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

Startled by the man’s sudden appearance, Leah Sinclair took two steps back. She quickly pointed toward Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling, saying, "My friends are over there, and my..."

"Come on, those two are busy. They don’t have time for you. Why don’t you come have some fun with me, little sis?" Before Leah Sinclair could finish, the man reached out to snake an arm around her waist. Noticing this, Asher Keating immediately stood up and headed over.

Leah Sinclair dodged his touch. Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling were in the zone and didn’t notice what was happening with her. She turned, intending to go back to Asher Keating.

Just as the man blocked Leah Sinclair’s path and reached for her again, Asher Keating arrived, pulling her into his embrace. "Get lost," he growled.

The man looked like he was about to start something, but his friend beside him recognized Asher Keating. He quickly pulled the man away. "We’re so sorry, Third Young Master Keating. He’s drunk and didn’t recognize you. We’ll leave right now."

Asher Keating turned and lightly pinched Leah’s cheek. "Can’t you even dodge?"

The music was too loud for Leah to hear him clearly, but ’she figured it wasn’t anything nice.’ She stood on her tiptoes to speak, but the vibrating dance floor made her unsteady.

Asher Keating steadied her by the waist and lowered his head. Her lips grazed his ear, a barely-there touch that sent a tickle of desire through him.

"Should we go back to our seats?" Leah shouted.

"It’s fine. You keep having fun. I’m right here." Asher kept an arm around her, creating a small, protected space for her in the crowd.

Smiling, Leah leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. The corners of Asher’s lips curled up as he held her, letting her enjoy herself.

Back at the booth, the girl who had tried to touch Asher’s leg watched them and said with undisguised envy, "I thought that was his little sister, but it turns out she’s his lover."

The other girl said, "Forget it. Didn’t you see? They seem to be with Young Master Shaw. I’m guessing he’s Third Master Keating from the Keating Family. We can’t afford to provoke a man like that."

"Third Master Keating? Isn’t he supposed to be completely abstinent? What’s the deal with that girl?"

"You don’t know? There was that huge scandal a while back. They said Third Master Keating, who supposedly never touches women, was keeping a little Canary. That must be her. Tsk, she is gorgeous, though. Come on, let’s go. If he comes back and finds we’re still here, we’ll be in deep trouble when he blows up."

When Leah was tired out from dancing, Asher glanced over at their booth. Seeing it was empty, he led her back.

Leah was parched and immediately reached for a glass, but he stopped her. He opened a bottle of beer and handed it to her to drink from directly, then called a server over to have all the glasses on their table replaced.

"What’s wrong?" Leah asked, confused.

"You have to be careful in a place like this." Asher lit a cigarette, leaning back languidly against the sofa as he answered.

Leah scooted over and hugged his arm. "Asher, you don’t like places like this, do you?"

"Yeah. It’s too loud."

"Then let’s go home."

"You’re done having fun?"

"I’ve seen what it’s like, and that’s enough. My ears are ringing now; it really is too loud." Leah wasn’t lying. It was her first time in a place like this, and after the initial excitement wore off, she started to feel overwhelmed. The relentless beat of the music was making her head fuzzy.

"Let’s go, then."

Asher sent a text to Ethan Shaw, then led Leah out of the club. Once they were at the entrance, Leah took a deep breath, and the ringing in her ears finally started to subside.

Asher called for a driver. While they waited, he leaned against the car door, smoking. Leah sat inside, watching him from the window. Seeing her peeking out like a little puppy, Asher reached over and patted her head. "What are you looking at?"

"Asher’s so handsome."

Leah said it with all sincerity. Even though she’d been seeing Asher for months, her heart still hammered in her chest whenever he did something casually handsome.

’She was always thinking, did God show a little favoritism when making Asher? How else could anyone be so handsome?’

’He wasn’t just handsome—he was also rich and tall. More importantly, he was brilliant and capable. He was the quintessential domineering CEO straight out of a novel.’

Amused, Asher’s lips curled into a smile. He leaned down, bracing one hand on the window frame, and used the other to pull her head toward him for a kiss.

Leah’s face instantly turned red. Asher chuckled and ruffled her soft hair again. ’It’s been a while, but she still blushes so easily around me,’ he thought. ’Still, having a girl who only has eyes for you... it’s a pretty good feeling.’

After they got home, Asher didn’t forget his promise to "deal with her later." As tears welled in the corners of her eyes, Leah finally remembered that she had been the one who wanted to give Ethan Shaw a piece of her mind. Now, she was the one on the receiving end.

Still provoked by the memory of Todd Coleman pursuing Leah, Asher covered her neck in a mess of kisses. They hadn’t faded much by the time she had to go to work.

As Leah tried to cover the marks with foundation, she wailed internally. Asher saw her and tutted. "What are you so afraid of?"

She immediately shot him a resentful glare, as if he owed her millions. Asher walked over for a closer look. ’Okay... that is a little excessive.’

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Alright, alright. I won’t leave marks on your neck anymore."

Asher hadn’t really thought about it when he did it. To him, it didn’t matter. But Leah was still just an intern, and it was hardly appropriate for her to show up to work covered in hickeys. She was a young woman, and the office was full of gossips.

A few days later, Mr. Langdon had Leah fill out an application to convert her internship to a full-time position. She obediently filled it out and handed it in, feeling a little nervous after she did.

Normally, she would have had to wait longer before applying. However, their department had just wrapped up the New City project, and Mr. Langdon, seeing her excellent performance and solid professional knowledge, wanted to help her convert to a full-time employee sooner.

That way, she could join the next project as a full-time employee. Mr. Langdon knew a bit about Leah’s family situation and wanted her to be able to earn a better salary and bonuses.

Zion Sawyer saw her looking worried and reassured her, "Don’t worry. If Manager Langdon was the one who told you to apply, it’s just a formality. They’re not going to hold you up."

Todd Coleman also told her not to worry. After Leah had cleared the air with him, things had been a little awkward for a day or two, but then they returned to normal.

After all, the three of them had been a close-knit group for a while, and Todd wasn’t the type to get hung up on things. Once the awkwardness passed, everything went back to normal.

The next day, HR notified Leah to meet with the Director of Human Resources. She went right away. After entering the office, Leah offered a greeting and sat down nervously.

The HR Director, Winston Lawson, was a pot-bellied, balding man in his forties. His small eyes darted about behind his glasses, staring at Leah.

His gaze made her uncomfortable. After a long moment, Winston Lawson finally spoke. "Leah Sinclair. I’ve reviewed your application. It seems your Manager Langdon thinks very highly of you."

Leah replied quickly, "It’s because Mr. Langdon is an excellent mentor, and my colleagues in the department have helped me a great deal."

"Normally, the internship period in the project department is six months. You’ve only been here for a little over three," Winston Lawson said, getting up to pour a glass of water.

Leah’s heart sank. She knew this, of course. They’d mentioned during her interview that the internship period was three to six months. Typically, it was six months before conversion, with only top performers having a chance to do so earlier. Hers was, admittedly, a very early submission.