Chapter 273: You Sure Can Endure

Just as Leah Sinclair was about to speak, Hugh Sterling came in with a first-aid kit. He glanced at Leah, then walked quickly to Morgan Sterling’s side and said in a low voice, “Chairman Sterling.”

“Mm.”

Morgan Sterling crouched in front of Leah Sinclair. Leah flinched back a little, her eyes filled with vigilance. “What are you doing?”

“Tsk. Leah, I’ve never understood why you’re so wary of me. It seems like every time you see me, your first instinct is to pull away.”

Morgan Sterling grabbed Leah’s arm and pulled her toward him. Her face instantly paled. Morgan felt something sticky on his hand.

Letting go, he saw that the spot on her arm he had just grabbed was also scraped. Leah was wearing black today, so the blood had soaked into her clothes, and he hadn’t noticed it at first.

“You certainly can take the pain.”

Morgan Sterling stood up and sneered. “Treat her wounds.”

With that, he walked out without a backward glance. Hugh Sterling silently knelt in front of Leah with the first-aid kit. He took out antiseptic and cotton balls, soaked them, and pressed them onto her wounds.

Leah let out a soft cry of pain. Hugh Sterling snorted coldly, his movements not gentle in the slightest. Leah felt a layer of sweat form on her forehead, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

Hugh wasn’t very meticulous. After disinfecting all the wounds, he applied adhesive bandages to the deeper ones and prepared to gag Leah again. Leah spoke quickly, “Hugh, you know that if you keep following Morgan Sterling like this, you’ll become a wanted fugitive. Is it worth it?”

Hugh acted as if he’d just heard a joke. “So what if I’m a fugitive? At least…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, his eyes turning colder. Leah quickly asked, “Is it because Morgan Sterling has your family? Is that why you have to do this?”

Hugh’s hand paused. Leah sensed she was right and pressed on, “You know I’m one of the Grants. Whether it’s the Grant family or Asher Keating, they’re definitely trying to save me right now. If you help me escape, I promise you, they’ll guarantee the safety of both you and your family.”

“Hah… Miss Grant, save your breath. Do you think I still have a way out? Putting everything else aside, this place is crawling with mercenaries. Do you really think I have the ability to help you escape?” Hugh laughed mockingly.

“Can you get their leader to meet me? I can make a deal with them. Whatever Morgan Sterling is paying, I can offer more.”

Hugh didn’t stop. Leah shook her head, preventing him from stuffing the cloth into her mouth, and said rapidly, “Hugh, if you become a fugitive and your family remains in Morgan Sterling’s hands, none of you will ever be able to live in the light of day. Think about your child. Can you accept that?”

Hugh’s movements finally stopped. The hand holding the cloth was trembling slightly.

‘Phoebe Peyton didn’t know why Morgan Sterling insisted on using him. Everyone said Hugh had it good—a high salary and great benefits. But only he knew the truth. Morgan had chosen him precisely because he was an orphan; even his surname had been a gift from Morgan.’

‘His entire life was under Morgan Sterling’s control. Morgan wanted a dog who would obey his every command. From the moment Hugh married, his wife had been under Morgan’s thumb, and so was his child.’

‘An image of his one-year-old child flashed through his mind. The boy had only learned to say “dada” a month ago. And his wife… every time they video-chatted, she would gently tell him not to work too hard.’

Seeing his reaction, Leah seized the opportunity. “As long as I can get out, I’ll ensure the safety of you and your family. I won’t make it difficult for you. Just find a way to get their leader to meet with me.”

“I… I can’t do that. They only listen to Morgan Sterling.”

“Then help me call Asher Keating. A text message would work, too. At least let him know where we are so they have a chance to rescue us!”

Hugh pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing more. He stood up, took the first-aid kit, and walked out.

「At the hospital.」

When Riley Sterling arrived, Ethan Shaw was sitting outside the operating room, his eyes glued to the door. His assistant, Troy Lawson, was there, along with the men Asher Keating had sent.

“Ethan, are you okay?”

Riley sat down beside him, catching his breath. He noticed that Ethan was trembling, his hands clasped so tightly together they were white-knuckled. The bloodstains on them hadn’t been washed off. A pang of sympathy hit Riley, and he reached out to cover Ethan’s hands. “Sheila will be okay.”

Ethan turned his head, as if only just now noticing his arrival. “Third Master Keating’s side… Leah, she…”

“No news yet. Third Master Keating sent me here. Shawn has gone over to his side. Don’t worry. Aunt Mabel and the others are on their way.”

Riley tried to comfort him. Ethan nodded, then turned back to stare at the operating room doors. He didn’t dare close his eyes. The moment he did, all he could see was the image of Sheila Hughes covered in blood.

‘The sight made his heart tremble. He was drowning in regret. Why did I stop to buy a pack of cigarettes on the way? If I hadn’t, maybe I could have gotten there when it first happened. Maybe I could have stopped that car. Maybe Leah wouldn’t have been taken, and Sheila… wouldn’t have been stabbed.’

“Ethan, Riley.”

Chester Hale hurried over. He had just finished a surgery and rushed over from the adjacent building as soon as he got the news, not even having time to change his clothes.

“Second Master Hale!”

Ethan shot to his feet, agitated. “You… can you go in and check on her?”

“Yes, I’ll go take a look. Don’t worry. I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any news.”

Chester patted Ethan’s arm. “Go wash your hands and splash some water on your face to calm down. Third Master Keating has notified Sheila Hughes’s parents. They’ll probably be here soon. You… you need to hold it together.”

When Shawn Grant and his men arrived at Asher Keating’s office, Sean and Edward Yates were with Asher, watching various surveillance feeds. Shawn wiped the sweat from his brow and asked urgently, “Third Master Keating, any leads?”

Asher played the phone recording again for Shawn to hear, but his eyes never left the monitors. “I just heard the sound of wind in the recording, and waves, and the faint call of birds. I think Morgan Sterling is planning to travel by water.”

Shawn immediately understood and also began staring at the various surveillance feeds on the large screens. They were currently displaying footage from all the ports and docks in Riverfall City.

Sean Yates had been staring for over twenty minutes, and his eyes were starting to blur. Asher, however, seemed completely unaffected. If not for the movement of his eyes, Shawn would have thought his mind had gone completely blank.

After a moment, Asher’s phone suddenly chimed. He wasn’t going to look at first, but a glance out of the corner of his eye revealed an unknown number on the screen. He immediately grabbed the phone and opened the message. It contained just two words: “Westside Pier.”

“Westside Pier! Edward, switch the monitors!”

Asher shouted. The others didn’t know what was happening, only seeing him quickly make a call that obviously went unanswered. Edward had already switched the surveillance feed to the Westside Pier area.

It was Riverfall’s largest pier, with countless boats coming and going daily—government, shipping, commercial, private, and even various unregistered fishing boats.

Shawn asked nervously, “Third Master Keating, what is it?”

Asher showed him the phone. “It must be Leah. She convinced someone on the inside to send their location.”

“There! Those two, they’re acting strange!” Sean Yates suddenly jumped up, rushing to the large screen and pointing at a section of the feed.