Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 681-690

Just as Elliot was about to get up, Anastasia reached out to hug his neck. “Then, we don’t have to use it.”

He immediately understood what she meant and was taken by surprise. Then, he kissed her gently and asked in a hoarse voice, “Sweetheart, are you sure?”

“I am!” She had promised Jared, so she decided to try and see if she could fulfill his wish of giving him a sister on his birthday next year.

…

At the break of dawn, Arthur suddenly had the urge to visit Sophia’s father after waking up.

After all, he had nothing better to do.

Deciding that he wanted it to be a surprise, he did not inform her about it. He used other means to get information about Drake’s whereabouts. After all, the Goodwins’ company was in his hands.

To avoid Emily, Arthur left at about 10:00 AM to drive directly to the hospital since his bodyguard had bought him a gift in advance, so he drove directly to the hospital.

At the hospital, Drake and the rest of his family were just at the entrance as his driver was on the way to bring them to a restaurant for lunch.

As Drake couldn’t walk, he was pushed out in a wheelchair.

At this moment, a pick-up truck drove up toward them and the man who stepped out was Christopher coming to pick Sophia up. At 5 feet 7 inches, he weighed nearly 200 pounds in sportswear and his body looked plumper than ever.

His chin and neck were almost touching each other, but this did not stop him from liking beautiful women at all.

He and Sophia were classmates from junior high until they were in university. She had always been the It girl since she was young as she was beautiful. Thus, Christopher had always been dreaming of getting her.

As for Sophia’s parents, they hoped that she would be taken care of for the rest of her life. Although he was a little plump, he came from a wealthy family, so their daughter would be able to live a prosperous life in the future.

“Dad, Mom, let Uncle G take you to the restaurant first. We’ll meet you there in a bit,” Sophia said.

“Alright, we’ll get going then.”

Then, she followed Christopher into his car where he immediately acted like a gentleman. “Sophia, today is a great day for us. Come, let’s get a gift for you.”

“Let us go eat first,” she deflected. She did not want anything from him.

“You’re going to be my wife soon, and it’s only right for me to give you a gift.” Then, he drove her straight to the jewelry store. Although she had repeatedly refused the offer, he still tried to force a diamond ring on her finger.

Ultimately, she had no choice but to wear it on her ring finger. This made him grin so widely that his triple chin was on full display.

“Sophia, you’re so beautiful today. Did you know how many boys were after you back in high school? Now, I can finally call you mine,” he boasted. He had already made up his mind to bribe the media to report their wedding. That way, he would look even more imposing.

The most beautiful girl in school was now his wife, which made it extremely wonderful!

However, Sophia had no intention of being his trophy wife. She looked at the time and said, “It’s time for us to head over to the restaurant.”

Then, Christopher finally drove them toward the restaurant.

In the hospital corridor, a group of young nurses was stunned by the sight of a man in a white shirt, who became the focus of all the women. He was like a protagonist out of a novel while the two bodyguards made him appear cold and hostile with a domineering aura.

Arthur stood at the door of the ward. He stopped outside for a few seconds before he reached out to push open the door, expecting to see Sophia’s surprised face.

However, the ward was empty.

When a nurse passed by, he politely asked the nurse in a charming voice, “Excuse me, has the patient here been discharged?”

It just so happened that the nurse happened to be in charge of the ward. “Mr. Goodwin is not discharged yet,” she hurriedly answered. “He just went out for lunch. If I’m not wrong, his daughter is getting engaged today.”

At the sound of this, his dark pupils suddenly shrank. “Engaged?”

“Yes, that is correct! According to what I’ve heard, they will meet the groom’s family and discuss the engagement. Sir, are you related to him?”

“No.” The man kept his composure and gave a quick smile, but as soon as he walked away, his face looked gloomy.

How could she not tell him she was going to get engaged?

Arthur pulled out his phone and called Sophia’s number right away.

Sophia was in the car that Christopher was driving. When she heard her phone rang, she pulled it out and checked it. Once she saw who was calling, she immediately ended the call.

“Why didn’t you answer?” Christopher asked out of curiosity.

“It’s nothing important.”

At the hospital lobby, the man couldn’t believe that she had just hung up on him. When he thought about that, he gripped the phone even tighter.

“Find out where Drake’s daughter’s engagement is,” Arthur ordered his bodyguard behind him.

The bodyguard contacted the executive at Goodwin Corporation, who put him in touch with Drake’s driver. The driver gave them the address and room number of the restaurant.

Arthur then entered the car and calmly said, “Drive to the restaurant.”

Christopher’s car slowly pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot during this time. When Sophia got out of the vehicle, he suddenly hugged her. This startled Sophia, so she avoided and told him, “Don’t do this. We do not want anyone to see us.”

“What’s the problem? After this meal, you will be my wife anyway.” He wanted to move in with Sophia so badly right now.

Even though they were going to get married in future, she still resisted him deeply.

“Fine! At the very least, we should hold hands!” Christopher ignored her refusal and forced to take her hand.

Sophia had no choice but to follow him inside the restaurant while holding her hand.

At the restaurant, Drake and his wife were chatting with the York couple. Since they were both businessmen, this was something that they had in common. Their conversation led to the Goodwin Corporation incident when a hostile acquisition left Drake with no one to turn to when it happened.

His business was thriving until there was an unexpected hostile acquisition, which resulted in him owing a significant amount of money to the bank. All of this happened as a result of his daughter losing the heirloom that belonged to a young man.

“Anyway, the past is the past. Please look out for us since we will soon be in-laws,” Drake added.

“Of course. After all, our son is totally crazy about Sophia.”

Christopher walked in while holding Sophia’s hand as they were talking.

After taking their seats, the two families began ordering food. In the meantime, Emma was observing her daughter seated next to a plump Christopher. She felt terrible for Sophia since she was unhappy with this engagement.

“Sophia! I’ll take good care of you in the future. Once you’re married to Christopher, please hurry ahead and bless our family with a grandchild. I definitely want to have a grandchild soon.” Margaret thought to herself as she looked at Sophia’s lovely face. My future grandchildren’s genes will definitely be amazing.

“Why don’t we skip the engagement and get straight to the wedding planning? At this point, we are able to discuss the dowry and what should be done with it. We are generous, we have decided to give two million dollars.” Edmund York had already decided what he will do.

“We have no demands on the dowry. Everything is fine so long as Sophia is happy.” Drake nodded.

Edmund had an idea right away. “Oh! Drake, how about we help you pay off half of your debt to make things easier and then figure out what to do about the rest?”

Drake and his wife looked at each other in silence. Because of how things were, they had no other choice as they no longer had any pride left to ask for more.

“But we also hope you can give something as your part of the wedding gift,” Margaret said out of the blue.

When Emma heard this, she quickly added, “We’ll absolutely prepare our side of the wedding gift too.”

“In that case, let’s just get right to it. Drake, we are interested in your land. So, we’re wondering whether you may make it as your gift for the wedding.”

Drake and his wife exchanged yet another glance. Our land?! However, this land is valued at 50 million dollars on the market. It wasn’t that the couple didn’t want to give the land as a wedding gift; instead, it was their only remaining possession.

Sophia was shocked to hear this and she looked at the York Family. They want a piece of land as a wedding gift?!

“Mr. Drake, we’ll build a house on that piece of land. We’ll bring you two over to stay with us by then.” Christopher said. He thought that his family deserved to benefit financially from this marriage.

Drake and his wife found themselves in a terrible predicament. They couldn’t help but think, we thought that marrying off our daughter would be a joyful occasion, but the wedding gift that the other side is asking for seems ridiculous.

“Don’t tell me you’re hesitant to give it up, Drake.” Edmund continued in his pursuit.

“Well, that’s not really true. We’ll get ready for our part of the wedding gift, but this land is under my father’s name. I don’t think I have much of a say in this.”

“However, I heard that you inherited the land from him. Certainly, you can make that decision. We also want our children to have a nicer place to live once they marry, wouldn’t you agree? You will provide the land, and we will assist in the construction of a villa. In the end, it’s for the benefit of our children.”

“Mr. and Mrs. York, I’m not too choosy about where I live. Also, I have my own property, so after Christopher and I get married, we can just move into my apartment,” Sophia said.

“An apartment? That can’t be right. Christopher can’t live in an apartment. We have always given him the best of everything since he was a child, in case you didn’t know,” Margaret refuted in a strong manner and made it sound like his son was a rare and precious gem.

A large black SUV pulled up in front of the restaurant’s entrance. The bodyguard stepped out of the vehicle to open the rear passenger seat door. The man’s slender and long legs stepped out and he walked right inside the restaurant.

“Do you have any reservations, sir?”

“We’re here to look for someone,” his bodyguard answered.

Arthur asked, “Where is The Prema Room?”

“Oh! This way, sir.” The server catered to their needs with enthusiasm. While directing them to The Prema Room, the waitress could not resist catching a glimpse of the male visitor. He is extremely attractive! Is he a celebrity?

At the same time, the atmosphere in The Prema Room had become a little awkward. The York Family was keen about getting that piece of land, but the Goodwin Family was in a dilemma.

The room’s door was pushed open at this moment and the sweet voice of the waitress welcoming someone was heard shortly after. “Please enter, sir.”

The two families turned their heads and glanced at the door in surprise while a noble looking man entered the room.

Sophia was so shocked when she saw the man that she jumped from her seat. “Mr. Weiss, why are you here?” she asked, looking at the man with bewilderment.

Arthur shifted his eyes from the two families in their seats to the plump man next to Sophia. He narrowed his eyes as he thought, is this the man she’s going to marry? Is she blind? This man does not deserve to be with her.

When Drake and his wife saw the man, they were shocked as well and would never intentionally upset him. Furthermore, their daughter owed him a family heirloom.

As Christopher saw the uninvited guest, something inside his mind warned him to be cautious of this man. So, he rose up and said in an unpleasant tone, “Who are you? Do you not realize that this is a private session? Hurry and leave!”

When Sophia detected Christopher’s unpleasant tone, she hurriedly introduced him to Arthur. “This is my friend, Christopher.”

“Sophia, what do you think this means? How can you invite a male friend to our engagement party?” Christopher was furious. When he saw that this man was truly exceptional, he became really angry.

“No, that’s not what it is.” She waved her hands to indicate that he had misunderstood. She then reached out her hands to push and drag Arthur toward the door. “Mr. Weiss, why don’t we talk about this outside?”

Arthur turned around and followed her to the door.

Sophia closed the door behind her once they were outside. “Young Master Weiss, why are you here?!” she asked, feeling confused.

“Are you going to get married to that pig inside there?” he laughed as if he had just seen a joke.

An embarrassed Sophia said, “Don’t say such rude things about him, will you?”

“Aren’t you afraid that he’ll squash you?” He didn’t pay attention to her and kept making nasty remarks.

Her face immediately turned red with embarrassment when she heard that. Can’t this man at least respect me?

“Yes, Young Master Weiss. I’m getting engaged soon and no longer can serve you. Please revoke our agreement,” she said with a serious expression.

She believed that the only way to resolve her father’s debt was to sever ties with Arthur.

“I disagree; you cannot leave my side for a whole year.” He crossed his arms and gave her a harsh glare.

Sophia choked when she heard that. Since she was determined to have nothing to do with him, she could only say, “In short, I’m getting engaged. I’m going to get married to someone else. So, all I can say is that from now on, I’ll only stay on the side of the man I’m going to marry.”

“Does your fiance know about our relationship?” Arthur narrowed his eyes and asked.

Sophia’s cheeks reddened after hearing this. Why does he act as if we are having an affair? For goodness sake, we’re just friends. Why does he have to complicate our relationship?

Sophia bit her lip and said, “There’s nothing between us.”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

At that moment, Sophia didn’t notice that someone from inside was opening the door behind her. From the corner of his eye, Arthur could see and even figure out who that person was.

So, he unintentionally made himself sound even more ambiguous than before. “Have you forgotten that we used to sleep in the same room? You even saw me naked!”

Christopher, who had just opened the door and walked out, heard this statement at first instance. Since he was angry, he asked out loud, “Sophia, what is your relationship with him?”

His voice took Sophia by surprise and she immediately turned to him and explained, “Christopher, please don’t misunderstand. There’s nothing between …”

Suddenly, her face was cupped by two fair and delicate hands. Without giving her time to react, a set of thin, rejuvenating lips kissed her soft lips.

This took Sophia completely by surprise.

Christopher could only watch as his future fiancee was being kissed by another man.

The bodyguard who stood by the side was also surprised as he saw Young Master Weiss initiating a kiss with a woman.

After kissing Sophia, Arthur flashed a smug look and sneered at Christopher to provoke him.

Sophia was dazed and completely stupefied by the kiss until she heard Christopher’s angry voice. “Let go of her! She’s my girlfriend, and you have no right to touch her!”

Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around her waist as Christopher finished ranting. She was flattened in an embrace with a cedar scented chest the next second. “I’ve touched her, so what are you going to do?” Arthur smirked as he kissed her hair.

“Sophia, you ought to think this through! Your father’s 10 billion dollars debt will be due soon, and if you are not engaged with me, no one’s going to pay for him. He may need to spend at least 3 years in jail if he can’t pay up!” Christopher was still determined to get Sophia for himself. After all, he’d never give up something he’d never touched before.

Just as Sophia was about to push off Arthur, a deep male voice said, “You’re willing to marry yourself to this pig for a mere 10 billion dollars? How can you be such a loser?”

She had never heard such haughty remarks in her life. Meanwhile, Christopher became enraged when he heard that someone spoke of him as a pig.

“You?! Then, why don’t you try to take out 10 billion dollars in one go?”

When he watched Arthur extend out his hand, the bodyguard gave him a black wallet. Arthur withdrew a black card from his wallet and handed it to Sophia. “Take it and use the money to pay off your father’s debt. Return to serve me after you’ve settled it.”

When Christopher saw it, his eyes widened in amazement. He observed not one, but maybe six or seven black cards in this man’s wallet, if he wasn’t mistaken. With his current net worth, even he himself was ineligible to upgrade to a black card.

Sophia was shocked when she looked at the black card and raised her head. She knew she couldn’t accept something like that from him. So, she quickly shook her head and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Weiss. I can’t take your card.”

“Let’s just ignore him, Sophia. I’m sure he has plans to do something bad. Let’s go inside.” Christopher then moved toward her and tried to pull her away from Arthur, but Arthur’s bodyguard came out immediately and stopped Christopher from getting close.

Sophia broke free from Arthur’s grip on her waist. Then she told him, “Please let go of me. Thank you.”

When he heard that, he was a little disappointed. This woman is willing to marry someone else instead of accepting his assistance?!

Christopher thought it was finally his turn to give Arthur a provoking smirk as Sophia walked toward him.

He was shocked by what Sophia was about to say, which came as a surprise. Looking at him, she said, “Christopher, let’s cancel our engagement for today. I’m not marrying you!”

“Why?” He looked at her anxiously.

Sophia wasn’t a fool, she knew that when the York Family asked her to marry Christopher and said they would help her father pay off his debt, it was just empty promises. Out of greed, they even asked for a piece of her parents’ land as a wedding gift for her.

She had actually thought about it while she was inside the room and wondered whether she could get her parents to sell everything they owned to pay off the debt. She was also willing to stay with her parents in a rental home and accompany them.

Moreover, she could also tell that her parents were having trouble deciding what to do about the piece of land. She knew that the York Family was using paying off the debt as an excuse to pressure her parents.

Christopher followed Sophia as she pushed open the door to the room. Once she entered the room, she addressed the York Family, “Mr. and Mrs. York, I regret to inform you that I cannot get engaged to Christopher. Please forgive me.” She then turned to her parents and said, “Let’s go home, Mom and Dad.”

“What? Sophia, what’s the matter? I thought we discussed this, so why have you decided not to get engaged to Christopher this time?”

Meanwhile, Drake and Emma exchanged glances. Surely, they also sensed the York Family’s true motives for this engagement. Now that Sophia had openly broken off her engagement, there was no longer any reason to associate with the York Family.

Drake reclined to his wheelchair while Sophia made her way over to him and began pushing him out. After Emma had made her pleasantries, they left the room.

Arthur was still in the hallway and hadn’t left yet. He seemed to remember something right then. When he bought Drake Goodwin’s company the last time, he was the one who earned the 10 billion dollars debt that came with it.

When Sophia left the room and saw Arthur still standing in the hallway, she spoke to him. “I’m going to take my dad back to the hospital, so I’ll leave first.”

Drake still held a grudge against Arthur for taking over his company with ill intent. So, he only gave Arthur a quick glance before letting her push him away.

Arthur took out his phone and called a few numbers after he watched the family of three enter into the elevator. “I need help with this one thing.”

Christopher pushed all the tableware off the table in the private room. Infuriated, he said, “How dare they look down on us, the Goodwin Family! Fine! I will wait till Drake is sentenced to jail!”

“Darn it! I assumed Drake would offer that plot of land as a wedding gift and present it to us. Who knew Sophia wasn’t such a fool?” Edmund expressed his dissatisfaction.

Sophia assisted Drake in getting into the car to return to the hospital. As she sat in the front passenger seat, she reminisced about Arthur’s kiss earlier and couldn’t believe this man had kissed her.

“Let’s just sell everything that can be sold and pay off the debt, Mom and Dad. I’ll pay them the rest of the money when I obtain a job in the future,” Sophia told her parents seated in the back passenger seat.

“Well, I guess that’s the only way to go now.” Drake let out a heavy sigh when he thought about how hard it might be for Sophia to pay off his debt for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, Drake’s phone rang. Thus, he picked up his phone and answered.

His words could be heard, but no one knew what the other person on the other end of the line had said until he asked, “Really? All my debts have been settled?”

Emma and Sophia stared at him with disbelief at hearing this.

Drake’s eyes revealed traces of both joy and confusion as he spoke with the person on the phone. “Alright. Alright. Thank you. On Monday, I will absolutely head over to get the proof of settlement.”

After hanging up the phone, he said to Emma and Sophia, “That was from the bank. They called to inform me that my debt had been fully settled.”

“Who helped you?” Emma asked quickly. “Could the York Family be involved?”

“There’s no way the York Family has this much cash flow.”

Then, all of a sudden, Sophia knew who helped Drake to pay off his debt. So, she told them, “I know, Mom and Dad! Mr. Weiss was the one who paid off your debt!”

“What? That was Mr. Weiss whom we just saw in the hallway?” Drake questioned in surprise.

“Why would he want to help us pay off the debt? You still owe him an heirloom, don’t you?” a shocked Emma asked.

Sophia couldn’t find the real answer, but she knew that Arthur was the one who had paid Drake’s debt.

“Mom, Dad, don’t worry about this. I can handle it,” she said.

Drake and Emma glanced at each other and thought, how will Sophia handle this? Is it possible that Mr. Weiss liked our daughter?

Soon, they arrived at the hospital.

Drake got out of the car while Emma looked at Sophia and told her, “If it’s really Mr. Weiss, you need to thank him right away.”

“Sure, I’ll do it! You guys head first. I’ll find him right now!”

Sophia halted a cab as she said that. After that, she pulled out her phone and called Arthur.

“Hello?” The phone was answered as a low, deep voice of a man of unknown temperament came through.

“Were you the one who helped settle my father’s debt?” Sophia asked quickly.

“Yes. I had settled his debt.”

“Why… Why did you do it?” Even if her brain were to burst, Sophia was still unable to uncover the reason for this issue.

“Listen carefully, you owe me a family heirloom and 10 billion dollars from now on.”

“All right. I’ll pay you back for what you did for me. If you are willing, I can even be your servant for a lifetime.” Sophia had no choice but to sell herself to Arthur. Yet, she didn’t mind much because she knew she would feel better once father paid off his debt.

When the man heard what Sophia said, he asked in a serious tone, “So, does that mean you’ll do anything I tell you to do from now on?”

Sophia’s face suddenly turned red, but she answered him with boldness. “Yes.”

“You’ll have an hour to return to my villa,” he demanded.

“Sure! I’ll be right back.” She responded before she hung up the phone with relief.

The debt is paid off. Mom and Dad don’t have to struggle to make a living, and I can stay with him for the rest of my life.

Sophia felt like she was in a trance as she gazed at the sunshine beyond the window.

She was surprised that she didn’t feel trapped when she thought she would be with Arthur for a long time. Instead, it made her feel happy and she even looked forward to it.

After an hour, Sophia went to Arthur’s villa and ran into Emily as she was having her afternoon tea. When Emily first saw her, she was so mad that she threw up her tea and called Sophia out of the blue, “Hey, you! Come here!”

Sophia walked right over to her when she heard that. “Can I help you in any way, Miss Jennings?”

Emily pushed the desserts off the table all of a sudden. “It’s dirty on the floor. Come here and clean it up.”

Sophia watched as Emily tried to create a scene on purpose. If it was before, she’d ignore Emily for sure. Now, though, things are different. Arthur’s guest is Emily while I work for him. So, doing these things will come naturally to me.

“Yes, Miss Jennings.” Sophia was on her knees and picked up the desserts that had fallen on the floor, but all of a sudden, Emily stomped on one of the desserts with her shoe. She took them off and said, “My shoes are dirty on the bottom. Why don’t you wash it after you finish cleaning up this mess?”

Sophia nodded and kept wiping the floor while she was on her knees. Arthur appeared at the front entrance before he slowly entered.

He saw Emily in the garden, sitting cross-legged on a reclining chair with a teacup in one hand and desserts sprawled on the floor underneath her. Then, he noticed Sophia, who was kneeling down and collecting the desserts off the ground as if she were a servant.

Emily was feeling smug as she watched Sophia clean up the mess she had intentionally made when she heard a cold male voice say, “Stop cleaning.”

Sophia’s hand stopped moving when she heard that voice. Then, she turned her head to look at the man who was coming toward them. She continued picking up those desserts instead of rising to her feet

She was pulled to her feet by a hand that reached out to grab it. When she heard the man’s voice, it sounded a little bit mean. “I said, stop picking. Are you deaf?”

Sophia took her hand back as she looked down. “Yes.”

Then she looked at Emily’s shoes, which were placed to one side and said, “Miss Jennings, let me clean your shoes.”

Emily couldn’t help but smirk when she saw that Sophia knew how to behave. “Make sure to clean it well,” she added.

Arthur knew what was going on because he knew Emily well. He had seen the desserts on the floor and the dessert stains on her shoes.

“Emily, she is my personal maid. Please order your personal attendants to take care of all of your everyday needs. Don’t instruct Sophia any longer,” he told Emily before instructing Sophia, “Stop cleaning and come inside with me.”

Emily pouted her lips unhappily and demanded, “Artie, why can’t I make her do what I want? How is she better than my servant?”

“No means no and it’s final.”Arthur maintained his calm manner. Then, he dragged Sophia into the living room where he reminded her, “Moving forward, you must serve me only and no one else.”

Sophia’s delicate cheeks flushed slightly when she heard the words serve me only because these were incredibly vague affectionate terms.

As always, she did what she was told and nodded. “I understand.”

“Go back to your room and rest.” Arthur gave her his instructions. He couldn’t attend to her for long because he had some business to take care of.

Sophia returned to her room and she received a phone call from her father thereafter. He contacted to see if it was Arthur who had helped him settle his debt.

“Dad, yes. I’m now working for him, so it may be a while before I can see you and Mom.”

“Logically, I should detest him because he took over my company by force.” Drake was experiencing feelings that were somewhat conflicting.

“Why did he take over your business, Dad?” Sophia wondered.

“It’s because I managed the business inefficiently and failed to turn a profit.” Drake sighed. He recalled how ruthless Arthur had been the last time he took over the business. There was no introduction or advance notice as the man simply appeared and seized his company.

One of his other business partners had used the company’s shares as collateral for a loan of hundred of billion dollars. For this reason, the company was sold and the sale proceeds were transmitted directly to the bank. It was later found out that Drake was also responsible for another debt, which had been taken out in his name.

This was the said debt that Arthur had settled up in full.

Drake was furious but also helpless. There was, however, nothing he could do to change the situation. As a result, he had little choice but to accept his fate. On top of that, he had always planned on retiring someday.

“Dad, focus on your health first,” Sophia comforted him. She stood by the handrail on the second story and glanced down at Arthur working on his laptop downstairs as she spoke. The man seemed so cold, stoic, and charming at the same time.

Up until now, she hadn’t been able to believe that those delicately pursed lips of his had kissed her.

Anastasia arrived at the company earlier in the morning to meet a few important visitors. As a jewelry designer, she’d always been attentive and patient with clients. Even though she was with a prominent status now, she still met with every client and that dignified attitude of hers captivated them.

In less than a half hour and two cups of coffee later, she was able to secure nearly 10 million worth of custom orders for three prominent women.

Anastasia was aware that the jewelry market was becoming increasingly competitive. That meant that if they truly wanted to break away from their old operating model, they had to go all out at the top end

and she wanted to build Bourgeois into a top-tier company in the industry.

During her time as an employee at Bourgeois, she was aware that the company had a lot of unproductive staff. She was aware that the majority of these slackers were executive-levels who received substantial perks from their positions without performing any effort.

With this in mind, she made the decision to restructure the entire organization and redeployment of staff.

Anastasia trusted Felicia, Larry, and Mason the most out of all the employees she knew and they were already in the conference room at this stage.

The process of personnel reformation was quickly brought to a conclusion. The Vice-president was held by Larry while Felicia was promoted to regional chief director. On the other hand, Mason was given an instant promotion and had the responsibility of running the general business operations of the Bourgeois couture line as general manager.

The first thing that Anastasia had to do was to give them responsibilities that were suited for their level of expertise.

In the afternoon, the executives of the Bourgeois organization underwent a transformation. All of the managers who believed their jobs were secure and well-compensated were demoted to positions of less significance whereas their salaries were also based on their sales performance.

Meanwhile, the employees who had worked earnestly and honestly for the company were also promoted and rehired. For a moment, sounds of complaints and rants echoed in the big office of Bourgeois while those who were rehired realized at the same time that the top management of the corporation had practiced fairness and justice. This realization motivated their strong will to devote themselves to their work.

Once she was done restructuring the company, Anastasia was looking at some documents in her office. Suddenly, she heard Grace’s voice coming from outside and judging from the lady’s intonation, she sounded like she was anxiously stopping someone.

“No, you can’t enter. President Tillman is working.”

Regardless of what, Grace still couldn’t stop the burly male manager with that petite figure of hers. Coincidentally, this male manager was one of those executives who had been transferred from his original position.

Feeling resigned, he pushed open the door and made his way across to Anastasia’s desk. “President Tillman, what’s the meaning of this?! I have been working in Bourgeois for 8 years. I’m pretty sure I could get some credit for my efforts, but how could you demote me just like that?!”

Observing the agitated male manager in front of her, Anastasia calmly stood up. She stared at Gordon Quigley, the male manager, with a piercing gaze and spoke, “Mr. Quigley, I must remind you that Bourgeois will not support idlers from now on. You can submit your resignation if you don’t wish to cooperate with this transfer decision. I’m more than happy to receive your resignation letter.”

“Anastasia, do you think you’re that great? You’re nothing but a mere designer who became lucky and able to climb to the top.” Gordon sneered, after which he quickly added, “All in all, you successfully seduced a man like Elliot just because you have a pretty face. I’m telling you: I have already been holding the position of a manager even before you joined Bourgeois! How dare you demote me now!”

Likewise, Anastasia didn’t intend to pamper anyone in the company. Therefore, she said coldly, “I dare to because I’m the boss of Bourgeois! I have the right to make any decision!”

“Anastasia, you can transfer me to another position, but I’m not fine with a salary reduction. If you don’t implement it, I’ll go on a strike with all my men!” Since Gordon was previously the manager of Bourgeois, he had quite a number of subordinates under him.

“I dare you if you have this ability. We shall see if the evidence in my hand would send you to jail first, or your strike will come first.” After she finished speaking, she coldly recounted his charges. “Don’t think I don’t know what you have been up to! I have calculated the amount of money that you have illegally transferred out all these years! It’s at least more than 8 million, if not 10 million!”

When Gordon heard Anastasia’s words, the arrogance on his face instantly turned into panic. Even so, he still pretended to be calm as he said, “President Tillman, you should at least provide evidence if you want to convict me for such crimes.”

“Evidence? By the time I retrieve the evidence, that will also be the time when I’ll see you in court. Are you sure you want to get things to such an ugly extent?” Anastasia questioned him while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Today, she wore a white blouse and a high-waist hip skirt. Dressing like this, she looked slender and mesmerizing while radiating a domineering aura at the same time.

“You should know that the team of lawyers under Presgrave Corporation won’t have mercy toward anyone in court.” Anastasia stared at Gordon coldly with her pair of beautiful orbs.

When he heard her words, the arrogance he had when he first entered was immediately suppressed. At this moment, he was scared out of his wits. Therefore, he quickly smiled and pleaded, “Please, President Tillman. I-I accept this transfer.”

“On second thought, it’s better for you to resign!” She was unwilling to give him a chance to continue wasting time in the company.

Gordon was a man who had always been buoyant and impetuous. Therefore, he instantly clenched his hands into a fist when he heard Anastasia asking him to resign. Glaring at her angrily, he wanted to lash out. “You—”

However, before he could get the chance to do so, the door behind him opened. Immediately after, two bodyguards in suits speedily entered. As each bodyguard stood on the left and right side of Gordon, they gave him death glares as if to remind him not to go overboard.

Once again, he calmed down his rage. Then, he snorted. “Fine! I’ll resign.”

Once Gordon left, the bodyguards left Anastasia’s office and guarded the entrance to her office.

Later, Anastasia received an internal phone call. Reaching out, she answered the call. “Hello?”

“I heard that you’ve fired a few of the executives.” Elliot’s low voice came from the other end of the phone.

“Well, you know that I can’t let him continue to bleed Bourgeois dry. I won’t tolerate the existence of such a character in the company,” she explained. As she spoke, there was rather a resolute vibe in her tone.

“I’ll support whatever my wife does, but make sure to tell me first when you encounter danger next time.” Elliot reminded her. He had earlier received a SOS call from Grace. According to Grace, she said there was a male manager who barged into Anastasia’s office. Since Elliot was outside, he could only assign the bodyguards to protect her first.

Anastasia wasn’t psychologically scared of anyone unlike Elliot. Perhaps this had something to do with her toughening herself up since young. Hearing Elliot’s words, she smiled and uttered, “Sorry for making you worry.”

“The family’s safety always comes first in my heart.”

When she heard the serious tone in his voice, she also looked at this matter in a more serious manner. “I promise you that I’ll learn to protect myself.”

“Remember to ask Adriana to accompany you always,” Elliot exhorted.

Coincidentally, today was the day that Adriana was on leave. Thus, she wasn’t on Anastasia’s side. However, Anastasia decided to keep quiet about this after she sensed how worried Elliot was.

“Sure, got it. By the way, how are things at the financial summit?”

“I’ve met a few acquaintances earlier, so I’m probably going to be home a little late.”

Understanding the situation Elliot was in, Anastasia commented, “Sure! I’ll coax Jared to sleep first then.”

At this time, there was a knock on the door. Hence, she could only add, “Well then, I’ll hang up first. Bye!”

He hummed as a reply to her.

After hanging up the phone, Grace came in to deliver an urgent document. Due to the fact that Bourgeois had swiftly eliminated the ‘pests’ in just a day and cleaned up the vibe in the office, those who intended to dawdle became tense.

In the meantime, the financial summit was held inside a grandiose hall.

Standing in the center among a few of his foreign acquaintances, Elliot was discussing the future economical direction and development with them.

At this moment, a sexy figure gradually approached them. With the staff pass hanging around her neck and her alluring attire, Lorelai made her way toward Elliot with a smile on her face.

“Elliot, what a coincidence,” Lorelai greeted.

Looking at her, he nodded. “Lorelai.”

“Elliot, I heard that you’re going to meet the richest person from Dansbury. It just so happens that I’m fluent in the language spoken in Dansbury. Let me be your translator.” She shamelessly started promoting herself to him.

“That’s fine. My translator will be here soon.” Elliot didn’t wish to trouble her.

“Elliot, give me a chance to help you!” Lorelai started whining with crystal clear eyes.

However, he simply waved his hand. “Just go ahead with your business!” After that, he brought his assistant, Rey, and left.

Biting her rosy lips, Lorelai turned her head and looked at Elliot’s straight and charming back silhouette. Instantly, she felt down and depressed. Could it be that Elliot doesn’t want to give me a chance to get close to him just because I’ve shown signs of seduction last time? If he thinks I’ll stop, then he’s wrong. I’m not a person who would give up so easily! Since the day I was born, I know that I’m just a tool of interest that my Dad used to acquire Presgrave Corporation. I have no way out, so I must endure the hardship and charge forward.

Later, when the party was held at 5:00PM, Lorelai purposely seduced a foreign businessman. She knew this businessman had been lusting over her beauty and he even touched her from time to time. Even so, she still decided to endure him in order to carry out her sinister plan later.

When Lorelai saw Elliot entering a private room to rest, she purposefully led the businessman to the door of the room where Elliot was.

“Don’t do this. Let me go…” Lorelai purposefully yelled in English, but the foreign businessman couldn’t comprehend it, thinking she was catering to him and became increasingly brazen with his actions.

During the tussle, she purposefully tore the front garments below her chest, which exposed parts of her skin.

Elliot, who was taking a rest inside the room, undoubtedly became aware of the commotion and dimly recognised Lorelai’s voice. He opened the door and she shoved the man in front of him away while yanking at her ripped clothes. In a panic, she yelled for help, “Elliot, save me…”

After that, before he could even respond, she flung herself into his arms and her clothes were half- open, which added an air of enticement to the situation.

“Go away!” Elliot became enraged and yelled at the businessman.

The businessman seemed puzzled; wasn’t it this girl who initiated it in the first place? Why was she now portraying herself as a victim?

However, this man was not interested in taking the risk. As soon as he recognised Elliot Presgrave, he frantically apologised and departed.

“What is happening?” Elliot pulled Lorelai’s hand away and helped her to sit down on the couch.

She raised her head with tears in her eyes as she bit her red lips in embarrassment and looked at him with a weak gaze that drew a man’s protection.

“Elliot, I am so thankful that I met you; otherwise, I…” She finished her word as she grasped her clothes with one hand, leaving her clothes just partially covered.

“I’ll ask Rey to send you back,” he said as he took off his suit and placed it on her.

“Then, your suit…”

“Put it on first,” Elliot said as he turned away from her.

“Thank you, Elliot,” Lorelai replied gratefully as he contacted Rey to send her home.

She wore the warm suit with a cool-scented feeling and her sneer gave the impression that she was up to no good.

To occupy a place in Elliot’s heart, one had to first shatter his impenetrable marriage to Anastasia.

At 10.00PM, Anastasia was sitting on the couch in a burgundy nightgown and reading documents. Ever since she started overseeing the operations of Bourgeois, she had a list of never ending documents that she needed to peruse. She now understood that Elliot had to exercise a lot of effort in order to smoothly run such a large corporation.

In contrast to Elliot’s company, Bourgeois had less than a thousand employees to manage whereas he was in charge of tens of thousands.

While she was reading, she became aware of the approaching sound of a vehicle and after a little while, she looked up and spotted her husband standing near the elevator in the basement parking lot.

At first glance, Anastasia recognised that something wasn’t right when he returned today. Yes, that was his suit, which he wore when he went out.

This man was now dressed in merely a white shirt and a black tie.

She then asked in curiosity, “Where is your suit?”

Elliot explained, “Lorelai and I met today at the summit. A foreign businessman assaulted her and tore her clothing. So, I lent her mine.”

A shocked Anastasia kept her pleasant smile. “Really? Is she all right?”

He said, “It’s okay.” After that, he stepped over to embrace her before asking, “Was it on purpose to dress like this while you wait for me?”

Before she could answer, the man held her cheek, kissed her red lips, and said in a hoarse voice, “It’s time for your husband to take a shower.”

Anastasia was speechless.

Could she say that she was so exhausted that all she wanted to do tonight was to sleep, even though he made it look like she wanted him?

However, the man had already gone to take a shower, while she sat on the couch, unable to read the documents. Did Lorelai meet my husband by coincidence after she was assaulted? To what extent were her clothes ripped? The summit is a rigorous international conference. Security personnel are stationed inside the building and guests from foreign nations are advised to maintain their composure. How are they able to hurt Lorelai in any way even to the extent of tearing her clothes?

After Anastasia’s assessment, she concluded that Lorelai was just utilizing a seduction tactic as a woman’s sixth sense was typically extremely accurate.

Last time at the wedding, despite Lorelai’s tremendous repression and affectionate behavior, Anastasia could tell the woman was thinking about her husband.

Moreover, her father had been keen to seek Elliot’s assistance, which was why he allowed his beautiful daughter to be at his side as it was the easiest and most direct thing to do.

Anastasia lifted the teacup off the table as her stunning eyes narrowed slightly while she needed to give Lorelai a proper warning. She would not, in any way, tolerate another woman interfering in her relationship with her husband, who was not just the father of her son but also her husband.

When it came to protecting her marriage, Anastasia would never be lenient. Anyone who tried to meddle with her marriage would be held accountable for their actions.

At night, she was so tired that she fell asleep in her man’s arms. Her hair was messy and Elliot kissed her face, which was still red. The woman’s delicate oval face in his arms appeared weary in the faint light.

He couldn’t help but smile since this was his accomplishment and he had every reason to be pleased with himself.

Lorelai was unable to sleep in her apartment. She hung Elliot’s suit on the rack in front of the bed. The unironed clothing remained smooth and wrinkle-free. In her mind’s eye, she could see him donning this outfit, which complemented his good physique.

She stood up in her pajamas and had a seductive aura as she pulled the suit from the rack, held it in her arms to return to bed, after which she sniffed the man’s scent on the suit and moaned softly.

She longed for the day when the owner of this outfit would come and lie next to her, embrace her, and fall asleep.

“Do you realise how much I like you, Elliot?” Her eyes were welling up with tears, as though she was grieving.

In the early morning, Anastasia got up to check on her son and saw that Jared was already clad in a school uniform, giving the impression that he was well prepared for his day at school.

“Mommy.” He affectionately extended his hands for a hug.

She kissed his little head and sniffed it once more. Perhaps all mothers found it comforting to smell the scent of their own child.

“You smell wonderful, Mommy!” He sniffed her like a puppy, after which she carried him into her arms and replied, “Brush your teeth and wash your face!”

Elliot had already dressed up; a white shirt was always his favourite outfit and it made him relaxed whenever it was matched with a pair of suit pants.

While their kid was inside the restroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, Elliot took advantage of the opportunity to embrace his wife and look at her attire for the day in a way that indicated he was examining it.

He also firmly buttoned the second button on her shirt, which she had purposefully left undone when she dressed in the morning. Then, he commanded her in a low voice that sounded envious, “Don’t unbutton it.”

“Can’t I unbutton it even if it’s hot?” Anastasia chuckled.

“Then, lower the temperature of the air conditioner.” Elliot simply did not want anybody else to see her assets and added, “I’ll send my son to school, head to the summit, and ask Adriana to drive you to the company.”

“Okay! Go ahead!” She nodded.

Jared followed his father out the door as Anastasia observed their car drive away. She checked the time, produced her phone and dialled Lorelai’s number.

Lorelai was also about to head out. When she heard the phone ring, she grabbed it and looked at it. “Hello, Anastasia,” she answered with apprehension.

“Lorelai, are you okay?! Elliot mentioned last night that you were harassed by foreign guests.” Anastasia asked out of concern.

“Uh! I’m alright; thankfully, he helped me out,” Lorelai hastily responded.

“That’s what Elliot should do as long as you’re alright.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” she replied with a smile.

“Are you available at noon? Let’s have a meal!” Anastasia asked her.

“Sure! After all, I need to return Elliot’s suit to you,” Lorelai answered

Anastasia grinned as she hung up the phone. “All right, let’s meet at noon.”

She didn’t want Lorelai to use the suit as an excuse, so she went out of her way to request that it be returned.

Lorelai heaved a sigh of relief as she looked at the suit that she had held all night. She was actually hesitant to return it and even pondered taking the suit back to Elliot one day since it could be considered as an opportunity to meet the man.

She was suddenly acutely aware that Anastasia was keeping a watchful eye on her. She thought that all of her thoughts were very well suppressed, but she couldn’t escape from Anastasia’s observant eyes.