Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1691-1700

Even if Ellen had fallen in love with Jared, she could still walk out of it and think of it as sweetmemories. She was all alone, like a bird free from its cage, so she could go wherever she wantedwithout having much thought.

Ellen was gone. She left a letter for Jared and disappeared without hesitation.

Jared was baffled as he sat on the couch and read the letter. He couldn’t believe that Ellen would leavehim behind without any notice.

“Darling, who gave you permission to leave? You didn’t even say goodbye,” Jared said after readingthe letter. “I will find you.” As he spoke, he raised his head, and his eyes were filled with determination.No matter where you are, I will find you. Then, I will ask about your sudden departure.

A week later, Selena was on trial and was sentenced to a jail time of a year and three months. AlthoughConnor tried to have another lawsuit, it was rejected by the jury. Never would Selena imagine that shewould go to jail for messing with Ellen. Moreover, she had to be in prison for a year and three months.When she found out about it, she almost cried her eyes out.

Oliver couldn’t do anything either. All she could do was watch Selena being taken away by the officers.When Selena was imprisoned, Ellen didn’t show herself, and Olivia loathed her for this. Truthfully, allEllen had to do was talk to Jared, and she could bail Selena out of jail. However, she didn’t. Hence,Oliver thought Ellen was joyful when she saw how miserable they were.

Even Connor didn’t realize how ruthless Ellen would be. No matter how he looked for her, he couldn’tfind her. At that moment, he decided to cut ties with her and denied her as their relative.

However, none of them knew that there was another person as miserable as them. That person wasJared. For the past seven days consecutively, he couldn’t find any traces of her, no matter what he did.

Just like that, Ellen was gone. However, Jared remembered that she had written such words in theletter. ‘Please don’t come and look for me. I am going to pursue my dreams. I wish you good luck,Jared.’

What exactly is her dream? Jared thought. At this moment, realization struck him when he knewnothing about Ellen. When he read her letter, he could tell she was determined to seek freedom. If hewere to look for her, he would have gotten in her way. Although Jared was reluctant to let her go, hestill decided to do so. He hoped that they would meet again after she had pursued her dreams. Hewould wait for her as long as he could.

However, questions still filled in his head. Where exactly did she go? What is her dream?

In the meantime, in Brook’s hometown, Ellen lived in a place known as The Home of Chess. It was atourist destination where the four seasons were warm. Ellen bought a house and officially became amember of the Chess Academy. She wanted to elevate herself and find what she truly desired. Thus,she stayed there for one and a half years. Sometimes, she would see Jared on the news, but she hadnever wanted to look for him. After all, she felt peace when facing chess pieces.

A year later, Ellen participated in the chess league that was held in the city. Then, she took part in opentournaments and won many matches. After that, she was ranked as a FIDE Master and was titled themost beautiful chess player by the local judges.

However, she was only famous in the city and not nationwide. Since Ellen had her ways of earningmoney, she didn’t have to worry about cash. Plus, she was a pro when it came to saving money. Thus,her life went on smoothly. She was doing what she liked and found what she truly wanted. Soon, itwould be her 25th birthday. Compared to last year, she had changed a lot. Now, she was at peace, hadsomething she was proud of, and was famous.

“Good luck, Ellen. We have signed you up for the world chess tournament. You, Jay, and Austin will beour representatives. We hope you can bring victory to us.”

“After all, you are the apprentice of Mr. Linton, the national champion. You can do it. When that timecomes, you will show the world what you are capable of and become a chess star.”

Ellen nodded and smiled. “I’ll try my best.”

Recently, the media had been reporting that Lockwood Village had become an important developmentarea of Averna. The old houses were gone and were turned into skyscrapers. There were also costlyresidential areas and industries. Lockwood Village had turned into a new landmark.

On the balcony of a newly furnished apartment, a tall figure was standing by the window. He waslooking outside and seemed to be deep in thought.

“It’s getting late, President Jared. You should head home.” Stanley stood behind him and felt his legsgetting sore from standing too long.

They were at one of the residential areas that the Presgrave Group had built. Jared had reserved oneof the penthouses and furnished it himself. While furnishing, he chose everything that a womanneeded. Thus, it was obvious that he had prepared this place for a woman, and Stanley knew who itwas. However, he wondered if Ellen would still be back. One and a half years had passed, but Jaredwas still love-struck with Ellen. Initially, he had many ways to find out where she was, but he didn’t doso. He waited patiently as time passed and refused any women who came to him. It went to the pointthat even Anastasia, who was abroad, had personally asked about his condition. However, Jared wasalways alone. Now that Jared was going to be twenty-eight years old, even Stanley was worried abouthis life.

“Do you think she will be back, Stanley?” Jared asked while lowering his eyes.

“I will search everywhere and bring her back as long as you are willing to,” replied Stanley.

“What if she doesn’t love me?” Jared sighed.

Stanley was also clueless about women. I’m sure every woman loves Jared. After all, he is such aperfect and wealthy man! Although… Miss Reiss is an exception. I guess that makes her different fromthe other girls who are crazy for Jared.

Thinking about it, Stanley felt that Ellen might have left due to how outstanding Jared was. Ellen musthave felt insecure. Hence, he said, “Don’t think of such things, President Jared. I’m sure she lovesyou.”

“I hope so! I have prepared this house for her. It’s where her old mansion used to be. I really wish thatshe will return and accept this gift.” Jared sighed.

Stanley knew what he was talking about. In the past, no one wanted to build any residential area inLockwood Village, but Jared had made this place into a residential area just because he wanted tokeep a place for Ellen.

…

The world chess tournament would be held in Averna by next Friday, and many media outlets werepaying attention to it. A black van stopped by a hotel, and the door was opened from the inside. Soon,a middle-aged man, an old man, and a girl exited the car. The girl wore a black down jacket and took adeep breath, smiling when she caught the whiff of the familiar scent.

“This is your hometown, Ellie. Do you feel happy to be back?” Jay asked.

“Yes. It’s been a year and a half since I last visited here,” Ellen replied.

“Where is your house at?” Austin asked curiously.

What came to Ellen’s mind first was the old manor where her Grandma used to live. That place used tobe her home, but now it was gone.

“My old house was demolished, so I don’t really have a home here.” Ellen smiled.

Afterward, they entered the hotel and rested to prepare for the tournament.

After Ellen had unpacked her stuff, she called a cab and went to the old manor.

Everyone would feel safe and happy when they went to their hometown, even if it had changed.

Ellen got out of the cab and tugged on her hat. Windy winter days were the worst, and her ears werefreezing. Standing by a lamppost, she raised her head and looked where her grandma used to live.However, the place had turned into a residential area. Rumors had it that the house price was up tothirty million.

Looking at the building, Ellen sighed. She knew she had wishful thinking to think that she could recallthe past by coming. However, New Town had already changed into a landmark with commercial value.

At this moment, a black Rolls-Royce drove past her. A figure was sitting in the back of the car with hiseyes closed. As the light shone on his handsome face, Ellen took a glance and felt her heart skip abeat. Looking at the car, she thought, Am I seeing things? Why did I think he looked a lot like Jared? Itmust have been my imagination! After all, how could I have encountered him in such a big city?

Then, she returned to the hotel and spent a whole week there. Soon, the day of the tournament arrived.It went on for three days, and chess players from all over the world gathered, challenging each other.Besides filming the chess game, the media would also do a close-up of the players. One of the playersshocked them as they had never imagined that there would be a young girl in the final round.

The girl was ordinary. She wore a black turtleneck, and her hair was tied into a ponytail. As some of herbangs fell, they highlighted the perfect curves of her cheeks. Although she wore black-framed glasses,she still looked gorgeous. The reporters were shocked to see such a beautiful woman in thetournament’s final round. However, the woman was calm and composed as she looked at thechessboard.

Among the audience, Brook clasped his hands in excitement. He had been accompanying Ellen,hoping she would win the championship for his sake.

Ellen’s opponent was a middle-aged man. He was calm and experienced, but his eyes were filled withdisdain as he looked at her, seemingly to have underestimated her. However, Ellen wasn’t fazed forone bit and didn’t even look at him. All she did was stared at the black and white chess pieces. Thecommentator had explained the chess game thoroughly, but no one was sure who would win since aslight change in the chess would make a significant twist.

Looking at the chessboard on the big screen, Brook suddenly smiled. He knew that Ellen had masteredhis ultimate move.

As expected, the man lost due to underestimation and she narrowly won.

With that, the champion of this year’s tournament was born.

“Oh my god! The champion of this year’s tournament is a young girl. Who exactly is she? Her name isEllen Reiss. The rookies in this year’s chess game sure have many surprises.”

Ellen breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Brook. She smiled when she saw him, knowing she did notdisappoint him.

At this moment, the camera followed Ellen’s gaze and caught Brook. Immediately, the commentatorwas shocked. “She is the apprentice of our former champion! No wonder she is so skillful.”

The middle-aged man who lost was furious. He threw the chess pieces on the board and cussedtoward Ellen before leaving. Then, Ellen got up and returned to the lounge. Fifteen minutes later, shewould be on stage and became this year’s youngest chess champion.

…

On the other hand, at the Aguirre Residence. Connor had just finished lunch and was switching the TVchannels with the remote control. Then, he saw the live stream of the chess tournament.Subconsciously, he stopped. In the meantime, the live stream was showing the award ceremony.Connor sipped his tea when the host said excitedly, “Next up, let us welcome the champion of thisyear’s chess tournament.”

The camera turned toward a figure while the host continued. “This is the champion of this year’stournament. She is a young chess player who is only twenty-five years old. She is a rookie in chess,and her name is Ellen Reiss. A round of applause for Miss Reiss.”

Pfft! Connor spat out his tea as he stared at Ellen intently, watching her take the trophy. He neverexpected that Ellen, whom he had been searching for, would be standing on the stage as a chesschampion.

Looking at her, Connor was beyond frustrated. After all, there was no use in finding her now whenSelena would be getting out of jail. Her life was ruined, and this case would forever taint her.

At this moment, Olivia entered the house. Seeing Connor staring at the TV with a surprised look, sheasked, “What are you looking at? Come and see the clothes I bought for Lena. When she comes home,she can wear the new clothes.”

“Come and look at this girl, Oli,” said Connor as he pointed toward the TV screen.

Olivia wasn’t a fan of watching celebrities. When she heard Connor’s words and saw that he waspointing at the TV screen, she subconsciously looked over. In the meantime, Ellen’s face was on thescreen. The cameraman took a close-up of her, making her look even prettier on screen.

“This… Is this Ellen?” Olivia was dumbfounded. Why is she on TV and being awarded? As she thought,she exclaimed, “What is she being awarded?” Olivia couldn’t believe that Ellen had become anoutstanding woman and was on TV. Moreover, she was awarded on national TV.

“It is the national chess championship.” Connor sighed. Never would he have thought that things wouldturn out this way. He used to think that Ellen couldn’t do anything and was just an ordinary girl.However, he didn’t expect her to be talented after one and a half years had passed.

“S-She must have bribed them! There is no way she can become a chess champion! If not, heropponent must have thrown the game. Thus, what is so special about an award that can be obtainedby bribing?” Olivia uttered in disdain.

Hearing her words, Connor recalled that she was with Jared. Maybe the Presgrave Family had givenher some benefits. They let her become a chess champion so she will have a better future. Perhaps Oliis right.

“This b*tch! How dare she live a great life and stand on the stage with spotlights on her when she letLena be in prison for a year! She is ruthless!” Olivia was convinced that the lady was a nobody whocouldn’t achieve anything.

Then, she refused to look at the TV anymore and went to do the laundry. However, Connor sat backand hit replay, rewinding the stream. When he saw Ellen’s first match, he sat down and observed theprocess. Connor was a chess lover himself, and he would always play chess by the park. When hefinished watching Ellen’s first match, he was shocked. Then, he quickly forwarded the stream to the last

round. As he watched the game, he knew what Olivia said was wrong. Ellen didn’t win the match bybribing. In fact, she won fair and square.

At that moment, the host mentioned Ellen’s mentor—Brook. He was the world champion who haddefeated most of the top-tier players. However, he stopped competing after a tragedy happened to hisfamily, followed by depression.

It’s quite a surprise that he is Ellen’s mentor. No wonder Ellen is skillful, he thought.

When Olivia entered the room and saw Connor was still looking at Ellen, she was angry. “Why are youstill watching? What is there to look at?”

Hearing her words, Connor turned off the TV. At the same time, he didn’t tell Olivia that Ellen had wonthe championship with her own skill. After all, he didn’t want his wife to be even angrier. At thismoment, his phone rang. When he took out his phone and saw who the caller was, he galloped to thebalcony and answered it.

The caller was his side chick, Aida. For the past year, she treated him like trash and threatened him togive her money by using his son. If Connor refused to give her money, she would not allow him to visithis son. Luckily for him, Olivia had not known about Connor’s affair yet. Otherwise, life would be harderfor him. The most important right now was welcoming Selena, who would get out of prison in threedays.

…

After the award ceremony, Ellen returned to the hotel with the others. Everyone was thrilled becausethey had returned with fruitful results.

When they had dinner together, they discussed whether they should stay and have fun in Avernabefore going back. Since Brook had a place he could stay for the long term, he asked Ellen, “Do you

want to stay here, Ellie? You have already achieved your goal. Next, it’s time for you to find someoneand start a family.”

“I still haven’t thought about it yet, Mr. Linton.” Ellen smiled. It went without saying that she was excitedbecause winning the championship was the highlight of her life.

At that moment, the chairman of the team got a phone call. Then, he quickly said to Brook and Ellen inexcitement, “Mr. Linton, Ellie, the TV station just called and wanted to invite you guys for an interview.”

When Ellen heard his words, she was shocked. Brook looked at her and asked, “Do you want to go,Ellie?”

“I…” Ellen didn’t know. She didn’t mind the cameras when she played chess. However, she would benervous if she was being interviewed live.

“Just go! Take the opportunity and be famous when you are still young!” one of them suggested.

“Yeah! What are you afraid of, Ellie? You are even more beautiful than most celebrities.”

In the end, Ellen agreed to it. Since the staff from the TV station kept urging them, she and Brookwould be interviewed on live TV that Friday.

…

At the secretary department of Presgrave Group, Stanley had finally finished his job. He decided totake a break and watched his favorite show—the chess tournament held at Averna. He had wanted towatch it but didn’t have the spare time since he had been busy the past few days. Now, he had finishedhis job and was ready to enjoy himself. When he opened the VOD and saw the players’ names, he sawa person called Ellen. Before seeing the actual player, Stanley thought it was someone with the samename as Ellen. Then, he clicked on Ellen’s match.

As he clicked on the edited video, the players were seated while the cameraman gave them a close-up.At that moment, Stanley almost jumped out of his chair in shock when he saw the woman. Although thewoman wore glasses, Stanley could still recognize it was Ellen!

Oh god! This is not a coincidence! She is actually Ellen! Stanley was thrilled as he thought about it.Then, he took out his phone and dialed Jared’s number, wanting to tell him about the news.

“Hello.” A tired voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

Stanley decided to surprise him. After all, it wouldn’t be much fun if he directly told Jared that Ellen hadtaken part in the chess tournament. He wanted Jared to see it for himself!

“President Jared, I have some great news to tell you. Go and watch the chess tournament that washeld in Averna when you have the time. Maybe you will find the person you have always been lookingfor.”

“Who is it?”

“I’ll keep it a secret. Find out for yourself!” Stanley chuckled and hung up the phone. Although he wasdying to spill the beans, he still suppressed the urge.

After Jared hung up the phone, Stanley texted and urged him. ‘You must go and take a look!’ he wrote.

Jared sat at the back of the car. After he had ended the call with Stanley, he had another business call.It was a discussion about a recent investment proposal. Soon, Jared went back to work. When hefinally returned home, it was already 9.00PM. As soon as he entered the living room, he took off hissuit, revealing a dark shirt that showed his perfect figure. Then, he walked toward the refrigerator andtook out a glass of ice before retrieving a bottle of whiskey, after which he poured himself a drink. Afterthat, he returned to the sofa and drank some of it before closing his eyes tiredly.

Suddenly, Stanley’s words flashed across his mind. Then, he took the remote control and turned on theTV.

When the TV showed the special highlight from the chess tournament, Jared scrolled through it withcuriosity. Suddenly, he seemed to have seen something. His eyes widened as he stared at a name.

Ellen? Why is her name on the list? Jared knew there was no mistake. It was Ellen’s name.

At that moment, he returned to his senses and quickly clicked on her name to rewatch her match.When the screen switched scenes, Ellen’s beautiful face unfolded right before his eyes. Looking at her,he stood up in bewilderment. He couldn’t believe he would find Ellen, the woman who had disappearedfor one and a half years, this way.

Ellen had changed a lot. Jared could tell that she was more mature. At the match, she wasn’t wearinganything classy, sporting a plain turtleneck, looking sharp. When the camera zoomed in on her, shedidn’t cower away, looking like a porcelain doll.

Immediately, Jared grabbed his phone and dialed Stanley’s number.

“Stanley.”

“Yes, Mr. Presgrave.”

“How did you find her?”

“It looks like you have watched it. Except for work, I love to play chess. Hence, I knew a chesstournament would be right around the corner. Since I have nothing much to do, I watched the video andsaw Miss Reiss.”

“Is… Is she still in Averna? Which hotel is she at?” Jared suppressed the excitement in his voice.

“Are you going to see her tonight, Mr. Presgrave? It’s already 10.00PM, though. Why don’t we meet hertomorrow morning?” Stanley suggested.

“Do you think I can wait until tomorrow? I want to know which hotel she stays in within ten minutes.”Jared wouldn’t give him the time to slack off.

Hearing his words, Stanley shook his head and smiled. Fortunately, he had done some researchbeforehand and replied, “I have already checked that. I’ll send the address to you right away. I’m sureyou know Miss Reiss is the champion, right?”

“What?”

“Don’t you know about it?”

“Really?”

“Yes. I just watched her last match. It was amazing. She is truly gifted as a chess player.”

When Jared heard his words, he felt a pang in his chest. Does that mean more men will like her? Willshe be popular around people? A sudden rush of jealousy surged toward his heart as he thought aboutthe possibilities.

After a while, Stanley hung up the phone and sent him the address, including Ellen’s room number.Immediately, Jared grabbed his coat and quickly rushed to the garage. He didn’t want to wait anylonger. At that moment, all he wanted to do now was to find her and ask about her sudden departure.That was enough to make him look for her!

As the lamppost shone its light, a sports car dashed through the road as fast as lightning.

On the other hand, at the hotel, Ellen had taken a bath and was sitting on the couch, looking at thetrophy on the table. Looking at it, she thought about a familiar face. She wanted to see Jared but had

no reason to do so. After all, he had never come looking for her when she left without saying anythingfor an entire year. That meant that they were over.

Thinking about it, she turned her head to look outside the window. The neon lights were shiningbrightly. Is there a woman beside him now? I wonder if she’s the same woman that I heard of before Ileft.

At this moment, the doorbell rang. Ellen believed it was the hotel staff since she had ordered a plate offruits. Thus, she stood up and opened the door without much thought. However, it wasn’t the hotel staffwho stood before her, but a man who was panting. He was leaning against the doorframe, seeminglyout of breath.

When Ellen saw who he was, her pupils constricted. You. It’s you. In that split second, the duo lookedat each other without saying a word.

After Jared had got a hold of his breath, he pointed into her room and asked, “Can I come in?”

“Of course.” Ellen nodded hastily.

Then, Jared entered the room while Ellen closed the door and followed suit. Suddenly, he stopped andturned around abruptly, which made her bump into him. At that moment, she frantically backed awayand tripped over the carpet.

“Ah!” Ellen fell backward and was going to hit her head when Jared quickly pulled her. Immediately,their bodies were pressed close to each other. Ellen was shocked by the sudden outcome. Her facewas pale, and she opened her lips to say something. At that moment, Jared cupped her cheeks andkissed her. In that split second, Ellen was dumbfounded. She stood there stiffly, allowing him to kissher. After Jared pulled away, her pale face was flushed.

Jared cupped her cheeks as he pressed his forehead against hers. “How rude of you. You didn’t eveninform me that you came back,” he said hoarsely.

Ellen blinked and explained awkwardly, “I’m here to participate in the tournament. I’m not here on atrip.”

“Don’t you want to share with me after you have won the championship?”

“I was afraid that you might be busy.” Ellen pursed her lips.

“Even if I’m busy, I can still find the time to celebrate with you,” Jared said exasperatedly. He could tellthat she was making up an excuse, and the real reason was that she didn’t want to see him.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. It must be the hotel staff, Ellen thought. Then, she saidto Jared, “I’ll go and get the fruit.” After that, she opened the door and saw a young, elegant manstanding there. He was Hendrix O’rion, one of the chess players. Hendrix heard that Ellen was alsostaying at this hotel. Since he would be leaving by tomorrow, he wanted to greet her and talk aboutchess. Moreover, he liked her.

“Hi!” Hendrix waved at her.

“Hello.” Ellen smiled.

“I’m sorry to bother you at this hour, Miss Reiss. I really admire you and wish that we could playtogether sometime later. Is it okay if I get your number?” asked Hendrix.

Before Ellen could say anything, a cold male voice replied, “No.”

When Hendrix heard the voice, he was startled. When he saw a handsome man come out of the room,he asked curiously, “Miss Reiss, who is this man?”

“I’m her boyfriend,” Jared announced without hesitation.

Ellen was speechless.

On the other hand, Hendrix was disappointed. I had asked her teammates, and none said she had aboyfriend. What’s going on?

“We will meet again at the next match, Mr. O’rion,” Ellen said politely.

“I see. I’ll take my leave now.” Hendrix left awkwardly.

As soon as the door was closed, Ellen heard Jared say sulkily. “As expected. You have more admirersafter a year!”

Hearing his words, Ellen felt funny and looked at him. “What about you? I’m sure your admirers aremore than mine, right?”

Jared didn’t answer her. No matter what, he was upset when he saw that other men were looking forEllen. He even wondered if she would have invited Hendrix into her room and bonded their relationshipif he hadn’t come.

“Since you are back now, are you going to leave again?” As Jared spoke, he walked over to the trophy.When he saw it, he was happy for her. After all, he had never expected her to be able to bag a trophy.

“I’m not planning to leave anytime soon. I still have a television interview to attend,” Ellen repliedtruthfully.

“It looks like you were pursuing your dream in the past year.” Jared gave her a look of appraisal.

“Yes, chess is indeed my dream. I found what I was looking for.” Ellen nodded.

“That’s good. Otherwise, I won’t be able to accept the fact that you will be leaving me again.” Jaredlooked at her with a darkened gaze. His eyes were filled with upset, sadness, and resignation.

“I’m sorry.” Ellen apologized. She knew he was hurt by the way she bid goodbye.

“It’s fine. I’m not a petty person. I’ll forgive you, but on one condition. My next ten meals are on you.”

“Ten meals?” Ellen blinked in confusion.

“Don’t worry. You can take me to a cheap restaurant. I won’t make you go bankrupt,” replied Jared.

“It’s fine if you want that, but… won’t your girlfriend be upset about it?” asked Ellen as she bit her lip.He must be dating that girl whom he hugged at his office! Ellen thought.

“Girlfriend?” Jared squinted his eyes and thought, When did I ever have a girlfriend?

Hearing his question, Ellen nodded her head seriously.

“Which one?” Jared raised his eyebrow and asked.

Ellen’s eyes widened when she heard his words. “How many girlfriends do you have?”

“Not much. I only have one.” As Jared spoke, he pointed at her and said, “That’s you.”

At that moment, Ellen’s mind went blank. Wait for a second. Does that mean that the woman hehugged isn’t his girlfriend? No, I can’t let him know about this. Otherwise, he will give me a scolding! Iwould rather treat him to ten meals! Thinking about it, she said, “Ten meals, right? No problem!” Shewas quick to respond.

“This room is too cramped. I’m going to tell them to give you a better room,” Jared suggested, wishingshe would stay in a comfier place.

“It’s fine. I think this is just perfect. Plus, it’s getting late. Why don’t you go home and take a rest?” Ellensaid.

Jared pointed to her ceiling and replied, “I’m staying on the top floor. Just call me if anything happens.”

“Okay.” Ellen nodded and didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

They had not seen each other for more than a year! Thus, they were not as close as they used to be.

However, Jared didn’t want to leave. At that moment, he took out his phone and took a picture ofEllen’s trophy. After that, he took another selfie while smiling as he held the trophy. His handsome facematched the golden trophy well!

Looking at his actions, Ellen was shocked. After all, even she was way past the age of taking cuteselfies.

After taking the selfie, Jared uploaded it to his social media. ‘Guess who the owner of the trophy is?Bingo. It is my girlfriend’s,’ he wrote.

Just like that, he announced his relationship with Ellen. Plus, the trophy was titled the champion of thisyear’s chess tournament. Hence, anyone would be able to know who the winner of the tournament wasas long as they searched for it.

“What did you post?” Ellen asked in curiosity.

When Jared heard her words, he immediately closed his phone and put it in his pocket. “Nothing. I’ll begoing now. Get some rest!”

When he arrived at the door, he turned around and reminded her. “Don’t open the door for any mentonight.”

Ellen was speechless and thought that he was such a dominant man.

After Jared had left Ellen’s room, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the door. His eyes were likea predator had its eyes on its prey. I won’t let her escape again, he thought. In the meantime, Ellen wasalso relieved as she had a smile on her lips. For unknown reasons, she felt that it was easier for her toface him, and it felt great.

…

At 8.00AM, the Aguirres couple were waiting by the prison gate. After some time, Selena carried herluggage under the escort of a prison guard. She seemed to have lost her youthfulness and lookedglum.

“Now that you are out here, get a new life, Selena. I hope you won’t be back again. Good luck!” Afterthe guard finished his words, he closed the door.

When Olivia saw Selena, tears rolled down her eyes, and she rushed over to hug her. “Oh, Selena, mysweetheart. My baby girl. You are finally out of there.”

Selena threw her luggage to the ground and cried miserably. “I’m so tired of it, Mom. I was struggling!”She complained about her prison life. “I’m hungry and cold every day. The other inmates even hit meand toyed with me. I’m so done with it.”

“Where did they hit you? Let me take a look at it,” Olivia said hastily.

Selena showed her arm to Olivia, revealing a bruise, indicating that she was severely beaten. Lookingat the bruise, Olivia was heartbroken. “Let’s go home, Lena. You don’t have to go through thisanymore.”

Connor was also distressed when he saw Selena’s condition. It’s good that she had finally ended herdays in prison. I’ll make sure that she does well in the future. Thinking about it, Connor told her, “Lookpast the future and live a brand new life, Lena.”

When Selena heard his voice, she looked at him. Truthfully, she hated him. After all, not only did hecheat on Olivia, but he was also the reason why she was in jail. If he could find Ellen, she wouldn’t bein jail. As Selena thought about it, she asked hoarsely, “Dad! Did you find Ellen? Where is she?”

“You just came out of jail, Lena. Don’t try to do anything stupid. We have already cut ties with her. Whyare you still looking for her?”

“She is the reason I’m in jail. Who does she think she is to make me pay such a huge price? I hate her.I will never forgive her.” Selena screamed hysterically.

Olivia would have encouraged Selena to take her revenge if it was the past. However, Ellen was notthe same as before. Olivia knew that she was not someone to be messed with anymore. After all, shehad just won the championship in chess, which meant she had strong backing. Thus, she didn’t wanther daughter to risk it.

“Come on, Lena. Let’s go home,” Olivia pleaded, left with no choice.

Selena could endure the days when being in jail because there was a strong emotion supporting her. Itwas the hatred toward Ellen. Hence, she would never be able to forgive Ellen. No matter what, shewould find Ellen, even if everyone stopped her.

…

When Ellen woke up the next morning, her phone buzzed with the daily news, as Ellen liked readingthe news. Suddenly, she was intrigued by the title.

‘Shocking News! President Jared Had Publicly Announced His Love Life on Social Media!’

Immediately, Ellen clicked into the news. When she saw the article, her eyes widened in disbelief. Shesaw Jared’s social media had a selfie of him with a trophy, which was hers. Moreover, he wrote thatshe was his girlfriend.

Is this why he wouldn’t let me see what he posted yesterday? Why didn’t he inform me about it?

Soon, the media reported on this matter. Initially, everyone had their eyes on Ellen because she wasthe chess champion. Now that Jared had made such huge news, her name was all over the internet.There were many videos of her during the tournament, and the netizens were discussing her.

‘She is gorgeous! She looks so friendly!’

‘Good Lord! How can she be so talented? I love her looks. She is a natural beauty.’

‘She looks like a celebrity. Not only is she good-looking, but she is also talented.’

‘A champion and a wealthy man. They seem like the perfect couple!’

‘I wish them good luck. With how good-looking they are, I can’t wait to see what their baby looks like.’

‘I hope they get married soon!’

As the netizens complimented Ellen, she didn’t know anything. At this moment, she was in the hotel’smeeting room. The news reporter had arrived and met them beforehand, preparing some questionsthey would be asking. One of the staff was a gossiper. When she saw that Ellen was easygoing, shemustered up the courage and whispered in her ear, “Miss Reiss, can I ask when your wedding withPresident Presgrave is?”

Hearing her words, Ellen blinked and didn’t know what to say. Thus, she smiled and replied, “We stillhaven’t talked about it.”

At this moment, the interviewer asked again, “Miss Reiss, may I know in advance if we can mentionyour love life? I’m sure your fans and the audience are dying to know.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m uncomfortable about bringing up my personal matters.” Ellen shook her head politely.

“Okay. I understand.”

During break time, the hotel staff served them premium tea and biscuits. The reporters were happy, butthey didn’t order it! At that moment, Ellen was thirsty. Hence, she grabbed one of the drinks and drankit while saying to the assistant, “Thanks for the high tea.”

“Aren’t you the one who ordered it, Miss Reiss?”

“Huh? It’s not me.” Ellen shook her head in surprise.

Coincidentally, the waiter heard their conversation. Then, he walked over with a smile. “It’s yourboyfriend who arranged this, Miss Reiss.”

Since Ellen was famous, the hotel staff recognized her. Only then did they know that she, the chesschampion, had stayed in their hotel, and her boyfriend, Jared, was also staying in the presidential suite!

When the others heard the waiter’s words, they were delighted. No one had expected that they wouldhave a delicious high tea because of Ellen.

“I heard that it costs almost ten thousand for this! President Jared must have spent lots of moneybecause of us.”

“Thank you, Miss Reiss.”

“Please help us thank the president.”

Great. Now I’m stuck with Jared, thought Ellen as she smiled at the others.

…

After Selena had returned home, Connor gave her a new phone. During the days she was in prison,she couldn’t even sleep without having nightmares, not to mention being able to use her phone. Thosedays, she lived in fear and was exhausted. It was as if she was being disconnected from the wholeworld.

As soon as she got her phone, she played with it endlessly. She was playing games and watchingvideos all day.

Olivia also gave her ten thousand, which she had saved, as allowance. After Selena was all dressedup, she took the money and went out.

As she entered a coffee shop, insecurities filled her eyes. After all, she was someone who had been inprison. Looking at those pretty girls, she was jealous that they were innocent. Unlike them, the criminalrecord would forever haunt her.

“Oh my god! Look! It’s the latest news about Ellen. She is going to have an interview.”

A few girls were talking loudly in front of Selena. When Selena heard Ellen’s name, she was startledand thought it was a celebrity with the same name.

After all, she couldn’t figure out why they were excited when Ellen’s name was mentioned.

“I love the way she plays chess. She looks sexy and put together!”

“I wonder if she will become a celebrity. I hope she can become an actress!”

“There is no way she will be an actress! After all, her reputation and her boyfriend’s status are enoughfor her to live happily as a rich woman.”

As Selena listened to their conversation, she scrolled through some videos. Suddenly, her pupilsconstricted, and she stopped scrolling when a beautiful woman appeared on her screen. In that splitsecond, Selena knew who she was. Ellen?

After she had read the article, she was shocked to see that Ellen was the chess champion.

This must be a fraud! How can she be so talented? Did Ellen pretend to be a champion when I was inprison?

As she thought about it, she clicked on the person’s profile and saw Ellen in many of the person’svideos. There were even videos of her in the chess tournament. Looking at it, Selena noticed millionsof views and over three million comments on the video. All of them were praising Ellen.

Seeing that the netizens were praising Ellen, Selena was dumbstruck.

Is Ellen pretending to become a champion that is loved by all? Soon, she saw Jared’s announcementand his selfie with Ellen’s trophy.

At that moment, she felt a pang in her heart. She was filled with hatred! She wished she could ruineverything Ellen had. After all, Ellen’s life was what she wanted but couldn’t achieve.

Ellen had become the winner, while she lost miserably.novelbin