Chapter 284: Extra: How is Morgan Sterling?

A few days after waking up, Asher Keating was finally able to get out of bed and walk around. For the past several days, everyone who saw him had told him to stay in bed and not move. He felt like he was going crazy from lying down so much.

Theodore Keating and Alan Keating were helping look after the company, so there wasn’t much for him to worry about. These past few days were the first real break Asher had taken in years. Leah Sinclair had gone to a construction site today, and he was a little bored.

When Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling arrived, Asher Keating’s eyes lit up. His expression startled them; they never thought there would come a day when Asher would be so eager to see them.

“Asher, what’s up? That expression… you’re kinda freaking me out.”

Ethan put down the soup he was holding and silently took a step back. Riley was even more direct, placing his things on the nearby sofa. The two of them were too stunned to dare approach him.

Asher held out his hand. “A cigarette.”

“No way!!!”

“No, Asher, absolutely not. If Leah and your mother find out, they’ll kill us!”

The two of them shook their heads like rattle drums, clutching their pockets and taking two more steps back. Asher clicked his tongue, preparing to get it himself. The first couple of days had been fine since he was too weak, but over the last few, he’d been absolutely dying for one.

“Hurry up. Just one.”

Asher walked over to Ethan, who was closer. Ethan didn’t dare actually push him, and in a flash, Asher had fished the pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He ambled out of the hospital room, leaving Ethan and Riley to follow behind, scratching their heads in frustration.

Once they reached the small garden, Asher lit a cigarette and took a drag, finally feeling a sense of relief. He tossed the cigarettes and lighter back to Ethan and asked coolly, “How’s Morgan Sterling now?”

“Still in the ICU, but…”

Ethan glanced to the side and lowered his voice. “He’s not going to make it. Aunt Mabel is playing for keeps this time. After what happened to you and Leah, she doesn’t want him to die so easily, but she doesn’t want him to live easily either. We don’t know the specifics. Shawn hasn’t told us anything. Anyway… it’s probably pretty brutal.”

“And I heard that Aunt Mabel and Uncle Jacobs paid a visit to the Sterling Family ancestral hall a couple of days ago. I don’t know what they said to those old geezers from the Sterling Family, but ever since then, the Sterlings have completely washed their hands of Morgan,” Riley added, picking up where Ethan left off.

Asher furrowed his brow slightly. This was unexpected. Previously, those old men from the Sterling Family had been actively trying to contact all sorts of people from the older generation to get Morgan out. After all, the Sterling Group gave them a considerable amount of money each year.

But this wasn’t a major issue. He knew that since Mabel Grant had decided to be ruthless, she would never give Morgan a chance to turn things around. If Morgan had just fled back then, that would have been the end of it. At that point, Mabel had only wanted him to go to prison; she didn’t want his life.

But he just had to come back and go after Leah.

“Speaking of which.”

Asher suddenly looked at Ethan. “You proposed to Sheila Hughes?”

“Yeah, and she said yes,” Ethan replied, a look of pure bliss on his face.

“Tch! Asher, don’t even bring it up. I get second-hand embarrassment just thinking about it. Who the hell proposes to a girl at her hospital bedside?”

Riley truly couldn’t bear to look. “On both knees, no less! Anyone who didn’t know better would have wondered what on earth you were doing.”

“I… it’s just that at that moment, when Sheila woke up, I was so excited! You guys have no idea. I’d been thinking about how to propose to her every single day, to the point of obsession. I carried the ring with me everywhere. The moment I saw her wake up that day, my heart… it was just POUNDING, and I couldn’t stop myself!”

Ethan got excited just talking about it. What happened that day had truly terrified him. The moment he saw Sheila Hughes lying in his arms, covered in blood, Ethan felt for the first time like his heart had stopped. But when he saw her open her eyes, he felt like he was gazing upon the most beautiful sight in the world.

“To this day, I still suspect Sheila was just scared stiff by him that day. She wasn’t even fully conscious yet, and he just locked her down,” Riley retorted.

“No way! Don’t you slander me! My Sheila was definitely moved by my sincerity,” Ethan said, looking like he was about to fly into a rage.

Asher leaned against the railing, the corners of his mouth turned up as he watched the two of them bicker. Sunlight fell on him, and in his hospital gown, he lacked his usual cold aura, replaced by a hint of languor.

As Ethan and Riley were fooling around, they suddenly stopped and looked at him. Asher studied their expressions and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Asher.”

Ethan was the first to go over and hug him, his voice suddenly choked with emotion. “You have no idea. I was scared to death that day. First Sheila, then Leah… I hadn’t even recovered from what happened to Sheila when they told me you’d been stabbed and had drowned, that it was life or death. I really… I really felt like my world was collapsing.”

Riley also wiped his eyes and went to hug them both. “Me too. Sitting outside your operating room… I’ve never felt a night be so long, or pass so slowly.”

Being hugged by the two of them, Asher felt a warmth spread through his heart, but his expression was a little awkward. He gave the two guys a push. “Alright, what do you think this looks like to other people?”

“I don’t care! Sob… If you hadn’t woken up, Asher, I would have hated myself for the rest of my life. I’d rather it were me lying in that bed.”

Ethan kept blaming himself for arriving so late that day. Years ago, after Asher had fought desperately for his sake, both he and Riley had taken some combat classes.

Although they both slacked off later, they at least had some ability to defend themselves. If he had arrived in time, maybe so much wouldn’t have happened.

“You? You’ve cried over getting a shot since you were a kid. You think getting stabbed feels good?”

Asher continued to push them away, exasperated. “I’m about to be crushed by you two.”

“What are the three of you… doing???”

Sheila’s shriek suddenly cut through the air. Riley and Ethan hastily let go of Asher, both still wiping their eyes. Asher coughed lightly and turned to see Leah and Sheila staring at them with expressions of bewildered suspicion.

“Those two were…” Asher started to say something.

“Third Master Keating, you don’t need to explain. Leah and I get it… Tsk, I knew something was off with you three. So close… But could you at least be a little more discreet? A threesome? In broad daylight, at a hospital, no less. Isn’t that a bit much?”

Sheila had an expression that said, ‘Don’t explain, I get it,’ and both Asher and Ethan’s faces darkened.

Ethan went over, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and said through gritted teeth, “Don’t think I can’t mess you up just because you’re not fully recovered yet.”

“Go on, mess me up!”

Instead, Sheila leaned in close to him with a smug look that dared him, ‘Go on, I dare you.’ Ethan was defeated once again.

A mischievous glint appeared in Leah’s eyes. “Sheila, I suspect the two of us are just their beards.”

Asher walked over, reached out a long arm, and pulled her into his embrace, pinching her cheek. “Feeling smug, are we? Just you wait until I’m better.”

Leah suddenly leaned in and sniffed him. Her beautiful brows furrowed. “Did you smoke?”

Asher’s heart skipped a beat. He’d forgotten about that. He quickly said, “No. Ethan and Riley were smoking. I was just standing nearby.”

“…”

“…”

Ethan and Riley both looked up at the sky. ‘Hmm, the weather sure is nice today.’