Chapter 264: He Likes You

“Wynn.”

Leah explained everything while drying his hair. Asher pursed his lips. Leah paused, watching his expression, and asked uncertainly, “Asher, you… you don’t really think Wynn and I have something going on, do you?”

“You don’t have anything going on with him, but he likes you.”

Leah was startled and tried to get up to explain, but Asher kept his arms around her. “And from the looks of it, he’s mentioned it to Mason. Otherwise, he hides it so well, Mason wouldn’t necessarily know.”

“Asher, could you be mistaken? Wynn… me… Surely not?”

Leah’s tone was filled with disbelief and confusion. ‘Liam Peyton likes me? But we’ve barely seen each other. And lately, our chats on WeChat have only been about the renovation progress. We’ve hardly even made small talk.’

Asher Keating pinched her chin. “I’m your man. I know perfectly well who has feelings for you. It’s just like…”

He thought for a moment, then chose an analogy Leah would understand. “…how you can easily tell when someone has feelings for me.”

Now that he put it that way, Leah understood. And once she understood, she felt a bit awkward. “Asher, I… I’ll keep my distance from Wynn from now on. For anything that requires direct communication with him, I’ll have Miles and the others handle it.”

Asher Keating chuckled. “So proactive?”

“If I didn’t know, it’d be one thing. But now that I do… I should be mindful of the situation. Besides, I don’t want to make you unhappy. You drove all that way the other day… you were worried about me, weren’t you?”

Leah quickly connected the dots and couldn’t help but feel chagrined. ‘If the roles were reversed, and I called Asher in the middle of the night only to have Phoebe Peyton or some other woman answer, I would have exploded with rage. It’s actually amazing he didn’t get angry with me. No wonder he was so rough with me that night.’

“Mm, alright, don’t fret about it. Let’s sleep.”

It was very late. Asher figured she had stayed up just to ask him about this. He felt a little exasperated and pinched her cheek. “Losing sleep over something like this? Aren’t you something.”

“That’s not the only reason. I missed you.”

Leah snuggled against his chest. She really had missed him. ‘Last night, with Asher gone, I didn’t sleep very well. It’s not that I can’t sleep without him anymore, but I just sleep so much better when he’s by my side.’

Asher Keating lowered his head and kissed her, patting her waist. “Go to sleep. I’m going to go dry my hair.”

Once she was snuggled under the covers, he got up to dry his hair. ‘I can’t kiss her deeply at this hour,’ he thought, ‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself and I’ll wear her out.’ When he came back, Leah was already asleep. He slipped into bed, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her another kiss. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone pinged.

He picked it up and saw a message from Edward Yates: “Young Master, Morgan Sterling is awake.”

After reading the message, Asher Keating simply replied “Got it” and went back to holding Leah and sleeping. ‘I’ve already done everything that needed to be done in the last two days,’ he thought. ‘Never mind that Morgan Sterling is lying there unable to move; even if he were up and jumping, there’s nothing he could do to me now.’

After waking up, Morgan Sterling stared blankly at the ceiling for a long while before the events of what happened slowly came back to him. Waves of anger surged within him. He tried to sit up, only to find himself hooked up to all sorts of tubes, barely able to move.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

A nurse nearby noticed and hurried over to check his vitals. Then, she said, “I’ll go get the doctor. You lost a lot of blood, so you can’t move yet.”

Soon, several doctors came in. After a series of examinations, one of them said, “Mr. Sterling, you’re still very weak, but your life is no longer in danger. If your condition stabilizes, you can be transferred to a regular ward in a day or two.”

Morgan Sterling gave a slight nod and spoke with great difficulty, “Is… my assistant here?”

“Yes, he’s been here the whole time for the past few days. Is there something you need to tell him?”

“Let him in.”

The doctor hesitated. From a professional standpoint, he didn’t think Morgan Sterling’s current condition was suitable for discussing work.

“Don’t worry. I… just want to ask about the situation.”

Morgan Sterling’s voice was hoarse. He didn’t know how many days he had been lying there, but his intuition told him it wasn’t a short time. ‘For people of our status, who knows how many deals can be made or broken in a matter of minutes.’

‘The Sterling Group had already been slowed down too much by Asher Keating’s pressure. Ever since I took full control, I’ve been trying to turn things around, but it’s been difficult. I know for a fact that it’s not just Asher Keating; other players in the business world will also be making their moves.’

The doctor went out and notified Hugh Sterling. Hugh was overjoyed, but also nervous. Just before he went in, the doctor reminded him, “Mr. Sterling shouldn’t get too agitated right now.”

“I know, I know. Thank you, doctor.”

After speaking, Hugh Sterling followed a nurse to change into a sterile gown. He took a deep breath and entered the ward, feeling as though he were the one descending into hell so that others wouldn’t have to.

The next day, the Sterling Group issued a public announcement stating that its chairman, Morgan Sterling, had regained consciousness. The moment Phoebe Peyton saw it, she called Hugh Sterling, demanding to see Morgan Sterling.

But Hugh Sterling only said that Morgan Sterling was still in the ICU and couldn’t have visitors. Furious, Phoebe Peyton chewed Hugh out again before hanging up.

After hanging up, Hugh Sterling was so incensed he could barely breathe. He kicked an ashtray bin in the stairwell out of frustration. The previous night, he had tried to start by telling Morgan Sterling only the less-distressing news.

Evidently, Morgan Sterling didn’t believe him. Though he could barely speak, his stare made Hugh break out in a cold sweat. In the end, Hugh had no choice but to tell him everything.

In just two days, while Asher Keating hadn’t intercepted many of the Sterling Group’s deals, the ones he did take were critical blows. Take the maritime shipping business, for example. A partner from Arcadia that Morgan Sterling had been pursuing for two full months turned around and signed with the Keating. The Grant Group followed close behind, snatching up a considerable number of opportunities as well.

Not to mention the other companies that had been suppressed by the Sterling Group; they all seized the opportunity in those two days to feast on the remains. The Sterling Group’s stock hit its daily limit down for two consecutive days, wiping out hundreds of millions in value.

By the time Hugh Sterling had finished his piecemeal explanation, if not for the monitor displaying how fast Morgan Sterling’s heart was racing, he would have suspected Morgan had fainted from anger all over again.

On the day Mason Grant, Liam Peyton, and the others were returning to Kingsford, Leah went to the airport to see them off. As they went through security, she stood on the outside, waving to them. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Liam Peyton called out to her.

Leah turned and watched Liam Peyton walk back toward her from the crowd. He seemed to be in a hurry, so she stood still and waited for him.

“Leah.”

Liam Peyton stood before her, his voice rushed and his eyes filled with inner conflict. “When I go back this time… I might… I might be getting engaged soon.”

Leah was surprised, but after the initial surprise, she understood. ‘Ever since that day I found out about Liam Peyton’s feelings for me, I haven’t gone to the Peyton Group’s building again. Liam isn’t a fool; he must have guessed I was avoiding him.’