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

Asher Keating faltered, his gaze locking on Mason Grant’s with deep scrutiny.

"Don’t worry. I’m sure of it even without the report. Her eyes... they’re just like yours when you were young." Brandon Jacobs patted Mabel Grant’s hand, which was linked through his arm and trembling slightly.

"Mm."

Mabel Grant fought back the lump in her throat and the bittersweet ache in her heart. If the circumstances hadn’t been so inappropriate, she would have pulled Leah Sinclair away from it all in a heartbeat.

Announcing Leah Sinclair’s identity wasn’t the hard part. The problem was she didn’t know how Leah felt. ’Abandoned by her mother for twenty-four years, never knowing a mother’s love... she must resent me.’

This was no small matter; she had to find the right time. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again, her expression once more a mask of serene indifference.

Asher Keating was called away on another matter. He entrusted Leah Sinclair to Mason Grant’s care, and only after Mason promised to stick by her side did Asher leave.

Once in a quiet corner, Asher Keating called Sean Yates. "Look into something for me. Has anything unusual been going on with the Grant Family lately?"

In fact, a seed of doubt had been planted the first time Shawn Grant visited his home. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Shawn was a little too interested in Leah Sinclair.

The members of the Grant Family were all rather aloof. While Shawn Grant was an outlier, it was unlikely he would go so far as to pester another man’s girlfriend with questions.

Then there was the time he and Mason Grant had come to his company to see him. Asher later recalled asking Sean Yates about it; the pair had visited Leah Sinclair first. It seemed finding Leah was their primary objective, while seeing him was just an afterthought.

At first, he’d wondered, ’Could Shawn Grant actually have designs on her?’ But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Shawn Grant wasn’t Morgan Sterling; he wouldn’t make a move on a woman he knew was already his girlfriend.

But the attitudes of Mason Grant and Mabel Grant toward Leah Sinclair were even more baffling. He could overlook Mason’s behavior—the boy was young and might just feel a natural affinity for Leah. But Mabel Grant was a different story.

Over the years, despite only having seen her from afar once, he knew she wasn’t an easy person to get along with.

He’d heard from Ruth Hughes that Mabel Grant detested banquets and parties like this one. For her to travel all the way from Kingsford to Riverfall just for his grandfather’s birthday was utterly baffling.

And her gift to Leah Sinclair just now—a jade bracelet easily worth seven figures. Mason must have been worried Leah would find out the real price and refuse it, which is why he’d downplayed its value to fifty thousand. A wild, almost unbelievable thought suddenly surfaced in Asher Keating’s mind.

Spooked by Madeline Sterling’s words, Leah Sinclair had been glued to Mason Grant’s side ever since Asher left. She didn’t dare to eat or drink a thing. Although Mason found her behavior a little strange, he was thrilled that she wanted to stay close to him and kept up a constant stream of chatter.

The birthday banquet was nearly halfway over, and with nothing having happened yet, Leah Sinclair let out a small sigh of relief. Still, for some reason, a feeling of dread lingered in her heart.

"Hey, Leah, have you seen Asher?" Ethan Shaw asked, walking over to her. "Sean Yates just said he needs to talk to him about something, but he’s been waiting a while and can’t find him."

"No, I haven’t. Wasn’t he called over by his father a little while ago? You didn’t see him?" Leah Sinclair scanned the crowd as she spoke, but sure enough, there was no sign of Asher Keating.

"Weird. I’ll go look for him again. He’s not picking up his phone, either," Ethan Shaw said before heading off.

Leah Sinclair’s unease swelled. She snapped her head up, her eyes darting through the crowd for Madeline Sterling. But Madeline, whom she had seen just twenty minutes prior, was also gone. The color drained from Leah’s face.

Her mind immediately flashed back to what Madeline Sterling had told her. ’Could Madeline be planning something against me? But... a scandal... it doesn’t have to be about me. What if the scandal is for Asher?’

’If Asher does something at his own grandfather’s birthday banquet—like sleep with Madeline Sterling—knowing Madeline’s personality, she would stop at nothing to use that to force her way into the Keating Family. And Asher... old Mr. Keating might cast him out for it.’

She couldn’t sit still. She had to find Asher Keating, and fast. She tried calling him, but just as Ethan Shaw had said, there was no answer.

Her face pale, Leah Sinclair headed for the exit. Mason Grant, seeing something was wrong, hurried after her. "Leah, what’s the matter?"

Leah Sinclair suddenly remembered that this hotel belonged to the Grant Family. She grabbed Mason’s hand, her voice stiff with anxiety. "Mason, can... can you pull up the hotel’s security footage for me? Without anyone knowing."

Though Mason Grant didn’t know what she was looking for, her desperate expression made him take it seriously. "Follow me."

Leah Sinclair hurried after him. She called Ethan Shaw and told him to find her immediately. Though confused, Ethan grabbed Riley Sterling and Shawn Grant and went to meet her.

In the security room, Mason Grant dismissed the staff, then sat down at the console and quickly got to work. "Leah, who are you looking for?"

"Asher... and Madeline Sterling."

Mason Grant’s hands froze for a second, and he shot her a surprised glance before resuming his work. Soon, the large screen in front of them was filled with feeds from the banquet hall and every floor of the hotel.

Leah Sinclair stared intently at the monitors, but there were so many that her head started to spin.

When Ethan Shaw and the others arrived, they were confused by the scene. Leah Sinclair quickly explained what Madeline Sterling had told her and what she suspected. After their initial shock wore off, they sprang into action, each person taking a different section of the hotel to watch.

"There!"

Shawn Grant shouted, pointing at one of the monitors. Asher Keating’s upright figure appeared on the screen. He seemed to have a headache, pressing a hand to his temple. He swayed for a moment before entering a room nearby.

Mason Grant quickly zoomed in on the feed. The timestamp showed it was twenty-five minutes ago, on the 50th floor. Then, less than ten minutes later, Madeline Sterling furtively slipped into the same room.

Leah Sinclair bolted for the elevators. Knowing how serious this was, Ethan Shaw and the others sprinted after her. Shawn Grant went to get a key card, while Mason Grant quickly wiped their activity from the security logs before calling Nathan Grant and following the group to the 50th floor.

Leah Sinclair stood outside room 8520, her hands trembling. Shawn Grant hadn’t arrived with the key yet, and they didn’t dare risk knocking.

A full half-hour had passed since he’d entered the room. She had no idea what was happening inside, and her mind was a mess of panic. ’This is all my fault. Why didn’t I tell Asher about this?’

’If I had just told him, he would have been prepared.’

After telling Sean Yates to look into the Grant Family, Asher had gone to deal with other matters. A short while later, Sean had called back to report that the Grant Family had been discreetly looking for someone.

They were being very secretive about it, and he hadn’t yet been able to find out if they were looking for a man or a woman. Asher told him to come to his room so they could discuss it in person.