Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 651-660

Since coming of age, Arthur had met countless women who approached him with ulterior motives, butSophia was different. She was refreshingly bold and blunt. She was so naive that offending him wassomething she never thought to be afraid of. At the same time, he wondered if she was just a reallygood actress, one who was simply employing a different method of getting close to him and seducinghim thereafter.

If that were the case, he ought to have seen the cracks in her pretenses by now, but he did not. Wasshe just really well-trained, or was she being her true self?

In another villa, Mason was awake and waiting for his sister to return. She had told him that she wantedto go night sailing, but it was already well past midnight, and she had yet to return. Knowing how crazyshe could get when it came to having fun, he grew exasperated and somewhat furious. She’d better notget herself into trouble, he thought grimly.

Meanwhile, over in the largest and most opulent villa, a warm glow was shining through one of thewindows. Under the red covers of the luxurious bed, two figures were entangled in what could only bedescribed as an amorous affair.

The next morning, Anastasia woke up without any prompting whatsoever. She opened her eyes andfound herself in the warm embrace of the man sleeping next to her. She dared not let her gaze flicker tohis shoulders, which were decorated with claw marks that served as a reminder of their heatedendeavors last night.

She could not bring herself to wake her dearest husband. Hence, she quietly took in the dark hairtousled over his forehead and his young, deep-set features. A pleased smile curled on her lips as shestared at him, wanting to burn the image of his face into the back of her mind.

After watching him sleep for a while, she decided to get out of bed and put on her clothes. However,she had only just lifted a corner of the covers when a strong pair of arms pulled her backward.

“Stay in bed with me for a while longer, Mrs. Presgrave,” the man muttered, his warm breath tickling hercollarbone as he nuzzled his chin into the crook of her neck. A hoarse chuckle escaped him as headded devilishly, “I was very satisfied last night.”

Anastasia had been tipsy the night before, which resulted in her present groggy state, but the momenthe said this, a particular memory surfaced in her headspace and made her blush.

“I like it when you take initiative, Mrs. Presgrave,” he went on to tease, opening his eyes. Basking in thesunlight that spilled through the window, they looked like two sparkling obsidian pools.

Anastasia quickly reached out to clap a hand over his mouth, then said shyly, “Okay, stop.”

Elliot drawled lazily, “Shall I go over the details of what you did that I loved most?”

“No thank you.” She did not want to hear about it as her face had turned positively crimson.

The day after the wedding, the guests who had to get on with the busy schedules of their lives bid theirfarewells and left. The weight on the flushing bride’s shoulders was finally lifted by a fraction. Visiblymore relaxed now, Anastasia decided that she was going to have fun today.

That afternoon, she got a call from Mason, telling her that he had to get back to work, so she bid himgoodbye.

Katrina, on the other hand, had woken up in Jacob’s bed. She was like a cat that ate the canary, andshe was more than pleased to have him become her new prey.

Over in Villa No. 58, Arthur decided to leave as well, and that afternoon, he gave Elliot a heads upbefore getting off the island.

As for Sophia, she stood on the deck of the departing yacht and watched the strip of white shore growinto a speck. She thought about how she had pinned Arthur down on the sand the last time, and the

corners of her lips tipped up into a mischievous grin.

She turned around and glanced at the man whose silhouette radiated elegance, repressing the urge tolaugh as she thought about how rare it must be to see him completely caught off guard like he had thatnight.

Among the wedding guests who left were Presgraves’ extended family, and those who stayed were thewomen in the family. Lorelai, in particular, did not look like she was about to leave anytime soon.

That evening, Harriet gathered all the ladies into one dining area and set the men up in another so thatdinner could be a more intimate affair. Lorelai was seated next to Anastasia, and when she saw Jared,she praised heartily, “Well, aren’t you just the most adorable little boy I’ve ever seen!”

“Hello, Aunt Lorelai,” Jared greeted sweetly.

“So, what do you want to be when you grow up, Jared?” Lorelai asked, making small talk with the child.

“I wanna be as great as Daddy,” Jared answered without even thinking.

“A brilliant dream indeed.”

Then, the little boy turned to look at his mother and said, “After that, I’ll marry someone as beautiful asMommy.”

Anastasia sputtered at his childish humor and said, “I suppose I should be relieved that you’ve alreadygot that part of your life all worked out.”

Lorelai laughed and pointed out, “Children have such a wonderful naivety about them, don’t you think?”

Having listened to all this, Harriet beamed and encouraged lovingly, “I’m looking forward to seeing youall grown up, Jared.”

“By the way, Mrs. Presgrave, I’ve heard that you have a knack for jewelry design, and I was wonderingif you could help me take a look at a few of my sketches,” Lorelai said enthusiastically as she gaveAnastasia an expectant look.

“Of course! You can bring me those sketches anytime,” Anastasia agreed with a smile.

“Really? Thank you so much, Mrs. Presgrave!” Lorelai nodded earnestly, then continued, “I’m designingthe jewelry for a friend of mine as a gift. With your feedback, I’m sure the gift will be perfect for her!”

Anastasia asked curiously, “Did you ever go to design school?”

“No, I’m just doing this as a hobby, which is rare for me. I picked it up and I fell in love with it, but Ididn’t, like, receive professional instruction or anything like that. I guess that’s what sets you and meapart, huh?” Lorelai replied modestly.

Laughing, Anastasia said, “Well, I’d rather you keep this up as a hobby. It can be cabng if you turn ahobby into full-fledged work.”

Lorelai chuckled as well. “Yeah, I guess you have a point.”

At that moment, someone at the dining table caught sight of the piano sitting in the corner and startedpushing Lorelai to perform a tune. The girl very obligingly walked over to the grand-looking instrumentand took her seat, then started playing a song with the sort of quiet grace that lulled everyone into atrance. While the melody carried on, someone said in a low voice, “Lorelai sure is talented. She couldbe a maestro if she wanted!”

“I’m sure she’ll marry well someday,” another person added.

Upon hearing this, Kendra smiled and said, “That’s very sweet of you to say, but Lorelai is just anordinary girl.”

Most of the guests had left three days after the wedding. After that, Anastasia and Elliot returned to thePresgrave Residence alongside Harriet.

Jared was due to go back to school soon, and Elliot had plenty of work piled up for him at the company.In stark contrast, Anastasia had a lot of free time on her hands, and she had seen the press releaseabout their wedding. However, the exclusivity of the event meant that the media did not have muchinformation to proceed with, and the journalists dared not use it as clickbait either.

Meanwhile, Arthur had stopped living in bars and bought himself a villa close to Elliot’s as a temporarydwelling place. Initially, Sophia wanted to go back to visit her parents, but Arthur refused to let her doso. As such, she ended up following him wherever he went.

That day, two world-class etiquette instructors dropped by the villa to specifically teach and guideSophia on the ways of upper-class societies. Thus, beginning the first steps of molding her into a ladyof nobility.

Sophia was admittedly frustrated by this. She wondered why Arthur was splurging on unnecessarythings because she thought it would be better for everyone if she remained as carefree as she hadalways been, unbridled by the stuffy rules of fine society.

Nevertheless, the instructors were dedicated to their jobs, and they carried out the lessons according toa strict plan. Sophia ended up spending two hours each day learning how to stand, walk and sitproperly. At the end of each lesson, she was exhausted and found herself questioning her own sanity.

While she was having these lessons, Arthur would be upstairs doing heaven-knows-what.Occasionally, fortune tellers would drop by the house, and she wondered if the young master trulybelieved in such things, or if he was helplessly superstitious because he certainly did not appear to heras such.

Presently, in the living room of the second floor, a medium had apparently thrown a seance tocommunicate with Arthur’s grandfather’s spirit in order to pinpoint the location the old man bestpreferred to be laid to rest.

After sending off the medium, Arthur decided that he would go to the location and scope things out forhimself.

Meanwhile, Sophia had just said goodbye to her instructors. She was rubbing her aching shoulderwhile walking up the stairs when she suddenly heard Arthur calling out to her, “Sophia, please comeover here.”

She did as she was told and presented herself before him, then asked, “Is there something you needhelp with, Young Master Weiss?”

“A shoulder rub,” he answered curtly as he cast her a sideways glance.

She then stood right behind him and began to rub his shoulders, kneading out the tense muscles as heclosed his eyes and disengaged with the rest of the world.

Just as Sophia was admiring his chiseled features, she suddenly felt an alarming tickle in her nose, andbefore she could stop herself, she sneezed onto his face. “Ah-choo!”

She froze after the sneeze. She could not believe that she had sprayed her germs and saliva all overthe features she had been admiring just seconds ago.

The air around them grew cold. Arthur’s brows furrowed as he said, “Wash my face for me.”

“I am so sorry!” she squeaked, running off into the adjoining bathroom and retrieving a moist, patternedtowel. She half-knelt on the couch and began to carefully wipe his face. He kept his eyes closed the

entire time, and because he had a sharp sense of smell, he could pick up the faint fragrance lingeringon her.

His long lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes, and it was then that he saw Sophia wiping his facewith a towel.

When she met his gaze, she flushed and said, “I am so sorry for what happened. I promise it won’thappen again.”

Arthur was speechless as well, but what made him even more incredulous was the fact that he did notmind the incident at all.

“Do not do this again,” Arthur warned.

“Yes, sir!” Sophia nodded obediently. She was so embarrassed by the incident that she wanted to crawlinto a hole.

Just then, Arthur’s phone rang. A look of surprise flashed across his features when he saw the callerID, and he hurried to answer the call. “Hello?”

“Artie, it’s me! I’m coming to visit you!” a girly voice spoke up on the other line.

When the call ended, he gave Sophia an unreadable look. She swallowed nervously and asked, “Whatis it?”

“A friend of mine will be staying here for a while,” he explained. A moment of thought later, he added,“From now on, you are not to misbehave in front of me, and you will act like a proper servant. Do youunderstand?”

Sophia was no idiot. She had a feeling that this friend of Arthur’s was someone that he secretly had acrush on, so she suggested hopefully, “You know, you’re more than welcome to give me some time off

if you think I’m only going to get in your way.”

He eyed her frigidly and bit out commandingly, “You are not leaving.”

Curiosity got the better of her as she tilted her head to one side and asked in amusement, “So, is thisfriend of yours just an ordinary friend, or is she someone special to you?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” he replied with a raised brow.

“Well, if it’s the former, then I’d be more than willing to play the part of the loyal servant and wait onyour hand and foot, but if it’s the latter, then my presence here would put us all in a sticky situation,don’t you think?” She wanted to go home desperately, so she enunciated the point of her argument,“Young Master Weiss, all I’m asking is that you give me some time off.”

His dark eyes were like a tempestuous ocean. He looked torn, but in the end, he gritted his teeth andshot her a warning glare. “Do not even think about leaving my side, Sophia.”

Her breath hitched. Why does that sound like a line from a romance novel? He had no right to order herto stay in such a roguish manner, she thought. She was only his maid, after all, and not his girlfriend.

Belligerent, she retorted, “I wasn’t planning on leaving!”

He glowered at her exasperatedly. It seems like there is still a long way to go before she will learn to beobedient.

Meanwhile, over at the Averna airport, a private jet had come to a stop on the tarmac, and anelegantly-dressed young lady was presently being escorted out of the jet by four bodyguards.

She walked out of the airport and put a hand up to block out the blazing afternoon sun. As shesuddenly thought of something, a smile blossomed on her beautiful face.

“Miss, we’ve already contacted Young Master Weiss’ bodyguards, and they have sent us an address.”

“Let’s go then,” she said. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

Moments later, three cabs pulled up outside Arthur’s newly-bought villa, and an entourage came out ofthe idling cars. The girl leading the entourage through the front yard gave the garden a cursory glance,then marched straight through the door and into the living room.

She thought she would be greeted by the man who had been running around in her mind as soon asshe walked past the threshold, but she met eyes with a young lady instead. Astonished, shedemanded, “Who are you?”

“Good afternoon, Miss Jennings. I’m Sophia, Young Master Weiss’ maid,” Sophia introduced herselfpolitely, appraising the other girl with the expensive clothes and deciding that she most definitely ran inthe same circles as Arthur.

The girl narrowed her eyes, but when she saw Arthur coming down the stairs, she broke into a dazzlinggrin and called out sweetly, “Artie!”

Arthur returned her friendliness and greeted, “Emily.”

“Grandma had me come over to take care of you.” Emily walked up to him and grabbed his armaffectionately, then tipped her head to one side as she gave him a once-over. “Did you lose weight,Artie?”

“I did not,” he denied with a smirk.

She let out a crisp and alluring laugh and glanced over at Sophia who still stood by the threshold. Shethereafter asked Arthur unhappily, “Is she really your maid, Artie?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “She takes care of my meals and tidies up the house.”

Sophia, on the other hand, concluded that Emily was without a doubt Arthur’s ‘special’ friend.

At that moment, two maids came into the house with suitcases in tow. Emily’s eyes gleameddiabolically at the sight of this, and she quickly said to them, “You girls must be tired. Go and stay at ahotel nearby to catch up on some well-deserved rest.”

The maids were used to waiting on her, and upon hearing this, they immediately sensed that she wasup to something.

Sure enough, Emily suddenly extended a long, slender finger as she said imperiously, “You there! Helpme carry these bags up to my room.”

Sophia did a double take when she saw that Emily was pointing at her.

At the sight of Sophia’s dazed expression, Emily snapped impatiently, “You’re a maid, aren’t you?”

It was then that Sophia remembered Arthur asking her to act like a well-behaved servant, so shequickly answered, “Oh, of course. I’ll have these bags brought into your room right away!”

She proceeded to drag the two mammoth bags toward the stairwell, but when she tried to lift them, sherealized they were firmly weighed down on the floor. Those two maids who came with Emily must comefrom professional weightlifting backgrounds! Sophia thought in dark amusement as her slender armsfaltered.

Emily crossed her arms as she watched Sophia struggle to lift the bags. “Be careful with those. I havetons of valuable stuff in there; you break them, you pay, but I doubt you could afford it.”

Several attempts later, Sophia was sure that she had no way of lifting them. Panting, she said, “MissJennings, these bags are far too heavy for me to lift.”

“So hard to find good help these days, it seems,” Emily mocked with a cruel smirk.

Ignoring this, Sophia called out for the only man in the living room to aid her. “A little help please, Mr.Weiss?”

“How dare you ask Artie to carry out a servant’s duty, you little—” Before Emily could continue the restof her scolding, Arthur brushed past her to the stairwell and grabbed the two bags, then easily carriedthem up the stairs in a display of incredible arm strength while asking Sophia to hurry along.

Emily’s eyes widened at this. She couldn’t believe that Arthur had actually lent the maid a helping handby carrying the bags up the stairs. It was the most bizarre thing she had ever witnessed. We’re talkingabout the young master of a prestigious family, for heaven’s sake!

She headed up the stairs as well, and much to her surprise, he had brought the bags into the guestroom instead of leaving them on the second-floor landing.

Sophia did not expect Arthur to oh-so-charitably bring the bags into Emily’s designated room either,and when she got to the top of the stairs, she quickly said, “Thank you, Young Master Weiss.”

“You shouldn’t have, Artie,” Emily interjected, then grabbed his hand to inspect his palm with a painedexpression. “I would have asked the bodyguards to help, you know. Look at how red your palm is!”

Sophia came over to peer at his palm as well, and sure enough, the skin was chaffed red. The bagshad a combined weight of more than a hundred pounds, after all.

“It’s fine,” Arthur said dismissively as he pulled away from Emily.

“How—How useless can you be? I cannot believe you had your master do your work for you. You’refired! Go, get out of our sights!” Emily barked commandingly at Sophia, terminating her services rightthere and then.

Sophia blinked, then her eyes lit up as she asked, “Really? I can go now?”

“Who said you could? In case you forgot, I’ve given you a one-year advancement on your wages,”Arthur piped up suddenly, glowering at her.

She searched his face for an explanation. As if she would forget about receiving wages from him! Butshe quickly grasped the situation and realized that this man was determined to keep her here. Goingalong with his act, she said, “I believe you’re the one forgetting things here, Young Master Weiss.Remember how you said you would pay me the last time and then something came up to convenientlydistract you from it? Well, with all due respect, you’ll have to cough up the two hundred and forty grandyou promised—that’s twenty grand for each calendar month that you owe me.”

Arthur scoffed, rendered speechless by her audacity.

“You’re not actually going back on your word, are you, Young Master Weiss? I’ve gone without amonth’s salary now!” she added, feigning panic.

Unaware of what was going on, Emily snorted and said contemptuously, “Artie’s fortune is far morethan anything you could ever imagine, so he wouldn’t go back on his word to pay you the pittanceyou’re asking for. Don’t delude yourself.”

Seizing this chance, Sophia nodded earnestly and said with implication, “That’s what I think too. I knowa gentleman of nobility such as him would never go back on his promise or mistreat his staff. Right,Young Master Weiss?” Then, she flashed him a meaningful smile as she added brightly, “If it helps, youcan always do it over PayPal.”

The man was at a loss for words.

Emily suddenly realized that her presence was completely overshadowed by the maid, and she grewinfuriated as she snapped, “Okay, fine, he’ll pay you what he owes you, so get back to work! I want allthe clothes in these bags ironed and hung in the wardrobe, and I mean every single piece of clothing,

got it? If I see so much as a wrinkle, you’re done for!” she emphasized the last part of her commandand sprinkled malice on top of it, too. “The password for the bags is 2345.”

Having said that, she linked arms with Arthur and said cheerily, “Come on, Artie, let’s leave her to herwork. Let’s catch up on all the latest details of your life.”

Sophia heaved a sigh in relief when Emily and Arthur finally left the room, but she couldn’t helpwondering why the latter was so intent on keeping her here.

Sighing, she opened up one of the bags only to stop and stare at the contents for a full three seconds.Then, she picked up the black lace negligée from the very top of the pile of clothes. The fabric, orrather the lack thereof, had her stumped. Miss Jennings might as well be naked in this! Who’s shegoing to wear this for? Arthur? Does he have a fetish for stuff like this?

When she proceeded to iron Emily’s questionable wardrobe, Sophia began to panic, for she becameacutely aware of the fact that she had no idea how to operate a clothing iron. Her parents had raisedher like a princess all her life, and they had never once let her go near house chores, much less dothem.

However, she was supposedly Arthur’s maid right now, and she had no choice but to hunker down onthese menial household tasks, which were not so much menial to her as they were challenges.

Downstairs, Arthur looked distracted as he listened to Emily prattle on about the latest details of herundoubtedly jet-setting lifestyle. She stopped talking at some point when she realized that he seemedmiles away, then asked dejectedly, “Is my presence here bothering you, Artie?”

“No, of course not!” He looked at her with narrowed eyes. He knew exactly why Martha had askedEmily to come here. Knowing the old lady, she was most likely playing matchmaker, and this was justher way of setting him up with Emily.

“Then why do you look like you aren’t happy to see me?” Emily accused, biting down on her lip.

“I’m happy to see you. I was just thinking about something else, that’s all.” He had only just said thiswhen a loud cry sounded from the second floor.

“Ow!”

The next second, Arthur rose from the couch and headed up the stairs with Emily in his wake. Whenthey reached the guest room, they saw Sophia standing by the ironing board holding her hand, and theclothing iron was still hissing away.

“What’s wrong?” Arthur asked urgently. He reached out to grab her hand and immediately saw the redstreak burn on her palm.

“Sorry, I accidentally burned myself earlier. I’ll be fine,” Sophia said. She had instinctively cried out inalarm when she made contact with the hot iron, but she didn’t think she would draw the coupleupstairs.

She wanted to pull away from Arthur, but he tightened his grip on her and led her to the bathroom, thenturned on the tap to run her red, angry palm under cold water. While doing so, he chided, “You shouldalways pay attention when you’re ironing!”

Meanwhile, Emily’s heart leaped to her throat when she saw this scene. She remembered how muchArthur hated physical contact, but here he was holding the maid’s hand with an unsettling familiarity.

Sophia leaned closer to him and whispered in retort, “It’s not my fault I’ve never been made to ironanything!”

Arthur knew that she had been raised as a young lady of nobility as well, so he did not continueberating her. After turning off the tap water and drying her hand, they walked out of the bathroom

together. Then, he glanced at Emily and said, “Have your maids do the ironing, Emily. I’m afraidSophia’s a little too clumsy for her own good.”

“If she’s so clumsy, why don’t you just fire her?” Emily assessed Sophia belittingly and added, “Wecan’t pay someone who doesn’t do their job well.”

Sophia would be lying to say she wasn’t insulted. Arthur, however, defended her, “It doesn’t matter. I’mused to having her around to bring me tea and stuff, so she can stay.”

Once again, Sophia was surprised by how determined he was to keep her here.

“Whatever. I’m worn out from the flight and the car ride here, so make me a cup of coffee,” she orderedSophia furiously. “Prove yourself to be useful, why don’t you?”

Making coffee was one of the many things Sophia did not know how to do. She usually got her coffeefrom a local barista or any other cafe. Right now, she tossed Arthur a pleading look, trying to get help.

When he saw the despair in her wide doe eyes, he repressed the urge to sigh in frustration. She can’tiron, and she can’t make coffee. Is there anything she knows how to do other than talk back tosomeone?

“We don’t have a proper coffee machine here,” he lied to Emily after glaring at Sophia. “I’ll sendsomeone out to get one for you if you’d like.”

Emily was more than aggravated now. “Well, how about tea? Surely, she can bring me tea.” She wastrying to gauge how important this so-called maid was to Arthur, and there was no hiding the fact thatEmily hated Sophia’s guts. Hence, the former was currently thinking of ways to get rid of the latter anderadicate any good impression Sophia might have made on Arthur.

I have to make Artie hate her too. That way, if he decides to keep her, I can order her around as I like.

Emily knew she had to nip this in the bud before she ended up losing Arthur to some tramp maid.

At once, Sophia bustled off into the kitchen to make tea, which, thankfully, was something she knewhow to do.

She had made the tea and brought the tray over to the couch, but just as she was setting down thecups on the coffee table, Emily asked, “You’re a maid, aren’t you? Where’s your uniform?”

Emily was immediately unhappy when she noticed that Sophia was wearing a nice dress, not tomention, looking really good in it.

Sophia’s eyes flickered over to Arthur as she said slowly, “I’ve only started work a month ago, so I don’thave a uniform.”

“Then I shall get one ready for you,” Emily declared with a smirk.

“There’s no need for that,” Arthur interjected. “Honestly, I find uniforms to be a stuffy concept.”

This made Emily choke on her tea. She began to wonder just who Sophia was to warrant such concernfrom Arthur, who was famed for being stoic, and why he kept speaking up for her.

“Thank you, Young Master Weiss,” Sophia said, then backed out of the living room. She had a feelingthat her life here wasn’t going to be all rainbows and butterflies now that Emily had moved in. Thatwoman’s a jealous one, she thought grimly. Still, she would not have to suffer like this if she could findthat man’s necklace.

Where could that family heirloom possibly be? She wanted to cry out in exasperation. Of all the peopleshe could have a score to settle with, it just had to be an eccentric jerk like Arthur.novelbin

Meanwhile, over at the Presgraves’, Anastasia received a call from Lorelai that morning. Lorelai toldAnastasia that she was desperate to design the perfect jewelry for her friend’s engagement and that

she was wondering if she could drop by to have Anastasia’s input on the design sketches today.

Naturally, Anastasia did not reject her plea for help and invited her over to the house without hesitation.

At 4.00 pm that day, Lorelai drove into the car porch of Elliot’s villa. She walked through the front doorand into the living room, whereupon she was greeted by Anastasia, who looked like a vision dressed ina soft-colored long dress. “Lorelai.”

“Mrs. Presgrave.”

“Please, call me Anastasia. Mrs. Presgrave sounds too formal,” Anastasia said kindly.

“I’ve been wanting to address you by your first name since the first time we met, but I didn’t want tooffend you,” Lorelai explained. With a self-mocking smile, she added, “Our family’s really strict aboutformalities.”

“It’s fine. You can call me by my name when it’s just the both of us,” Anastasia said with a smile. Shethen proceeded to appraise Lorelai’s get-up today. The latter was dressed appropriately in an outfit thatincluded dark academia elements with just an understated, feminine appeal. She was also wearingvery light make-up that accentuated her delicate features.

Upon taking the sketch from Lorelai and giving it a cursory look, Anastasia praised, “There’s definitelytalent here—and creativity too.”

“Just sudden inspiration, I guess,” Lorelai said humbly, laughing. “I don’t have much time usually, whatwith business investments and all.”

Anastasia highlighted several parts of the design that needed to be smoothed over and suggestedseveral ways Lorelai could achieve it. The latter nodded delightedly and said, “You really are aprofessional, Anastasia.”

Having pointed out a few more things and shared a few insider’s tricks with Lorelai, Anastasia didn’teven notice that an hour had passed until she checked the time and saw that it was already 5.30 pm.She thereafter rose to have the kitchen prepare dinner, but just as she was about to invite Lorelai tostay, the girl shook her head and said she had to leave.

“Thank you for the invitation, Anastasia, but I have something planned for tonight and I should go,”Lorelai explained, gathering her things as she got off the couch.

“But it’s already so late, and Elliot will be home soon. Come on, stay for dinner,” Anastasia insisted.

“It’s really so nice of you to offer, but I couldn’t impose, not tonight at least. Dinner’s on me next time,okay?” Lorelai said, politely but firmly turning Anastasia down.

“In that case, I’ll see you some other day.” Anastasia walked with her out the door and to the car.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, Lorelai gave her a small wave and said, “Thanks for today. I’ll see youaround!”

“Drive safe.” Returning the wave, Anastasia watched as the car pulled out of the porch and out the frontgates.

Presently, the vibrant sunset glow was cast over the garden, coating it in a warm golden hue.

There were thoughts behind Anastasia’s clear, bright eyes as she stood outside. She did not go backinto the living room. Instead, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. Jared should be home by now.

As expected, the fleet of cars escorting the little boy pulled up outside the house but did not drive in.Jared leaped out of one of the cars and dashed through the gates. He ran up to Anastasia when hesaw her and asked happily, “Mommy, were you waiting for me?”

“Yes, I was,” she answered with an affectionate smile.

He beamed and held her hand while exclaiming, “I love you so much, Mommy!”

“I love you, too.” She reached out to ruffle his hair, then led him into the house.

When Jared got into the living room and saw the kitten darting back and forth on the couch, he quicklyset his bag aside and began to play with the feline. The little furball had only grown cuter since they firstgot it.

A little later into the evening, a black Bugatti sports car drove and parked on the car porch. The softpurr of the car engine indicated that Elliot had returned.

Anastasia was reading on the grassy lawn right outside the living room while Jared was playing withthe cat. When she saw Elliot walking up to her with his silhouette outlined by the twilight glow, she sether book down and ran to meet him in the middle.

She had missed him dearly after not seeing him for the whole day.

Upon seeing her running his way, Elliot opened his arms and caught her just as she threw herself intohis embrace like a child. He lifted her up by the waist and twirled her once, then set her back down.“Missed me?” he asked teasingly. There was a warm and gentle gleam in his eyes as he kissed herforehead indulgently.

She nodded, smiling as she said, “I did.”

“Daddy, I want a kiss too,” Jared demanded as he approached the loving couple with the kitten in hisarms.

Elliot let go of Anastasia and bent to pick up the little guy, then kissed him on the cheek lovingly. “Didyou have fun at school today, Jared?”

“You bet!” Jared replied with a firm nod.

The kitten looked decidedly unhappy when it saw that everyone else had received Elliot’s affection.“Meow!”

Having considered the feline to be part of the family, Elliot reached out to pat its soft, furry head andasked, “You’re not angling for a kiss too, are you?”

The kitten meowed once more as if to answer in the affirmative.

Amusement seized Elliot as he continued scratching the cat behind its ears to placate it. There was aserenity in the way the family of three and their cat hung out with each other under the evening sky. Fora while, it was as if the world was at peace.

Meanwhile, Lorelai was on her way home when she called her mother and told her what happened withAnastasia. Upon hearing the details, Kendra said on the other line, “You did the right thing, Lorelai.That way, Anastasia won’t be suspicious of you or see you as a threat.”

Lorelai had deliberately dropped by Anastasia’s house during the late afternoon and left before dinnertime just so the latter wouldn’t think she was trying to butt into her family affairs. The clever planningwould help Lorelai make a good impression on Anastasia, who would then put her guard down.

Presently, there was an ambitious glimmer in Lorelai’s eyes as she said, “By the way. Mom, I’ve alreadysent in my resume to Presgrave Group.”

“That’s a little too soon, Lorelai. My father said not to rush the plan, remember? After all, Elliot is still inhis honeymoon phase with Anastasia. You ought to wait until she’s got a second kid on the way beforeyou make a move.”

“Mom, don’t worry, I’m only doing this to gauge Elliot’s feelings for me, that’s all,” Lorelai explained. Itwas like playing chess, and every move she made along the way was intentional with a purpose behindit.

“Very well, but make sure that you pace yourself and don’t muck up our plans!”

“I know, Mom. I’ll be careful,” Lorelai promised calmly.

It was 10.00 pm when Anastasia got out of the shower that night to get ready for bed, only to see thekitten clambering onto the couch, its claws digging into the fabric as it launched itself onto the paddedcushion. It let out a soft mewl as though to insist it could make it on its own.

Anastasia sat down to the side and asked in amusement, “Shouldn’t you be with your darling littlemaster instead of hanging out in our room?”

The kitten managed to get onto the couch, and as a reward, it staked out a corner and curled up in it,then dozed off.

Just then, the bedroom door opened and Elliot walked in dressed in his lounge suit. He had only justwrapped up an online conference with international affiliates, and there was an imperial, decisive, anddeadly air about him that made him all the more attractive.

Anastasia loved it when he wore suits, and she couldn’t help the primal urges that seized her duringmoments like these. It was an almost feral instinct that made her want to leap over and help him shedthe stoic-looking suit.

However, she had seen the hidden side of him, the side that lay on the other end of the spectrum fromhis aloof state.

As though reading her mind, Elliot kissed the top of her head and murmured as he undid the buttons ofhis suit, “Give me twenty minutes.”

She smiled and asked innocently, “And what will you do after twenty minutes?”

Bemused, he raised a brow and gave her a knowing look. “What do you think?”

“I’m afraid the idea will have to be put off till a week later,” she confessed, not wanting to give him thesatisfaction.

He understood immediately. Flashing her a roguish grin, he teased, “Well, in that case, perhaps Ishould save up my energy till then.”

She pouted and gave him a somewhat distressed look, to which he responded with a laugh as heheaded into the shower. When he was done, he came out of the bathroom and saw her curled up inbed. He slid under the covers while she was still reading and pulled her into his arms so that she couldlean against him.

“Honey, I don’t want to be a housewife anymore,” Anastasia grumbled softly.

Elliot stroked her hair tenderly and said, “You can do whatever you want.”

“I want to take charge of Bourgeois,” Anastasia said as she looked up at Elliot. Francis initially wantedher to continue managing Tillman Constructions, but she had no interest whatsoever in buildingmaterials, so he decided that he would hand the business over to Elliot after retirement.

“Alright, then. You’ll be the commander-in-chief for Bourgeois from tomorrow onward,” Elliot said. Hecouldn’t care less about profit margins and operating costs as long as his wife could amuse herself. Hewould always be there as a safety net for her.

Warmth surged through Anastasia when she heard this, but before she could thank him, he added, “Goand do whatever you like. Don’t you worry about a thing, because I’m always going to be here to catchyou when you fall, okay?”

In that quiet room, Elliot’s tender love and indulgence for Anastasia seemed audible in his words. Hesounded firm and assuring, making her heart skip a beat. Upon hearing the solemn promise underlyinghis bold statement, she felt like she was in the safest harbor, protected by some great, universal force.

She could do whatever she liked, and if she messed things up, he would always be there to help herget through it. She did not need to worry about a thing, because he was the fort that would keep hershielded from the brutal consequences of failure.

That said, Anastasia knew taking over Bourgeois was not just a game she decided to play on a whim.Now that she had voiced out her desire to run it, she would have to make her words count and showhim she was not just doing it out of fun.

She had a duty to be a better version of herself, because how else would she live up to the name ofbeing Elliot’s wife?

Meanwhile, in Arthur’s villa, Sophia was having a hard time falling asleep after binge-watching severalepisodes of a new hit drama through the night. She got out of bed and padded out of her room to get aglass of water, hoping that sleep would come after that.

She opened the door softly. She was staying on the third floor while Arthur and Emily were resting onthe second. While heading downstairs, she kept her footfalls as quiet as possible, so much so that shewas practically tiptoeing.

Much like a wary kitten, she made her way to the first floor and hurried into the kitchen, following thelow hum of the refrigerator. She thought a cold drink was suitable in light of the rising temperatures asthey welcomed the beginning of summer.

Just then, a cold and crisp voice spoke up behind her. “What are you doing up in the middle of thenight?”

Sophia gasped and turned around, but she did so too quickly and ended up bumping her head againstthe door of the freezer compartment. The loud thud resonated throughout the kitchen like an ominousdrum beat.

“Could you not creep up on me like that? For heaven’s sake, you had me half-scared to death!” shesnapped, rubbing the sore spot on her head as she shot Arthur a resentful look.

Arthur came up to her. He was a head taller than her, and he was here to get a drink as well. Therefrigerator light cast a warm glow on both of their silhouettes as they stood there facing each other.

At that moment, Sophia noticed the carton of milk on the top row of the refrigerator and reached up tograb it. However, her fingertips could barely brush it. She was just about to give up when a large handeasily grabbed it and handed it to her. As she took over the milk, she looked up at the man to thankhim, only to be caught off guard.

He seemed to have slept before coming downstairs. His ink-colored hair was currently tousled over hisforehead, unlike during the day. He was peering into the fridge for something to drink as well, revealinghis side profile, which was all sharp jawline and delicately-chiseled features.

He looked breathtaking.

Presently, Arthur sensed Sophia staring at him, and he looked down with narrowed eyes as hedemanded, “What are you looking at?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, nothing,” Sophia muttered lamely, breaking eye contact. Her heart was beating so loudand fast that it was a wonder he didn’t hear it. Swallowing convulsively, she darted around him as shewas about to leave.

In the end, he grabbed another bottle of milk off the top row of the refrigerator and closed the door. Thehallway grew dim immediately in the absence of the refrigerator light, and Sophia, who was hardlypaying any attention while walking, accidentally slipped on one of the steps. There was a thud as shefell, bashing her knee on the steps as she grappled around in the dark to steady herself.

“Ow…” She winced at the pain that tore through her knee. She must be bleeding by now; the fall hadscraped the skin of her knee.

At the sight of this, Arthur came up to her and frowned. How did she even manage to survive all theway into adulthood?

Presently, Sophia had eased herself into a sitting position on the stairs and her face was all scrunchedup with pain as she gingerly rolled up her pajama pants. Sure enough, both her knees were bleeding.

What’s going on up in that brain of hers? Arthur stared at her wounds in disbelief, then crouched downto examine them as he scolded, “Don’t you watch where you walk?”

Sophia looked up at him incredulously. He was the reason why she had slipped and fallen on thestaircase like an idiot with no motor skills; it wasn’t her fault that he looked that good in the refrigeratorlight and made her rethink how handsome he actually was.

“I’m fine,” she said with a steely edge in her voice, then slowly tried to get up.

“Sit down,” Arthur ordered. She was stunned when he straightened up and found his way to thesideboard, then returned with a first-aid kit in hand.

“I can do that myself,” Sophia said anxiously. She was terrified of the stinging, burning pain that camewith the menial procedure of cleaning up one’s wounds, and she would much rather do it herself thanhave him administer first aid on her.

Arthur, however, ignored Sophia and proceeded to clean up her wounds with a sterilized Q-tip. Whenhe went on to apply the antiseptic, she hissed in pain and gasped softly. “Ow, that hurts!”

The way she yelped was so suggestive that Arthur stopped and shot her a freezing look, as thoughangry that his testosterone decided to react to her voice.

At present, neither of them noticed the fuming figure that stood on the second-floor landing with herhand on the banister. Emily had been awakened by the ruckus downstairs, so she came out of herroom and Sophia’s soft moans of pain sounded. She then decided to head downstairs only to seeArthur helping the girl clean her bleeding shins.

One could call it first-aid, but to Emily, who was so blinded by jealousy she could hardly think straight,Sophia was a cunning vixen who had resorted to such cheap acts to win over Arthur’s attention.

“What happened, Arthur?” Emily asked aloud, pretending as if she had been woken up by thecommotion as she continued her way down the rest of the steps.

Sophia hurriedly rolled down the legs of her pajama pants and apologized, “Did we wake you, MissJennings? I’m terribly sorry for that.”

“Did something happen to you?” Emily asked, meeting the other girl’s gaze confrontationally.

“I fell and scraped my knees earlier, so Mr. Weiss helped me stop the bleeding,” Sophia answeredfrankly.

“Well, if you’re not bleeding anymore, then go back to your room,” Emily bit out grimly.

Arthur went to keep the first-aid kit while Sophia hurried up the stairs, but when she passed Emily, thelatter grabbed her by the wrist and warned through gritted teeth, “Stay away from my man if you don’twant to end up in the sorriest circumstances known to man.”

Emily had said this so quietly that Sophia was the only one who could hear it, but the icy warning in hertone was not lost.

It was only after Sophia was released from her grip that she hurried up the stairs, baffled by how muchuntoward hatred Emily had for her. She wanted to tell her that she was a natural klutz and had no

intention whatsoever of seducing Arthur.

Letting out an angry huff, Emily met Arthur at the bottom of the staircase and said, “I don’t think I cango back to sleep now. Stay up for a chat, Artie.”

“I’m tired,” Arthur said, handing her the bottle of milk he had taken from the fridge earlier. “Here, youcan have this.”

He hadn’t actually been thirsty at all when he grabbed the milk. He had gone out of his bedroom whenhe heard footsteps coming down from the third floor, and as for the milk, it was nothing but chilledsubterfuge.

Emily was furious. So, Artie would rather rendezvous with the maid than stay up and talk to me. Is thatit? Looks like I’ve severely underestimated how much Sophia means to him.

The next morning, Anastasia woke up as the weak sunlight spilled into the room and over the side ofthe bed. Elliot had already called Larry, the vice president of Bourgeois, and asked him to drop by thehouse with a compilation of all the relevant company information. Over the phone, Elliot added thatAnastasia would be in charge of running the business starting from today.

Elliot had left for work after that, leaving Anastasia to wait for Larry’s arrival at home. When the clockstruck 10, Larry and his assistant were escorted into the living room by the maid.

Larry glanced at the woman on the couch. She’s blossomed into a whole new person now, one thatmust not be overlooked under any circumstances, he thought.

He still remembered the days when she had started out in Bourgeois. Elliot had asked him to persuadeher to accept the gift of top-quality real estate and made him bring her the information on the propertyas well. However, completely unfazed by the otherwise-tempting gift, Anastasia turned him down.

From that moment onward, Larry had a feeling that she could very well become his superior. As itturned out, his gut had been right.

Unlike the first few times they met, Anastasia looked wiser and more focused now, with a confidencethat seemed to shine through, polished by years of experience.

“Vice President Young, it’s been a while,” she greeted with a smile.

“Mrs. Presgrave, I hope you’ve been well,” Larry replied affably, acknowledging the difference in theirpositions now.

“You can always call me Anastasia, you know.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t. I think Madam President has a nice ring to it, or maybe President Tillman,” he saidhumorously.

She did not try to dissuade him from addressing her as such. “Could you give me a run-down of thebusiness strategies for Bourgeois and the execution plans for them? I’ve only just taken over, and I’dreally appreciate it if you could be my stalwart guide in company matters.”

Larry was more than happy to do so. After all, Anastasia was married to Elliot now, and under herleadership, Bourgeois was sure to reach new heights in the industry.

Anastasia listened to what Larry had to say attentively. He was practically a veteran and a treasuretrove of work experience, and she heartily approved of the strategies he had come up with for thebusiness.

“We’ll be holding a press conference for a new product launch soon, Madam President. You must makean appearance; it’ll give the media a field day.”

“When is the press conference?” Anastasia asked.

“Next Saturday,” Larry replied dutifully.

“I’ll be there,” she promised with a nod.

He beamed as he added, “I’m sure the Bourgeois team will be happy to have you at the helm of thebusiness.”

She smiled. “Well, in that case, I look forward to hearing more of your business strategies and havingyou show me the ropes, Vice President Young.”

While this was happening, Elliot was in his office at Presgrave Group, sifting through the documentspiled up on his desk when he came across a resume. He opened the folder and frowned slightly. It wasLorelai’s resume, and she was applying not for an important position, but for an analyst job advertisedby the finance department in one of his subsidiaries in the country.

However, as it was against the rules to employ members of the Presgraves’ extended family, Elliot hadno choice but to reject her job application. He decided that he would personally recommend her tosome other company instead.

Seeing the number she had written at the very top of her resume, he grabbed his phone and called her.

“Hello?” Lorelai greeted on the other line.

“Hey, Lorelai, it’s Elliot here. I just saw your resume and I believe an analyst job is far beneath yourcapabilities,” he said in a gravelly tone.

Lorelai said earnestly, “Elliot, if you’ve read my resume, you would know that I don’t care about the jobas much as I do about getting into your company.”

“I can recommend you to another company that happens to be hiring, and I think you’d be a good fit forthe job,” Elliot said firmly.

She paused for a few seconds before pressing, “I’m actually in the area right now. Is it okay if I head toyour office for a quick chat, Elliot? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in person before.”

Prepared to talk her into taking up the job at the other company, he replied, “Alright then. Come onover.” They were family, after all, and he figured there was no harm in letting her up to his office for abrief, friendly conversation.

Meanwhile, Lorelai was checking her reflection in the restroom mirror in one of the nearby cafes. Sheevaluated her face from all angles underneath the white light. When she was satisfied with the way shelooked alongside her delicately-applied make-up, she straightened her white blouse and her tight-fittingskirt, then flipped her long hair over her shoulders. For a finishing touch, she gave herself a light spritzof perfume and finally walked out.

Subsequently, she pulled up outside the main entrance of Presgrave Group. She was more thanfamiliar with the company since her father had a friend who worked here as well. When she called thereceptionist earlier, she made no mention of Elliot whatsoever.

She went into the elevator, and the receptionist who escorted her left as soon as they reached thedesignated floor. Seeing this, Lorelai hurried into another available elevator and made her way up tothe presidential office.

Rey was already waiting for her, and when she arrived, he said, “This way please, Miss Presgrave.”

Lorelai nodded and followed him into the spacious office, which she thought was only charmingbecause of its owner.

“Elliot,” she greeted warmly when she saw the man on the couch.

“Oh, good, you’re here. Have a seat,” Elliot said, gesturing toward the matching couch across from him.

“This place is humungous, and that view outside is absolutely stunning!” She was never one to holdback on compliments, and the words flowed smoothly off her tongue as she flashed him a smile.

Elliot handed her a docket of information and said, “That’s the financial company I was telling youabout. The president happens to be a friend of mine. I already put in a word for you, and he said youcould start working immediately without having to go through an interview.”

“You pulled strings for me? Wow, I’m honored!” she exclaimed. Taking the docket, she leafed throughthe company profile and the position they were offering her, then looked up with bright eyes as sheasked, “They’re going to make me supervisor?”

He nodded. “You’re qualified for it.”

“That’s so nice of you to say,” Lorelai said with a sweet smile, admiration glittering in her eyes.

Elliot’s gaze fell upon the document on the coffee table as he said, “You can start work next Monday.”