Chapter 213: Weren’t You Ever Tempted?

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Weren’t You Ever Tempted?

Leah Sinclair felt a pang of disappointment. She had spent three extra years in school and earned a higher degree, but in exchange, she had far less experience than her peers. Yet, here she was, starting as a manager in the project department. She couldn’t help but feel she was in over her head.

"Take it slow. You’ll get experience after a few projects,"

Asher Keating gently pinched her cheek. He’d wanted to do it several times during the meal but had restrained himself since the Peyton siblings were there.

Leah sighed and asked him, "Asher, why didn’t you ever tell me Phoebe was so beautiful?"

Asher turned to look at her, leaning one hand against the car window with a faint smile. "You never asked me what she looked like."

Leah suddenly leaned in close, her face just inches from his, her eyes full of mischief. "She’s so gorgeous. When you were classmates... you never had a crush on her? Even I feel like I’m falling for her, and I’m a woman."

Her playful expression made Asher’s breath catch for a moment. Leah took this to mean he *had* liked Phoebe. The mischief in her eyes vanished, and her lips formed a pout. "So you did have a crush on her. That’s why you were smiling so happily at her. You stopped smiling the moment you saw me."

Asher was speechless. "...When was I smiling happily at her but not at you?"

"During the meal. I went to borrow a power bank, and when I came back, you were clearly smiling so happily. But you stopped when you saw me."

Asher thought back for a moment, then clicked his tongue softly. He couldn’t resist pinching her cheek again. "You just happened to overhear us talking about some stupid things I did when I was younger. I was just... a little embarrassed, that’s all."

Leah rescued her face from his grasp, rubbing her cheek. She was still skeptical. "But Phoebe is so beautiful. You’re telling me you never had feelings for her?"

Asher gave her a cool look. "If I had fallen for her, would there even be an ’us’? Are you being silly?"

’That does make sense,’ Leah thought. Asher was indeed a devoted person. She had been abroad for over three years, and a man like him had never strayed.

Her mood lifted instantly. Her eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Asher. "Asher, am I the first person you ever had feelings for?"

"You guess."

"...I guess so?" His response suddenly made Leah feel uncertain.

"A little more confidence. Drop the ’I guess.’"

Asher smiled, pulling her in for a kiss. His voice was gentle. "You are the first person I ever had real feelings for."

Leah suddenly felt shy. She leaned against his chest, blushing, and took his hand, playfully fiddling with his fingers.

The assistant, who was temporarily acting as their driver, was so shocked he almost slammed on the brakes. ’This is the first time! The first time! Is this what the usually expressionless President Keating is like in front of his girlfriend?’

’The cheek pinching? The kisses? That doting tone of voice... Is this really the same boss I see every day? Are we sure he hasn’t been possessed by some evil spirit?’

If Sean Yates were here, he would have told the assistant one thing: you’ll get used to it.

When they arrived at Asher Keating’s office, Leah Sinclair immediately wanted to find Sheila Hughes. She hadn’t brought her laptop, so Asher casually handed her his own. Clutching the laptop, Leah excitedly went to find Sheila.

Phoebe Peyton watched them with a small smile. "I never realized, Asher. You treat your girlfriend so well. A president’s laptop must contain a lot of sensitive information, doesn’t it?"

Asher offered Liam Peyton a cigarette before lighting one for himself. He spoke calmly, "Everything I have is hers. There’s nothing I need to hide from her."

"President Keating, it looks like we’ll have to impose on you for a while, at least until our building’s renovation is complete," Liam Peyton said, steering the conversation away from the previous topic.

"It’s a small matter."

As he spoke, Asher Keating called Edward Yates in and had him make the arrangements. The Peyton Group didn’t need many offices at the moment. The Keating had a floor of office space that they had originally planned to convert into conference rooms, so it was currently vacant. They could lend it to them for a transitional period.

After settling that, they resumed their discussion on the finer details of their overseas warehouse collaboration. Meanwhile, Leah had asked Sheila to meet her at the coffee shop downstairs. Without any small talk, the two dove straight into discussing the Peyton Group building’s renovation.

After consulting Mr. Langdon, Sheila Hughes had brought over some project files from a previous renovation that Leah could use as a reference.

They put their heads together and dove into a detailed discussion. Sheila explained everything meticulously, and Leah listened intently. Time flew by.

By the time they had mostly finished, two hours had passed. Leah leaned back on the sofa, sighing as she mulled things over.

Sheila knew what she was worried about. She put a confident arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "Stop sighing. I guarantee that after you finish this project, you’ll have caught up on everything!"

"I’ll hold you to that," Leah sighed.

After gathering their things, the two of them went upstairs. Seeing that the other three were busy, Leah sat down off to the side and continued to study the renovation materials.

However, she hadn’t fully recovered from her jet lag, and the pleasant sound of their three voices was like a lullaby. As Leah listened, she started to feel drowsy.

An unknown amount of time passed. When Liam Peyton looked up at Leah, he saw she had fallen asleep, her head tilted to the side against the sofa. The hot sun filtered through the UV-protected glass, casting a gentle warmth upon her.

Wisps of hair fell across her face, and she was still clutching a small notebook in her hand. The scene had an inexplicable sense of peaceful stillness.

Asher Keating noticed his gaze and followed it. A smile touched his eyes. He motioned for Phoebe Peyton, who was in the middle of speaking, to wait a moment. He stood up, walked over, gently slid the notebook from Leah’s grasp, and carefully scooped her into his arms.

"Asher," Leah mumbled, her eyes fluttering open for a second.

"Mm, go back to sleep."

Leah wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him carry her toward the break room.

Liam Peyton and Phoebe Peyton watched their retreating backs in silence.

After a moment, Phoebe spoke with a faint smile, "Do you like her, Brother?"

Liam pulled his gaze back to the documents. "You’re overthinking it. President Keating and Leah are getting engaged in four months. You should rein in those thoughts of yours, too."

Phoebe lowered her head and murmured, "If you don’t try, how will you know?"

Liam didn’t quite hear her and raised an eyebrow. She looked up, her expression back to normal. "It’s nothing. I know, Brother. Don’t worry."

"Sorry for the delay. Let’s continue."

A few minutes later, Asher Keating returned to his seat. There was a hint of a smile on his face, and his thin lips, pressed lightly together, had the faint sheen of a recent kiss. Phoebe’s gaze fell on him for a moment before she looked away, her fingers gripping the file so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

「In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived.」

As planned, they were going car racing today. By the time Leah Sinclair and Asher Keating arrived at the track, everyone was already there except for Phoebe Peyton.

The racetrack, located on the outskirts of the city, was owned by a friend of Riley Sterling’s. It offered various tracks to satisfy thrill-seekers of all kinds.

When they arrived, the others had already changed into their racing suits. Leah couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her friends looking so different from their usual selves.

Shawn Grant playfully tugged on her ear, demanding she compliment how handsome he looked. After Asher Keating rescued her ear from Shawn’s grasp, he went to change as well, while Sheila Hughes excitedly pulled Leah aside to show her around.