Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1581-1590

The charity ball was held on the tenth floor of the event hall in the Royal Hotel, owned by the Manson Group. It was a very high-end party with a lot of influential people attending it.

Since the guest list was so prominent and the event had been decorated so lavishly, all the reporters were also there to cover the news.

Just like the red carpet, the guests’ walkway tonight was worth a watch as well, as they were all commerce giants.

Selena, who saw the scale of the ball, understood that she had come to the right place, thinking that she would get to know a lot of extraordinary people tonight.

Holding onto Charlie’s arm, she entered with him and even posed in front of the cameras. Noticing that they were photographing her, she naturally did not mind showing off to them.

“Wow, Mr. Dune! Tonight’s party is so grand!” Selena commented.

Elated, Charlie replied, “Of course. I’ve already stated how not just anybody can come to this event, after all.”

A short while after they went in, a gray sports car arrived at the entrance. The security was about to open the door for the guest, but suddenly, a bodyguard from the car behind came running up to the security and stopped him. Obviously, the person sitting inside the car was not one that anybody could simply get close to.

The bodyguard opened the door before Jared got out of the car with Ellen, who was a bit stunned. It was then she felt someone flashing lights on her face. Turning around to face the media, she was blinded by the flashes.

Smelling money from the owner of the car, the media naturally did not miss the chance to get a shot at them getting out of the car. Jared reached out and held Ellen’s hand while the media were madly taking pictures of this scene.

What an elegant-looking man and a beautiful woman. The scene of them just standing together makes for a perfect picture from every angle.

Ellen, who could not tolerate the flashing lights, reached out and tried to block the flashes with her hand. It was then Jared extended his arm and brought her closer to his chest, leaving with her and walking to the main hall.

This left the reporters guessing who the handsome man and the woman he was protecting were.

Entering the lobby, with Jared leading the way, Ellen passed through the layers of security and staff, all of whom bowed and treated them respectfully without even asking for a pass. It was as if Jared’s face was the ultimate pass.

Upon entering the elevator, Ellen pulled her sweaty hand away from him, embarrassed.

Jared gently consoled, “You don’t have to be so nervous.”

She couldn’t help it since it was her first time coming to such a grand event. It would be weird if she wasn’t nervous!

Pursing her lips, she smiled and furtively took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves.

They saw that there was another checkpoint in the hallway to the event hall, but the stern-looking man who was standing there turned around and saw Jared before he quickly came to greet him. “Welcome, Young Master Jared.”

Smiling subtly, Jared reached out his hand, and the man held it with both hands. “Young Master Jared, it is our utmost honor to see you here.”

“You’re too kind.”

Ellen didn’t know how high Jared’s status was in the past. Right then, she could feel how much of a disparity existed between them.

I think I should be the one that has the utmost honor to be able to stand beside him!

As the golden gates of the event hall opened, a large space that could fit five hundred people appeared before them. Adorned with gold everywhere, it looked more like a palace with its dignified aura. This was something that normal people might not even get a glimpse of in their lives.

At that time, it was already quite late, so the event hall was filled with chatter and laughter, for most of the guests had already arrived.

This was why when Jared entered, the sound of the door opening attracted the guests in proximity to turn and take a look, wondering who would be coming at this time. And it was precisely this look that had numerous ladies falling head over heels for the man.

The young ladies nearly fainted at the sight of the man in the gray suit, for he looked just like a Prince Charming in fairy tales. Exuding aura like a royal individual, he had a very elegant disposition and a relaxed expression, making him look very alluring and calm.

Just as Selena turned around with a glass of wine in her hand, she overheard two women talking beside her.

“Wow, who is he?! His looks are out of this world!”

Upon hearing this, Selena focused on the direction of their gaze. Sure enough, she saw Jared at first glance, nearly dropping her wine glass in shock. God has heard my prayers!

Jared really is here, and he’s shaking hands with a senior. Selena felt her heart was about to stop beating, thinking this was her chance.

Yet, just as he finished shaking hands, Jared held another woman’s hand and walked off. It was then Selena noticed the woman, pondering to herself whether that was his girlfriend or not.

Finally, Selena’s jealousy erupted the moment the woman looked in her general direction. Damn it! Why is it her?!

Are you telling me the woman who is accompanying Jared is actually Ellen?! I almost didn’t recognize her!

Still, Selena had to admit that after dressing up, Ellen looked exceptionally stunning, for her figure and looks were top-tier. As Ellen stood alongside Jared, her graceful demeanor was very alluring.

This made Selena even more spiteful. Right now, her heart was in utter disarray.

On the other hand, Ellen did not see her since there were too many women who were dressed to kill, making her unable to take it all in.

Instead, a lot of jealous gazes were thrown at her.

It was then Jared saw a senior walking up to him. He held Ellen’s hand, saying, “Let’s go over and greet someone.”

“Hello, Mr. Malik,” greeted Jared.

“You’re here, Jared! The last time we ate together, it was still in Dansbury!” The senior laughed.

Xavier Malik was the vice president of the Manson Group. Being an influential person in the business world, he contacted Jared’s family quite often, so he was somewhat his senior.

“Indeed, it has been! A few years flashed by just like that!”

“We haven’t even met each other after coming back for so long, haha!” Xavier patted him on the shoulder, also noticing the beauty standing beside him. “Well, your companion sure is stunning!”

“She’s Ellen.” Jared looked at her with a smile.

Observing her from head to toe, Xavier knew that Jared’s companion was not just some nobody. Besides, from Jared’s gaze, he knew that this woman was not just his companion for the night.

If she marries the Presgrave Family, her status would be something else.

Approaching him with another matter in mind, Xavier smiled and said, “Jared, I have a few friends that want to meet you in private.”

Jared nodded before embracing Ellen subtly, whispering gently in her ear, “You can go take a seat there and wait for me. I’ll come back for you soon.”

Then, Jared called out to a waiter and took a glass of juice, handing it to her.

Taking it, Ellen smiled. “Alright. You guys go ahead.”

Selena, who had been watching her all this time, wanted to walk up to her when she passed by a couple of women and overheard one of them talking smugly. “He’s Jared Presgrave, a classmate of mine during elementary school. I didn’t think that I would bump into him here.”

Under the envious gaze of the surrounding ladies, the woman who spoke cast a lovestruck gaze at Jared, who was walking upstairs. “He went abroad during fifth grade all of a sudden, and I didn’t get to

see him after that. But I can tell you he was the brightest person in our school.”

“Wow, I’m so jealous of you! You were actually in the same class as him!”

Selena noticed that the woman was, as expected, a typical rich girl. With pretty looks and an elegant demeanor, she was leagues above the women around her.

“Our relationship was very close back then, as he even borrowed things from me. He must still remember me,” the girl said confidently.

“Hm, how about his female companion? Who is she? How come we’ve never seen her before?”

“That’s right! Quite mysterious, I would say.”

Sensing a chance for a plan, Selena smiled and interrupted them. “You’re talking about the female companion of Young Master Jared, right? I know her!”

“You know her? Which prominent family does she hail from?”

“Prominent family? I believe you are all mistaken! She’s not some daughter of a rich family! She’s only an employee that works under the young master. I think she’s an assistant.” Selena had an extremely condescending tone.

“What? Even an assistant like her can enter here?”

“Are you mistaken? She doesn’t look like one.”

“How can I be mistaken? She’s my cousin! I know her the best! Her parents and brother have all passed away, leaving her all alone. Although she isn’t old by any means, she is quite sly. Otherwise, how could she have conquered Young Master Jared?”

“What? That’s the kind of person she is?” One of the women was upset.

If even a woman of such a standing can be Young Master Jared’s partner, then we’re all more than qualified to do so! These women were upset and could not accept this.

All of them thought that they could crush this assistant in front of them. And to think that we speculated she was some mysterious woman from an influential family!

“I heard that you’re the young master’s classmate. I think you’re the most suitable to be his companion tonight,” Selena said to the rich girl.

Her name was Dorothy Joypur. Her family meddled in the furniture industry and was well-known internationally. At that moment, she felt that Selena’s words were right.

“But doesn’t the young master already have her?”

“I have an idea that can make you become his companion tonight,” Selena touted confidently.

“What idea?” Dorothy closed in.

After Selena whispered something to her, Dorothy had a surprised look. “Not bad.”

“Hello, I’m Selena Aguirre. How should I address you, Miss?”

“I’m Dorothy Joypur. If you help me with this, then I’ll treat you as a friend from now on,” said Dorothy, as one needed to be capable to be able to join her clique.

Naturally, Selena was all but too willing to make this friendship happen. “Alright. I’ll help you. Also, you’ll need to ask your friends to act in this too.”

Dorothy, who was the richest amongst them, said to her friends, “Cooperate with Miss Aguirre later and chase that unsightly woman away.”

Selena’s plan was to chase Ellen away, vacating a space as Jared’s companion, so that Dorothy could get close to him and become his partner instead.

Just as Ellen sat on the sofa for not too long, a woman suddenly called out to her, “It’s really you! I thought I mistook someone else for you!”

Looking up, Ellen was a bit shocked. Selena? Why is she here?

Selena saw that Jared followed someone upstairs, so she knew that Ellen was a sitting duck. If the plan goes well, she’ll be ousted in a short while.

“What do you want from me?” Ellen had a somewhat cold expression.

Sitting down, Selena hugged her arm and said, “I saw that you came with Young Master Jared. I didn’t think that you guys had progressed so quickly! Ellen, you really know your stuff!”

“I don’t need you to comment on my personal life.”

“You know that every woman here is from a prominent family, right? If I told the others that you’re only an assistant, a bottom feeder, what do you think they would say about you? No matter how lavish the dress you’re wearing is, it cannot hide your meager status.” Selena laughed in a shrill tone.

Ellen had a slightly flushed face as she looked at Selena. “What exactly do you want?”

“I heard others were talking about you just now! They all thought that you were some rich girl! But I know your background the best. I can tell them about it right now, so they’ll know who you truly are.”

“Suit yourself. If you want to, then go tell the whole world!” Finding this a bit annoying, Ellen took her glass of juice and stood up.

It was then Selena stood up as well, for her objective of insulting Ellen was to make her leave her seat and walk toward the guests. Just as Ellen took a few steps, Selena suddenly pushed her, making Ellen bump into a woman and spill her juice onto the hem of the woman’s dress.

Enraged, Ellen turned to look at Selena.

Selena was crossing her arms, watching as the situation unfolded. “Aren’t you going to apologize for soiling the woman’s dress?”

It was then the woman whose dress was soiled shouted, “Are you blind?! Do you know how much my dress costs?!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it,” Ellen apologized.

“Didn’t mean it? I think you did mean it! Never mind. I don’t want this dress anymore, so pay up! One million!” The woman wanted one million as compensation.

Ellen’s expression changed. She bit her lips and replied, “It’s only fruit juice, so it can be cleaned. I can help you dry clean it.”

“No need. Pay up, right now.” The woman was very fierce.

It was then Selena came over. “Miss, she’s my cousin. Could you please be benevolent and forgive her?”

“I can forgive her! But she must leave the party! I don’t want to see her! Otherwise, if she stays here any longer, don’t blame me for acting like the bad guy!” the woman threatened.

Selena immediately held onto Ellen. “Do you hear that? They don’t want you to compensate them! Just leave! You can tell the young master that you had something to deal with.”

Dorothy, who was standing by the side, was very much looking forward to Selena’s plan working out so that she could become Jared’s companion.

Seeing that Ellen showed no intention of leaving, Selena hinted at the woman with her eyes. The next second, the woman took a glass of red wine and was about to splash it onto Ellen. “If you still won’t leave, then I’m going to splash this on you.”

This frightened Ellen greatly, for her dress was worth a fortune. Besides, she needed to return it, so she took a step back immediately.

“Ellen, why are you still standing here like a fool? Leave now! They’re not ones to be trifled with!” Selena was urging her, acting as if she was helping Ellen.

Ellen looked up, wanting to look for Jared, but he was nowhere to be found.

Seeing through her thoughts, Selena smirked. “Trying to seek help from Young Master Jared? I think you can give up on that. He’s talking with his friends in the VIP room upstairs.”

“I’ll give you three seconds to get out of my sight. Otherwise, I’m going to splash this on you and embarrass you.” The woman had a menacing look, seemingly not one to be trifled with.

“Is it that once my cousin leaves, you won’t pursue this matter further?” Selena immediately asked the woman.

“Yes! If she does, then I’ll let this go. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what will happen,” answered the woman.

Selena grabbed Ellen before dragging her in the direction of the entrance. “Why are you still not leaving? Are you going to reimburse her?”

Struggling, Ellen rebuked, “Let go of me! I’m not leaving!”

Selena immediately retorted, “I’m doing this for your own good! Do you really think you hail from some rich family? This is no place for people like you! Just look at yourself!”

As for the woman whose dress got soiled, she crossed her arms and walked over menacingly. “Hm? Why are you still here? Are you really that eager to have wine splashed all over your face?” She then took a glass of red wine from one of the waiters before walking toward Ellen.

With a pale expression, Ellen took a step back involuntarily as the girl kept threatening her. “I’m going to do it!”

“The door’s there. I’m going to count to three. If you’re really not leaving, then you’ll be seeing what I’m capable of,” warned the woman.

Under such circumstances, Ellen pondered that besides leaving, there was no other option left for her.

It was then Selena exchanged glances with Dorothy, who was standing by the sidelines. Originally, Dorothy was quite satisfied, as she did not plan on butting in, but seeing that Ellen was being stubborn and did not want to leave made her a bit anxious. Holding a glass of wine in her hand, she stepped forward. “Miss, I heard that you are only an assistant. Are you sure you’re qualified to be here?”

Upon hearing this, Ellen understood that Selena was in cahoots with these people. She realized that their goal was to chase her away. Otherwise, how would this woman know her identity as an assistant?

Ellen had never been bullied in school before. But right now, she was surrounded on all sides by these snobbish rich girls, who were using their status to oppress others.

“Ellen, stop being foolish and just leave.” Selena was afraid that Jared might return at any moment, so she started to rush her.

Smirking, Ellen replied, “What if I don’t? And why should I leave? Are any one of you the organizer of this event? If not, then you don’t have the right to tell me to leave!”

Her words stunned Dorothy, Selena, and her three friends, as they never thought Ellen would say this.

“Ellen, how thick-skinned do you have to be to say that! Things have already come to this point, yet you’re still insisting on staying here!” Selena mocked.

“I think you don’t want your dress anymore, do you?”

Ellen nonchalantly rebuked, “You’re right. I don’t want my dress anymore. But, if you splash that glass of red wine at me, then you’ll have to pay for the dress.”

“You…” The haughty woman was rather troubled by this. “It was you who soiled my dress first. Now, I’m just mimicking your actions, so why do I have to reimburse you?”

“Because this dress was given to me by Young Master Jared. If you do soil it, then you won’t be paying me. You’ll be paying him instead,” replied Ellen calmly. Right then, she was livid since she was being bullied by Selena and the others for no reason at all. Just because I’m poor doesn’t mean they can bully me like this.

Dorothy’s expression darkened. “Ellen Reiss, am I right? Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t.”

“First of all, I’m Jared’s classmate. Second of all, my father is good friends with the organizer of this event. So, I have the right to make you leave. Otherwise, I’ll call security over. Now choose: do you want to leave on your own two feet or be forcefully dragged out by the security?” Dorothy took advantage of her status to oppress her.

The other three watched on since Dorothy was taking the lead now, while Ellen was like a lone soldier that was surrounded on all sides.

Little did they know that the man witnessed this scene on the second floor. Jared, holding a glass of red wine in his hand, walked out, wanting to look for Ellen. Yet, he did not think that Ellen would be surrounded by four women when he was about to reach the exit. Although he didn’t know what they were talking about, he could tell that Ellen was being bullied.

With a cold gaze, Jared put down his wine and walked toward the staircase.

Due to Dorothy and her cronies’ backs facing the event hall, only Ellen was facing the crowd, so when Ellen saw the man cutting through the guests and walking toward them, she felt all fuzzy inside.

Then, she said to Dorothy, “What if I don’t leave? What will you do?”

Dorothy sneered. “If you don’t, we’ll teach you a lesson tonight!”

“What barbaric behavior.” Ellen frowned in anger.

“So what? This is all because you’re monopolizing Young Master Jared. The only partner deserving of him is Miss Dorothy herself,” stated the woman in the soiled dress.

Dorothy was still feeling smug, not knowing that a person with a terrifying aura was standing behind her, taking in their conversation.

“Ellen, if you know what’s good for you, then make yourself scarce. Otherwise, I’ll be announcing your lowly status.” Selena smirked.

“I am the only one deserving to be Young Master Jared’s companion. If you still have a brain, then get out of my sight,” Dorothy admonished.

Seeing that Jared heard all this, Ellen pointed with her chin at Dorothy, replying, “You know, how about you turn around and ask Young Master Jared that? Does he like the idea of you being his female companion?”

Realizing what her words meant after a few seconds, they turned around in panic. All at once, Dorothy’s face flushed crimson red. None of them discovered the fact that Jared had been standing behind them all this while, listening to their haughty words.

Selena, whose soul almost left her body, quickly turned around, wanting to escape.

Although Jared just stood there, motionless and speechless, his chilly aura still informed them that he was very, very livid.

“Young… Jared! Do you still remember me? I’m your classmate from elementary school, Dorothy! Dorothy Joypur!” Dorothy immediately leveraged their past relationship to suck Jared up, trying to make him remember her while she was at it.

Yet, Jared ignored her and walked toward Ellen, asking, “What happened?”

“Miss Joypur over here tried to team up with my cousin to chase me away so that she could become your partner for tonight,” replied Ellen truthfully.

Looping an arm around Ellen, Jared turned around, his sharp, cold gaze sweeping across the four people, and asked, “Who gave you the right to bully my girlfriend?”

The four women’s eyes widened at his words. Girl… Girlfriend?!

Ellen was actually Jared’s girlfriend? She’s not just a female companion?

Wide-eyed, Selena didn’t expect that they were already a couple. How did they progress so quickly?!

Ellen, who was also stunned, surmised that this was Jared helping her to raise her status. Yet, before she finished processing her thoughts, the man held her cheeks and forced his assertive yet moist lips against her red lips, kissing her.

At that moment, Ellen felt as if an explosion went off in her mind.

On the other hand, the four women were jealous and embarrassed, for they had to endure Jared kissing another woman right in front of them, showing his love publicly.

“Tonight, except Ellen, none of you have the qualification to be my companion.” Jared looked straight at Dorothy.

Somehow, Dorothy’s face was both pale and flushed, making it quite an interesting spectacle. She was so embarrassed she wanted to bury her head in the sand to hide from Jared’s gaze.

“Young Master Jared, this has nothing to do with us! It was her idea to chase Miss Reiss away.” One of Dorothy’s friends quickly made Selena the scapegoat.

“Exactly. She was the one who told us that Miss Reiss is an assistant and that she was her cousin. It was her idea to make us chase her away.”

Selena blushed furiously, matching the color of her bright red dress, making her beautiful dress seem lackluster in comparison.

Dorothy quickly added, “That’s right. Jared, we didn’t want to bully Miss Reiss. We only fell into her trap.”

Jared fixed his gaze on Selena, who originally wanted to attract his attention. Although she had successfully done so, it was rage that was directed at her instead.

“I’m overlooking this matter for the sake of your parents. Now, make yourself scarce.” Upon hearing this, Selena bit her lips before glaring at Ellen. Not thick-skinned enough to continue staying in the venue, she left for the entrance dejectedly.

Meanwhile, Ellen was still in a bit of a daze, as the kiss disconnected her from reality temporarily.

Dorothy and the others felt ashamed to stay there any longer since Jared’s gaze made them feel like they were trash that should be disposed of.

Soon after Selena left, Dorothy and the others followed suit, unfortunately bumping into her after they went down. Selena was hailing a cab since she didn’t drive to the event. Besides, leading to the hotel was a very long stretch of road, and she did not want to walk.

“Hey! Our plans were ruined by you tonight!” Dorothy vented her anger.

The other two were the same because they had planned on having a good time throughout the night at the venue. Now, because of Selena’s plans, they had no choice but to leave due to shame.

Selena felt her heart crack. “I was only helping you guys. Why are you saying this?”

Clenching her teeth, Dorothy hinted at her friends, who stepped forward and pressed down on both of Selena’s shoulders. Being a hot-headed person, she slapped Selena without saying anything. “This is what you deserve because of tonight.”

“You…” Holding her cheek, Selena was angered to the point of her face turning red.

“Look at that cheap dress. I wonder where she rented it from.”

“You’re right. And she actually dared to mock others? We were being angelic when we didn’t laugh at her.”

Dorothy’s family really was wealthy, so she had the valet drive her Ferrari out and parked right in front of Selena. “You want to be my friend? You aren’t qualified.”

Because Selena was afraid of Dorothy’s money and influence, she did not insult them directly. Instead, she waited until Dorothy drove away before she swore, “B*tch.”

Yet, Ellen was much stronger in this regard than her.

Selena had a mental breakdown and screamed, nearly going crazy. Suddenly, she hated her parents for not being rich enough and not being able to provide her with more, which led her to be bullied by others like this.

Inside the event hall, Ellen was brought upstairs by Jared into a lounge room. Her face was still a bit flushed under the lights, and she did not look at him directly.

It was as if she did not dare to look into his eyes.

Looking at the seemingly paralyzed woman sitting on the sofa, Jared had a naughty smile.

“What? Are you afraid that I’ll eat you?” He was holding a glass of red wine, exuding a bad-boy look.

Finally, Ellen looked at him in embarrassment. “Thanks for just now.”

“How are you planning to thank me?” the man teased. It was because she was acting like a scared bunny that was just inviting others to tease her. Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

Pursing her red lips, Ellen blinked her eyes. “How do you want me to thank you?”

The man suddenly looked at her lips. Even though it was just a quick kiss, he had already tasted the fruit-like sweetness from it, making him wonder what would happen if they kissed for longer.

That was so unsatisfying. It was as if something was in his head, affecting his thoughts.

“If anybody bullies you like that next time, don’t hesitate to call me. Not even for a second,” Jared reminded. “No matter what I’m doing, I’ll put down everything and come to your side.”

This warmed Ellen deep down since this was just like her brother protecting her. She remembered that her brother once said something similar, stating to tell him if she ever got bullied and he would rush over at the first notice.

“Thank you, President Presgrave.” Ellen nodded.

Thinking about what Jared said to Selena just now, Ellen asked, “President Presgrave, do you know my uncle’s family?”

“I don’t. But, because they had helped me in the past, my family has always been thankful to them,” Jared replied. But he did not talk about the heart transplant, as he did not want Ellen to know that he nearly died before.

This was something that Jared was not too willing to tell others since he thought that this would weaken his image in the public’s eyes.

Ellen nodded, thinking Connor must have taken advantage of this relationship to land her a job in Presgrave Group. And that was how she got the opportunity to meet Jared.

It was then the music started playing downstairs. Thinking he hadn’t been spending much time with Ellen tonight, Jared stood up and suggested, “Come on. Let’s have a dance downstairs.”

At this, Ellen quickly waved her hands. “But I don’t know how to dance.” About the things that she was not adept at, she was afraid of embarrassing herself.

“Well, I can teach you. It’s easy.” Jared reached out, insisting on dancing with her.

Although she was nervous, she wanted to dance too, so she placed her hand in his, allowing him to take the lead.

They reached the event hall only to see that the dance floor had been prepared, with around ten people dancing. The lights had been dimmed down too. Walking to the edge of the dance floor, they noticed that a lot of couples had already begun to dance.

Ellen gulped while observing their steps. It seems easy enough. It’s just that the man steps back while the woman steps forward, and vice-versa. I think it’s just to create a romantic atmosphere since I don’t see anybody really dancing seriously.

Feeling her wrist being held by the man, she held onto the man’s broad shoulder.

The man then held her waist with both hands. “Follow my steps.”

Ellen was so nervous that she accidentally stepped on his foot, yet Jared only held the pain in and smiled patiently. “Slower.”

Panicking, Ellen stepped on his foot again. She rested her head on his chest out of embarrassment.

“I don’t want to do this anymore.” Ellen gave up, announcing that she wanted to leave.

“It’s fine. Try again.” The man encouraged her.

With her head on his chest like that, she watched their footsteps and slowly tried to match his rhythm. Yet, she noticed the man’s long legs and thought, My word. Jared’s legs are so straight and long!

Finally, they synced up. As Ellen looked up, under the lights, she found that the man never took his eyes off her face. His passionate gaze was akin to the universe, capable of making one lose oneself staring into it.

Although Ellen was not a romantic, at this moment, she felt all warm and fuzzy inside, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Suddenly, someone bumped into her from behind, making her hug Jared tightly. Ellen blushed furiously, but due to the dim lights, nobody saw it.

Just as she wanted to put some distance between them, she noticed that a big palm was pressing on her back, not allowing her to leave.

This made them seem even more ambiguous. Looking left and right, she was relieved that everyone was in the same position, which did not make them stand out. So, Ellen rested her face on Jared’s chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat.

His rhythmic heartbeat was like a hypnotization session, making her somewhat drowsy.

Lowering his head, Jared saw the woman in his embrace blinking her eyes from time to time. It was incredibly attractive… and sexy.

Jared gulped, trying to control his emotions, as he seemed to be tortured by this dance.

Meanwhile, Ellen was acting naturally since she did not have any other thoughts. It might be due to her being slow to pick up romantic advances, so even when they were this close, she was still able to think of other things.

Yet, the man only thought about how to devour her later.

After one dance, Jared could see that Ellen did not like this kind of event, so he brought her to eat dinner at an outside restaurant.

Ellen, who really did not like such occasions, inwardly sighed in relief after they came out. The neon lights and bustling streets she saw through the car window soothed her greatly.

Jared brought her to a restaurant. Since they were still wearing their outfits from the event, the waiters were shocked at their appearance, thinking whether they were a pair of eloped royals.

After a joyful dinner, Jared found that although not much time seemed to have passed, it was already nine in the evening, but he didn’t feel like going home at all.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” he suggested.

Ellen shared the same thought. She had a great time tonight, for it was one of the happiest nights in her life, so she nodded. “Sure!”

She was not afraid of where the man might bring her. Even if they were to go to the ends of the world, she would still follow him willingly due to the strong sense of security he gave her.

Jared drove onto Seaview Highway, losing the three black SUVs that were tailing him in an instant. Those cars belonged to his bodyguards. With the performance of Jared’s car, he soon left them eating his dust.

“Quick, drive faster! The young master is gone.” The bodyguards communicated with each other via walkie-talkies.

“Understood. Drive as fast as you can.”

“We need to ensure the young master’s safety!”

So, putting the pedal to the metal, the bodyguards drove like bats out of hell. It seems like it isn’t all roses to be Young Master Jared’s bodyguard! This employer sure knows how to make us worry. We have to be on guard all of the time!

Once Jared shook off the bodyguards, he switched lanes and drove onto Seasight Lane, while Ellen smiled at the sea view. She had never seen the scenery of the sea at night before, hence never knew how beautiful the moon could be when she returned home from work every night, fatigued beyond belief.

Jared was no stranger to this place. He had come here to fish with his father before and was pretty familiar with the road. There were rarely any visitors here, and besides, there was a large scenic deck there. He then parked his car by the roadside.

“Let’s get out. I’ll bring you to a place where we can see the view,” Jared said to Ellen.

Unafraid, Ellen opened the door, before the night breeze blew on her hair. Tonight, she was like a beautiful princess that was having a secret date with a prince.

Jared held her hand and walked to the scenic deck under the dim moonlight. At this hour, nobody was here, with the only hint of civilization being a light that was being emitted from a faraway lighthouse.

Ellen hugged her arms due to the cold wind. Noticing this immediately, Jared quickly took his gray suit jacket off and put it on her.

His warmth instantly enveloped Ellen along with a refreshing scent, making her blush before she looked up. Under the moonlight, her black hair, fair skin, bright eyes, petite nose, and luscious lips made her seem alluring yet a tad innocent.

Meanwhile, Jared, under the moonlight, saw that the woman was so beautiful his heart started to beat faster. It was as if other than her, no other thoughts could enter his mind.

Ellen was admiring the faraway scenery, not knowing that she was the man’s scenery instead.

Finally noticing the gaze on her, Ellen turned around with the wind still blowing on her face; it accentuated her innocent face. And within her bright, pure eyes, there seemed to be inexplicable traces of amorous feelings.

Meeting his gaze, Ellen became embarrassed, realizing with hindsight the romantic atmosphere between them. Gulping, she did not know what to say.

“Let’s chat!” Ellen said.

“What do you want to talk about?” The man was interested.

After giving it some thought, Ellen asked, “When’s your birthday?”

“November 1,” he answered.

Chuckling, Ellen replied, “That’s easy to remember. It’s three ones.”

“That’s right.” Smiling, Jared asked, “So, that means you’ve committed it to memory?”

“It’ll be a bit over two months until your birthday,” stated Ellen.

“Do you want to celebrate it with me?”

Shocked, Ellen replied, “You should spend the day with your family.”

“I can only celebrate my birthday this year by myself since my family isn’t around. So, it’ll be the same if I celebrate it with my friends.” Jared hinted.

With an elated expression, Ellen nodded. “Sure!”

She really wanted to celebrate his birthday together.

Suddenly, a strand of hair got stuck around her ear. She took a breath. It hurt her when she turned around, making her want to untangle it, yet Jared was already reaching out to her.

His warm fingers touched her soft ears, tickling her and causing her to dodge them. Her face was beet red right now. Out of the blue, Jared held her face before his face closed in.

Ellen fell into panic for a few seconds, but this panic quickly turned into expectation. Although she knew what Jared was going to do, who could resist such a man?

“Close your eyes,” Jared said with a hoarse voice.

Doing as he asked, Ellen closed her eyes before the man’s warm lips made contact with hers. It was just a light kiss, as Jared did not go overboard with it.

Half opening her eyes, Ellen was greeted by the man’s tall nose and his thick eyelashes. Jared is very attractive at this distance.

Just like that, she looked at him, yet Jared opened his eyes, seeing that she was looking at him. Obviously, her mind is in another place.

I didn’t think that she would be opening her eyes while we were kissing. This troubled the man, so he stopped being gentle and intensified the kiss just as he always wanted to.

“Mmph…” Ellen felt his ‘punishment,’ closing her eyes immediately and focusing on what was happening right at that moment. She could only feel the passion coming from the man, besides her body turning into jelly in his arms.

Kissing under the moon, there was a special kind of romantic spectacle to it with the man placing a hand on the back of Ellen’s head while the other was holding her waist.

Although her head barely reached Jared’s chin, at that moment, the man lowered himself for her.

Not far away, the bodyguards showed up, having finally caught up to them. But they did not dare to take even one more step forward. Otherwise, they knew that their careers would end right there and then.

They also finally understood why Jared shook them off. Our young master is all grown up now!

They sighed.

In the end, the bodyguards retreated even further to the point where they drove their vehicles a few miles out, fearing that they might disturb Jared.

Ellen was in a daze from all the kissing as she lay in the man’s arms, her heart beating wildly. Feelings of fear, love, nervousness, and excitement were all coursing through her because everything she had been through in her life up to that point was all shouldered by her alone. Even if she were to get wronged and hurt, she would still be alone.

This made her hug the man in a fit of panic.

Jared, who felt her tightening embrace, kissed her hair.

“Did I scare you?”

“No…” Ellen replied quietly.

It was then Jared noticed that her dress was rather short. With how big the waves were getting, he put his hand around her waist before saying, “I think we should head back now.”

Ellen nodded, and Jared led her back to the car. As they headed back to the city, Jared’s bodyguards resumed following them.

When they reached Ellen’s house, it was already past midnight.

Jared said deeply, “Rest up well.”

Nodding, Ellen walked into her residential district. When she turned around, she found that Jared still had not left yet, making her feel warm inside.

Since it was the weekend tomorrow, it meant that she could sleep in. Tonight is one of the best nights of my life.

Even though it was already midnight, in Olivia’s home, Selena was having a hard time falling asleep, as her mind was filled with the incident that night. It was where Jared kissed Ellen and announced that she was his girlfriend.

Although Selena had never liked any man to this point, Jared was the point that always drove her crazy.

She really couldn’t figure out how Ellen was better than her. In her eyes, Ellen would always remain a bottom feeder, a person forsaken by the heavens.

Selena also heard Jared say that if not for her parents, he would’ve already taken measures against her.

What do my parents have to do with the Presgraves? Frustrated, Selena was sleepless, so she went downstairs to get some water.

Coincidentally, Olivia was also having some water in the living room, and she got shocked by her daughter’s sudden appearance.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Olivia asked.

Sitting on the sofa with unkempt hair, Selena looked at her mother and suddenly questioned, “Mom, are we related to the Presgraves?”

“How in the world could we have that honor?” Olivia sighed.

“Then tell me. Why is it that Dad managed to arrange a job for me at the Presgrave Group with just a phone call? Where does our money come from? You and Dad don’t have proper jobs, but our household is never short on cash. What is happening?” Selena bombarded Olivia with questions.

Olivia did not expect her daughter to be curious about all this suddenly. She took a seat on the sofa. “What is up with you?”

“I’m going crazy because of that woman, Ellen. She was Young Master Jared’s companion tonight, and she caused me to be humiliated by others at the event. Even Young Master Jared detests me now. He even said that if not for you and Dad, he would’ve taken action against me,” Selena whined.

Stunned, Olivia exclaimed, “Say what? Ellen got on your nerves again?”

“She took advantage of the fact that Young Master Jared was helping her and didn’t even bat an eye at me throughout the event. In the end, she even asked him to chase me out!”

“That hateful wench.” Olivia stood on her daughter’s side.

“Mom, tell me now! Where do we get our money from?” Selena asked.

Pondering about it, Olivia thought that her daughter was grown up now, so she could not really continue to hide this from her. Besides, if I tell her, she might learn to be more sensible.

“You really want to know?”

“Of course!” Selena nodded fervently.

“Alright. This is a secret. Besides me and your father, nobody else knows about it. Now, I will tell you about it. But! You must keep it a secret!”

“I will.”

“Back then, we were very poor. Do you still remember Ellen’s brother, Kev?”

“Of course, I do! We even fought because he wanted to take my toy away! Didn’t he die because of an illness?” Selena was peeved.