"And you? Will you see other people?" Leah Sinclair regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. 'As the one being kept, I probably don't have the right to ask my sponsor a question like that.'
As expected, Asher Keating's gaze turned a little colder. Before he could speak, Leah Sinclair quickly said, "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that. I overstepped."
Asher Keating's cool, indifferent gaze rested on her for a moment before he spoke. "I'm not particularly interested in women. Aside from when it's necessary, I'll try not to see anyone else before I lose interest in you."
Leah Sinclair really wanted to ask if his lack of interest in women meant he was interested in men, or what he meant by a "necessary" woman, but she was smarter this time and kept quiet.
Asher Keating stood up and straightened his clothes. "I have something to take care of, so I'm leaving."
"Wait." Leah Sinclair noticed a wrinkle on his shirt where she had just grabbed it. She quickly stood up and smoothed it out. "Are you coming over tonight?"
Asher Keating looked down, watching her, and for some reason, his mood improved slightly. "Do you want me to come?"
Leah Sinclair's face turned red. It felt wrong to say yes, but it also felt wrong to say no. In the end, she said hesitantly, "I want to treat you, Ethan Shaw, and Riley Sterling to a meal. You've all helped me a lot. I can't afford to take you out to a nice place right now, but I can cook. My cooking is pretty decent."
"We'll see. If I can make it, I'll text you before four. I'll ask those two then."
"Okay, I'll wait for your message."
After seeing Asher Keating out, Leah Sinclair checked out the rooms. One of them overlooked Riverfall Lake and had floor-to-ceiling windows. The decor was a bit simpler than the other room, but she loved the windows, so she moved her things in.
Once she finished unpacking, she saw that the weather was nice and decided to strip the duvet and cover, wash them, and hang them out to dry. While they were washing, she took a look at the kitchen and refrigerator, making a note on her phone of what she needed to buy at the supermarket.
Leah Sinclair sighed as she made her list. It was obvious no one actually lived here. There were no daily necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, toothbrushes, or toothpaste. Yet, all the other furniture and appliances were there, and from the look of the place, it was cleaned regularly.
She couldn't help but wonder why this apartment was just sitting empty. 'Do rich people buy property just for the sake of buying it? The renovations don't look cheap, either. I guess for the wealthy, money isn't money—it's just a number.'
Once she had a good look around, she estimated the time. By the time she got back from grocery shopping, the bedding should be done washing. She searched for a nearby supermarket and decided to go get her shopping done first.
She followed her phone's navigation to the nearest supermarket. The moment she walked in, she knew something was wrong. A quick glance revealed that the prices were incredibly high.
'It really is a supermarket in a wealthy neighborhood.' She did another search and figured all the nearby stores would be about the same. She had too much to buy on the first day.
She wasn't confident she could carry everything back by herself if she went somewhere farther away. Gritting her teeth, she painstakingly compared prices, looking for the cheapest options.
The total at checkout came to almost two thousand yuan. Her security deposit came to mind, and she wept silently. 'In just a few hours, nearly a month's salary is gone.'
As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something. Blushing, she silently went back to buy condoms. Too embarrassed to compare them, she grabbed two boxes at random. Another four hundred yuan gone.
Leah Sinclair stared blankly at the receipt in her hand. 'Why is this stuff so expensive?'
Panting, she had just managed to haul her mountain of groceries downstairs and into the elevator when she received a message from Asher Keating. He was coming over tonight.
Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling were coming too. Resigned to her fate, she quickly moved all her things into the apartment, then rushed back to the supermarket to buy more groceries for dinner.
The truth was, Leah Sinclair didn't have much money. From the part-time jobs she worked while in school, she had to send half of her monthly earnings to First Uncle Sinclair for Grandma Sinclair's living expenses.
Grandma Sinclair was getting old. After Leah left for school, she worried about her grandmother being home alone with no one to look after her, so she had struck a deal with First Uncle Sinclair.
She would provide a sum of money each month for Grandma Sinclair's living expenses. Although as a son, First Uncle Sinclair should have been taking care of his mother himself, he was terrified of his wife and didn't dare make the decision on his own.
But when her aunt-in-law heard Leah would be paying, she had gleefully taken Grandma Sinclair in. 'She's just an old woman, how much can she possibly eat?' she had schemed. 'Won't the money Leah gives us all be mine?'
After a great deal of effort, she finally finished putting everything away. Leah Sinclair did a quick calculation and realized her bank balance was already hitting rock bottom.
And payday was still half a month away. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside for now, and prepared to start cooking. She sent Asher Keating a message: "Asher, can you eat spicy food?"
"Yes." Asher Keating took a long time to reply.
"What about green onions, ginger, and garlic?"
"Use them sparingly." His reply was quicker this time. A moment later, another message came through. "No cilantro."
Leah Sinclair committed his preferences to memory and got to work. If nothing else, she was at least somewhat confident in her cooking skills.
After all, she had started learning to cook for herself at a very young age. In all these years, no one who had tasted her food had ever said they didn't like it.
When Asher Keating opened the door, he paused for a second before stepping inside. Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling, standing behind him, found this odd. But once they entered and glanced around, they broke into smiles.
Bed sheets and a duvet cover were drying on the balcony. Leah Sinclair was busy in the kitchen, from which the rich aroma of cooking wafted. This long-vacant apartment suddenly had the warmth of a lived-in home.
Hearing the noise, Leah Sinclair came out. "You're here! Just give me a minute."
"What are you making? It smells amazing." Ethan Shaw followed the scent toward the kitchen.
"Braised beef."
Leah Sinclair replied with a smile as she lifted the pot lid. A wave of fragrance hit Ethan, making him instantly feel hungry. He and Riley Sterling had gone out drinking after leaving last night.
He'd woken up late today and skipped lunch, so when he got Asher Keating's message, he and Riley Sterling had agreed without a moment's hesitation.
"I didn't know you had this skill! What's this?" Ethan Shaw asked, pointing to a few jars nearby.
"Pickled radishes. But I just made them, so they won't be ready today. They'll be good in a few days. They're nice with congee in the morning. If you don't mind, I can give you some then."
"Asher, you've brought home a domestic goddess! Wow, this is delicious!"
Ethan Shaw snatched a piece of beef that Leah Sinclair had just sliced, hissing and sucking in air because it was so hot. Leah couldn't help but laugh at his antics.
She prepared a dipping sauce. Lured by Ethan, Riley Sterling also came over to join the fun. Asher Keating leaned against the sofa, arms crossed, watching the boisterous scene in the kitchen with a faint smile on his lips.
Time was a little tight, so Leah Sinclair didn't make too many dishes. For the four of them, she made braised fish, braised beef, stir-fried broccoli and shrimp, salt and pepper chicken wings, preserved egg with tofu, tomato beef brisket, blanched okra, and a pot of lotus root and pork rib soup. There was a good mix of meat, vegetables, and soup.
Asher Keating reached out and picked up a shrimp with his chopsticks. The flavor was quite good; he was rather satisfied. He turned his head and saw Leah Sinclair watching him nervously. He offered a small smile and said, "Not bad."