Hale!"

"Oh, right." Ethan Shaw snapped out of it and quickly dialed Chester Hale.

Chester Hale’s cool voice came through the phone. "Is Asher Keating coming or not? Leah Sinclair’s had too much to drink."

"Who do you think you’re kidding? You think we don’t know what kind of drinker Leah Sinclair is? I’m warning you, don’t you dare hang up on me. We’re on our way right now!" Ethan Shaw yelled into the phone.

"Put it on speaker," came Asher Keating’s voice.

"Leah, wake up. You’re drunk." Chester Hale casually placed the phone face down on the table.

Leah Sinclair lifted her head, her eyes hazy from the alcohol. She giggled. "...I’m not. How could I be? I can hold my liquor. In fact, I wish I could get drunk. ’Drinks a thousand cups without getting drunk,’ that’s me! This... is barely anything."

Chester Hale held up three fingers in front of her. "How many is this?"

Leah Sinclair leaned in and stared for a moment. Her vision was a bit blurry. She grabbed his hand and counted the fingers. "I know, it’s three. Dr.... Dr. Hale, Chester Hale. See? I’m not drunk, am I?"

With a slight frown, Chester Hale helped steady her in her seat. Eve rushed over. "Young Master Hale, you’re here?"

"How long has she been drinking here?" Chester Hale asked, jerking his chin toward Leah Sinclair.

"This is the third day. The last two days, she’d basically have a little more than half a bottle and then go home. But I don’t know what’s wrong today. Her eyes were all red when she came in. I asked her what happened, but she wouldn’t say, just asked for drinks. Look, in this short time, she’s almost finished two bottles of this. I think she’s about at her limit. The way she’s been these past few days... it’s really bad. At this rate, even an ox would be drunk."

Eve sighed and patted Leah Sinclair’s cheek. "Leah, Leah? Wake up. Let’s get you home, okay?"

It took a moment for Leah Sinclair to react, then she suddenly yelled, "You’re the ox!"

"Tsk, I’m the ox, I’m the ox. Young Master Hale, this..." Eve looked at Chester Hale, at a loss.

"It’s fine. You go on, I’ll stay with her. Just have a bottle sent over."

"The usual, then?"

"Mm."

Eve patted Leah Sinclair again, sighed, and left. Leah turned her dazed eyes to Chester Hale. "What’d you order?"

"Hennessy. What do you want to drink? I can have them open something else."

"No, this is fine. Hehe. I’ll tell you a secret. Third Master has a lot of liquor. Since you’re so handsome, maybe I’ll sneak some out for you next time, okay?" Leah Sinclair said with a laugh, clutching her bottle of Bacardi.

"..."

Ethan Shaw snuck a glance at Asher Keating, who was driving. Asher was speechless too. ’Stealing his liquor to give to another man. She’s really something else.’

Chester Hale laughed too. "Then why did you come here to drink? And all by yourself, too. It’s too dangerous. If you want to drink, you can just call me."

"My phone’s broken. Sob... a car ran over it. It can’t be fixed," Leah Sinclair mumbled pitifully, hugging the bottle.

"Then just buy a new one. I’ll buy one for you. We can go get it later, okay?"

Chester Hale found that a drunk Leah Sinclair had a surprisingly childish temperament, completely different from her usual sophisticated demeanor. He couldn’t help but smile.

"I don’t want a new one! I just want my old phone. It had pictures of Third Master in it. I only took a few, and now they’re gone... all gone." As Leah Sinclair spoke, her eyes reddened with grievance.

Asher Keating remembered. It was at the hot spring resort, at the amusement park he’d taken her to. On the way back, he had indeed let her take some pictures.

Chester Hale was silent for a moment, then lit a cigarette. "So that’s why you’re drinking so much today? Third Master Keating has plenty of liquor, why not drink at home?"

"It’s too expensive, I can’t afford it. I already finished what was left over from last time... I didn’t dare open a new bottle, it’s too expensive. Besides... that’s not my home. I don’t have a home..."

Leah Sinclair was in a daze. After a moment, she suddenly said, "No, that’s not right! I have a home. My home is in Stonecreek. Wherever my grandma is, that’s my home. I’m going home tomorrow. Mm... going home, and not coming back."

Chester Hale’s hand, holding the cigarette, paused. "What do you mean, not coming back? Are you quitting your job?"

"I quit... uh, but, my mentor didn’t approve it! He won’t approve it. He told me to take a vacation, to, to rest. He won’t approve it."

Leah Sinclair suddenly sat up straight, nearly falling over. Chester Hale quickly steadied her. Hearing her mention quitting, Asher Keating’s thin lips tightened. Keith Langdon hadn’t told him anything about Leah Sinclair resigning.

Chester Hale frowned and asked her, "Is it necessary to leave Aevon because of him?"

"No... it’s, uh, it’s Morgan Sterling! He keeps blocking my way! He has people send those huge bouquets to the office every day and says he’s pursuing me. He’s... he’s doing it on purpose, that bastard!"

The thought of Morgan Sterling made Leah Sinclair suddenly angry, her cheeks puffing out. "You tell me! Tell me, is he sick in the head or what?"

Chester Hale frowned. "Morgan Sterling is trying to pursue you?"

Asher Keating frowned too. He hadn’t been around for the last few days, and no one had told him that Morgan Sterling had been bothering Leah Sinclair.

Ethan Shaw, however, cursed outright, "Damn it, what the hell is with that Morgan Sterling? Is he still not letting go of Leah Sinclair?"

"Pursue my ass. He just wants to sleep with me."

Leah Sinclair mumbled and flopped back down onto the table. "I’m just a tiny ant, I can’t fight him... Sob, Third Master doesn’t want me anymore. I have no one to protect me. If I go back to Stonecreek, he won’t be able to find me."

Ethan Shaw was completely bewildered. "Third Master, what does she mean ’you don’t want her anymore’? Did you tell her you don’t want her?"

Asher Keating gripped the steering wheel tightly. "No. I didn’t even get to finish what I was saying that day."

"But you don’t have to go back to Stonecreek. Didn’t you say before that you wanted your grandma to live in a house you built? If you go back to Stonecreek, are you giving up on building that house?"

Leah Sinclair’s brain was working slowly now. It took her a moment to process what Chester Hale was saying.

She took a drink. "I’m still building it. Hehe. I’m going to Transterra to build houses. I don’t know if Grandma can handle it over there, but it’s okay... I’ll work hard to make money, and then I’ll build in Stonecreek, and Grandma can... live in it."

"Transterra? Why go so far away?"