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

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP...

Morgan Sterling was the first to applaud. "That was really good."

From across the room, Ethan Shaw raised his glass to the two of them. "Wow, Sheila Hughes, I never knew you had it in you."

Sheila Hughes raised her glass back at him. "Hmph. You should know, when it comes to girls from my hometown, you can doubt anything about us, but there are three things you can’t doubt."

"And what’s that?"

Sheila Hughes and Leah Sinclair exchanged a glance and laughed. "Our drinking capacity, our dancing, and our singing!"

Ethan Shaw thought about it and realized it was true. Girls from Transterra were definitely good at those things. Just now, Sheila had drunk far more than him and Riley Sterling, yet she didn’t seem affected at all. He truly believed her when she said she could drink them both under the table.

Because Morgan Sterling was there, Leah Sinclair had been keeping her distance all day. And Morgan, for his part, seemed to have truly lost interest in her. After toasting her once at the very beginning, he hadn’t bothered her again. He just played games with Asher Keating and the others, as if he had only come to share the private room.

When Madeline Sterling arrived, Ethan Shaw was singing with Sheila Hughes. Madeline glanced at Sheila, thought nothing of her, and walked over to Morgan Sterling, who was playing dice with Asher Keating.

"Brother, Third Master."

"Mm, you’re here. Five fives."

Morgan Sterling said with a smile, looking at Asher Keating. "Call?"

Asher Keating glanced at his own dice cup. "Add one."

"Call."

Morgan Sterling revealed his dice. He had none. He lit a cigarette and leaned back on the sofa with a smile. "Third Master, you’ve won so many rounds already. It’s about time you took a drink."

"I was getting a little thirsty. Is that not allowed?"

Asher Keating opened his own cup with a smirk. A quint of fives, which counts as six. Just enough.

"..."

Morgan Sterling clicked his tongue and downed another glass. He’d played over twenty rounds with Asher Keating, and Asher had lost fewer than five.

"Third Master’s luck is as good as ever."

Just as he finished his drink, the door to the private room was suddenly knocked open. A few people looked over. A man was leaning against the doorframe, a cigarette dangling lazily from his lips. "I thought I recognized that back. Wondered if it was Madeline Sterling. And look at that, it really is you lot."

"Shawn... Shawn Grant!?"

Ethan Shaw yelped, his voice booming through the microphone and filling the entire room.

"Can you drop the sloppy act?"

Shawn Grant was about to speak when a hand smacked him on the back of the head from behind. WHAP. He immediately clutched his head. "Sis! Go easy, you’ll make me stupid."

"Nash... Nash!!!???"

Ethan Shaw’s voice was even louder this time, making everyone in the room cover their ears.

"Tsk, what’s with all the shouting? My ears are going to go deaf." Nathan Grant rolled her eyes and dug a finger in her ear.

Ethan Shaw was so scared he quickly put down the microphone. Even Morgan Sterling and Asher Keating stood up from the sofa. Morgan greeted them, "Nash, Shawn, you two... When did you get back?"

"Do we need to report our return to Eldest Sterling? If Eldest Sterling doesn’t approve, does that mean we can’t come back?"

Nathan Grant tossed her bag to Shawn Grant as she spoke, then swaggered into the room. She sat right down in the spot between Morgan Sterling and Asher Keating, lit a cigarette, and let her gaze drift coolly over everyone in the room.

"Of course not, that’s not what I meant. Shawn, come, have a seat," Morgan Sterling said with a smile, gesturing for Shawn Grant to sit.

"Nash, Young Master Shawn." The others quickly greeted them.

When Leah Sinclair returned, this was the scene she walked in on: a man and a woman were sitting in the very center of the sofa. She had heard Ethan Shaw’s yelps from the restroom earlier but couldn’t make out what was happening.

Puzzled, she walked over to Sheila Hughes, who was standing far off to the side. Sheila whispered to her, "I don’t know who they are either, but they seem like a huge deal. That woman just told Morgan Sterling off, and he didn’t even dare to talk back."

Nathan Grant and Shawn Grant turned their heads toward her at the same time, looking a bit surprised. Shawn Grant narrowed his eyes. "And this is?"

"My girlfriend."

Asher Keating beckoned Leah Sinclair over. "Leah, let me introduce you. This is Nash, and this is Shawn. They are... the eldest young miss and eldest young master of the Grant Family from Kingsford."

The Grant Family of Kingsford... She had never heard of them. Though puzzled, Leah Sinclair obediently sat down beside him and said, "Nash, Mr. Grant."

"Well now, Third Master Keating. Haven’t seen you in a few years, and you’ve finally seen the light and gotten a girlfriend? She’s quite pretty, looks like a good match for you. What were you thinking back then, falling for Madeline Sterling? Just because they all egged you on, you said you’d give it a shot?"

Nathan Grant complimented Leah Sinclair. Leah noticed that Madeline Sterling, who was sitting in the corner, didn’t dare to refute the comment. Looking at the woman before her, Leah’s curiosity grew.

’Who is Madeline Sterling? The type of person who looks down her nose at everyone. Yet she didn’t dare talk back after being called out like that.’

"Nash, that’s all in the past," Asher Keating said, sounding a bit helpless.

"Clear the room. I have something to say. Your girlfriend can stay."

Nathan Grant put down her glass. Ethan Shaw quickly ushered the extra people out. Sheila Hughes felt it wasn’t appropriate for her to stay either, so she told Leah Sinclair she was leaving. Leah stood up and said to Nathan, "Nash, I’m just going to see my friend out."

"Mm. Shawn, go with her. Have the driver take her friend home," Nathan Grant said, lifting her eyes slightly.

"There’s no need, I can just get a cab," Sheila Hughes said quickly, grabbing her bag.

"Let’s go." Shawn Grant stood up, giving her no chance to refuse again.

Leah Sinclair glanced back at Asher Keating, who gave her a slight nod. Leah then pulled Sheila Hughes along and followed Shawn Grant out.

Ethan Shaw glanced at Ben Coleman and the other two people Morgan Sterling had brought. "Nash, these guys..."

"Nash, hello, I’m Ben..." Ben Coleman quickly stood up to greet her respectfully.

"Don’t know you. All of you, out."

Nathan Grant cut Ben Coleman off before he could finish. He choked on his words but still hurried out with the other two. The only ones left in the room were Nathan Grant, Asher Keating, Morgan Sterling, Ethan Shaw, Riley Sterling, and Madeline Sterling.

As Leah Sinclair was walking back with Shawn Grant after seeing Sheila Hughes off, Shawn spoke. "You’re Leah Sinclair, right? How long have you been with Third Master Keating?"

"A little over half a year."

Leah Sinclair looked up at his back. This man was a bit shorter than Asher Keating. She had seen his face clearly in the room just now. He was quite handsome, especially with his striking phoenix eyes, which made him look dashing but not debauched.

’Although he’s dressed casually, I can tell his clothes are definitely expensive. Just the watch on his wrist... Asher has the same one, and it costs seven figures.’

"Are you a local? The surname Sinclair... doesn’t ring a bell."

"No, my hometown is Stonecreek. I went to university in Riverfall and stayed here after graduation. My family is just an ordinary one."

"Oh? Heh, that sounds like Third Master Keating’s style. When he likes someone, he really doesn’t care if they’re from a prominent family or not. Good thing he’s got a clear head and didn’t actually go after that Madeline Sterling girl. Otherwise, I’d have laughed at him for the rest of his life." Shawn Grant said with a smile, turning to look back at Leah Sinclair.