Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1621-1630

Selena swore to get rid of the woman. She wouldn’t let anyone ruin her family or steal her father’s and her family’s fortune.

“Mom, get some rest,” she urged her mother.

“I haven’t been this happy for ages.” Olivia was elated today as she felt the flame between her and her husband had been reignited.

“Mom, do you think Dad is a good husband? Besides, do you think Dad will cheat on you, considering our family’s wealth?”

“He won’t dare. I’ll break his legs if he ever thinks about it.” Olivia’s immediate reply was offhand. Even though she wasn’t the most capable woman, she was capable of throwing a fit and flying into a rage.

The words made Selena’s stomach churn. She originally planned to be as tactful as possible to reveal her discovery to her mother. However, her mother tended to act tough in all kinds of situations. Her mother probably couldn’t take it if she told her the truth.

“Your father might not be good at anything, but I have had him wrapped around my finger since our first day as a married couple. Even if he thought about cheating on me, he wouldn’t do that for real,” Olivia answered proudly.

Selena’s pained look was a stark contrast to her mother’s confidence. Little did Olivia know her husband not only cheated on her but even had an illegitimate son with another woman.

“Enough. I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll check on your father since he drank too much tonight.” After that, Olivia left the room.

Selena bit her lip in resentment. Her blood was boiling when she thought of her father’s mistress. She planned to get rid of the woman and make the woman vanish on her own without disturbing her mother.

Besides, she would have to warn her father to cut ties with his mistress and b*stard child.

The next morning was another workday for Selena and she went to work by car. She had barely sat down when the assistant came over to deliver a message.

“Selena, the manager wants to see you.”

Pushing her chair back in surprise, she headed to the manager’s office, wondering whether he was about to give her a pay raise or something.

“Selena, your one-month probation is over. We decided not to hire you since you didn’t meet the requirements.” The manager was frank.

Blood drained from Selena’s face as she rose to her feet in shock and argued, “Impossible! I haven’t made any mistakes at work. Why did I get fired?”

“Your male colleagues have been helping you in completing your job. Besides, your professional skills simply aren’t meeting our requirements. Go pack your things. You may leave at any time,” the manager explained calmly.

Selena left the manager’s office in frustration, not happy with the outcome. The more she thought about it, the more she thought Ellen had something to do with her dismissal.

At last, she was convinced that Ellen was responsible for this matter. Ellen must have bad-mouthed her to Jared, or Ellen simply asked Jared to fire her.

Rushing out of the office, Selena stepped into the elevator and headed to another floor, where the main office was situated.

She had questions for Ellen, and she demanded answers.

Ellen arrived at her office in the early morning. When she immersed herself in a book, someone threw open the door from outside without warning.

She looked in that direction to find Selena storming in and growling at her, “Ellen, do you have anything to do with my dismissal?”

Putting her hands on the table to help herself to her feet, Ellen returned the other woman’s hateful glare with fury in her eyes. “I don’t. On the other hand, I’d like to know what is in it for you to drive a wedge between me and Lambert?”

Selena sneered. “Oh yeah? Nice try, but I’m not buying it. You must have asked President Presgrave to fire me. After my father pulled a few strings to get you into the company, I can’t believe you dared to make me lose my job!”

“As I said before, I have nothing to do with it. You’re barking up the wrong tree.” A scowl appeared between Ellen’s brows.

“It must be nice to have people backing you up because you have the face to condescend to me like that. Ellen, the Presgrave Family owes my father a huge favor. If I make my father appeal to them, I can stay in the company as I please.” Selena couldn’t help but show off the history between the Presgrave Family and her father.

“How did your father help them?” Her words piqued Ellen’s curiosity.

Her question put Selena to pause as the other woman didn’t expect to slip up. Selena dismissed her question by changing the topic, “No matter what, it’s too early to celebrate victory. Even though I lost the job, I have a bright future.”

After that, Selena turned on her heel and left the office.

After Selena stormed in and threw a fit at Ellen, the latter felt horrible and lost the mood to read. She covered her face with her hands as she rested her elbows on the table, hoping to escape from reality.

At that moment, a lean figure showed up outside the office. Noticing Ellen looked down, the man walked into her office without asking for permission.

She immediately raised her head when she heard footsteps echoing in the room. Standing in front of her was her boyfriend, who was also the company’s president, watching her with concern.

“You look upset. What’s wrong?” he asked.

She had a question for him, and she didn’t hesitate to seek his answer. “Did you ask them to fire Selena?”

Jared saw no point in denying the truth, so he nodded. “That’s right. She gets on my nerves.”

She pressed her lips into a faint smile. So, it’s really him.

It was a good thing, though. She didn’t have to see Selena anymore since the woman got fired.

“Do you know my uncle?”

“I don’t.” Jared’s stomach churned at her question, but he shook his head.

“But Selena told me that my uncle is close with your family.” Ellen pressed for answers.

He watched her calmly. “Can we talk about this another time?”

Ellen blinked in bafflement. Is there something he can’t tell me? Even though she had many questions, she nodded and let it go for the moment.

“Are you free tonight? I want to show you a place.” He changed the topic.

“Sure! Where are we going?” Ellen was eager to know.

“It’s a secret. You’ll see.” Jared cast her an inscrutable smile, refusing to reveal anything. After that, he began to admire Ellen, who was wearing a gray business suit. He almost lost himself in her captivating look.

To him, the girl could easily seduce him even if she was in her business attire.

Meeting his unfathomable expression, she could feel her cheeks burning. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just admiring you.” Giving her another smile, Jared decided not to bother her and left the office.

The moment he left, Ellen’s phone rang. She picked up her phone and saw the caller ID. Taking a deep breath, she mustered all the courage to answer it since it was Olivia calling her.

“Hello? Aunt Olivia?”

“Don’t ‘Aunt Olivia’ me! Look at what you did! What did Selena ever do to you? How could you manipulate your boss into dismissing her? She’s your cousin!” An angry Olivia scolded her from the other end of the line.

Before Ellen could explain, Olivia continued, “You brat! Take a look at yourself before pointing fingers at others. Is it because Selena has always been better than you since young? You must be blinded by jealousy to do that to her. What a wicked woman you are at this age! It seems like I need to teach you a lesson soon.”

“Aunt Olivia, my issues are none of your business and I don’t need your lessons or advice. Why don’t you save them for your daughter? I’m sure she needs that.” At that, Ellen hung up the call before she could hear a reply.

Soon, another call from Olivia came in, but Ellen didn’t want to pick up her phone. After all, she did nothing wrong, so she didn’t deserve Olivia’s accusation.

Meanwhile, Olivia was pacing back and forth around the house in frustration. How dare she talk that way to me and even have the audacity to hang up on me!

However, she was most upset by the fact that Ellen dared to be the cause of Selena’s unemployment. Working at the Presgrave Group was something worth bragging about, but Ellen just had to fire Selena.

It seems like having the so-called Young Master Jared back her up made her forget about her roots. If she’s trying to kick us away, she can try.

Olivia searched for Connor’s number in her phone and dialed it. At the same moment in a hospital, Connor was getting scolded by his mistress because he didn’t answer the phone last night, causing her to have to borrow money from others to pay her son’s hospital bill.

Fortunately, her son wasn’t harmed, and she only worried for nothing.

“I have to take a call,” Connor informed the woman beside him.

“It’s Olivia, isn’t it? Why can’t you just tell her about our affair? What is so wrong about letting her know you have a son?” Connor’s mistress felt bad the whole time. After all, both she and Olivia were Connor’s women, but Olivia had the privilege to live in a manor while she had to compromise with a rental house.

All these years, Connor had been keeping a balance between his two families with extra caution. However, deep down in his heart, he feared facing Olivia’s wrath.

“We’ll talk about this later.” Connor gave the woman a few perfunctory words before heading up to answer Olivia’s call.

“Hello? What’s wrong, Oli?”

“Everything is wrong! Do you know the ungrateful Ellen just ruined Lena’s career? She asked Young Master Jared to fire Lena, so our daughter is unemployed at the moment.”

“What?”

“Also, our dear niece just hung up on me just now. Ellen clearly has no respect for me. I shouldn’t have expected much from an orphan girl!” Olivia never held back when she was talking to her husband.

“Hey, watch your mouth, will you? My sister died early. She has nothing to do with it!” Connor protested.

“Why are you defending her? I’m pointing out the truth. Even more, I’ll ruin her career. I don’t understand what’s good in getting her a job in Presgrave Group.” Olivia blamed everything on him.

“Fine. It’s all my fault.” Connor swallowed his pride and complied with her.

“I’m heading to the Presgrave Group right now. She needs to pay the price for ruining my daughter.”

“Calm down, Oli. It’s something between the young ones. They can settle it between themselves. We shouldn’t meddle. Besides, Lena can always find another job.”

Olivia scoffed and muttered, “No, she won’t get away with it that easily. I’m making a banner to show everyone her true colors.”

Then, she ended the call without waiting for his reply.

Connor sighed in frustration before returning to the sick room. His son had already woken up and was now seeking his company. Even though Connor planned to leave a moment ago, he changed his mind at the sight of his son.

Thus, he decided to let Olivia do what she wanted. For now, his son was his priority. After all, the boy was the heir of the Aguirre Family.

“Nath and I are fed up with living like your unspeakable secret, Connor. When will you divorce Olivia so we can live under the same roof with you?” The woman, Aida Reed, pushed him to make a decision.

At that, Connor tried to coax her. “There’s no need to rush. The time isn’t right yet. It’s best I do it when Nath grows up.”

“You always tell me the same thing. He’s now six years old! When will the time ever be right for you?”

Connor took out a debit card and gave it to her. “There is one hundred and fifty thousand in this account. Use it to treat yourself and Nath to something better. I’ll bank in more later.”

Aida finally kept her mouth shut at the promise of money. Taking the card from him, she put it in her purse and let him off the hook. However, her goal was more than this money. She was well aware that Connor was richer than he showed. Aida knew she had to fight for the family’s fortune for her son’s sake.

Meanwhile, Olivia made a trip to an advertising agency downstairs and commissioned them to make a banner for her instantly.

Written on the banner was, ‘Ellen Reiss, a heartless and inhuman employee of the Presgrave Group, shamelessly seducing the president to destroy her cousin’s career’.

She also provided Ellen’s photo to be added to the banner. “Here’s her picture. Make it as clear as possible.”

A banner was finished before 2.30PM. After that, she hired a few people who specialized in shady businesses to present the banner in front of the Presgrave Group. The group of six was sitting near the

entrance while lifting the banner so the passersby could see it.

Olivia sat in a corner proudly as she watched the employees whispering to each other. I’m sure I have ruined Ellen’s reputation!

As expected, the news was spreading like a wildfire among the thirty thousand employees of the Presgrave Group. All of them were discussing it in their conversation while the same thing was spread among different group chats. Not long after that, they found that Ellen’s cousin who worked for the company was Selena. Besides, Selena failed in her probation period and was forced to leave the company this morning.

Furthermore, Ellen was assigned a position in the main office recently. She got a promotion dubiously faster than most people, so people believed that she had seduced the president in exchange for a promotion.

Thus, the facts altogether cemented the fact that Ellen was the kind of person the banner made her to be.

“I can’t believe it. It’s a surprise to learn that Ellen has the influence to kick her cousin out of the company. I always thought Selena is being difficult, but it seems like I was wrong. Ellen is indeed vengeful.” At the reception desk, the two receptionists, who always held a grudge against Ellen, discussed the matter with each other.

“I knew it! Selena left a bad impression on me of how she treated Ellen, and I even felt bad for Ellen. Who would have known that Ellen was such a cunning woman? She seduced the president and manipulated him into dismissing Selena.”

“That’s right. I got deceived by her appearance. She looks just like an innocent girl but turned out to be the villain in the story.”

Even though the news spread among the employees, nobody dared confront Ellen about it. Meanwhile, Ellen was preparing for the written exam to earn her driving license in her office. She had zero ideas about what went viral among her colleagues.

It was only when she felt her eyes hurting and her brain overprocessing that she left her office and headed to the washroom. Just as she closed the door of the cubicle, a conversation between two people reached her ears.

“Have you seen the group message? Is it true about Ellen? Did she really manage to get President Presgrave to fire her cousin?”

“If it isn’t true, Selena’s mother wouldn’t make a fuss about it by asking the men to put the banner outside the company for that long. She must be very angry.”

“That’s unexpected of Ellen. Do you think she has done anything to make President Presgrave fall for her?”

“If not, President Presgrave wouldn’t have spared a glance at her in the first place. After all, there are other gorgeous women in the company, but none of them ever get a promotion as fast as she did. She’s the only person who gets promoted from a receptionist to the president’s assistant in a flash.”

“You’re right. I wonder what she had possibly done. I’ll try them on someone when I master them.”

“Well, aren’t you a little ambitious?” One of the women concluded their conversation with laughter.

Little did they know, the subject of their discussion was now standing in the last cubicle, hearing every word they said.

Ellen was bewildered by the whole thing. Did they say Selena’s mother is holding a banner in front of the company? Aunt Olivia is here?

After the two women left the washroom, Ellen came out of the cubicle with a flushed face. The women had no respect for her at all and their words degraded her by calling her a vixen. However, she was confident that she never thought about seducing Jared for once since their encounter.

Ellen headed toward the elevator lobby and got on one of them. The doors soon opened again on another level, and a discussion began as soon as a few people stepped inside.

“Can you believe it? It’s happening around us! How could Ellen treat her family like that just because she made it to the top? And that person is her cousin no less! I also heard that her cousin is an analyst. Do you have any idea how high the professional qualifications she must have to join the department?”

“I happened to hear that Ellen already made moves on President Presgrave when she was working as a receptionist. She never did her job, though. Instead, she kept making chance encounters with President Presgrave and seduced him.”

“I don’t understand. Why did President Presgrave even fall for her in the first place? There are many female employees in the company and all of them are prettier and better than her.”

“That’s right. I have a hard time believing it too. Besides, President Presgrave has bad taste in women.”

“After all, President Presgrave is still young. A cunning girl like Ellen can easily wrap him around her fingers.”

“By the way, I don’t even know what the girl looks like.”

“Here’s her picture. Have a look.”

The female employee showed the screen of her phone to the people around her. She happened to look behind her and she nearly let her phone slip at the sight of a certain person. Immediately covering her

mouth, she watched the woman in the corner in disbelief. At the same time, the woman returned her gaze.

Even though the other woman’s expression was calm, the female employee was overwhelmed.

“I’m sorry, Miss Reiss. We didn’t mean to talk about you like that.” The female employee apologized to Ellen without hesitation. President Presgrave has her back. I can’t risk getting on her bad side. Who knows what will happen to me if she tells him about this?

In a split second, everyone in the elevator was looking in Ellen’s direction. Shameful expressions emerged on their faces as if they were a bunch of children who got caught making mistakes. All of them promptly hung their heads low. They were afraid if Ellen recognized them, she would complain to Jared and get them fired.

On the contrary, Ellen kept silent because she was also searching for the right words to say.

When the elevator doors opened again, the employees rushed out of the elevator without even making sure they had reached their destination. Soon, Ellen was standing in the elevator, utterly alone.

Ellen sighed as she waited in the descending elevator. Another group of people came in on the lower floor, discussing the same thing as the group before. However, nobody noticed her presence this time, and their words were harsh and indecent.

The more she listened to them, the more her eyes blurred with tears as she felt wronged and blamed for something she never did. She finally understood that these people saw her as nothing but a heinous creature.

At last, she arrived at the ground floor, so she stepped out of the elevator. The people around the reception desk noticed her leaving the elevator.

“Look! That’s Ellen! Why is she here?”

“I bet she is confronting her relative.” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Let’s follow her, shall we?”

Meanwhile, Stanley, who sat next to Jared, was recording the meeting minutes in the meeting room. He heard notification sounds coming non-stop from the chatting application as new messages poured into the group chat. He couldn’t help his curiosity as he clicked on the tab to check on the new messages.

As he browsed through the new messages, he narrowed his eyes. At last, he came to the key point of the discussion, which stated that Ellen’s aunt had put up a banner outside the company. Below the message was the picture of Olivia.

After pondering for a moment, he turned the laptop’s screen toward Jared and whispered, “President Presgrave, look at this. Shall we deal with it?”

Jared read the messages Stanley showed to him with a scowl. Just then, a new message attached with a picture popped out. The photograph showed that Ellen was near the entrance. Someone shouted, ‘Over here, everybody! The female lead has shown up and she’s about to run into her relative. If you’re into drama, don’t miss out!’

Jared immediately stood and gestured for Stanley. “Stanley, follow me.”

This is preposterous! What does she think she is doing? Why can’t Ellen’s relatives stop even if it’s only for a moment?

Stanley immediately pushed his chair back and informed the others, “President Presgrave has to deal with a situation downstairs. All of you can take a break.”

Jared strode over to his private elevator before shooting a question at Stanley. “What happened?”

Stanley fell into step beside him and shared his theory. “It seems like Miss Reiss’ cousin got fired and the cousin’s mother blames it on Miss Reiss. Therefore, she raised a banner outside the company and is demanding justice for her daughter. I think practically everybody in the company knows about it at this point.”

“It was my order to fire Selena. How does Ellen have anything to do with it?” Jared’s delicate features were tinged with darkness.

“Miss Reiss is indeed innocent in this matter, but the employees have different opinions on your relationship. They accuse Miss Reiss of pulling a dirty trick on you to gain your favor.” Stanley revealed what he learned to Jared.

“That’s ridiculous.” Jared scoffed as he never expected to hear such rumors about Ellen.

The moment the elevator doors opened, he strode inside and hurriedly pushed the button that directed him to the ground floor.

Meanwhile, Ellen was standing near the stairs outside the company. The eye-catching banner was just in sight and the words over them made her blood boil.

The next moment, Olivia, who was busy taking photos, came into her view. Next to Olivia, someone reminded her, “Oli, isn’t that your niece over there?”

Olivia turned in the direction the person was pointing to and met Ellen’s gaze. The older woman sneered. “Look who finally decided to show up!”

Ellen took a deep breath before approaching Olivia. “Aunt Olivia, this is a public place. Can you please tone it down?”

The sight of Ellen’s business attire angered Olivia. “Ellen, you’re an ungrateful brat! How dare you do that to Lena when you get to stay in the company? Besides, I gave you a lot of her old clothes last time. Do you have any idea about their prices? I bet what you’re wearing right now used to belong to her.”

Ellen took another deep breath. “Aunt Olivia, if there’s anything, we can resolve it in private. You’re embarrassing me in public.”

However, Olivia had something different in mind. “You know what, Ellen? I’m indeed doing this on purpose, so you don’t have the face to stay in the company. If my daughter must leave, you will too!”

“Not only do I want all of your company’s employees to know about this, but I’m also going to look for influencers to post this matter and cause a stir on the Internet. Let’s see who will marry you in the future!” Olivia smugly said.

Ellen, who had been holding back her rage earlier, couldn’t take it any longer. She walked to the woman who was holding the banner and attempted to snatch it from her. However, Olivia saw what Ellen was about to do and she quickly went closer to push her away. “Don’t you dare touch my banner, Ellen!”

“Why can’t I?” There was no hint of fear in Ellen’s gaze as she dashed over to grab the banner and begin pulling at it.

Olivia was furious at that point. She grabbed Ellen’s hair and raised her palm, ready to slap Ellen hard.

But at this precise moment, a ferocious roar rang out. “Let her go!”

Olivia’s hand was in mid-air when she was shocked by the voice. She raised her head to see whose voice it was and when she saw the person in front of her, she was so terrified that she immediately put her hand down and let go of Ellen’s hair.

Ellen only felt pain in her scalp and took a few steps back when her hair was released. Suddenly, she found herself leaning on a sturdy chest.

She didn’t even have to turn her head to figure out who the person was.

“Stanley, take down the banner and chase these people away!” Jared yelled angrily.

This was the first time Olivia met Jared in the flesh after seeing his photos. Only now did she realize Kevin’s heart had been used to save a handsome young man.

But she found it detestable that Jared was protecting Ellen, just like Kevin.

“You’re Young Master Jared, right? I am Selena’s mother and all I want is justice for my daughter. Please bear with me if I have offended you in any way,” Olivia quickly said.

As he looked at this shrewd woman, Jared said coldly, “I was the one who dismissed your daughter. Ellen has nothing to do with this. Do you want to settle things with me, then?”

Olivia was shocked to hear him say that, so she asked, “What has my daughter done wrong?”

“Your daughter has a bad moral character and an evil heart. I don’t think she is qualified to work for my company. Is my answer satisfactory for you?” Jared asked with his voice icy cold.

Noticing that he was being disrespectful to her, Olivia let out a light cough and asked, “Young Master Jared, do you know who I am?”

However, Jared wasn’t bothered by it. “I don’t care who you are. Anyone who bullies Ellen should just get lost.”

Though he knew that the woman in front of him was the one who signed the papers and saved his life back then, the Presgrave Family had already repaid her greatly over the years. He would never allow

Olivia to use her position as an elder to bully Ellen.

Ellen was trembling too. She didn’t understand why Jared was so protective of her and she often felt she wasn’t deserving of it.

Jared, however, only had his heart burning with rage over the injustice Ellen suffered.

“Get lost right now! Are you all expecting me to take you to the police station?” Stanley yelled as he took the banner and handed it to the security guards to be destroyed.

Seeing that she couldn’t do anything else, Olivia told Ellen, “You better remember this, Ellen Reiss—I’m not going to let you off the hook easily.” She then left with the men she had brought here.

Tears streamed down Ellen’s cheeks as she was overwhelmed by humiliation and helplessness at this point. She had no idea what she had done wrong to warrant such treatment.

When Jared saw her tears, he quickly tugged her over and drew her into his arms. “It’s all right now. Everything will be fine,” he said while his hand caressed the back of her head. This scene was streamed live to the company’s group and everyone saw how their president defended Ellen. All of the female employees were envious, wondering what magical power Ellen possessed to make their young president adore her so much.

“Tell the Human Resource Department to inform all employees that if I hear anyone mentioning Ellen’s matter, he or she will be fired immediately,” Jared instructed Stanley. Then, he took Ellen’s hand in his and returned to the lobby.

Stanley immediately called the Manager of the Human Resource Department and conveyed Jared’s instructions that whoever dared to mention this incident or humiliate Ellen because of it would be fired, regardless of his or her position in the company.

The Human Resource Department immediately sent an email to all employees with such instructions regarding Ellen’s incident. As a result, everyone who was actively discussing Ellen immediately shut up and stopped commenting.

Those who initiated discussions were also terrified and fearful of losing their jobs because of this. Hence, they quickly posted more posts on other topics in the group, hoping that their initial posts about Ellen would be drowned out by the other posts.

Meanwhile, Jared took Ellen back to his office. She appeared dazed as this incident had been a huge blow to her. Now that the entire company was talking about her, she felt overwhelmed with stress.

“President Presgrave, I would like to resign,” she said, raising her head to look at the man in front of her.

As if anticipating such words from her, he declined immediately by saying, “I won’t agree to it.”

However, Ellen pursed her red lips and insisted, “I want to resign.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this under control. Nobody in the company will be gossiping about you. Don’t be stressed over it,” Jared comforted her. He was also furious and annoyed by the fact that she had such relatives.

They not only did not love and care for Ellen when she was alone, but they also bullied her. Despite being an outsider, Jared was the one who felt sorry for her and wanted to protect her.

Ellen was the first person who awoke in him a strong desire to protect someone.

Presently, Ellen appeared to be absent-minded as she hung her head low as if she was thinking of something.

But Jared was not going to accept her resignation. If she stayed with the company, at least he would be able to see her every day and know how she was doing. He wouldn’t know what kind of life she was living if she resigned, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her if she was bullied as well.

Jared opened his mouth and murmured, “Don’t even think about resigning. Just do your job well.”

This moved Ellen. “Thank you for everything today. I might be in worse shape without you.”

“Ellen, I think you should cut off all contact with that family. If you don’t have any other family, I can be one. You can take me as your elder brother,” Jared said, his gaze fixed firmly on her.

Ellen blinked her eyes repeatedly at that. Elder brother? I do have an older brother of the same age as Jared, but he was gone too soon.

“I am not fortunate enough to have an elder brother like you!” Ellen’s mood improved and she smiled.

Jared’s gaze darkened. Truth was, the last thing he wanted was to be her brother.

He had previously asked her to be his girlfriend, but she did not take his words seriously and remained very respectful to him.

“Can I have the day off tomorrow?” Ellen suddenly asked.

“Do you need a rest?”

“Yes. I would like to get some rest,” Ellen answered. She didn’t tell him that tomorrow was her brother’s death anniversary and that she was going to pay her respects to him.

At this point, Stanley knocked on the door and entered. “President Presgrave, the meeting is starting,” he announced.

Jared then looked at his watch and said to the woman sitting on the couch, “Take a rest in my office for the time being. Call me if there’s anything, but don’t leave the company just yet.”

“Okay,” Ellen obediently nodded and replied.

After Jared had gone, she stood up and went to the floor-to-ceiling windows and gazed out.

Meanwhile, Olivia had returned to her housing area with the men she had hired and had begun paying them. Although she accomplished her goal, she was enraged by Jared’s appearance. Without him, she would have given Ellen a tight slap to show that she was no pushover.

After she sent the men off, her phone rang. It was a call from her daughter.

“Hello, Lena.”

“Mom, did you go to my company to put up a banner and scold Ellen?” Selena asked in surprise. She had clearly just learned about this matter.

“Yes, and I’ve just got back from there! I went to teach Ellen a lesson for causing your dismissal.” Olivia did not think that she was in the wrong. To her, she was merely seeking justice for her daughter.

“This has caused quite a stir in the office, Mom. Everyone is talking about it!”

“Great! It’s entirely my intention to smear Ellen’s reputation.”

“I heard that President Presgrave even appeared in the end. Did he do anything to you, Mom?”

“What can he do to me? This Young Master Jared would have died more than ten years ago if we hadn’t signed the papers back then! That jerk is so ungrateful.” Olivia was still enraged by what Jared had done.

“Mom, don’t ever let Ellen know what happened to Kevin back then. I’m concerned that she’ll demand compensation from you,” Selena reminded Olivia.

That made Olivia’s heart palpitate for a moment. Recalling that she had not mentioned it today, she quickly said, “Don’t worry. She’ll never find out. Her brother has been buried for a long time.”

“That’s good. I’m only worried about this. By the way, what has Dad been up to lately? Keep a close eye on him. Aren’t you concerned that he has a mistress outside since he isn’t at home every day?”

Olivia merely let out a sneer at that. “He wouldn’t dare. If he really did so, I’ll kill him.”

Selena was at a loss for words. Olivia had been a strong and obstinate woman her entire life, but she couldn’t stop Connor from having a mistress, and even an illegitimate child, outside their family.

“No matter what, Mom, keep an eye on Dad. I noticed he has two mobile phones.” Selena hoped Olivia would discover the truth on her own for Connor to return to the family and cut all ties with his mistress outside.

“Is he carrying two phones? I had no idea about that!” Olivia was completely in the dark.

“Yes. I previously saw it by chance,” Selena responded.

“Okay. I’ll keep an eye on him. Where are you?”

“I will be staying at a friend’s place for a few days.” Selena didn’t want to go home as she recalled that Connor no longer cared about her and that returning home would only make her feel annoyed.

Time flew by and it was 5.00PM. Nobody from the Presgrave Group dared to bring up Ellen’s matter again. The instructions from the president’s office were indeed deterrent enough to keep everyone quiet.

Jared came out from the meeting earlier and quickly walked back to his office. When he entered his office, he noticed Ellen sleeping on the couch. Seeing that, he quickly slowed down his steps to prevent Stanley, who was behind him, from entering.

He then shut the door while unbuttoning his suit before removing it and draping it over her. He smiled as he looked at the woman curled up on the couch.

While waiting for Ellen to wake up, Jared remained in the office, carrying on with his work. It wasn’t until the sky darkened that Ellen finally awoke and realized she was still in Jared’s office.

She quickly sat up in surprise and the suit that was covering her slipped down, startling her. “Are you awake?” A man’s voice suddenly rang out.

Her face flushed instantly. Sh*t! Why did I doze off in his office and even use his suit as a blanket?

“What’s the time now?” Ellen asked in embarrassment.

“7.00PM.”

“I’m sorry. I accidentally fell asleep,” she said with an apologetic expression, feeling guilty for delaying Jared’s dinner.

“I’ll punish you by having a meal with me, then,” Jared announced as he stood up. After taking his car keys from the table, he told Ellen, “It’s a good thing you slept. You’ll be energetic enough to accompany me somewhere tonight.”

Ellen couldn’t help herself and she asked, “Where are we going?”

However, Jared wanted to keep it a secret. “You’ll know later.”

With that, she didn’t pursue it further and simply followed him to the underground parking garage to collect his car. Then, both of them went to a private restaurant that Jared frequently visited.

The dinner was sumptuous and since Ellen had taken a rest, her appetite was good. When Jared saw her eat happily, his appetite grew as well.

“We’re going up the mountain later,” Jared revealed.

“What? We will be hiking at night?” Ellen inquired, her eyelids fluttering.

“We can drive up, but we will be on top of the mountain. Will you be afraid?”

Ellen looked at him and shook her head. “As long as I’m with you, I won’t be afraid of anything.”

That was the truth. Ever since she knew Jared, he had always provided her with protection and a strong sense of security.

When they came out after the dinner, Jared realized that his bodyguard had swapped their earlier ride for an SUV. Ellen then rode shotgun and they set off.

The entire trip seemed exciting and romantic at the same time. Ellen followed him to the foot of a mountain. Jared’s bodyguards were in the car ahead of them exploring the road, and Jared drove straight up the mountain with four other cars.

Ellen’s heart skipped a beat several times during the journey as the dark, bottomless cliff was right beside them. However, Jared’s driving abilities were good, which Ellen truly found captivating as her heart raced for him.

After numerous bends in the mountain road, all of their vehicles arrived at a flat, empty spot at the top. Ellen’s legs wobbled as she stepped out of the car, and she quickly held on to the car door as she feared Jared would notice her timid demeanor.

But she was soon fascinated by the stunning night scene in front of her that she couldn’t take her eyes off it. The city below was stunning, lit up with gold and neon lights.

Hearing some movements, she turned around and saw Jared’s bodyguards setting something up. She quickly realized what it was—a telescope.

Ellen then immediately raised her gaze to the sky. The moon was beautiful tonight and many stars shone brightly. The weather was ideal for stargazing.

She began to look forward to the activity tonight. She had no idea that in addition to taking her to see the night scenery, Jared had also brought a telescope.

Jared pointed to the telescope and asked, “Have you ever used this?”

Ellen shook her head in response. “No.”

“I’ll teach you how to use it later.”

“Sure!” Ellen said with a smile. The strong night breeze blew her long hair into a tangle.

Seeing that, Jared reached out his hand to tidy her hair. Ellen then opened her bag, found a hair tie, and casually tied her hair with it.

With her hair tied in the back, she appeared casual and youthful. The moonlight shone on her clear and smooth face, enhancing her beauty, which had a mysterious and classical tinge to it.

“Young Master Jared, everything is in place,” the bodyguard said.

Jared then took Ellen by the hand and led her to the telescope. He bent down first to look through the telescope, then asked Ellen to do so.

Ellen was astounded by what she saw through the telescope. The distant and mysterious moon appeared right in front of her and she could clearly see the craters on it.

Jared, who was standing right next to her, also used his iPad to view the moon while introducing the craters’ names to Ellen, which she found interesting.

The telescope could automatically detect stars and planets. Soon, Ellen even saw Mars, Uranus, and Neptune. Admiring the celestial bodies truly made her feel that all her frustrations and worries as a human were insignificant.

Her mind relaxed as she began to fall in love with this activity. Before long, she got carried away while gazing at the sky.

Seeing that she was so interested, Jared patiently accompanied her while teaching her astronomy.

The bodyguards then handed them bottles of water. Ellen took a bottle and drank a few sips before Jared finished it.

The bodyguards standing beside them suddenly realized why Jared had only taken one bottle out of the two that were handed to him. The water from the bottle that Ellen drank seemed to taste better!

On the other hand, Ellen did not notice such minor details. She was preoccupied with looking at the celestial bodies on the iPad, occasionally bending over to look through the telescope.

The time soon reached 11.30PM. The fleet of cars then descended the mountain and Jared personally sent Ellen back to her house, right to her doorstep.

“It was a fun night. Thank you.” Ellen was clearly in a much better mood.

In a low voice, Jared murmured, “Can I request a different way for you to show your gratitude?”

“What?” Before Ellen could react, Jared held her cheeks in his hands and kissed her lightly on the lips. He then let go of her face and purred, “I prefer such a way of expressing your gratitude.”

Ellen’s face immediately flushed red. Just as Jared was about to leave, she summoned her courage and wrapped her arms around his neck in the spur of the moment. Going up on her toes, she gave him a peck on the cheek.

Jared’s eyes shone with happiness. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m going on leave tomorrow,” Ellen responded as she blinked.

That reminded Jared of her leave. With his eyes narrowed, he asked, “Why do you need a day off?”

“Tomorrow is my brother’s death anniversary. I’m going to visit his grave,” Ellen answered honestly.

“I’m free tomorrow. I’ll go with you!” Jared immediately offered, effectively startling Ellen. “Do you really want to go with me?”

“Yes. I’ll go with you.” Jared nodded and continued, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

“Will that disrupt your work?” she asked quickly.

“Of course not!” He had decided that he would accompany her tomorrow since he didn’t want to miss such an important day for her.

“Okay. See you tomorrow, then.” Ellen was elated that Jared would be going with her to visit her brother.

She was the only one visiting Kevin’s grave all these years and had even planned to ask her future children—if she had any—to remember to visit Kevin’s grave every year as well.

Kevin’s grave was in a different place than her parent’s graves. Hence, Ellen would visit two different cemeteries every year. Starting next year, she would also have to visit her grandmother’s grave.

After entering the house and shutting the door, Ellen took a deep breath. Despite all the unhappy events that happened today, she had thought things through.

There weren’t so many things in the world that were worthy of her being depressed about. She had to live her life well and focus on loving those who deserved it, including herself.

…

At 9.30PM, Olivia was watching television alone in Connor’s house. This was her usual routine and she normally would go to bed whenever she was tired, regardless of whether her husband would return. She once cared about this but after learning that Connor needed to socialize for the sake of his investments, she no longer took it as an issue.

Now that her daughter had brought it up, she felt particularly uneasy tonight. Thus, she took her phone and gave her husband a call.

“Hello, Olivia!” Connor said cheerfully on the other end of the line.

“Why haven’t you returned yet? It’s late,” she grumbled.

“Go to bed first. I will be late.”

“Connor, I’m warning you, don’t even think about messing around outside! You’ll perish in my hands,” Olivia reminded him sternly.

He began coaxing Olivia in response. “Do you not trust me? Of course, I would never do such a thing!”

Connor was good at nothing except pacifying his wife. Indeed, after he finished his sentence, Olivia felt that she was irreplaceable to him and laughed. “Don’t try to sweet-talk me. Come back earlier.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” He then hung up the call after successfully pacifying her.

Truth was, he was in his other house at the moment. After he ended the call, his lover appeared, carrying his son. “You can’t go back early. Your son needs you!” she said begrudgingly.

“Don’t leave, Daddy. You always leave me here.” Connor’s son hugged his legs, refusing to let him go.

“Okay, okay. I’m not leaving and will stay by your side.” Connor would leave after his son fell asleep every night to give the impression that he was always in the house.

However, his son refused to sleep. It was only until 11.30PM that Connor managed to return to his first home from his second home.

Meanwhile, Olivia was getting bored waiting for him. Hence, she began to go through her jewelry. Looking at the diamond ring Connor had recently bought for her birthday, she felt overjoyed. It won’t be safe for me to wear this, so I should just sell it for some extra cash!

With this, Olivia decided to sell the ring the next day and spend the money at a beauty salon. Connor had always considered beauty salons a waste of money, so she could only go there secretly with her own money.