Chapter 270: A Bunch of Gutless Cowards

In an instant, the Sterling Group, which had just barely stabilized, was thrown into complete chaos. Numerous employees from various departments were taken away for questioning, and a great deal of data was confiscated.

At the same time Morgan Sterling was being taken away, Asher Keating returned home. He didn’t plan on waiting for the news. He had been exhausted these past few days. After taking a long shower in the guest bathroom, he gently opened the bedroom door. It was the weekend, and Leah Sinclair was still asleep.

But before he could even reach the bed, Leah sat up, her voice drowsy. “Asher?”

Asher paused for a moment, then quickly walked over. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I was about to wake up anyway.”

Leah snuggled closer, rubbing against his chest. Asher had been staying at the office for the past few days, and Leah had been busy as well. Two days ago, the Peyton Family had sent Liam Peyton over on a private jet to take Phoebe Peyton away without alerting anyone.

It wasn’t until the following afternoon that Liam called Leah to tell her what had happened. He also told her to speed up the renovation of the Peyton Group’s building. Clearly, the Peyton Family had no intention of abandoning the project.

Asher took the opportunity to pull her back into his arms and lie down again. “Sleep a little longer with me.”

“Okay.”

Leah didn’t plan on asking Asher about Morgan Sterling just yet. For her, the most important thing right now was for Asher to rest. She knew that even in the break room at his office, he probably hadn’t gotten enough sleep. She hadn’t rested well these past few days either. Now that he was finally back, her heart was finally at ease.

That day, the outside world was rife with speculation. Everyone was trying to guess what formidable figure Morgan Sterling had offended to cause the Sterling Group’s downfall overnight.

Asher didn’t get to sleep for long before his phone rang. Leah woke up first. Seeing it was a call from Theodore Keating, she hesitated for a moment before gently shaking Asher awake.

Asher let out a soft sigh. He answered the phone with one hand while keeping the other wrapped around Leah. On the call, Theodore explained that the Sterling Family had gone to the old Mr. Keating for help. The old man hadn’t wanted to get involved, but the Sterlings had sent some of their most respected elders to plead their case, so he had no choice but to have Theodore ask about it.

“Dad, just tell them that the Keating Family doesn’t have the final say in this. Pleading with us is useless.”

His voice was heavy with exhaustion. Theodore felt a pang of sympathy hearing it. After a soft sigh, he said, “I understand. You get some rest. I’ll handle these things.”

“Okay. Thanks, Dad.”

After hanging up, Asher glanced at the time. It was almost noon. Leah propped herself up and asked him, “Asher, are you hungry? Should I have Mrs. Lowell make lunch?”

Asher grunted in affirmation, so Leah got out of bed to find Mrs. Lowell. After washing up, she picked up her phone. It was flooded with all sorts of news. There were even so-called metaphysics experts analyzing how Morgan Sterling had picked an inauspicious day for his hospital discharge.

After such a long period of rain, the sudden clear sky was a sign that his path to wealth had been severed. Furthermore, his body hadn’t fully recovered. The article claimed an injury to the waist affects the kidneys, the kidneys are the seat of one’s vital essence, and this made him more susceptible to nefarious, yin-aligned energies.

Speechless, Leah put down her phone and drew back the curtains. Outside, the sun shone brightly. She stood on the balcony, looking out at the lush greenery and stretching comfortably. When Asher came out after washing up, he caught sight of the sliver of her smooth, fair waist revealed by her stretch.

Leah heard him and was about to turn when she was pulled into a familiar embrace. Asher wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing the side of her ear. “How much longer until we can eat?”

“Mrs. Lowell said it would be about an hour. Asher, are you really hungry? Should I just…”

Before she could finish, Asher led her back into the room. With one hand, he drew the curtains they had just opened. His deep voice rumbled right next to her ear, “Yes. I’m starving.”

An hour later, Mrs. Lowell had finished cooking. Seeing that the bedroom door was still closed, she hesitated. In the end, she decided not to knock. After putting the food on a warmer, she gathered the clothes Asher had tossed on the sofa before his shower and took them to be washed.

Meanwhile, in the dimly lit room, the air was thick with an intimate scent. Leah was lying on top of Asher, panting softly.

Asher chuckled softly, nudged her up a bit, and kissed her forehead. “Tired?”

“Mmm, a little.”

Leah nuzzled against his neck, her voice muffled. Both of them were covered in a sticky layer of sweat. Asher patted her back. “Let’s get up and wash off. It’s time to eat. You can sleep more after we’re done.”

“Asher, are you going to the office today?” Leah tilted her head up slightly to look at him.

“Nope. I gave everyone a couple of days off. We all need to rest.”

This was a decision President Keating had made before leaving the office. Looking at all the panda-like dark circles under his employees’ eyes, he had a sudden pang of conscience. The team had been pulling all-nighters with him for nearly a week.

This was especially true for Edward and Sean Yates. While others had taken turns going home to rest, those two brothers had truly stayed at the office for as long as he had. With a wave of his hand, he had ordered everyone, except for essential personnel on duty, to go home and sleep.

By the time the two of them had cleaned up and were sitting down to eat, Asher’s phone rang. It was Mabel Grant. The first words out of her mouth were, “Did your old man have anything to say?”

“No, Aunt Mabel. I told my dad we’re staying out of it.”

“Good. If anyone else comes begging, tell them to come directly to me. A bunch of gutless cowards. I have some exceptionally good news waiting for them.”

Asher raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t press for details about the news. If it was something he could know, Mabel Grant would tell him. If she didn’t want to say, Asher wouldn’t pry. They exchanged a few more words and then hung up.

After hanging up, Mabel Grant sneered and tossed her phone on the table. When Theodore Keating had put them off, the Sterling Family realized that the Keating Family couldn’t have been the only ones behind this. They had managed to get in touch with the old Mr. Grant.

The poor old Mr. Grant, at his advanced age, was being harassed by a succession of calls. They were all playing the sympathy card, hoping the Grant Family would show mercy. The phone rang again the moment one call ended.

The old Mr. Grant got so angry he just turned off his cell phone. He then used his landline to call Mabel Grant and chew her out, demanding to know why she hadn’t given him a heads-up. If she had, he could have turned his phone off earlier and avoided all the bad juju first thing in the morning.

After she hung up, Brandon Jacobs placed a cup of hot coffee in front of Mabel Grant, consoling her in a low voice, “Alright, calm down. It’s not worth getting angry over people like them.”

“Those old bastards. Now that Morgan Sterling has fallen and the Sterling Group is about to collapse, their easy days are over. Only now do they know how to beg. When all that happened to you, did a single one of them speak up?”

Mabel Grant took a sip of coffee and slammed the cup down. “Hah. Thomas Sterling schemed against my man. Morgan Sterling and Madeline Sterling schemed against my daughter. They’re just targeting my family? Do they really think Mabel Grant is dead and gone?!”