Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 721-730

Emily found her way to the cafe as she had asked Arthur’s bodyguards for his whereabouts, but shedidn’t expect to find Sophia with him.

Arthur frowned as he saw her standing before them, while Sophia had already gotten up from her seat.“Miss Jennings, you can join Young Master Weiss. I shall be going.”

“I’ll see you off.” Emily faked a smile and wrapped her arm around Sophia as they walked out of thecafe. Sophia was forced to reciprocate the feigned intimacy as she walked beside Emily nervously.

Once they went out of the cafe, Emily’s expression changed into one of detest as she shoved Sophiaforward and warned, “Sophia, stop harassing Artie, or else I’ll make you pay.”

The truth was far from what Emily said. Sophia never planned to cling to Arthur, and it was a merecoincidence that Arthur and she met at the funeral.

Therefore, she answered calmly, “Don’t worry. I’m not harassing him or anything. Even more, I don’tplan to.”

“I’m not going to trust any of your words. Have you ever wondered how influential his family is? Yourlife is a far cry from his!” Emily was staring at Sophia with folded arms; she didn’t even bother to hideher disdain. “It’s only your wishful thinking for him to fall in love with you! Furthermore, don’t try yourluck. You’ll only suffer.”

Sophia looked into her eyes and replied, “First of all, I won’t categorize people into particular groupsbased on their background. Even though you’re born with a silver spoon, you need to respect others.”

“You—” Emily’s words were cut short as she didn’t expect a comeback from Sophia.novelbin

Sophia continued, “Sorting out the relationship is a matter which needs to be settled between Mr.Weiss and me. You’ve no right to meddle in our business.” Her eyes were icy cold as Emily’s superior

attitude irritated her.

“You!” Emily tried, but no words came out either. It was just like last time.

“If you have feelings for Young Master Weiss, you’re free to pursue him. As for the result, it depends onyou. Don’t take it out on me.” As if she didn’t notice Emily’s condition, Sophia continued.

Emily’s cheeks reddened at her words. Is she trying to imply I’ll not succeed?

She glared at Sophia. “If it wasn’t for your interference, I would have become his girlfriend sooner.”

Sophia chuckled. “You’ve always thought lowly of me. If so, there aren’t many things I can do to catchhis attention, unless he’s a fool to fall for me easily.”

“How dare you call Artie a fool!” Emily was so enraged she raised her hand, about to slap Sophia.

At that moment, Arthur stepped out of the cafe and strode toward them. He had been listening to theirconversation for a while and decided to step forward to prevent any further conflict. As he settled into astance, he glared at Emily. “Emily, stop it.”

When she saw him showing up, the first thought that appeared in Sophia’s mind was to look for anescape route. I can’t believe he’s right behind us! How long has he been eavesdropping?

As she turned on her heels to make an escape for the elevator, Arthur’s voice echoed behind her. “Stopright there.”

He was reconsidering his opinion about Sophia. Seeing the other side of her was a surprise to him andhe found it amusing as he walked toward her. “You’re running away after you called me a fool?”

Sophia had no choice but to turn around and face him. As she looked into his deep eyes, sheexplained, “I-I didn’t mean to call you a fool.”

“You did!” Seeing an opportunity, Emily joined in.

“Miss Jennings, you don’t understand. I’m saying that Young Master Weiss would be a fool to fall forme.” At that, she gloated over her wise comeback and asked for Arthur’s opinion. “Young MasterWeiss, you’re not interested in me, right?”

“Of course, I’m not,” he answered between gritted teeth.

Sophia cast a glance at Emily with a blooming victorious smile on her face. “Did you hear him? Hedoesn’t like me!”

Emily stared at her speechlessly as she had the feeling that it was a perfunctory act.

Looking straight into Arthur’s eyes, Sophia reminded him, “Young Master Weiss, please clarify thatthere is nothing between us, or else your pursuer—Miss Jennings—will misunderstand.”

Even though the odd feeling still lingered within Emily, she was deprived of the chance to talk back asSophia stepped into the elevator. She turned to Arthur involuntarily and saw him stare at the shutelevator door with mixed feelings.

“How rude of her!” In the end, Emily could only harrumph a response.

After Sophia left the cafe, she took a taxi to get home. Enjoying the breezy evening wind swaying herface, she was concurrently searching for an answer in her blank mind.

He agreed that he’s not interested in me. That’s impossible to be a lie, she thought.

At that moment, her cell phone notified her of a new message. She checked her phone to read it andfound a message from Arthur with only two words.

She gaped at the message. Damn! He sent me a message only to scold me!

‘Mr. Weiss. Please remember you’re a decent man,’ she replied to him immediately.

Arthur then sent a reply message. ‘You don’t have any conscience.’

‘You’re right, I don’t. You’ve seen through my disguise and shall stop seeing people like me from nowon.’ Sophia had given up on saving her image.

He asked again, ‘Do you think falling for you is what a fool would do?’

Meanwhile, Emily was gazing at the scenery outside in the car heading back to the villa. Beside herwas Arthur typing messages on his phone. The corners of his lips turned up from time to time toindicate his good mood, even though his fingers betrayed that he was terrible at replying to textmessages.

“Artie?” When she turned and found him smiling, she asked, “Who are you chatting with?”

“A friend.” His answer was simple.

Emily noticed a hint of amusement in Arthur’s expression as if he was having fun from the interaction,so she mustered her courage and asked for further information. “Who is your friend?”

“You don’t know them,” he answered as he checked the phone and broke into a wide smile at themessage content.

Sophia’s reply read, ‘I said the wrong thing just now. Please forgive me.’

Sophia was riding in a taxi; the sunset view could no longer catch her attention as she felt nervouswaiting to receive his response. What’s wrong with me? Am I having fun now?

‘I’m home. Gotta go.’ She typed on her phone and sent the message before shoving her cell phoneback into her bag.

However, her determination only lasted for a while. When she heard a message notification, she lookedfor her cell phone in the bag and checked the message.

‘It isn’t a bad thing to become likable. At least be honored by it.’

Sophia was taken aback. What does he mean? Does he have feelings for me?

Deciding that it was a wise choice to let the topic end here, she replied with a message. ‘I’m home.’

Arthur stopped sending her any messages, so she paid for the ride and got out of the taxi. As shewalked home while staring at her phone, someone halted her.

“Miss Goodwin, Old Madam Weiss would like to see you.” Sophia raised her head and found themiddle-aged bodyguard from the last time addressing her. She hid her phone behind her involuntarilywhen she heard Martha was looking for her.

“Sure.” Sophia nodded and followed him into the car. It was when they eventually arrived at a nearbycafe that he let her off.

As usual, Martha was waiting for her in a private room. The moment she saw Martha, the guilt washedover her as she had been spending time with Arthur not long ago.

Sophia greeted her politely, “Old Madam Weiss.”

“Take a seat.” Martha gestured at the sofa.

As she took a seat, Martha asked her without mincing her words. “I heard that you lost our familyheirloom that Artie gifted to you?”

Sophia nodded. “Yes, I lost it. He didn’t give it to me, though. I’m the one who snatched it from his neckaccidentally and lost it later.”

“Arthur didn’t give it to you as a gift?” Martha asked in surprise.

Sophia explained in detail how she had the necklace in the first place, brought the necklace with her toa foreign country, and lost it on a return trip home. Lastly, she apologized, “Old Madam Weiss, I’m sorryabout what happened. Please don’t blame Mr. Weiss for it. He’s trying to retrieve the necklace too.”

“He took over your father’s company to force you to return to the country. That’s so him.” After hearingher explanation, Martha remarked with mixed emotions.

“Indeed. Mr. Weiss now has returned my father’s company and I’ll help him to look for the lostnecklace.” Sophia revealed everything to Martha with full honesty.

Martha was well-experienced and perceptive. She saw through the facade of Arthur asking Sophia’shelp to look for the necklace and understood his purpose. Truth be told, he was using it as an excuseto keep Sophia at his side.

“Miss Goodwin, I’ll keep an eye on the secondhand market for the necklace. For now, I only need yourhelp for one thing. I need you to leave Artie.” She was brisk at handling things as a full plan was formedin her mind and she spoke it immediately. “I have an idea. Do as I say.”

“Old Madam Weiss.” Sophia gaped at the elder woman dressed in a refined outfit and luxurious piecesof jewelry. “What do you want me to do?”

“You’ll need to bring a guy you know to see Artie and tell him in person that you love the guy. If Artie’sfeelings for you don’t waver, then the two of you will get engaged. Besides, I’ll compensate for your lossbecause I promised to treat you with care.” Martha was hoping Arthur could make a firm decision on hislove life as she knew Sophia wasn’t the best suitor for him.

Sophia stared at the phone on the table with hesitation. Martha’s words hurt Sophia badly as if it stungher heart. However, she agreed with Martha’s plan eventually. “All right. I’ll follow your plan.”

“I hope you can put on your best acting because Artie is very observant. Beware not to let him find outanything.”

“I will,” Sophia answered with a nod meekly as she lowered her eyes.

At that time, she received a message on her phone. She took a quick glance at the message thatappeared on the screen.

‘What are you doing right now?’ The sender stated Arthur’s name.

“That’s all for today. I won’t blame you for losing our family heirloom.” Martha waved in dismissal. “It’snot your fault at all. You can go now.”

Sophia picked up the phone from the table and headed toward the exit. Once she went out, thebodyguard who had been waiting offered to send her home, but she rejected it nonetheless.

This time, she was walking to get home. Staring at Arthur’s messages, she had lost the mood to replylong since the conversation between Martha and her.

Taking a deep breath, she then dialed someone’s number.

The person on the other side of the phone answered with a clear voice. “Hey, girl! Do you already missme?”

Sophia saw no point in beating around the bush. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure! What can I help you with?”

“Pretend to be my boyfriend.”

“No problem! I’m the best at doing this kind of thing! Are you having an obstinate pursuer?”

“Don’t ask. I’ll tell you the details tomorrow.”

“All right. I’ll wait for your call.”

After the call ended, Sophia took and let out another deep breath. The man whom she sought helpfrom earlier was her childhood friend, the son of her father’s friend, and one of her good friends.

The phone then notified her that a new message had been received. Taking a quick glance at it, shewasn’t surprised to see it was from Arthur again. He asked, ‘Why aren’t you replying?’

Thinking that he was enjoying their interaction since he found exchanging messages interesting, shedidn’t bother to reply. When he didn’t get her response, he decided to call her instead. Soon, her phonerang.

Sophia took a look at the caller ID and pressed the “mute” button eventually. Sinking back onto the parkbench, she watched the phone vibrate with a heavy heart.

Finally, the ringtone stopped when she left it unattended. But soon, it rang again.

Sophia wasn’t expecting him to keep calling her without knowing to take a break. Is he worrying aboutme?

The incoming call stopped sharply just as she was pondering and not answering it. This time, Arthursent her a message instead. ‘Why are you not answering the phone? What happened to you?’

Before this, she had never been cruel to anyone she had met. Even a new friend wouldn’t receive suchcold treatment from her. However, she had promised Martha earlier to keep her distance from Arthur.

I’m sorry, Arthur.

She was aware that Arthur and she never belonged together. For instance, even though she onlystayed in the atelier for a few days, she could still recognize from the pictures she had gone throughthat the jewelry pieces Martha wore were worth more than 10 million per piece.

Sophia could never wish for attention from a noble man like him.

Not to mention, they were in the early stage as Arthur was only having affection for her so far. Thekisses were merely affected by the dopamine and didn’t matter his feelings for her. She couldn’treciprocate his feelings if he was looking for a short-term relationship.

Finally, Arthur stopped sending her any messages.

It seems like he isn’t that interested in me, Sophia thought.

Anastasia woke up early in the morning at 8:00 AM in Elliot’s villa. However, Elliot was nowhere to befound beside her.

Thinking that he had been grieving recently, she got out of bed without a second thought to look for himand eventually found him in the kitchen.

He was wearing a gray shirt today with an apron tied around his waist to make breakfast for his family.

Anastasia was moved by the sight. Even though she was still in her pajamas, she walked toward Elliot,who was stirring the porridge in the pot, and embraced him from behind.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Even though there was silence hanging between them, he couldfeel her unspoken love. He intertwined his fingers with hers as he said, “Go wake Jared up; it’sbreakfast time soon.”

“Okay. I’ll go wake him up,” Anastasia answered, but she was reluctant to move from her spot. Shewanted to enjoy the warmth of his back a little longer.

Elliot turned around and pressed a kiss on her hair. Just when he moved down for her lips, she avoidedhim. “I haven’t brushed my teeth.”

“I don’t mind.” At that, he tried to close their distance.

Anastasia ran out of the kitchen with a giggle and headed upstairs. After she had woken up Jared, shecleaned up herself and returned downstairs.

As she showed up once again in the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around Elliot and tiptoed to givehim a kiss precisely on the lips.

He put an arm around her waist as he reciprocated her kiss. At that moment, the determination toprotect his family was built within him. Even though he was still grieving for Harriet deep down, hewouldn’t hesitate to show his love for the people around him.

After a hearty breakfast, the three went to a horse ranch nearby. Jared had a pony that belonged to himthere. He was practicing alone on the ranch while his parents were watching him from the cafe. Theyhad a great time bonding with each other.

Meanwhile, in the Presgrave Hospital, a chief physician had fallen into distress as if his life was atstake after he received a call. Climbing to the rooftop, he took out a cigarette and smoked it.

At that moment, his phone rang and he answered, “Hello?”

“Have you decided?”

“The old madam has just passed away. I don’t think it’s a wise decision to do it now.”

“I want to see the result before 3:00 PM. Or else, you’ll lose your freedom and stay in jail for years.”

“Don’t! Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.” The man on the other side ended the call once he finished his words.

The chief physician lit another cigarette with shaking hands as he finished the previous one. Then, hetook a deep inhale and wiped away the sweat glued to his forehead.

Someone had threatened him with a video featuring him and a married woman. The content of thevideo was enough of an evidence for adultery to imprison him.

At that moment, two nurses walked onto the rooftop. They greeted him when they saw him. “Mr.Campbell, are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Once again, he wiped the sweat away and put the cigarette out before he leftthe rooftop.

On the other hand, Sophia took a day off from Bourgeois this morning. She got into her childhoodfriend’s car at around 10:00 AM and headed to Arthur’s villa.

She planned to seize the opportunity to pack up her things in Arthur’s guest room.

Thus, she prayed for him to be at home right now. Then, she sent him a message on the road toconfirm his whereabouts.

‘Mr. Weiss, are you home?’

Arthur soon replied, ‘I am.’

Seeing she was close to the destination, Sophia didn’t bother to reply to him as she turned to the sideand reminded, “James, you’ll do as I say later, all right?”

“No problem! Leave it to me!” James Lennon smiled confidently. “I’ll definitely break his heart for yoursake.” At that, he brushed his hair to make the best look. He was all groomed up today for a handsome

look.

She only nodded. However, as he drove the car toward the residential area, he began to panic. “Is thatguy wealthy?”

“He’s very wealthy.”

“Is he as handsome as me?”

Sophia turned to him and consoled, “He’s not as good-looking as you.”

“All right.” James chuckled at her while feeling that his confidence was boosted. “Or else, I’d havenothing to compete against a wealthy and more handsome guy.”

At that moment, she received a message from Arthur. ‘Why didn’t you answer my calls or reply to mymessages last night?’

She typed a reply and sent it. ‘I muted my phone and fell asleep. I’m sorry.’

‘Are you coming over to my house?’

‘Yes, I’m coming over to pack my things. I’ll be there soon,’ she replied.

At the same time, Arthur took a break from his work in the study room and checked on his messages.As he read Sophia’s reply, he knitted his brows and wondered, Is she not living here anymore?

Thinking that Sophia would arrive soon, he walked out of the study room and headed downstairs.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang, so Arthur pressed a button to allow the visitor access. He saw thatSophia pushed the door to enter with a young man behind her.

The moment James landed his eyes on the man standing in the garden, he became dejected as hisconfidence had quickly dissipated.

How dare Sophia lie to me! Everyone can see the guy over there is the best among all! Not only is hehandsome, but he even has a strong aura, good taste in picking outfits, a stunning look, a toned body,and an elegant temperament. That man has completely surpassed me in every aspect!

Sophia cleared her throat as she held his hand and led him toward Arthur nervously.

“Good morning, Mr. Weiss. I’m here to pack my things.” She avoided looking into Arthur’s eyes as sheintroduced James, “This is my boyfriend, James. He’s here to help me with the packing.”

Arthur squinted his eyes and asked coldly, “Your boyfriend?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m James. Sophia and I are childhood sweethearts.” James reached out for ahandshake.

However, Arthur only gave him a perfunctory glance before turning to Sophia immediately. “You nevertold me you’re seeing someone.”

Sophia laughed at the remark. “You never asked.”

“Anyway, I’m going to pack my things.” At that, she held James’ arm intimately as she said, “Let’s go,dear. I need your help.”

James reciprocated her act as both of them walked into the villa and made their way upstairs.

Arthur was the only one at home now as Emily accompanied Martha on a trip, so Sophia seized theconvenient timing to pack her things. She was aware that their absence set her in comfort.

In the guest room, Sophia took out the suitcase and began packing her clothes. Beside her, Jameswhispered, “Sophia, are you sure you aren’t going to date a handsome man like him?”

Sophia shushed him to stop talking. Bored, James pulled open a drawer in her closet randomly andwas stunned when he found her lingerie.

“Sophia, come pack these by yourself.”

She was embarrassed by the situation. At this moment, she heard steady footsteps outside the room—it belonged to none other than Arthur.

At that moment, an idea flashed across her mind and she raised her voice. “James, help me to storethe lingerie in the suitcase.”

James stared at her in disbelief as he pointed at himself to confirm her thought.

Seeing Sophia nod without hesitation and gesturing at the door, he understood her intentionimmediately.

When he bowed to put her lingeries into the suitcase, he stumbled on a corner of it, resulting in himpushing Sophia onto the bed involuntarily.

Sophia shrieked at the sudden event. Seeing that they were in close proximity, she shot him a glare athis clumsiness. When she was about to push James away, she noticed someone pushing the dooropen.

She wrapped her arms around James’ neck even though he didn’t plan to maintain the position anylonger. However, he was forced to lean forward and ended up pressing a kiss onto her foreheadanyway.

At that exact moment, Arthur pushed the door open and found the two of them about to kiss on thebed.

He narrowed his eyes at the sight and asked in an unamused voice, “What are you doing?”

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“I’m kissing my girlfriend.” James quickly slid into his role. “This is not a crime, is it?”

Sophia feigned shyness as she said, “We’re not kissing here! Wait until we’re home!”

He grinned. “All right, all right. I’ll listen to you for now. I’ve prepared a candlelight dinner for tonight, sowe can enjoy a romantic night later.”

She could only blush coquettishly at his words. Even though she wouldn’t even dare look at Arthur’sface, she could feel his eyes glued on her.

Arthur saw everything when James went straight for Sophia’s lingerie in the closet and kept them in thesuitcase.

At last, Sophia zipped her suitcase and lifted it from the ground. She passed her luggage to James,who naturally took it from her.

Then, she walked toward Arthur, who was waiting at the door and mustered the courage to look into hiseyes which seemed to have a deep meaning beneath. “Mr. Weiss, I’ve decided to live with myboyfriend. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Arthur grabbed her wrist without giving her the opportunity to resist. “Come with me for a sec.”

“Hey! Mr. Weiss! Let go of me!” However, he didn’t spare her any time to struggle out of his grip as heled her toward his study room.

“You! Let go of my girlfriend!” James shouted from behind, but Sophia was already being pulled into thestudy room by Arthur and the door shut with a loud thud.

Sophia could only feel Arthur being oppressive before he pinned her against the door. His fresh scentenveloped her as he leaned forward to question her with a cold tone. “You dare to flirt with me whenyou’re already dating someone?”

Raising her head, she saw his stony face and ice-cold eyes.

She insisted, “I’m sorry, b-but I never flirted with you.”

“Never? You didn’t stop me when I kissed you in the hotel that day. Can’t you remember?” If that wasthe case, Arthur would help Sophia to recall that day’s events.

Her cheeks flushed as she nudged him. “Don’t do this. My boyfriend’s not far away.”

Arthur pressed her harder on the door. “Does he know we kissed? Does he know you melted in myembrace like a good girl that day?”

Sophia was short of breath at their proximity. Her face was turning crimson. What does he want?

“I’ll be frank to him. We only kissed, after all. He’ll forgive me.” She turned her head away from him.

“When did you find yourself a boyfriend?” Arthur was confused as he had initiated an investigation onher. The man who showed up today was not in the findings.

“He returned to the country last week. He’s really my boyfriend,” Sophia explained promptly to makehim believe her.

“You’ve been sleeping with each other?” His eyes turned cold when he asked as if he was ripping offhis disguise and revealing his cruel inner self.

His expression was a heart-wrenching view for her. However, she had no choice but to lie to him.Shutting her eyes, and in the most solemn tone she could manage, she said, “We had done everythingwe should as a couple two years ago.”

Her statement was even solid with a precise time. Nobody would ever have any more doubt about theirrelationship.

Arthur was dumbfounded by her calm statement. Sophia could sense his disdain as he took a stepback, indicating that she succeeded in her plan. Martha once told her that he would never be close tosomeone who gained his hatred ever again.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly before she walked out of the study room.

Downstairs in the living room, James was admiring the art pieces here. Seeing Sophia coming down,he asked in concern, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Let’s go.” All Sophia wanted to do was run away from here because Arthur’s look was causingher heart to ache.

Just then, James saw Arthur walking down the stairs. He immediately returned to his role as he heldSophia close and warned the other man, “Please stay away from my girlfriend from now on. I want youto keep your distance from her.”

Sophia’s eyes widened at him as she only hoped to leave right now.

However, Arthur sneered. “Say, did she ever tell you that she and I shared a room before? And did shetell you that we kissed when she was wearing only a bathrobe?”

James turned to look at Sophia in disbelief. He could not believe that she and Arthur had done such athing.

Left with no choice, she played along. “I’m sorry, James. Please forgive me.”

He quickly took hold of her hand. “It’s alright. I know that I’ve made you feel left out when I was abroad,but I promise that I’ll stay by your side from now on. I forgive you.”

Arthur’s brows furrowed tightly after he failed to infuriate the man.

“Mr. Weiss, stop it. You can’t separate us. We love each other and we’re going to get engaged nextmonth,” she added solemnly. Since they had taken things this far, she gladly used the opportunity toget under Arthur’s skin.

“Are you serious? No man would ever be unwavered like you when his woman has been intimate withsomeone else.” Arthur rebuked James.

“I… If you ever lay a finger on my girlfriend again, I won’t let you off the hook that easily,” warnedJames angrily.

“Try me,” Arthur retorted while walking toward Sophia with a sinister smile; his evil intentions, engulfedby his handsome face, had not seemed to be noticed by her.

“I—I will…” James could discern the chest muscles underneath Arthur’s shirt; he seemed strong and itwas obvious that James stood no chance against him.

At that moment, the man wrapped his muscular arm around Sophia’s waist and propped her chinbefore crushing his lips onto hers aggressively; it was a blatant showcase of affection and dominancein front of James.

Her beady eyes widened as she felt his lips on hers, but she could not shake off his arm from her waist.

“Hmm…” she whimpered as she thought she was going mad for she had not expected Arthur to crossthe line with such an innocent facade!

A wide-eyed James witnessed the scene in utter shock. He did not foresee the man to kiss herforcefully right before his eyes.

“Let go of her!” He huffed in rage. As her close friend, he could not bear the sight of her gettingviolated.

Even so, Arthur kissed her as though it was a punishment for her. Sophia’s mind went blank and herbody tensed up while she attempted to shove him away.

When he finally released her, he provoked James. “Wanna fight with me?”

Meanwhile, her breathing became heavier as she covered her rosy lips. Despite her flushing face, shetried to gather herself before tugging at James. “Let’s go.”

A cold voice resounded menacingly behind them. “Sophia Goodwin, you better break up with him in anhour.”

Yet, she neither turned her head nor responded to his threat as she believed that he had goneoverboard this time. After getting into the car, James gazed at her in concern. “Are you alright?”

Sophia covered her face and spoke in a quivering voice, “I’m fine.”

“That guy is handsome, but he’s a pervert! How dare he force himself on you like that!”

“Please don’t bring it up anymore… and keep it a secret, will you?” begged Sophia.

“Of course, I won’t, but it looks like he really likes you,” James claimed while starting up the car.

The sudden kiss she shared with Arthur kept plaguing her mind while the repeated imagery of hiseyelashes and gaze reminded her that it was her punishment. The more she thought about it, theredder her cheeks became.

Lorelai made a dash to the hotel nearby the airport to take a rest since she had a flight to catch at10.00PM. Now that she had stolen Elliot’s sperm, she had to be extra careful in order not to give thegame away.

Anastasia was dealing with her work in the villa. After signing the document, a strong sense ofuneasiness crept into her heart. If Elliot’s possession in the hospital remained unfound, there would benightmares awaiting her.

It was no joking matter either seeing that she had a perturbing dream previously that felt almost toorealistic. If her son was to have another two half-siblings out of the blue, it was undeniable that theimpact inflicted on him would be big as they were two additional lives to deal with.

Just who on earth will do such a thing? It’s not a coincidence for sure. Someone must be scheming itfor a long time.

Elliot was waiting for the results from the initial investigation at the police station. It was 3.00PM whenhe entered the meeting room in which Roy Barlowe, the leader of the investigation team, poured him acup of coffee before starting to lay out the analysis of the suspects.

“Mr. Presgrave, this is a really important case for us. It has become more serious in light of your statusand wealth.”

Elliot stared at the list of suspects displayed on the screen, which had included their social network aswell.

“We believe that it’s not something done out of impulsivity. The thief is very well-informed of your familyand Presgrave Hospital. We’ve even come to a conclusion where pregnancy is the suspect’sobjectives. The suspect wants to bear your child to be one of the future heirs.” Roy gave a detailedbreakdown.

“These six people are the suspects for now. They belong to the upper echelons in the hospital whohave considerable authority to set the plan into motion with ease. Is there anyone that appearssuspicious to you, Mr. Presgrave?”

Elliot shook his head lightly. “I rarely take part in the management of the hospital, so I don’t know muchabout them.”

His job was only to check the hospital’s income from the annual reports. As of the management, thecurrent director was in charge of it.

“Based on the information we have, their network is kinda complicated and there’s nothing off abouttheir bank statement. Since their annual income is high, they don’t have any problem with money. Ofcourse, we’re still digging into other aspects.”

Elliot looked at the screen as Roy swiped the pictures one by one. Suddenly, something caught hisattention. “Please zoom in into the third picture.”

Almost immediately, Roy did as he was told. From the corner of the screen, one could see a suspiciousfigure walking across the corridor. The person took a few peeks of the surroundings before leaving.

“He’s Shawn Elrod, the director. His network is quite large. Do you know him, Mr. Presgrave?”

“He’s the assistant director’s cousin. I’ve seen him a few times during meetings. Please show me everyfootage and picture you have of him,” requested Elliot as he thought of something.

The other officers took actions and sifted through the pictures and footage to pick out everything thathad caught Shawn in it. Roy took a sip of coffee while looking at the screen before he turned to Elliot insurprise at the very second.

He wondered if Elliot had served in the military before. Otherwise, how could he sense that somethingwas off about Shawn at first glance when there were so many other suspects?

At that moment, Shawn’s actions became questionable in the footage. While he was calling for help toput out the fire, he was evacuating at the same time. He was not genuinely concerned about the fire. Infact, it was all just a show.

“Mr. Presgrave, you have a great sense of observation. This guy is behaving strangely,” said one of theofficers.

Elliot had spent his days in the army since he was nine till he was sixteen, which explained his keenobservation. After seven years of dominating the business world, he also developed the ability toidentify a person’s true nature.

“Roy, we’ve reviewed his contact history, and he made a call to someone named ‘Liam Presgrave’while he was in the car.”

The sparkle in Elliot’s eyes turned as cold as a blade. Liam? Is Shawn working for him?

“Look into Liam Presgrave,” Roy ordered his men as he turned toward Elliot. “Do you know who thisman is, Mr. Presgrave?”

Elliot clenched his hands into a fist on the table as he comprehended what had happened. He nodded.“I know him. He’s one of the elder members of the Presgrave Family. Two months ago, he offered mean international collaboration, but I declined.”

“We must arrest Shawn Elrod as soon as possible,” Roy ordered his men.

Elliot said, “Roy, I’ll give you a list of names. I would appreciate it if you restricted them from leaving thecountry.”

Roy nodded as he said, “Got it. Please send it to me as soon as possible.”

Elliot called Rey over to make a list of names immediately. Each and every single name on the list wasconnected to the Presgraves.

As soon as he left the police station, he got into his car, took out his phone, and called Anastasia.

“Hey, How’s everything going? Any clues?” she asked anxiously.

“The investigation has yielded some new information. Liam likely has something to do with it.”

“Liam? Lorelai’s father?” She was astonished.

“Do not worry about it. We’ll get to the bottom of it.” Elliot tried to soothe her. Since the incident, hefound it distressing to see her suffering from constant nightmares.

“Is it Lorelai? If her father stole your sperm, does that mean he wants her to get pregnant with yourbaby?” Anastasia was so mad that she almost lost her mind.

“”Anastasia, calm down. I won’t let that happen,” Elliot reassured her.

“Arrest her at all costs. We must not allow her to get away from this.” Anastasia clenched her teeth.She had completely underrated Lorelai.

“I will be home in one hour. Wait for me.” He wanted to go home but had to stay and cooperate with thepolice in their investigation.

Finally, a sigh of relief lifted her spirits. “Okay, I’ll be waiting for you.”

The officers, amid an investigation in the hospital, received a call and headed to Shawn’s office. Shawnhappened to be on his way to the bathroom, so he was not in the office. However, he was able tooverhear the conversation that was taking place between his assistant and the officer as soon as heturned the corner at the end of the corridor.

“Mr. Elrod is not at his office.”

“When will he come back?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Please notify us as soon as he returns,” the officers said sternly.

Shawn panicked and scurried out to the restroom to avoid further attention. Never in his wildestimagination did he think the police would approach him. Do they suspect me?

With shaking hands, he reached for his phone to call Liam.

“Hello.”

“I’m done for, Liam. It looks like the police are suspecting me! How’s the situation over there? Is itsuccessful?”

“When was that?”

“Just now, the police officers came to my office. Don’t worry. I’m not going to say anything.” Shawnhung up the phone, deciding that he should leave the hospital.

Apparently, he had planned on taking the 10.00PM flight, but now he knew he had to reschedule it ormiss his chance to escape for good. He called his daughter and insisted that she make the necessary

arrangements.

When Lorelai got the call, she was anxious because she had not anticipated that they would find outabout it so soon. Right now, all she wanted to do was escape the country as quickly as possible.

Her assistant purchased the earliest flight ticket and accompanied her onboard. When the police calledthe airport’s management department, Lorelai had already left the country.

The information was immediately transmitted to the police.

Roy informed Elliot, “We’re one step too late, Mr. Presgrave. We will contact Interpol immediately andrequest their aid, but we cannot promise that we will be able to stop her.”

“Please give me her flight information,” Elliot requested.

“Mr. Presgrave.” Roy was hesitating.

“You can proceed with the customary procedure,” responded Elliot. Lorelai needed to be deported backto the country so that she could face punishment. Even if the authorities were powerless to stop her, hehad to take action.

How else could he calm down his wife? He would never jeopardize her or put her in danger in anymanner.

Meanwhile, Anastasia, who was in the villa, was surprised by Lorelai’s actions. Still, it was within herexpectation, considering how ambitious Liam was to get himself involved in the board of directors ofPresgrave Group. It was his endeavor to pave the way to wealth for future generations. Thus, he hadbeen scheming it after Old Madam Presgraves death. Needless to say, it was the easiest way to berich, albeit malicious and spiteful.

Anastasia finally knew why Harriet kept reminding her to see through the ones who held the authority inthe Presgrave Family. It seemed like the old madam herself had thwarted their evil multiple times.

These rats had been coveting the wealth raked in by the Presgrave Group, hence the burden andresponsibilities weighing on Anastasia’s shoulders. She had to keep a tight rein on them, or theyounger generations of the family would suffer too.

Time flew by, and there was Elliot’s car returning to the villa. To get to the bottom of the case, he did notget a night of good sleep these two days because Anastasia could not sleep well.

Despite his red-rimmed eyes, which became more visible under the illuminating lights, she could seethe determination in those eyes. Seeing him in such a state pained her heart, and she instantly threwherself into his arms.

“Sweetheart, I’m going to leave the country later. I’ll be back, so stay with our son and wait for me.”Elliot’s plan was to ruin Lorelai’s scheme with his own hands to dispose of any possible threat.

Anastasia sighed in his embrace as she knew what he was going to do. “I never expected them tostoop to this level. How can they do this to us?”

“I won’t let them succeed,” he said sternly.

At that moment, his phone rang, and she let him go so he could take the call. “Hello.”

“Mr. Presgrave, we have tracked down the bottle that Liam took. The doctor who operated on Lorelaihas also been detained, and we will begin interrogation as soon as possible.”

“Okay, thanks. Roy, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Leave it to us. We’ll look into everything and uncover the truth.”

Elliot put down the phone and pulled Anastasia over to sit on the sofa. He said, “The police havealready found it. Now, I’m going to find Lorelai and watch her with my own eyes until the surgery isover.”