Chapter 227: What Did Phoebe Peyton Say?

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: What Did Phoebe Peyton Say?

Mabel Grant was sipping her coffee, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she looked at the photo. She was about to pass her phone to Brandon Jacobs, but when she saw the message that followed, she let out a soft "tsk." Brandon asked her what was wrong, so she handed him the phone.

"I’ve heard of the bride’s family pushing for marriage, but it’s rare to see the groom’s family trying every trick in the book to hurry things along."

Brandon Jacobs zoomed in on the photo, completely ignoring Asher Keating and focusing only on Leah Sinclair. He grinned. "Leah is such a great catch. Of course they’d want to marry her as soon as possible. Don’t tell me you aren’t eager to be a grandmother?"

Mabel Grant was, of course, but she didn’t want Leah to get married and have children so soon. In her eyes, Leah’s new life was just beginning.

A woman can live without a marriage or children, but she absolutely cannot live without her own career and her own life.

"Hmph. What’s the rush to have kids? What’s wrong with waiting another two years?"

With that, Mabel Grant replied to Ruth Hughes, "No rush. It’s best to let nature take its course when it comes to having children."

Ruth Hughes sighed when she received the reply. ’It seems my son still has a long way to go,’ she thought. If Leah hadn’t returned to the Grant family, she might already have a grandchild calling her "Grandma."

But she decided to let it go. Elders could offer advice on the younger generation’s affairs, but they couldn’t meddle blindly, or they would just become a nuisance. Ruth Hughes understood this principle perfectly.

Leah Sinclair spent the morning discussing the proposal with Juanita Coleman and the team. When it was time, she packed her materials and headed out for lunch with Liam Peyton. The preliminary plan was ready, and she intended to show it to him. If he had no major objections, they could move on to the finer details.

But just as she was about to leave, she got a call from Asher Keating, asking her to have lunch with him. Leah was dumbfounded.

"I already have plans to eat with Wynn. We need to go over the proposal, and I have to pick something up from him."

Asher Keating clicked his tongue. "You owe me lunch."

After hanging up, Leah was still a bit dazed. ’So Asher really did intend to have all three meals with me today.’

Once the daze passed, she felt a happy little flutter and sent Asher Keating a text. "Asher, how about I bring you some coffee after lunch?"

A moment later, Asher Keating replied with two words: "Permission granted."

Leah put her phone away, feeling pleased. When she arrived at the restaurant, Liam Peyton was already there. He smiled and waved when he saw her.

After they exchanged greetings, Liam Peyton handed a bag to Leah. "Aunt Mabel asked me to bring this for you."

Leah opened it, puzzled. Inside were three boxes containing a matching Bvlgari set: a bracelet, a ring, and a necklace. She vaguely recalled that it was the white gold model from the Serpenti Viper collection.

Leah sighed under her breath. She put the items back in the bag and set it aside. When it came to buying her things, Mabel Grant was incredibly persistent.

She had gone from being shocked at first to now being more or less composed about it.

Liam Peyton looked a little puzzled. "Don’t you like it?"

"It’s not that. I love it. It’s just that for me, things like this spend far more time sitting in a box than being worn."

Leah explained that with her line of work, these luxury items were more of a liability than anything. Liam Peyton laughed and said he understood.

The two of them ate first, and as they were finishing up, Leah handed him the folder.

"Wynn, this is the preliminary proposal we’ve drafted. Could you take a look and let us know if there’s anything you’d like changed? We can make adjustments from there."

Liam Peyton took the documents, looking surprised. "This fast?"

"This is just a preliminary draft, and it only covers the top seven floors. We wanted to touch base with you first. If any changes are needed, now is the best time to make them. We’re still working on the lower ten floors, which should be ready by next week at the latest."

Liam Peyton examined it carefully. Initially, he had really just been thinking of doing Leah a favor. A renovation project wasn’t particularly difficult, so he hadn’t given it much thought. But he never expected the proposal from Leah and her team to be so well-done—it was far better than he’d imagined.

After reading through the entire proposal, Liam Peyton smiled and set it down. "This is excellent. I have no objections. You’ve been more thorough than we would have been ourselves."

Leah breathed a sigh of relief and broke into an excited grin. "Thank you for the glowing review, oh mighty client! I’ll go back and flesh this out, then. I’ll aim to have a more detailed version for you and Phoebe to review by Friday. If that looks good, we can lock it in and move to the next stage."

"There’s no need to rush. Where are you headed next?"

Leah said she was heading to the Keating Group. Since Liam Peyton was also going back, they planned to leave together. The restaurant was close to the Keating Group building, so Leah bought the coffee and they left. In the car, she got a call from Doris Harlow telling her to go to the construction site.

When they arrived at the Keating Group building, Leah was just about to run inside when she saw Sean Yates’s car pull up. She quickly grabbed the coffee and the bag from Mabel Grant and dashed over. Asher Keating had just stepped out of the car when he heard Leah calling "Asher!" as she fluttered toward him like a little bird.

The corners of his mouth had just turned up in a smile when she rushed up and thrust everything into his hands. "Asher! Here’s your coffee! And can you take this upstairs for me? Bring it home tonight, okay? I have to run to the site, and I’m worried this stuff won’t be safe there. I’m off now, see you for dinner tonight!"

After her rapid-fire spiel, Leah gave him a quick hug. Asher watched as she fluttered away again like a little bird, giving Liam Peyton a quick wave as she left.

As Liam Peyton walked over, he saw Phoebe Peyton’s car pulling up as well. Phoebe looked surprised to see both Asher Keating and Liam at the entrance.

Following Asher’s gaze, she saw Leah’s car just pulling away. Her heart sank. Forcing a smile, she greeted both men, and the three of them headed inside.

Inside the elevator, Phoebe asked curiously, "Liam, did you just have lunch with Leah Grant?"

"Mmm-hmm. Aunt Mabel had me bring something over for her. She also took the opportunity to show me the renovation proposal. I thought it was excellent. You can take a look when the complete version is ready."

"Of course it’s good if Leah Grant did it."

Phoebe’s eyes fell on the bag in Asher’s hands, the one Leah had just given him. She smiled. "Liam, isn’t that from the same collection you bought from before? What a coincidence. Did Aunt Mabel buy the same one?"

Asher turned to look at Liam. Liam spoke calmly, "Yes. The one I bought was for Cecilia. Aunt Mabel saw it, thought it would suit Leah, and asked me to bring this one to her."

Phoebe sighed, her voice tinged with disappointment and her eyes growing a little red. "Oh, I see. Aunt Mabel really dotes on Leah Grant, doesn’t she? I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to be spoiled like that by my own mother."

"If you want a set, I’ll buy one for you," Liam said, trying to comfort her.

"There’s no need, Liam. I can afford to buy it myself."

Asher had remained silent the entire time. Once inside his office, he called Sean Yates in. "Ask Louise Holt what Phoebe Peyton said to Leah during their lunch yesterday."

Sean Yates was confused but quickly agreed. He stepped out and sent a message to Louise Holt, who replied that she was driving but would give him all the dirt later. Sean clicked his tongue. ’Looks like there really is some drama to hear about,’ he thought.

After dropping Leah Sinclair off at the Peyton Group building, Louise Holt waved to Leah and said she had to make a call. Leah didn’t say anything and hurried upstairs. Louise then called Sean Yates and gave him a vivid, blow-by-blow account of yesterday’s lunch.