Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1251-1260

“Can’t I yell my feelings?” Queenie couldn’t keep her emotions bottled up any longer.

“Go ahead and yell all you like!” Nigel smiled.

Reaching up, she cupped her hands around the sides of her mouth, faced the sea stretching out into the horizon before her, and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Ahhh!!!”

It felt as though she had finally found an outlet to vent all the anger and frustration she suffered throughout the past year. She even had tears in her eyes after screaming a few times in quick succession.

“Come on! Why don’t you join me?” she suggested to the man standing behind her.

Nigel rarely did such things, but he couldn’t help being dragged along by her. When she let out another scream, he finally set aside his pride as a young master.

“Ahhh!!!” he yelled to his heart’s content.

After they were done yelling their hearts out, Queenie abruptly burst into laughter. It was at this moment that she stepped on a stone and lost her footing. In response, she instinctively threw herself into his arms and held onto him tightly.

At the same time, his long arms reached out to wrap around her waist to help her regain her footing.

She was still a little out of breath when she suddenly realized that the face of the man standing beside her was more attractive than the setting sun. Thus, she couldn’t help staring at him blankly for a few seconds.

In his eyes, her hair was slightly disheveled from the sea breeze. Despite her wind-blown hair, her eyes were incredibly bright and clear while her cherry-red lips were moist and glistening. It almost seemed

as though she was silently inviting him to ravish her.

Queenie’s pretty face abruptly heated up in embarrassment when she realized what was going through his mind at this moment. Nevertheless, she only blinked once before she obediently closed her eyes.

Nigel smiled slightly at the sight. Leaning down, he lightly pressed his thin lips against her scarlet lips.

Her lips felt like a drug that enticed him into addiction. Once he had a taste of her lips, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away again.

On the other hand, she finally had her first experience of a passionate kiss. Her thick long hair fluttered in the sea breeze and wrapped around them. Meanwhile, the kiss became even more intense and passionate.

A brief period passed before he finally released her. They pressed their foreheads together, gasping and out of breath. Her pretty face looked rather flustered. Moreover, it felt as though their heartbeats were resonating with each other.

It was also Nigel’s first time having feelings for somebody else. He discovered that the emotions swirling in him were completely different from the feelings he had when he first came across Anastasia.

The stark disparity allowed him to clearly distinguish between these two emotions. His feelings for Anastasia had been nothing more than a sense of gratitude. Conversely, the feelings he experienced at this moment—the feelings he had for Queenie—were actual feelings of love. They stemmed from a sense of possessiveness that rose from the bottom of his heart, telling him that he could not afford to lose her again.

Likewise, Queenie was also experiencing a violent turbulence in her heart at this moment. When she first got engaged to Leslie, she had believed that she was deeply in love with him. It was not until now that she understood what it truly meant to be in love with somebody else.

Love was the emotion she experienced at this moment—it was the feeling of opening her heart to somebody without considering the consequences and choosing instead to fully accept and trust the other party.

“Let’s date!” Nigel’s fiery gaze locked onto the woman in his arms.

She once mentioned that she would take this matter into consideration, but at this moment, she nodded without hesitation and responded with a smile. “Okay.”

The sunset gradually disappeared into the horizon, and their surroundings became dark. Thus, he drove her back to the main road.

They drove for another ten minutes. Finally, they went around a corner and came to a hotel that resembled a crystal palace rising from the boundless sea under the vast starry sky. The hotel was overflowing with a sense of elegance and luxury; it was like a lighthouse on the sea that would never be extinguished.

Queenie was shocked. I can’t believe this is part of his family’s hotel business! The prices here are not something ordinary people can even hope to afford!

The sports car came to a halt in front of the hotel. Under the darkness of night, the blue landscape lights that shone across the parking lot resembled a feast of lights. The luxury car stood in the midst of these lights, like a luxury car on display.

She got out of the car, feeling a little confused about the direction. At this moment, a large yet strong hand reached out and firmly held her hand. “Come with me.”

They walked into the luxurious lobby, and the manager immediately came over to greet them. “Mr. Manson, you’re here.”

“Yes. I came here to relax, not to work.” Nigel replied.

The manager secretly breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank God. There’s nothing scarier than an unannounced inspection by Mr. Manson.

The manager had noticed that Nigel was holding hands with a woman. It was a sight he had never seen before. Likewise, the beautiful receptionists at the front desk stared at Queenie in envy. It had to be said that all the unmarried ladies working at the hotels in Averna regarded pursuing Nigel as their ultimate goal in life.

With that in mind, how could this woman who walked into the hotel while holding hands with him not arouse their envy and jealousy?

Nigel had a private suite in this hotel for his exclusive use. It was part of the special treatment that he enjoyed thanks to his family—all the hotels under the management of the Manson Group had a presidential suite that was exclusively set aside for his use.

Bonnie was having dinner at the Silverstein Residence while listening to the conversation between her parents. All of a sudden, her mother said something that made her choke on her food.

“Queenie just informed us that she’s not coming home tonight. That girl is a grown-up now. It looks like we can’t treat her like a child and control her decisions anymore.”

Bonnie looked up and exclaimed, “Mom, aren’t you going to make Queenie come home?”

Maggie decided to respect her elder daughter’s decision. “Forget it. Just leave her be!”

Bonnie secretly clenched her fists at those words. Is that to say that Queenie is free to do as she pleases now? She is free to date Nigel without inhibitions?! She won’t be tied down by parental constraints anymore?!

Inside the hotel, Nigel guided Queenie to the restaurant on the highest floor. As soon as they walked into the restaurant, a sweet voice rang out in surprise. “Hi, Nigel.”

Queenie glanced in the direction of the woman who called out Nigel’s name and immediately recognized the woman. That woman was Lina Perez, one of the main members among the wealthy who once studied abroad and the daughter of a leading electronics manufacturer in Averna.

He glanced in that direction without much interest. Meanwhile, Lina got up from her chair and greeted him enthusiastically.

“Nigel, why don’t you join us for dinner?” she asked while pointing at the table she came from.

Queenie felt her heart sinking when she heard the invitation, and the first thought that popped up in her mind was: Please don’t let us share a table! Fortunately, an arm suddenly draped itself around her shoulder at this moment. It was followed by a deep voice. “I’m sorry. I would like to have a private dinner with my girlfriend.”

Lina’s gaze immediately shifted from Nigel’s face to Queenie, and she stared at Queenie incredulously. This ordinary-looking woman actually caught Nigel’s eyes?!

Whether in terms of appearance, figure, or family background, Nigel was one of the most sought-after bachelors in Averna. As such, he had become the prey that many unmarried wealthy young ladies were eyeing hungrily. They had exhausted every means available in order to marry into the Manson Family, but he had never given any of them the slightest chance to succeed in their endeavors.

Lina was one of those young ladies.

Her emotions at this moment were extremely complicated and tainted by jealousy. In order to pursue him, she had used all sorts of methods to inquire about his preferences and tried her best to make herself into the kind of woman he liked.

Despite her best efforts, she suddenly learned that a woman who was incomparable to her in every way had become Nigel’s girlfriend. It was a direct insult to her.

“I don’t think I’ve met this lady before! What is your name?” she inquired with a smile.

“Hello, my name is Queenie Silverstein.” Queenie greeted politely. Lina might not know her, but she knew Lina.

There was a smile on Lina’s face, but the smile did not reach her eyes. She simply said, “I see. Well then, I won’t disturb your dinner with each other.”

After saying that, she returned to her seat. Meanwhile, Nigel escorted Queenie to the best seat in the restaurant. It was a seat by the window that had been specially reserved for them.

When Queenie sat down, she felt several jealous gazes shooting toward her from the direction of Lina’s table. Although she calmly accepted their resentment, it was the first time she fully understood that becoming Nigel’s girlfriend was an extremely stressful matter.

Lina picked up her phone and dialed a series of numbers. Then, she spoke to the person on the other end of the phone with great resentment. “Investigate a woman for me. Her name is Queenie Silverstein.”

After she finished speaking, she hung up immediately. The other women sitting around her immediately leaned over and whispered in low voices. “Lina, she doesn’t compare to you in any way! In my opinion, there’s nothing worthy about her except for the fact that she seems to be two years younger than you!”

“That’s right! She doesn’t have the charm to fascinate Mr. Manson!”

“She must have used some sort of vicious and dirty trick! Lina, don’t give up! Whether or not she can become the young mistress of the Manson Family remains unknown!”

“That’s right! You are more qualified to be the young mistress of the Manson Family than her!”

Thanks to the adulation of her friends, Lina cheered up slightly. It was true that she had such confidence in herself. She fixed her gaze on Queenie, who was sitting under the light. She looks so innocent and naïve. I’m sure she won’t be a match for me.

Queenie was happily eating away when she suddenly recalled her family matters. She immediately became preoccupied with the heavy emotions weighing down on her heart.

Nigel noticed the change in her mood and placed her favorite snack on her plate. “Don’t worry about those frustrating matters when you’re with me.”

“My younger sister has always been a troublemaker ever since she entered the family. I’m worried that she might cause some sort of trouble that would prevent my parents from living their lives peacefully.” She propped her chin on her hand and continued, “If I had known earlier, I would have arranged for her to be engaged to Leslie. If only I had met you a few days later…”

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Why? What would change if you met me a few days later?”

She snapped back to the present and quickly smiled reassuringly. “It’s nothing.”

What Queenie had intended to say was: If Bonnie had not met Nigel, she might have willingly married Leslie. However, she immediately changed her goals after meeting Nigel and cruelly threw Leslie aside to seduce Nigel instead.

Nigel did not inquire further, but he couldn’t help feeling rather distressed when he saw her troubled expression. I’m sure she suffered great injustice due to Bonnie’s personality.

“Are you sleepy?”

“I’m not.”

“If you’re not sleepy, then I’ll take you out for a ride on the sea after dinner. Who knows? Maybe spending some time on the sea will make all your worries disappear.”

“Sure!” She smiled, feeling grateful that he was trying to cheer her up.

Halfway through their dinner, Lina sashayed over with a glass of red wine in her hand. “Nigel, allow me to offer you a toast.”

Queenie was drinking a non-alcoholic beverage, but she raised her glass to the toast. All of a sudden, Lina leaned against the back of Nigel’s chair in an intimate manner and murmured in a low voice, “Nigel, all of us have missed you greatly. We really hope that you’ll come back and hang out with us!”

Nigel raised his sharp eyebrows slightly and replied flatly, “I don’t mix with those people anymore.”

“I know, but you’re still a part of our group! You’re a famous person!” Lina deliberately glanced at Queenie. The reason why she mentioned these things was to let Queenie know that they used to hang out together in the past.

A sensitive person was bound to feel jealous or imagine something outrageous upon hearing those words, and men hated women who became jealous for no reason the most.

More importantly, Queenie would never be able to interact among these circles. That was why Lina had deliberately aimed to jab Queenie in the sore spot—it was to remind Queenie of her lowly status.

Needless to say, Queenie was not a fool. She understood the meaning behind Lina’s words and realized that Lina had a crush on Nigel. In fact, all the women sitting at the same table as Lina were secretly trying to catch Nigel’s attention.

Thus, she gracefully sipped on her drink and admired the scenery outside the window while pretending to be indifferent toward the conversation between Lina and Nigel.

On the other hand, Nigel was annoyed that his dinner with Queenie was being interrupted. He turned to Lina and bluntly said, “Miss Perez, I am discussing important matters with my girlfriend. Please do not disturb us.”

Lina blushed slightly and quickly babbled, “Of course. I won’t disturb you any longer. My friends are beckoning to me too!”

She hastily created an excuse and returned to her seat. Not long afterward, Nigel and Queenie stood up and left the restaurant together.

At this moment, Lina’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and reached out to answer her phone. “Yes?”

“Miss Perez, I’ve gathered the information you wanted. It has already been sent to your phone.”

She quickly ended the call and checked the messages on her phone. A document related to Queenie’s background information entered her eyes.

After reading through the document, she couldn’t help being stunned. She could not believe that Queenie was the daughter of a century-old family business. It would seem that Queenie simply kept a relatively low profile and her family background was not inferior.

Lina’s expression was dark. She seemed to have underestimated Queenie’s upbringing. Nevertheless, there was one thing that made her slightly happier—Queenie’s family was not as prominent as hers.

“If I can’t get Nigel, then I’m going to make sure that she won’t get him easily either.” She angrily took a bite of the fruit.

At this moment, a small yacht was sailing away from the pier and out to the sea. Nigel was steering the yacht himself since he had plenty of experience. On the other hand, Queenie stood beside him. It was

her first experience going out to sea, so her heart was racing in her chest. She kept a tight grip on his shirt and clung to the railing nearby anxiously, not daring to release her grip.

“Come here. I’ll teach you.” He slowed the yacht down and pulled her over to the steering wheel. Then, he circled her with both arms around the sides of her waist and pressed his strong chest firmly against her back.

The sudden intimacy made her heart race again. At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling exhilarated. Sure enough, all her worries from before had vanished into nothing. Her heart was currently overflowing with joy and excitement.

“Wow! I know how to steer the yacht now!” After driving the yacht for a few minutes, she suddenly exclaimed in pure delight.

His gaze landed on her face. The sea breeze toyed with her long hair, revealing her delicate face. Her appearance was absolutely sweet and alluring.

Seeing how happy she was, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of accomplishment in his heart. Moreover, the smile on her face made the corners of his mouth lift in response. They stopped the yacht in the middle of the calm sea and sat on the deck to stare up at the starry sky above them, admiring the full moon and boundless sea stretching out before them.

Queenie’s depressed mood from before was completely gone. Sitting here in the middle of the sea, she was in very high spirits. There was nothing that could disrupt her wonderful mood at the moment.

A small wave came, causing her to jump in fright and throw herself into the arms of the man beside her. Nigel was caught unprepared, so he was pinned to the deck by her weight. They were so close that their faces were almost touching.

Taken aback by the close distance, she stiffened and tried to pull away. However, an arm suddenly snaked around her waist and prevented her from moving. “Since you’ve already gone to the trouble of pushing me down, I’m not letting you leave just like that.”

Her complexion turned beet red at those words. How could I dare to pin him down?! Everything happened by accident!

The starlight and moonlight above their heads illuminated the world with a silvery light. The light from the yacht also shrouded around them. The man’s handsome face was the preference of most women— masculine yet delicate. In particular, the lines of his perfect jawline were sharper than her entire life’s plan.

All of a sudden, his Adam’s Apple rolled slightly as though he was swallowing nervously. She blushed and tried to get off him, but a palm suddenly pressed down on the back of her head at this moment.

“Uh…” She was completely caught unprepared, and her lips voluntarily pressed against his thin lips.

A wicked smile flickered in his eyes, and the kiss deepened. She was kissed so deeply that she couldn’t breathe, and her body became a little numb and weak as a result. At this moment, she no longer dared to loosen her grip on him and could only hug him tightly around the waist.

“Are you scared?” He could sense her fear. It had gotten late, and the waves had indeed gotten a little rougher.

Lying in his arms, Queenie nodded in response. It was true that she felt rather scared.

“Let’s return!” Nigel pulled her back into the cabin and drove back toward the hotel’s pier.

As soon as her feet touched solid ground, she felt extremely relieved. Sure enough, I’m better suited to living on land!

At this moment, her phone rang with the sound of a message coming in. She picked up her phone and saw that it was a message from Bonnie.

‘Queenie, I just realized that one of the pieces of jewelry that Leslie gave you is missing. It’s nowhere to be found. I suspect that it was most likely stolen by the servants, so I asked our parents to report the theft to the police.’

When she finished reading the message, she immediately felt very annoyed. The servants in their house had been serving them for at least five to six years and would never take anything that did not belong to them. Therefore, she was certain that Bonnie had taken this missing piece of jewelry and wrongly accused one of the servants of the theft.

‘What jewelry? Do you have evidence that the servants were the ones who took the jewelry?’ She quickly replied to the message.

‘In any case, it’s missing. Somebody must have taken the jewelry. You can’t be suspecting somebody from our family, right? I suspect that Courtney took the jewelry. I heard her daughter is about to enter college. I’m sure she doesn’t have the money to pay the tuition fees!’ Bonnie replied with another message.

Queenie was furious. Is it because Courtney had refused to testify for Bonnie previously? Is that why she is now accusing Courtney of theft!?

‘Don’t report this incident to the police yet. Wait until I get home tomorrow.’ She did not wish for Courtney to be wrongfully accused, so she decided to go home tomorrow and deal with this matter.

‘Queenie, why don’t you come back right now?’ Bonnie sent another message.

Queenie no longer wished to respond to the messages. She knew exactly what Bonnie had in mind— Bonnie simply did not want her to spend time with Nigel alone.

Therefore, Queenie refused to return home tonight.

She decided to stay the night in one of the guest rooms inside Nigel’s presidential suite. It was already 10.00 PM by the time they returned to the hotel. Feeling a little thirsty after taking a shower, she wore a bathrobe and left her room for a drink of water. She discovered that Nigel had also taken a shower. He was standing by the railings of the balcony and admiring the night sky in a bathrobe.

Nigel turned around to look at her upon hearing the sound of her footsteps. “Queenie, come here.”

She wrapped her arms around her chest shyly and walked over to him. Meanwhile, he admired how she looked after a shower. Her bare face without makeup remained as beautiful and charming as ever, unlike the women who looked completely different after removing their makeup.

He also discovered that her clean and beautiful appearance without any makeup charmed him more than the alluring and attractive aura she exuded when she had makeup on her face. At this moment, she resembled a daffodil that exuded a faint fragrance.

“I need to go home early tomorrow morning. Something happened back at home,” she said.

His gaze immediately landed on her body. It feels like she has never had a moment to rest since the day I met her.

“Do you need me to accompany you home?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

She couldn’t help shaking her head anxiously in response to his question. “No need. I’ll go home and deal with it myself.”

“Did your sister cause trouble again?”

“It’s a family matter. I’m afraid it’s difficult to explain.” She pursed her lips and smiled. Looking at the man under the moonlight, she felt the desire to monopolize him. Hence, she did not wish to bring him

home and give Bonnie a chance to make a move on him.

“If you need my help, you only need to ask. As long as it’s you, I will definitely help you.” He reminded her in a soft voice.

Listening to those words caused a sense of warmth to overflow in her chest. Just hearing those words from him was enough to give her strength.

“I’m going back to sleep. You should also go to bed early!” she said to him.

Nigel suddenly felt a little reluctant to part with her, so his long arm clasped her wrist and pulled her toward him. She fell into his arms, her heart thundering wildly in her chest. When she looked up, he lowered his head to look at her. Their gazes naturally intertwined. Combined with the romantic moonlight outside the window, the atmosphere immediately became ambiguous at this moment.

However, as they stared at each other in silence… Queenie did not know why or how, but she couldn’t stop herself from sneezing in his face.

“Achoo…”

A certain man froze in place.

Once again, his face was covered in her saliva.

Queenie was so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a hole in the ground and jump inside. Why is he always the one to get hurt in such situations?! Am I allergic to romance?

“I’ll get you a towel…” She desperately wanted to run away.

Unfortunately, the light in his eyes told her that there was no way she could escape after offending him in such a manner.

Therefore, he coolly wiped his face with his sleeve and pressed her against the balcony railing to punish her slightly for what she had done.

She had been kissed so passionately that she lost the strength in her legs. After realizing how dangerous this man was, she hastily fled back to her room.

On the other hand, he stroked the corners of his mouth with his slender fingers. Despite enjoying the feeling of kissing her, he ultimately respected her decision.

Queenie woke up early the next morning, planning to take a cab home by herself. She did not wish to disturb Nigel’s sleep, and she was concerned about the servant named Courtney. After all, she could not allow Bonnie to wrongly accuse a kind and innocent person.

Not to mention, she had known Courtney for seven or eight years by now. She had long since considered Courtney as part of her family, so seeing that Courtney was being falsely incriminated by Bonnie made Queenie both distressed and angry.

Just when Queenie opened her room door and planned to step out quietly, she was surprised to discover a figure sitting on the couch and yawning widely. Nigel was awake.

Moreover, he was already neatly dressed. It was obvious that he had gotten up earlier than her.

“W-Why… Why are you awake? It’s only 7:30 AM.” She was so surprised that her mind went blank for a moment.

“I knew you were going to sneak away behind my back, so I got up to wait for you at 6.00 AM this morning,” Nigel said while sipping on a cup of hot coffee. He was a person who attached great importance to the quality of his sleep, so much so that he would even change the time for his meetings at work.

Be that as it may, Nigel had gotten up early this morning just for her sake.

Queenie felt a surge of warmth gushing through her heart, and she suddenly understood the feeling of truly being considered important by another person.

“Let’s have breakfast together, then I’ll send you home.” After saying that, he dialed a number on his phone. “Please deliver breakfast to the room.”

Not long afterward, a member of the staff brought in a hearty spread of breakfast. The food was served on the table in front of a floor-to-ceiling window so that they could enjoy their breakfast while admiring the morning sun and the sea view outside the window.

As soon as Queenie finished eating breakfast with Nigel, her phone rang shrilly. It was a phone call from her mother.

“Hello, Mom.”

“Queenie, did Leslie send you four pieces of jewelry yesterday? Where did you place the jewelry before you left the house yesterday? Bonnie claims that there are only three pieces of jewelry left. Did you misplace the other piece of jewelry somewhere else?”

“Mom, let’s talk about this when I get home. I’m on my way home now.”

“Alright then, please come back as soon as possible! Bonnie has already called the police, claiming that Courtney stole the jewelry.”

“Have the police arrived?’

“Not yet. They said they will come at 10.00 AM. Come back quickly!”

After ending the phone call with her mother, a look of annoyance flashed across her eyes. Just how much trouble does Bonnie intend to cause for the family? Must she cause such a huge scandal so that the entire world knows about our dirty laundry? Our parents have always kept a low profile and taught me not to be pretentious. Look at things now… If somebody posts about this incident on the Internet, it will surely affect our family business. It will be even more difficult to clean up this mess if that happens.

Nigel knew that she was anxious to go home. The excellent sports car streaked forward like a swift warhorse as soon as the tires hit the coastal expressway, speeding across the roads with a resounding roar.

The journey should have taken them an hour but was forcefully compressed to just over half an hour. When they arrived at the gates of the Silverstein Residence, Queenie turned to look at the man wearing sunglasses beside her and said, “Mr. Manson, why don’t you go back and sleep a little longer? You must be tired after waking up so early today and driving for so long.”

She did not wish for him to witness the embarrassing situation that had occurred in her home. Besides, she was certain that Bonnie was the mastermind behind this incident. Even if she exposed Bonnie’s scandalous act, there was no triumph to celebrate since these incidents would still bring dishonor to the Silverstein Family.

“If you know that I’m tired, then you should let me rest in your home for a short while before asking me to leave.” After saying that, Nigel took off his sunglasses with his slender fingers to reveal his beautiful eyes which were clearly bloodshot.

The sight of his bloodshot eyes left her feeling too sorry to let him continue driving, so she could only nod and agree, “Alright! You can catch up on some sleep in my room.”

The two of them got out of the car. Queenie opened the small door and guided Nigel into her house. Before they could enter the hall, they heard Courtney’s voice. She seemed to be begging somebody. “I

really did not steal Miss Queenie’s jewelry! I did not steal anything! Please do not wrongly accuse me like this!”

At this moment, an angry female voice scoffed coldly. “If you didn’t take them, then are you accusing me of taking them? When Leslie delivered the jewelry to the house last night, you were the only person on duty in the house. Isn’t that right!? Your husband is a gambling addict, and your daughter is about to enter college. You are in desperate need of money. Who knows? Maybe you’ve already pawned off the jewelry!”

Who else could this voice belong to other than Bonnie?

“No! No! I didn’t steal anything! Miss Bonnie, please don’t wrongly accuse me like this! I’ve worked for the Silverstein Family for so long, and I know the rules very well. Besides, I am not a petty thief!”

“This isn’t considered petty theft. That piece of jewelry is worth hundreds of thousands! I can still forgive you if you admit to your wrongdoings now. Once the police arrive, you can just wait to be imprisoned!” Bonnie’s voice became more and more aggressive.

Courtney was already in her fifties. At this moment, she was covering her face and wailing in fright. It was obvious that she was very scared. Moreover, her body was exuding a sense of helplessness, powerlessness, and utter despair.

She never imagined that she would be accused of being a thief at her age. It was extremely hurtful!

All of a sudden, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the entrance at this moment. Lifting her head, she caught sight of Queenie and immediately reacted as though she had seen her life’s savior. She ran over from the hall, knelt down in front of Queenie, and clutched at Queenie’s leg desperately. “Miss Queenie! Miss Queenie, you’re finally back! Please help me! Please judge my situation and prove that I’m innocent!”

Bonnie was sitting on the couch with an arrogant look on her face, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest as though she was a queen. However, she hastily straightened her body to a ladylike posture when she saw the man standing behind Queenie. She also replaced her ferocious expression with a sweet look on her face, transforming her appearance into that of a gentle and sweet-natured young lady in an instant.

Meanwhile, Queenie looked at Courtney who was kneeling and clutching desperately at her leg. Courtney seemed to have aged a couple of years overnight. Thus, Queenie felt a little distressed by the sight and quickly stretched out her hand to help Courtney stand. “Mrs. Lowman, please stand up. I believe you.”

“Really? Really? Miss Queenie, you’re the kindest and nicest girl I’ve ever met in my life!” Courtney stood up and wiped away her tears while feeling much more relieved than before.

“Queenie, you’re back!” Bonnie smiled from where she sat on the couch. Her expression was very innocent; it was almost as if the harsh and grating voice from earlier had not come from her.

Her gaze then shifted to Nigel, and she politely greeted him. “Good morning, Mr. Manson.”

Nigel glanced at Bonnie, who looked so similar to Queenie in appearance. Despite looking so similar to each other, Bonnie gave him the feeling that she was an inferior being who should never be shown to the world. On the other hand, Queenie exuded an aura of classy elegance.

Queenie had long since learned that Bonnie had great acting skills. Thus, she lifted her head and looked at Bonnie. “Bonnie, please don’t falsely accuse anybody before we investigate this incident thoroughly.”

“Queenie, I did not falsely accuse her. It’s true that she entered your room last night. After she entered your room, I recalled the jewelry that you left on the couch, so I went to check on the jewelry only to discover that one of the boxes had gone missing,” Bonnie explained with an anxious look on her face.

She never imagined that Nigel would come, so she had no choice but to change her strategy and pretend that she had also been wronged.

Needless to say, she also changed her tactics and continued, “Queenie, I don’t understand. If you don’t have feelings for Leslie, then why did you accept the flowers and jewelry from him last night? If you had refused his gifts in the first place, then this incident would never have happened.”

Those words were specifically meant for Nigel. Sure enough, he glanced at Queenie with narrowed eyes. She had not mentioned that the missing jewelry was given to her by Leslie yesterday during their journey here.

Queenie met his eyes and explained, “Don’t misunderstand. Leslie simply wanted to thank me yesterday for saving him in the traffic accident the other day. I didn’t want to accept the jewelry, but he left immediately after handing the gifts, so I had no time to return them to him.”

Bonnie did not want the misunderstanding to be cleared up so quickly, so she pretended to ask a question in innocent confusion. “Queenie, didn’t Leslie enter your room and stay there for a while?”

Queenie glared at Bonnie in a warning. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Bonnie immediately clutched at her head as though she was very scared. “Queenie, I was just speaking the truth! Please don’t hit me!”

Those who didn’t know better would have wrongly believed that she was often beaten by Queenie at home when they saw her actions!

Forced into a corner, Queenie turned to look at Nigel. “There’s nothing between Leslie and me.”

The corners of Nigel’s mouth lifted into a smile. “I believe you.”

Those three simple words were full of trust in her.

A feeling of sweetness filled her heart at those words. If not for the wrong timing and occasion, she would have hugged him tightly to show that she was worthy of his trust.

A strong sense of jealousy flashed across Bonnie’s eyes. How can that be?! How can Nigel not feel the slightest hint of jealousy?! What did she do for him to love and trust her so much?!

“Queenie, I also believe that nothing happened between you and Leslie. Yet, we still need to find the jewelry as soon as possible so that you can return them all to him!” She brought up the sensitive topic again and directed the conversation toward Courtney instead.

“Miss Queenie, I really didn’t steal anything! Please believe me! I simply stored your clothes in the wardrobe yesterday! I immediately left the room after hanging the clothes in your wardrobe! I didn’t even notice the jewelry on the couch!” Courtney was so scared that her soul was practically on the verge of jumping out of her body. Thus, she began rambling in explanation.

“I believe you, Mrs. Lowman. Don’t worry. Even if there’s a piece of jewelry missing, I believe that you didn’t take them.” During the last sentence, Queenie spoke while staring directly at Bonnie.

Bonnie immediately chewed on her scarlet lips in an aggrieved manner. “Queenie, what do you mean by that? Are you suspecting me of taking the jewelry?”

“How many times have you taken my things in the past?” Queenie retorted.

Bonnie’s eyes immediately reddened at those words. “Queenie, I’m your sister! How can you believe in an outsider but not in your own little sister!? Why would I want to take your jewelry? Besides, our parents will buy me anything I want! It’s not like I can’t afford to buy jewelry worth hundreds of thousands!”

“Even so, you shouldn’t falsely accuse me either, Miss Bonnie! You need to have evidence for your accusation!” Courtney wailed in tears.

Queenie turned to look at the man standing beside her. “Alright, I need to settle some family matters now. I’ll bring you upstairs so that you can sleep on my bed for a while.”

Nigel nodded and followed her upstairs. Bonnie stood downstairs, looking at his tall and straight figure going upstairs. It felt as though her heart had been firmly caught like a fish on a hook.

As a man, he exuded a charming aura that made a person swoon at first sight. It was not until she met Nigel that she suddenly realized how small her world had been. How could I have fallen for somebody from an ordinary lineage like Leslie? My goal should have been somebody like Nigel instead. He is a man on the level of the Gods.

Queenie’s room was spruce and tidy. Moreover, there was a faint fragrance in the air. It was Nigel’s first time visiting her bedroom, so he began to explore her bedroom. He examined the photos hanging on the wall that depicted her from childhood to adulthood.

This woman is truly the prime example of beauty, even from the time she was a child. There was not a single flaw in her appearance. Rather, she seemed to become livelier over the years.

When Queenie noticed that he was scrutinizing her photos on the wall, she felt a little embarrassed but generously allowed him to look at the photos all he wanted. She closed the door and said, “I’m going to settle that matter now. Why don’t you sleep for a bit? It shouldn’t be too noisy upstairs.”

“Go ahead!” Nigel nodded in affirmation.

When she went back downstairs, she finally realized that her parents were not at home. Thus, she turned to Courtney and asked, “Mrs. Lowman, where are my parents?”

“The Paynes heard that Leslie delivered some jewelry to our house as gifts, and they were so furious that they refused to let Leslie come to our house and testify. As a result, our parents had to go to the Payne Residence to invite them over in person,” Bonnie answered grumpily. “It’s all your fault. The good relationship between our families has been destroyed by your actions.”

“Bonnie, come with me to the study,” Queenie said to Bonnie.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at those words. Nevertheless, she was curious about what Queenie had to say and followed Queenie into the study.

Queenie closed the door to the study behind her before she turned around and spoke in a serious tone. “Bonnie, I’m asking you to be a good person in the future. Stop causing so much trouble. I know that you took the jewelry. Please return them yourself. I can say that I accidentally misplaced them, okay?”

“Who are you to say that I’m the one who took the jewelry? Do you have evidence?”

“Stop pretending. Both you and I know the truth. This is just a way for you to fabricate charges against Mrs. Lowman so that she will be forced out of our house. I will take care of this matter peacefully as long as you hand the jewelry over,” Queenie insisted calmly with the mentality of not wanting to cause further uproar over this matter.

Unfortunately, Bonnie was determined to cause a huge fuss. That was especially true now that Nigel had come to their house. She was even more motivated than before. Moreover, she wondered whether he would be annoyed and disgusted by their messy family affairs. If he was disgusted by the Silverstein Family, then his relationship with Queenie would eventually fracture and fall apart. Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Even if she could not marry Nigel, she was going to ensure that Queenie could never marry into the Manson Family either.

“It’s true that I don’t like Mrs. Lowman, but there’s no reason for me to falsely accuse her either. Don’t you know that her family is in desperate need of money? She might have been the one who stole the jewelry after all.” Bonnie vehemently denied her actions.

Looking at how protective Queenie was toward Courtney, Bonnie became even more adamant to land Courtney in jail.

“Mrs. Lowman is getting on in age. Furthermore, she has wholeheartedly served our family for so many years. Please stop trying to hurt her.” Queenie’s tone was pleading.

“Queenie Silverstein! You’re nice to everybody except me! Your little sister is nothing compared to an outsider. Well, I’ve fully understood my position in your heart.” Bonnie sneered and crossed her arms over her chest. “In any case, the police will be coming soon. Even if Mrs. Lowman cannot be found guilty of her crime, I will give her a stern warning for her actions. You won’t be able to save her.”

“You…” Queenie had to fight the urge to slap Bonnie in the face upon hearing those words.

Nigel noticed the remaining three boxes of jewelry inside Queenie’s room. Picking up his phone, he snapped a picture of the jewelry and sent the picture to his assistant, Ashley Reeves. Then, he made a phone call and issued an order. “Immediately deliver ten sets of jewelry to the Silverstein Residence.”

“Sure! Do I need to choose?”

“No need. Just choose the most expensive ones.” He narrowed his eyes slightly, the flames of jealousy flickering in his eyes.

Regarding the matter of Leslie giving jewelry to Queenie as a gift, he had not shown any reaction in front of Queenie. Nevertheless, he had thought to himself, How could my woman possibly lack jewelry?

At the Payne Residence.

Leslie had carelessly left his phone in the hall last night, and Keira happened to answer a phone call from the Silverstein Family. Thanks to the phone call, she learned that her son had delivered four sets of jewelry to the Silverstein Residence and one of those sets of jewelry was currently missing. Bonnie had insisted that the jewelry was stolen by one of their servants, so they reported the incident to the police. Moreover, she wanted Leslie to go over and confirm which four sets of jewelry he had given to them so that they could return the gifts to him. Hearing that, Keira refused to let her son leave the house. She was very unhappy and even locked Leslie in his room so that he could not leave the house without her permission.

As a result, the Silverstein couple had to visit the Payne Residence in person to apologize for the previous incident and bring Leslie back to the Silverstein Residence with them.

Without noticing, it was already 9:30 AM. Courtney couldn’t help clasping her hands anxiously when she realized that the police would arrive soon. She did not wish to be arrested and taken to the police station for interrogation.

Meanwhile, Bonnie took the opportunity to head to the bedroom on the third floor. Staring at the tightly closed door of Queenie’s bedroom, she couldn’t help wondering how she could lure Nigel out of the room. “Ow!” She deliberately let out a cry of pain outside the door.

Sure enough, she heard the sound of footsteps inside the room. Immediately after that, the door opened to reveal Nigel standing there, staring at her from behind the door. She hurriedly bent over in pain and said, “Mr. Manson, can you please help me? I’m afraid I sprained my ankle.”

She also deliberately posed in an extremely revealing manner, especially since her short skirt had only just covered her inner thighs. Her entire legs were exposed in front of him as a result.

“Mr. Manson, my leg is in pain. I don’t think I can stand up. Can you help me, please?” She stretched out her hand toward him with a pitiful look on her face.

After seeing her appearance, what man wouldn’t help her up without hesitation? Unfortunately, Nigel was not so easily fooled. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at her coldly. “The floor is smooth and flat. How did you manage to fall down? Miss Silverstein, do your eyes grow on the top of your head instead?”

It was bad enough that he refused to help Bonnie, but he also made a scathing remark to add insult to injury.

She looked stunned. Did Nigel see through my act? In response, she quickly stood up by herself and deliberately limped on one foot. “In that case, I won’t trouble you anymore, Mr. Manson.”

“Miss Silverstein, if you sprained your ankle, I’m afraid it won’t heal for at least three days.” He smiled, gently reminding her that her leg would not heal so quickly.

Bonnie’s expression changed at those words, and she immediately blushed beet red. As expected, Nigel was not that easy to deceive. Leslie used to fall for her tricks easily, so she only needed to act a little for him to believe her.

“M-My leg doesn’t hurt so much anymore. I think I only sprained it slightly.” After saying that, she ducked into her room to hide and breathed a sigh of relief once she was out of sight. Nigel seemed to exude a frightening and oppressive aura that placed her under great pressure.

How did a man like that be seduced by Queenie, though? What methods did she use? I need to figure out those methods and learn how to use them.

At this moment, Queenie was sitting in the hall and listening to Courtney’s story about how Bonnie had falsely accused her of theft. The more Courtney talked, the more agitated she became. In the end, she burst into tears again.

“Mrs. Lowman, I believe you. I know exactly what kind of person you are.” Queenie consoled Courtney, feeling sad that Courtney had been frightened so badly by Bonnie’s antics.

Courtney felt reassured after listening to the words of comfort from Queenie. Suppressing her voice, she warned Queenie softly. “Miss Queenie, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve never seen anybody more malicious than Miss Bonnie before. The Silverstein couple might not know about how she treats you during the year since her return, but I know. I witnessed everything after all. You need to be careful of her.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Lowman. I know you’re concerned about me.” Queenie nodded.

At this moment, the doorbell rang. She was surprised and wondered who had come to visit them. If it had been her parents, they would not have rung the doorbell in the first place!

“I’ll go and see who’s at the door! Miss Queenie, please sit down and rest.” After saying that, Courtney hurried to the door.

It didn’t take long for her to guide a man carrying a large box into the house. Queenie stood up in astonishment. “Mr. Reeves!”

“Miss Silverstein, is Mr. Manson here?” Ashley asked.

“Yes. He’s resting upstairs. Did he ask you to come?”

“That’s right. Mr. Manson asked me to deliver a box of things to him. In that case, I’ll be going upstairs first!” After saying that, he changed into a pair of indoor flip-flops and immediately headed upstairs.

“It’s the room on the left on the third floor,” she responded.

Ashley responded affirmatively. After arriving on the third floor, he knocked on the door to the left. The door opened, and Nigel stepped out from the room. He glanced at the box in Ashley’s hands, but the

outer packaging made it difficult for anybody to see what was contained inside the box. Nevertheless, he reached out to take the box from Ashley and said, “Alright, you may return now!”

Queenie was stunned. Just what did Nigel ask Ashley to deliver? It’s such a large box, but I can’t see what’s inside from the outer packaging alone.

At this moment, the sound of a car engine came from the yard. Both Queenie and Courtney walked over and looked outside at the same time. They were greeted by the sight of Brandon driving in the driver’s seat and Maggie sitting in the passenger’s seat. Both of them seemed to be rather furious about something.

“Dad, Mom, what’s wrong? Is Leslie not coming?” Queenies asked curiously.

Maggie angrily snapped, “Don’t even mention it! We have completely severed all ties with the Paynes. They’ve gone too far! We only wanted Leslie to come over and testify for us, but the Paynes refused to let him come.”

At this moment, somebody else rang the doorbell again. Courtney trembled at the sound. When she saw the police car outside, she anxiously clutched at Queenie. “Miss Queenie, the police are here.”

“Don’t worry! I’m here for you.”

The two elders of the Silverstein Family did not believe that Courtney would do such a thing either, but their second daughter’s well-founded suspicion left them wondering who to trust. As Bonnie refused to sweep this matter under the rug, they had to figure out the situation. Therefore, they were left with no choice but to let Courtney be questioned by the police.

“Dad, we don’t need to involve the police in this matter. Please go outside and greet them, but tell them that we found the jewelry. So, there’s no need to trouble them any further,” Queenie said to her father.

Brandon was taken aback. “Have you found the jewelry?”

“Perhaps I accidentally misplaced them somewhere. In any case, this is a minor incident that should stay within the family. We should not involve the police in this matter.” She continued to persuade her father.

“Go on, honey. We can solve this matter behind closed doors. After all, Bonnie was the one who called the police without our consent,” Maggie added. She did not wish for the police to be involved in this matter either.

Afterward, Brandon went to greet the police and Courtney breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Bonnie’s figure appeared at the doorway. She had seen the police car from the third floor and naturally wanted to invite the police into the house so that they could investigate the case immediately.

“Mom, why didn’t you invite the police inside?” she asked in confusion.

“Bonnie, there’s no need to take up the police’s time with this trivial matter. Let’s sit down and have a proper discussion among ourselves to see where the jewelry could have gone.”

“But it’s gone! Didn’t we search the house?” She immediately lost her temper. “Mom, do you not trust me?”

“It’s not that, Bonnie. I do trust you, but I also believe that Courtney would never do something like this. I’m sure the jewelry must have accidentally fallen into a hidden corner somewhere,” Maggie comforted Bonnie.

“That’s impossible! It’s gone! It was taken by somebody!” Bonnie gritted her teeth in frustration.

At this moment, a figure stood beside the railing of the third floor. Thanks to the vast and empty hallway, Nigel heard their conversation clearly.

He returned to Queenie’s room, took four boxes, and went downstairs.

“Miss Bonnie, do you have any evidence? Do you have a video of me taking the jewelry? Did you witness me taking the jewelry with your own eyes? If not, please do not falsely accuse me again!”

“How did I falsely accuse you? I know you took the jewelry! Your family is so poor. How can you remain indifferent to the jewelry? I’m sure you saw the four boxes of jewelry and thought that Queenie wouldn’t notice even if you secretly took one of the four boxes of jewelry! Well, too bad for you! This family has me to protect them!” Bonnie sneered.

Her tone of voice was extremely confident, almost as though she had caught Courtney red-handed in the act.