Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 771-780

“Young Master, I’d recommend you to undergo a check-up in the hospital when you have the time. You recently returned from abroad, after all. You should get your body checked,” Johnny suggested.

Meanwhile, Arthur furrowed his brows, suddenly feeling that his memories were a little jumbled up; he couldn’t grasp a certain fragment of it. “I’m going to make a move. I don’t feel so good.”

“Alright, Young Master Weiss,” Johnny saw him to the door.

On his way back to the manor, Arthur kept seeing flashing images in his head, but he couldn’t grasp what any of them were. Frustrated, he grabbed his phone to check the time, only to find a picture of an unfamiliar young woman set as his home screen background. Who in the world pulled this kind of prank? He frowned.

Arthur stared at the picture of the radiant young woman for a few seconds before entering his phone settings to switch the background into his preferred dark tone.

Arthur happened to see Emily approaching in his direction when he returned to the manor. At that, he stopped in his tracks and looked for a couple of seconds, allowing many memories of him and Emily to flash across his mind. However, these memories held no significance to him.

Emily stayed for dinner, and her heart raced when she watched Arthur walk down the stairs and into the dining room. She also noticed something surprising about him—his former sense of nobility and aloofness had returned to him.

This feeling felt different from the one in the morning. Though he also treated her with indifference earlier, the aura he was emitting at the dining table right now was completely different.

Martha, too, was surprised by Arthur’s expression, and she thought there was a change in his attitude toward her.

“Artie, are you okay?” she asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” he answered before getting up. “I’m going to deal with some work.”

Emily looked at Arthur, feeling rather aggrieved at that. Just when I thought I’d have the chance to talk to him!

Sometime later, Martha decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with Arthur after Emily left. At the very least, she had to find out what he thought about marriage.

“Artie, I hope you can give your marriage some thought during tomorrow’s succession ceremony. You’re not getting any younger, after all.” Martha spoke after taking a seat on the lavish couch.

“You can decide on my behalf, Grandma.” Arthur’s eyes turned warmer as he shut his laptop.

“I can’t do that. You have to pick the woman you want to live with for the rest of your life yourself. Tell me, is there a lady you fancy?” Martha could only probe as she couldn’t disclose the fact that she had met Sophia in private to him.

Arthur narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment. “Emily’s alright.”

“Emily?” Martha was slightly stumped. “Are you saying you want to marry Emily?”

“She’s suited to be my wife.” Arthur nodded. “Emily, it is!”

Martha was dumbfounded. Did Artie break up with Sophia? The bodyguards reported that they’ve already moved in together, and he was even reluctant to come back. Why would he suddenly decide to let Emily become his wife?

“Artie, I won’t intervene too much on your own happiness. You can just tell me who it is that you like. I won’t object to it.” Martha had thought it through when she came back this time around. She had never

seen Arthur care about a woman so much as he had with Sophia. After mulling over it, she decided that her grandson’s happiness was more important than family honor.

This time, it was Arthur’s turn to be surprised. “Is there someone more suitable to be my wife than Emily?”

Stumped, Martha couldn’t believe Arthur wouldn’t even mention Sophia. It seemed that he had decided to think of the greater good and marry their kind.

Of course, Emily’s father was a notable employee of the Weiss Family as well. It would be easier for them to manage things if Emily was married into their family, so Martha naturally approved of this.

“Are you certain it’s Emily? If you are, I’ll announce your engagement tomorrow, and we’ll hold a wedding in a few days. What do you say?” Martha looked toward her grandson.

“Sure, we’ll do that.” Arthur didn’t have a single problem with it. To him, it wasn’t important who his wife was.

Martha, on the other hand, was now certain her grandson had broken up with Sophia. Perhaps he had also taken into consideration that she wasn’t the right person for him.

“Alright, if that’s what you have decided on.”

With that, Martha walked away. Arthur looked out of the window at the night sky, then grabbed his phone with vexation and opened the photo album as he thought his memory of recent events was blurry. It felt as though he had slept for a long time and had a vague dream, which was absolutely unfathomable.

As soon as he opened the photo album, the picture of that mysterious young woman appeared again, and it wasn’t just that picture. There were many pictures of her from different angles and of her smiling,

pouting, making faces, and even looking all innocent and adorable at the camera. Who had secretly taken pictures of this woman using his phone?

Who is she? Why is she on my phone? Why is she reacting so naturally in front of the camera? Also, who used my phone to take pictures of her? It dawned on him that he had no memory of any of it.

At that, he stared at this young woman while trying to recollect whatever encounters he had with her. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pull her out from any of his memories.

Having said that, this young woman did catch his fancy, and her smile was really lovely.

As for her name, he really had no recollection of it, so he decided not to waste his time on this and deleted the pictures. However, just as he was about to do so, a thought held him back.

He had a feeling these photos held a certain significance to him. Plus, they didn’t take up much of his phone storage, so he just left them as they were.

Meanwhile, Martha made a call after going downstairs, instructing all who served Arthur to never mention Sophia in front of him ever again, lest the young man regretted his decision to marry Emily.

Drowsiness hit Arthur right then, and he fell asleep the second he hit the pillow. This actually had to do with the spiked water he drank earlier, for it contained sedative substances.

By the time Arthur woke up, it was already noon the following day. As the succession ceremony was set to be held in the afternoon, he was somewhat annoyed at himself when he stirred. I can’t believe I nearly missed the ceremony.

The Jennings had arrived at this time, and Johnny implicitly asked about Arthur. In the end, he and his wife got a piece of exciting news.

Arthur had decided to marry their daughter and would even announce their engagement on this day. Then, they would hold a wedding in a few days.

Naturally, Emily was the happiest to receive such news; little did she think that she would have the chance to become the young mistress of the Weiss Family. Better yet, Arthur was the one who requested to marry her.

The other guests who had arrived all congratulated her in advance. It didn’t come as a surprise for them that Emily could marry Arthur, for Johnny had made distinctive contributions to the Weiss Family’s biotech company.

Following the commencement of the succession ceremony in the afternoon, Arthur unsurprisingly became the patriarch of the Weiss Family, and he now had the final say in everything. Meanwhile, Martha decided to step down, leaving everything in Arthur’s hands while she lived the rest of her life in peace and quiet.

During the succession ceremony, Martha personally announced Emily to be Arthur’s wife and that the wedding would be held in a week’s time.

“Ma’am, should we notify everyone on the guest list?” the butler couldn’t help asking in the hall.

“Yes. This is a huge celebration. Don’t miss out on anyone. By the way, Artie has two close friends. They must be notified.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

Martha made sure that Elliot and Richard were notified of their best friend’s wedding.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Elliot had just exited his office at 4.00PM to pick up his dear wife down in Bourgeois when his phone rang. He took a gander to find it was an international call.

Elliot answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Mr. Elliot Presgrave?”

“Speaking. To whom am I speaking?” Elliot asked courteously.

After introducing himself, the caller then brought a piece of news that surprised Elliot. Artie’s getting married this Saturday?!

“Alright, I’ll definitely be there.” At that, Elliot couldn’t help asking, “Pardon me for asking, but may I know the name of the bride?”

“She is Miss Emily Jennings, the daughter of the Weiss Family’s prominent biologist.”

“Alright, please tell Arthur I said hi.” Elliot waited until the caller replied before hanging up, then entered the elevator with his phone in his hand.

I thought Sophia would surely be his wife, but to think that he’ll be marrying someone else. This sure is unexpected.

Meanwhile, in Bourgeois, Anastasia began sorting out the documents piled up on her desk soon after her meeting ended. While she was preoccupied, a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” she said.

When she realized the person behind the door was her beloved and not Grace, Anastasia couldn’t help propping her chin up with a beam. Then, she looked at him with adoration. “What brings you here?”

On the other hand, Elliot removed his suit jacket, put it on the couch, then went behind her to massage her shoulders, helping her relax her muscles. Anastasia leaned partially against him while enjoying it, taking in her beloved’s love and care.

“I got a call from Artie’s family informing me to attend his wedding this coming Saturday,” Elliot mentioned the call he got earlier.

“So soon?” Anastasia looked up at him with surprise. C0pyright © 2024 Nôv)(elDrama.Org.

However, a hint of resignation laced Elliot’s voice. “Sophia’s not the bride.”

Anastasia’s smile froze in an instant. Disbelief very quickly enveloped her face as she thought, How is it not Sophia?! They’re so in love!

“How can this be? Why isn’t it Sophia? Have they broken up? It’s only been a few days since the banquet, and Arthur’s already marrying another woman?! What’s going to happen to Sophia then?” Anastasia rambled on.

Elliot, too, thought it was unlike Arthur to do something like this. The man he knew was definitely not a womanizer.

“Maybe he took his family’s future into consideration and accepted his grandmother’s arrangements. The woman he’s marrying is the daughter of a biologist, and they are probably very reputable.”

“This doesn’t mean he can dump Sophia so heartlessly, does it? Does Sophia know about this? She isn’t being kept in the dark, is she?” Anastasia truly felt bad for Sophia, feeling that it was unfair for her.

It was probably because she liked Sophia that she naturally sided with the woman and thought Arthur was somewhat a douche.

“Are you going to tell her about this?” Elliot asked.

“How sad would it be of her if she’s kept in the dark while still hoping that Arthur would come around?!” Anastasia bit her lower lip and made a decision. “I’m going to tell her about it.”

“Since I’m going to comfort her, I’ll go over to her place. Pick Jared up, will you? I’ll come home a little later,” Anastasia said to Elliot.

He didn’t say no to it, for he couldn’t defend his brother from another mother too much on this, lest he really wanted to piss his wife off.

Anastasia took Grace with her, and on the road, the latter called Sophia asking where she was and if they could meet up.

Sophia and Grace were on good terms as well, so the former said she was at home and later sent her address over.

“We’re just around the corner, Sophia. Why don’t you come down? We’ll talk at a nearby cafe.”

Sophia agreed happily, and it wasn’t until she came out of her apartment complex and entered the domineering black sedan that she realized Anastasia was joining as well. “Anastasia, I didn’t expect to see you too!”

Seeing there wasn’t a hint of sadness in Sophia, Anastasia immediately knew this girl was still clueless about Arthur’s upcoming wedding.

“Sophia, where’s Young Master Weiss?” Anastasia probed.

“Oh, he flew back for a family affair,” Sophia answered.

“In that case, did he tell you when he’ll be back?”

“He said right after he’s done dealing with his family’s affairs.” Sophia’s gaze was already filled with longing.

Anastasia’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing so. Sure enough, she’s clueless about this! Arthur didn’t go home to deal with his family’s affairs; he went to get married, and his wedding date is this Saturday!

How Arthur had decided to deal with this really pissed Anastasia off. Even if he was Elliot’s best friend, it couldn’t be denied that he was a douchebag for messing with Sophia’s love and not holding himself accountable for it.

“Grace, wait for us here in the car. I have an urgent matter with Sophia.” Anastasia decided the two of them should talk in private.

While Grace waited in the car, Anastasia and Sophia entered the cafe. While the former was ordering, she asked the server to bring a couple of drinks to Grace and her chauffeur.

Sophia, on the other hand, was taken aback as it seemed that Anastasia had something important to tell her. Could it be about her resignation?

“Anastasia, is there something you want to talk to me about?” Sophia felt bad about it. She was supposed to be Anastasia’s assistant, but she quit just a few days into taking up the job.

“Sophia, how are things between you and Young Master Weiss?” Anastasia asked gravely.

Sophia smiled bashfully in response. “Not too bad.”

“Has it come to a point where you guys are talking about marriage?” Anastasia pressed on.

Recollecting the promise he gave to her parents, Sophia nodded. “He’s met my parents, and he said he’ll marry me. I’m already happy that we can be together, though.”

Anastasia once again changed her impression of Arthur. He actually promised to marry Sophia? Then what is he doing, marrying someone else as soon as he goes back to Flor? He can’t possibly be thinking of having two families and two wives, right?

She then looked at Sophia sitting across from her, whose gaze was innocent. This young woman had no clue she had been dumped!

“Sophia, what I’m about to tell you might come as a shock to you. Promise me you’ll stay calm and don’t freak out, okay?” She decided that Sophia should know.

“Alright.” Sophia nodded.

“Earlier today, my husband got a call from Arthur’s family at 4.00PM, inviting him to attend Arthur’s wedding in Flor this coming Saturday.”

The cup of coffee in Sophia’s hand slipped and fell onto the table with a thud, and even as the scalding coffee burned her hand, she felt nothing.

Startled, Anastasia hurriedly grabbed some paper napkins to stop the coffee from spilling further, then asked a server to come and clean the table up.

“Anastasia, is it true?” Tears of shock had already formed in Sophia’s eyes when she looked up again.

After handing her a paper napkin, Anastasia nodded in affirmation. “It is. I thought you’d be the bride, but Elliot confirmed it’s someone else.”

Sophia pursed her lips as tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls of a broken string. She didn’t want to embarrass herself in public, but it felt like someone had lacerated her heart, making it bleed badly.

Even if she never thought she and Arthur would have a future together, to hear that he would be marrying as soon as he went home was still unbearable, so much so that it suffocated her. In fact, she wasn’t as tough as she thought she would be.

“Sophia…” Anastasia grabbed a paper napkin and went to her side, handing it to her gently.

Anastasia felt guilty, for she obviously knew telling Sophia this would break her heart. However, she was even less willing to see Sophia be kept in the dark. At least, it would be better for her to walk out of a bad breakup sooner.

“Anastasia, I…” Sophia choked on her words, and she couldn’t even speak properly.

“It’s okay, I understand. Just let it all out. I got you.” Anastasia sat down next to her on the couch. Her heart ached for Sophia, but there was only so much she could do.

Sophia’s tears fell like a never-ending waterfall. She tried to accept the reality, but it only made her feel worse. She couldn’t figure out why Arthur would leave that letter for her and why he would give her such expectations, telling her that he would only be gone for a while.

If he had really decided to marry someone else, why would he behave so passionately and tenderly all those nights? Why would his eyes exude love for her unreservedly?

Sophia knew that was love. He didn’t fake it, nor was he acting. That was his genuine feeling.

Thus, she walked further down into the blind alley, having a hard time coming to herself. Arthur clearly loved her, but why would he suddenly marry someone else? It’s Emily, isn’t it? she thought. She’s Old Madam Weiss’ number one pick for Arthur.

As Sophia continued to cry, she suddenly turned and grabbed Anastasia’s arm, imploring, “Anastasia, can you take me to the wedding? I… I want to give him my blessings.” Despite being overwhelmed with sorrow, she still wanted to attend Arthur’s wedding, even if it was to witness his happily ever after with another woman.

Sophia’s plea took Anastasia aback for a few seconds. Fearing that Anastasia would reject her, the woman took pains to promise, “Anastasia, I promise I’ll just watch. I swear I won’t cause any trouble… I just want to see him get married. Please, I beg you.”

Anastasia fixed Sophia’s hair, her heart aching for this poor and heartbroken soul. “Sophia, I don’t think you should go. You’ll only feel even more horrible.”

Sophia suddenly chuckled wryly, then sighed. “Did you know, Anastasia? When I started seeing him, I never even dared to think of having a future with him. I know I don’t belong in his future. Now that he’s getting married, I’m not asking for much; I just want to see him. It might even help me get over him even more.”

Anastasia pondered for a moment before saying, “Why don’t you think about it overnight? If you really want to go, you can come to me whenever. I’ll let you join as my assistant. But for now, let me send you home.”

Sophia nodded in agreement and stood up, but because she was a little weak at the knees, she had to prop her hands on the table to stand straight. Meanwhile, Anastasia helped her out of the cafe.

After sending Sophia home, Anastasia asked Grace to keep the woman company for a while while she went home.

At the mansion, after the father and son shared dinner together, Jared went to practice piano while Elliot went to the balcony for some fresh air.

Elliot prided himself on his acute perception, and he thought something wasn’t right with Arthur’s wedding. Would Arthur, his brother from another mother, ask his family butler to inform him of something as important as his wedding?

Did he not even have the time to make a call? Knowing Arthur, he would definitely share such noteworthy news himself.

Hence, Elliot thought none of this made any sense. Just then, his ringtone sounded, and he checked to find Richard calling.

“Hey, Richard,” Elliot answered the call.

“Elliot, you’ve got word of Artie’s wedding, haven’t you?” Richard asked on the other end of the line.

“I heard about it this afternoon. What about you?”

“About the same time. How busy do you think that dude is to ask someone else to inform us of something as important as his wedding?!” Richard thought something didn’t add up either.

“You think so too, huh? I was wondering the same thing. This isn’t like Artie.”

“Yeah! Between the three of us, he likes to share the most. He would’ve called us himself about something this important,” said Richard.

“When will you be heading over?”

“As soon as I’m done with the things at hand. I want to verify some things myself.” As a bachelor, Richard was a man of action in practically everything.

“Alright, you go ahead. Let me know if anything comes up.”

“Sure. Things can’t go wrong between the three of us. I heard Artie got involved in biotech after his parents passed from illness. His family is complicated, and I have to see if anything happened to him.”

Elliot thought so too. “Alright, you go ahead. We’ll catch up with you.”

Just then, he noticed that a car had driven in. With that, he put his phone away and went downstairs.

In the hall, he saw his wife sitting dazedly on the couch as if something was weighing on her heart.

“What’s the matter?” Elliot walked up behind the couch and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her neck as he asked.

“I told Sophia everything. She got really sad, and I could see that she truly loved Arthur.”

Elliot could also see from the banquet last time that his best friend was serious about Sophia as well.

However, he didn’t know if the marriage this time had been forced into fruition by the family members.

“Let’s not interfere in their relationship. You’ve done what you could as a friend, so leave the rest up to fate,” said Elliot, trying to comfort her.

“Also, Sophia said that she wants to come with us to Arthur’s wedding, and I promised to bring her along,” Anastasia raised her head and said.

Elliot was stunned. “If Artie really wronged her, why would she want to go?”

“Sophia only wants to go there for a look, and she won’t cause any trouble. I think she only wants to witness his wedding without doing anything that’ll cross the line. Can’t we bring her along?” Anastasia pleaded.

“Sure.” Elliot had no objection to it, for his mind was currently occupied with another matter—Arthur’s abnormal behavior. If something really happened to his friend, he would have to investigate further.

Meanwhile, Sophia sat on the couch in the silent room. In front of her was the letter Arthur had prepared before he left, and he had carefully written every word on that piece of paper.

This was proof of their love and evidence of the feelings he had for her. If this were fake, then what else could be true?

If he truly stopped loving her, Sophia still wanted to hear it from himself. As such, she wanted to attend his wedding with Anastasia and Elliot.

She wanted to hear him announce the end of their relationship before she completely gave up and forfeited everything related to him. Then, she’d start all over again.

After a whole night of consideration, Elliot decided that he wouldn’t be taking his son to Flor. This time, both he and Richard felt that something was off, and there were too many hidden dangers. They had to find out the reason first.

Anastasia woke up in the morning to see Elliot leading their son out of the bedroom. The child greeted her, then ran downstairs to play.

“What were you guys talking about so early in the morning?”

“I’ve decided not to bring him along this time.”

Anastasia was a little stunned. “Why not?” Arthur was their son’s godfather, so their son was obliged to attend his wedding.

“The one who called me up to invite me to the wedding wasn’t Artie himself; it was his steward instead. Based on this fact alone, I know there’s something wrong. I think something might have happened to Artie’s wedding this time.”

When she was reminded of this, Anastasia also felt that something was amiss. Arthur had been too cold and cruel when he ended things with Sophia. Throughout their relationship, Sophia’s love was completely humble. She didn’t ask for a future with him, so even if Arthur didn’t marry her, he should’ve given her a proper ending nonetheless.

“Did Jared agree to it?”

“We agreed on a deal. I promised to bring him on a tour around the world during his summer vacation, and we’ll see the penguins in Antarctica together.”

Anastasia nodded. “That’s good. We can go together.”

She was asking to be included as well!

In the evening, Elliot’s plane took off. A dark gray private plane shimmered in the night sky above the international airport, exuding a majestic aura among the airliners.

Meanwhile, Sophia had arrived. She picked up the pieces of her broken heart and was now boarding as Anastasia’s assistant.

Grace came along as well. Both she and Sophia could work together to take care of Anastasia.

Anastasia also comforted Sophia, telling her not to do anything rash no matter what happened. Sophia was still young, and her future was still something to hope for.

Sophia wouldn’t cause her any worry, and she was already quite calm on the outside. Her only reason for going was to seek for an answer, and once she received it, she would completely forget about Arthur before going home to start life anew.

The villa at night was filled with luxurious grandeur and cars with several guests pulled up at the parking lot outside the villa. Soon, a tall and upright figure opened the door and got out of the car. He took a luggage from the trunk, then carried it in his hand with great ease.

His entire body exuded an aura that could only belong to someone from a military background. On his handsome and well-defined features was a pair of eyes that looked like stars. His gaze was firm and held a strong power that could see through everything.

“This way please, Mr. Lloyd. The guest bedroom is over here.” The steward came forward and greeted him courteously.

“Where’s your young master? I want to see him.”

“He’s been busy preparing for the wedding these days, and he’s also quite swamped tonight. I’ll inform him to come and meet you tomorrow morning,” the steward replied.

Richard frowned slightly. “Alright.”

He then went into the guest room prepared beforehand, and an attendant immediately came over to serve dinner. He was told to take a good rest at night, which meant that he wasn’t supposed to go out loitering at night.

However, Richard wasn’t someone who kept to himself since young. In the middle of the night, his figure disappeared behind his window like a fleeting shadow despite the fact that he was four stories above ground.

Richard immediately went for the master bedroom where Arthur would be in. He had been here before, and he was quite familiar with the place. He passed by a dark garden and finally arrived at the window which was still illuminated by the lights within. He positioned himself on the wall near the window and swiftly climbed up.

In the main bedroom, a pampered figure was still awake. Arthur wore a black nightgown as he swirled the glass of wine in his hand which was meant to aid with sleep. His dark hair drooped and covered his full forehead, whereas his exposed features were handsome and alluring, exuding the prestigious aura he possessed since birth.

Just then, he keenly sensed that there was someone outside the window. His eyes darkened. “Who’s there?”

The person outside had no intention of hiding as he jumped through the window. Who could it be other than Richard?

When Arthur saw him enter, he dropped his guard, but he wasn’t too surprised either. He simply said calmly, “It’s you.”

Richard’s lowest expectation was to be greeted warmly by his best friend, while his highest expectation was to receive a hug from him. However, he never expected Arthur to just greet him so indifferently.

This disappointment was no better than getting abandoned by the love of his life.

“Is that how you’re going to welcome me? Artie, what’s wrong with you?” Richard asked right away. He wanted to know what had caused their friendship to become so distant.

“What’s wrong with me?” Arthur raised an eyebrow as he returned the question.

“Don’t you feel that something has changed between us? You getting married is a huge event, but you merely asked your steward to inform me about it. Are you so busy that you can’t even take time to call me and Elliot up?” Richard acted like a neglected wife as he confronted Arthur.

Arthur looked at him, confused. “Would you only come if I invite you myself?”

“You—” For some reason, Richard felt defeated. He let out a sigh and plopped onto Arthur’s bed. “You know, I was in such a rush and delayed everything else to come and see you. I was worried about you.”

“Why were you worried?” Arthur continued swirling the wine in the glass, the coldness in his eyes still unrelenting as if nothing in this world could rouse his excitement.

Richard was fuming by then, and he even wanted to give his good friend a good beating so that Arthur could stop acting so aloof. By then, perhaps Arthur would be reminded of the past when they used to fight each other.

“Artie, nothing happened to you, right? You look like you’ve changed into a completely different person.” Richard sat up on the bed and looked at Arthur, who exuded a sickly charm under the lights. In

fact, he looked like a cold beauty.

“What could possibly happen to me?” Arthur looked at him, feeling slightly bored. Then, he stood up and said, “It’s getting late. You should go back and rest.”

Richard gritted his teeth and got on his feet before walking up to Arthur. He stared right into the latter’s eyes as if he were trying to find the truth behind it all.

Arthur was a little stunned by his actions, so he pushed him away and said, “What are you looking at?!”

Richard felt that there was obviously something wrong with Arthur, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. Arthur was being too cold toward him, making it seem as though their friendship never existed.

“Fine, we’ll talk properly tomorrow.” With that, Richard leaped out of the window. Arthur frowned, but he didn’t give Richard another look as if he knew that the man wouldn’t fall to his death.

Arthur didn’t feel anything weird about himself these days, but everyone around him noticed the changes in him. He had become more indifferent, and even when faced with things he should be angry about, he simply responded calmly without much fluctuation in emotion.

Richard went back to his room and rested his head on his own arm, but he couldn’t fall asleep despite his fatigue. He still felt that the matter with Arthur was of great importance, and he had to investigate this in order to find out what caused his best friend to act so coldly.

In the morning, Richard purposely went to the villa for breakfast. Even though it was a bit shameless, he still sat opposite Arthur and studied him with an unabashed stare.

Arthur simply swept an indifferent glance over him and continued his breakfast in elegance, undisturbed.

“You’re here, Richard,” said Martha as she came over and greeted.

“Hello, Grandma. Long time no see,” responded Richard, returning the greeting politely.

“Long time no see, indeed! You’re still handsome like always,” Martha praised before she continued to ask, “Is your grandfather still in good health?”

“Yes, he’s still up and about.”

Martha nodded, then looked toward Arthur. “Artie, why don’t you take Richard on a walk after breakfast? You must have a lot to catch up on.”

“I still have some matters to attend to. I don’t have time for him.” Arthur unexpectedly declined the suggestion.

Richard felt like his heart had been stabbed as he said to Martha, “It’s okay, Grandma. I’m used to doing things alone.”

“Come here, Richard. I have something to ask you about,” Martha called him over to a wing at the side of the building.

Richard also hastily got up and followed. Martha looked at him worriedly and said, “Richard, did you notice anything wrong with my grandson? I feel like he has completely changed after coming back this time.”

“Yes! I noticed that too, Grandma.”

“I wonder what happened to him; he acts as if he doesn’t care about family anymore. He doesn’t even look excited about his wedding, and he just treats it like a job he’s supposed to do. I don’t understand him at all.”

“Grandma, when did this change happen?”

“The day after he came back. When he came home, he still hugged me happily and acted like a spoiled child, but now, it seems like he can’t even stand it when I speak more than two sentences. Oh, dear!” Martha was also heart-broken.

“Doesn’t Arthur realize that himself?”

“He seems fine, but also unusual at the same time. I even asked him to see a doctor, but the doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with him either. He just said that Arthur has had a change in personality, and his emotions and feelings have toned down. He’s in good health, and there’s nothing wrong in that aspect.”

“Can you get the butler to give me a copy of Arthur’s itinerary when he comes back? I’ll look into it.” Richard was determined to carry out the investigation.

“I’ll leave it to you.” Martha was also terribly worried. Her grandson had turned into a cold and aloof person, and she was anxious about it.

Meanwhile, in the laboratory, Johnny was also gathering data on Arthur’s recent emotional changes. In the end, he found out that his medicine had destroyed Arthur’s nervous system as a side effect, robbing the man of his emotions.

Something was wrong with Arthur’s emotional mechanism, but Johnny’s wife and daughter were still in the dark about this as they were still rejoicing over the wedding.

Johnny thought that he should observe for a while longer, hoping that these symptoms would heal with time. He couldn’t offer a better treatment, after all.

Nonetheless, Johnny knew that if his daughter married Arthur, he wouldn’t have to worry about funds for his laboratory anymore. He could make the best use of this laboratory and invent even more wondrous things than this. By then, he would be famous all over the world.

Thus, out of concern for his own prestige, he decided not to cure Arthur. He could treat the man as a research subject so that more observations could be carried out.

Save for him and his wife, no one else knew about this.

In the evening, a private plane landed safely at Flor International Airport.

When they exited the airport, the cars that would ferry them were already there. Anastasia went with Elliot, while Sophia and Grace got into another car. As Sophia felt the evening breeze of this country on her face, she couldn’t help the tears welling up in her eyes. She felt as if there was a hint of kinship in the air.

She was breathing the same air in this country, just like him. She would be able to see him soon.

“Don’t cry, Sophia. You’ll be able to see Young Master Weiss soon.” Grace considerately passed her a napkin and comforted her.

“Thank you.” Sophia suppressed the sorrow inside her. No one could understand her feelings then, her joy of seeing him soon, and also the despair that would ensue when she witnessed his wedding.

Shrouded in the curtain of night, Flor was both bustling and unfamiliar. The cars were headed toward the horizon in the distance.

Finally, after two hours, they arrived at the villa where the guests would be lodged. Under the night sky, the villa looked magnificent and large as if it were a huge beast crouched on the ground.

Sophia looked at the huge villa which was akin to castles and palaces. It took up almost a million hectares, and the garden formed a patchwork pattern in the night. This definitely wasn’t any ordinary rich person’s house.

“Wow! Young Master Weiss is so wealthy!” Grace was also in shock.

The butler brought a few people along to welcome them, then led them to the guest rooms prepared beforehand. Anastasia took Elliot’s hand and whispered in his ear, “The Weiss Residence feels like an ancient palace to me.”

“Yes, the system is quite strict here, and the difference in classes is clear as day.” Elliot nodded.

Anastasia couldn’t help but be stunned. She was more used to the relaxed atmosphere back home.

The woman then turned to look at Sophia and said, “Sophia, you can rest for today, and we’ll talk about everything tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, Anastasia. I won’t do anything rash.” Sophia nodded as she promised.

She was already grateful enough to be able to set foot in here, so she wouldn’t cause any trouble for Anastasia. Even though she could hardly suppress her urge right now, she would do her best to rein it in.

As soon as Anastasia and Elliot arrived at their room, someone knocked on their door. Elliot opened the door to see Richard standing at the entrance. In delighted surprise, he immediately gave his best friend a hug, and Richard also squeezed him back tightly. Then, Richard mused that this was the right way best friends should treat each other.

After Richard came in, he greeted Anastasia, “Hello, Anastasia.”

“Hi, Richard.” Anastasia was also on familiar terms with him.

“Elliot, there really is something wrong with Artie.”

“What is it?”

“He seems to have changed completely, and he’s indifferent about everything as if nothing could get him excited or emotional at all. He has lost all emotion toward everything. Even when he sees us, he treats us like mere acquaintances,” Richard said helplessly.

Elliot frowned. “How could this be? When I met him last time, we were still so close to each other.”

“I know, right? His grandmother told me that he changed on the day after his return, and even though he’s going to get married, he doesn’t look happy about it at all. It’s as if getting married carries the same weight as having a meal to him.”

“Is he marrying the girl he likes?” Anastasia couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Richard shook his head. “I have yet to meet that girl, but I think that Artie is only going through with the wedding because it’s protocol. I don’t think love is involved here.”

“Did his grandmother ask him to have this wedding?” Anastasia asked again.

“No, I heard that he asked to marry this girl himself.”

Anastasia exchanged glances with Elliot. Arthur wasn’t forced into marriage, and he was the one who wanted to marry the girl instead? What about Sophia? Did he really have no love for her?

“We’ll go see him for a bit.” Elliot was a little anxious to see for himself what had changed about Arthur.

“Okay! Anastasia, you can rest in the meantime. We’ll be off.” With that, Richard headed outside.

Behind him, Eliot also said gently, “Wait for my return, and call me if anything happens.”

“I’ll be fine. Go ahead!” Anastasia was actually a little tired, and she wanted to rest for a bit.

Eliot and Richard went out together. They asked about Arthur’s whereabouts, then went straight to him.

Just then, Arthur was in the garden walking his beloved pet. He was sitting on the couch as he watched the Doberman dig holes in the ground. He usually cared for it like it was his own son, but he just told it to stop in a lazy tone, saying, “Gritt, stop it.”

Gritt let out a pampered whine, then immediately went over to him and rubbed its head against his arms. Then, it sniffed all around him, perhaps also noticing that its master was less enthusiastic now, thinking that Arthur probably didn’t love it anymore.

“What’s wrong?” Arthur frowned as he looked at the dog, then reached out and patted it. “You like walks, don’t you? Go and play!”

However, Gritt remained in his arms, reluctant to leave. Its large mouth rubbed against his arm as it let out more whimpers.

“You’re making my clothes dirty.” Arthur pushed its big mouth away, then picked up a ball beside him before throwing it into the distance. “Fetch.”

Just then, Gritt’s ears perked up when it sensed someone coming.

Soon, Gritt started barking before it ran over to the visitors, letting out another type of joyful whimper.

Richard and Eliot both smiled as they looked at this large dog with loving gazes. Gritt was a puppy they had picked out together, and the little guy in the past was now enormous.

Arthur turned to look at the two. He simply looked at them, not even expressing welcome.

Eliot’s emotions right now were undoubtedly the same as Richard’s not long ago. He looked at Arthur, who was seated there and didn’t even seem to bother getting up. There was a faint smile in Arthur’s eyes. “You’re here.”

“See? With your expressions like that, I might even think that we’re not welcome to your wedding!” Richard complained. He was a man of few words, but this time, Arthur had stimulated the expansion of his words.

Eliot had prepared himself beforehand, so he calmly took a seat across from Arthur, then chatted with the latter as usual.

“Congratulations, Artie. I never thought I’d attend your wedding this soon.”

“Did you come here alone? Where’s Anastasia and Jared?” Arthur asked.

“I didn’t bring Jared this time, but Anastasia is resting in the room. She’s looking forward to meeting your wife; perhaps you can arrange for them to meet tomorrow,” Eliot said.

“Sure, I can do that.” With that, Arthur glanced at his watch. “I have a video conference to attend, so I’ll go back to my study now. We can talk more tomorrow.”

“Hey, you can’t leave like that.” Richard didn’t want Arthur to leave, so he went up and stopped the latter.

Arthur frowned, retracting his hand reluctantly. “Let go, Richard.”

“We just arrived, but you’re already leaving? That’s no way to treat your best friends.” Richard wanted to evoke even stronger emotions from Arthur.

However, Arthur just said in exasperation, “Pardon me if I’m lacking in hospitality.”

“What about a fight?” Richard wanted to throw hands now.

“I can’t win against you.” Arthur wasn’t stupid.

“Right, you’ve never won against me. What I meant was that I’ve never lost since day one.” Richard continued provoking him.

At the side, Eliot didn’t stop the fight; he simply observed the reactions on Arthur’s face. There was indeed something wrong.

Arthur used to be a competitive person, but now, he only wore a bored expression as he retracted his hand and said, “I do admit that I can’t win against you. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

Richard simply watched him leave, wide-eyed. Then, he turned back to Eliot and said, “See? He’s just so indifferent, and it’s no use provoking him. Something must be wrong.”

However, Arthur, who hadn’t gone very far, seemingly had superior listening. He suddenly turned around and walked back to them as he asked Richard, “What’s wrong with me?”