Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 691-700

In the afternoon, Anastasia made a call to Lorelai before she left for the restaurant where she had made a reservation.

Lorelai was the first to arrive between the two, as she set off from the company.

Around 11.50AM, a woman in business attire turned up by the entrance. She had her raven hair styled in an updo. Her whole appearance set her off gracefully, giving her amorous vibes.

Lorelai had heard from her father that Anastasia had taken over Bourgeois. She always thought Anastasia would be content with being a housewife, so Lorelai was surprised to see the woman become a chairwoman of a jewelry company right after marriage.

It was obvious that Anastasia was not a woman who lacked motivation and only sought pleasure in her life. Having her own career turned her into a more competent woman.

A woman like her was more attractive than ordinary housewives, and it was hard for men to resist her charm. Anastasia didn’t even need the help from Elliot to shine.

Lorelai couldn’t help but feel envious of her, as Anastasia got off on the right foot with a favorable background of her husband’s family.

No matter how hard Lorelai tried and how determined she was for her goals, as long as her family could not provide her with a better opportunity, she would still need to work for others. On the contrary, Anastasia was managing a listed jewelry company right after marriage, which had a market value of more than 10 billion.

“Anastasia.” Lorelai stood with a smile as Anastasia made her way to the table.

“Long time no see.” With ease, Anastasia took a seat opposite her.

“I heard that you had taken over Bourgeois. You’re amazing.” Lorelai gave her a heartfelt compliment.

“You are thinking too highly of me. I am just trying to find something to pass time because I get bored at home. Elliot wants me to have fun rather than trying to make a killing.” There was a hint of love in Anastasia’s tone as she said that.

Lorelai had a smile on her face, but the smile did not reach her eyes. “That’s quite sweet of Elliot.”

Happiness was written all over Anastasia’s face. “You’re not wrong. Other than my dad, he is the second man who spoils me rotten.”

“When are you going to have a second child? I remember that Jared is going to be seven soon, isn’t he?” Lorelai was curious.

“We’re not making any plans at the moment. It will come naturally.” Anastasia smiled at the thought. Just then, her phone rang, interrupting their conversation. “Excuse me for a moment.” She nodded at Lorelai and picked up the call. “Hello?”

At the end of the call, Anastasia had already made a decision. “In the future, Bourgeois will never consider the artist from this company to act as our brand’s spokesperson.”

Throughout the call, Anastasia had remained a serious face and once she ended it, Lorelai could finally express her curiosity.”What happened? Is something wrong?”

“It was just about an artist who overestimated her own boundaries,” Anastasia explained casually, but her eyes seemed to bore into Lorelai’s soul. “She tried to seduce Elliot right under my nose in a conference not long ago, but I happened to be aware of it.”

Lorelai’s smile stiffened slowly, and she hung her head low in shame. “That artist must be out of her mind to mess with you.”

“I cut off her endorsement contract and gave her a warning. I am going to blacklist her if she dares to do it again the second time. At present, none of the artists from her company will be given the opportunity to become Bourgeois’ spokesperson.” Anastasia’s smile was gentle, but her eyes pierced through Lorelai intensely.

Lorelai’s knuckles turned white as she held onto her cup tightly, unable to speak as a result. She was aware that it was a warning coming from Anastasia.

“Do you think I made the right choice?” Anastasia questioned with a hint of amusement. As if on cue, Lorelai agreed with her statement. “Right, I thought so too. Nobody shall think about sabotaging your marriage.”

“She is far from being a threat, more like an eyesore to get rid of.” Anastasia sipped her tea and changed the topic. “Let’s not dwell on this matter. We shall talk about something else instead. Have you found a job already?”

“I am currently working in a financial firm.” Lorelai nodded at her.

“Knowing you, I have no doubts you could find a great job. However, it is important to seek love too.” Anastasia smiled.

“I am devoted to my work, and I don’t have any free time to pursue a relationship.”

“I can introduce someone to you if I find them suitable.” Anastasia was enthusiastic about the topic.

“I’m good. You don’t have to.” Lorelai gave a dismissive wave at her suggestion hastily.

Anastasia didn’t insist on it as Lorelai declined. In the meantime, the food was served, so they had steered their conversation to other topics. Anastasia believed that the latter could understand her meaning, even though she had not spoken the obvious.

After finishing their lunch, they both got up to leave. Lorelai took out a suit and showed it to her. “This is the suit Elliot wore yesterday. Do you need help to send it for dry cleaning service?”

“There’s no need to trouble you. I will do it myself,” Anastasia said as she took the suit from Lorelai.

Once they got out of the restaurant, they parted and Anastasia pointed at a car not far away. “My car is over there. See you next time, then.”

“Goodbye.” Lorelai watched Anastasia as she got in the car, where a female bodyguard was waiting in the driver’s seat. The car then sped away.

When the car was out of sight, Lorelai could finally let out a sigh of relief. Anastasia was not a woman to mess with, as she insinuated her disapproval of Lorelai’s misbehavior.

On the other hand, Anastasia took out Elliot’s suit and ordered Adriana, “The suit is ruined. Deal with it.”

“Alright, madam.”

Anastasia thought it was a waste of the nice suit. However, it was now ruined by another woman’s scent. She wouldn’t keep it, and wouldn’t let Elliot wear it either.

She would not be generous when it was concerning her relationship, and she had no other hopes but for Lorelai to behave and stop stirring up trouble for her.

Meanwhile, Sophia was doing household chores in Arthur’s villa.

She was alone in the villa. Emily had gone out shopping, while Arthur had some matters to attend to. Sophia started with organizing his study table, followed by cleaning the dust on every surface.

A familiar signature caught her eyes when she was sorting out Arthur’s files on the table. The signature pressed hard to the paper, showing a hint of grace from the owner’s personality, and it no doubt belonged to Arthur.

Sophia crouched under the table for a better angle to clean. Just then, someone pushed the door open and it startled her, so she hurried to stand.

Suddenly, a thump echoed in the room. As Sophia tried to stand up, she bumped her forehead into the table.

Arthur stared at her with wide eyes from the doorway. He found her holding a cleaning rag in her hand, while another hand was pressed to her forehead.

“What are you doing?” That was all he could manage to ask.

“I’m cleaning the table,” Sophia answered meekly.

Taking in mind her eagerness, Arthur walked toward her and took a close look at her forehead. There was a bump on the spot where she hit hard on the table.

“You should use a cold compress.”

“I’m alright.” Sophia didn’t mind the pain. However, just when she was about to continue the chore, Arthur put an arm around her waist. Shocked, she quickly leaned backward, but he seized the opportunity and pressed her against the table.

“You just can’t wait to repay me?” he teased and closed in.

Before her were a pair of eyes as black as night and cold as stone. They were clear but full of mystery. Sophia felt pressure alone just by looking at Arthur.

Her lips slightly parted in disbelief because she had always thought that the man was cold and distant from the moment she first met him. However, right this moment, he was standing so close to her underneath the afternoon sun.

“I-I do think about repaying you…” Sophia spoke with hesitation.

“Then you shall do it as I prefer,” he demanded. There was a sudden urge building inside him to taste her lips again. Since he kissed her out of the blue in the hotel yesterday, the thought had started to linger on his mind. He had a need to confirm his thoughts, so he simply had to taste the sweetness on her supple lips.

Without further hesitation, Arthur wasted no time and went in for a kiss on her lips.

W-What? His bold actions made Sophia’s mind go blank.

Did he just kiss me again?

Her lean body was soft under his touch. The feeling of their bodies pressed against each other on the table sent a tremor through Arthur’s body, making him feel hot and bothered. The kiss lasted for a long time, as he did it again and again, to prove he was right.

Passion filled the study room.

With her eyes shut, Sophia responded to him eagerly. He was forceful one moment and gentle the next, and she was surprised to feel happy from his actions as if they were in love.

Finally, Arthur broke the kiss and pulled himself away. It was a cue to Sophia as she took to her heels almost immediately. However, passion lingered in the study room, like a reminder to everyone that they had just shared an intimate moment.

Sophia gasped as she returned to the room like a frightened white rabbit. As she covered her red lips, all she could think of was the man’s cool yet domineering kisses, which was way beyond her acceptable limit.

The impression that Arthur gave her was one of abstinence—or was it her illusion? He even mentioned earlier that he wanted to repay her through his own methods, so she suspected that he meant her giving herself to him.

He stood in front of the window walls with one hand in his pocket. Dressed in a black attire from head to toe, he carried with him a tough posture while his gaze reflected the facial expression of his cold handsome face. It also did not help that his breath had become a tad bit unstable. I’m having feelings for Sophia? What the hell is going on?!

His thoughts were proven earlier when everything was spilled out on his desk.

Emily returned from her gallivanting outside as today was yet another shopping spree for her. Behind her was a servant who entered with the items that Emily had purchased.

“All of you should head downstairs!”

The said servant left the items and departed while Emily raised her head to call, “Sophia.”

Sophia pushed open the door to make her presence known and responded from upstairs, “Miss Jennings.”

“Come down and help me to tidy up,” Emily instructed as she sat with crossed legs.

After Sophia came downstairs, Emily asked her to remove the items from their bags to organize them. Then, Emily announced the price of each item that Sophia took out.

“This is a limited edition pair of high heels with a value of a hundred and eighty. Please be careful with it.”

“This pair of silk pajamas cost me ninety thousand. Even a single thread cannot be damaged.”

“This purse has a purchase price of 1.8 million. You won’t be able to compensate me if you damage it.”

Sophia was speechless upon hearing Emily’s words. She could never agree with Emily’s concept of consumption. Obviously she was not jealous of Emily either because she was aware that Emily could use shopping as a way to pass her time.

“Artie, do you think that the dress I bought would look good on me?” Emily took a skirt and compared it to her physique.

Arthur’s hand was on the banister as he stared at the girl bending over to arrange the shopping haul.

When Sophia heard footsteps behind her, she was so frightened that she dropped the bag on the floor and collapsed.

Emily was shocked when she saw the scene before her and blurted out, “You had the nerve to drop the most expensive bag?!”

“I’m sorry,” Sophia apologized quickly.

His long legs walked toward Sophia and he ordered thereafter, “Come out with me.”

“Now?!” She lacked the courage to look Arthur in the eye.

“Yes!”

The man left first, after which she informed Emily, “Miss Jennings, let me head out with Young Master Weiss first.”

“Artie, where are you going? Let me accompany you there!” Emily said as she hurriedly followed.

Since Arthur did not allow his bodyguard to drive the car, he slid into the driver seat of an SUV and informed the bodyguard not to tag along.

The bodyguard immediately replied, “Master, we need to ensure your safety.”

Arthur insisted, “You are not to come along.”

Sophia sat in the passenger seat as he drove away from the gates of the villa. “Young Master Weiss, where are we going?” she asked in curiosity.

“Let’s go to a place where we can clear our minds.”

“Clear our minds?” She thought about it and asked, “How about a church?”

He maintained his focus on the road ahead of him as he answered, “That works.”

After punching the address on his navigation system, she couldn’t help but feel restless. She couldn’t ignore the fact that whatever happened between them earlier in the study was a fact! She secretly shot a gander at the man who was behind the wheel and admired his pursed thin lips, his sexy and handsome features while such an action had caused her heart to race.

It was so quiet in the vehicle that Sophia could hear the sound of her heart beating.

Arthur, on the other hand, remained reticent throughout the entire journey. It was already 3.00PM and would take them more than an hour to arrive at the church. By the time they arrived, the mid-afternoon prayer session would have been concluded and the parishioners leaving church grounds, thus the surroundings would be quiet.

As the sun was starting to set, it illuminated the historical place of worship with a kind of serene beauty.

He was dressed in all black and had an aura of distance to him while Sophia went ahead to light up a candle at the front of the altar. When she emerged, she saw him standing next to the door in his slim and graceful height, which gave rise to a thrilling beauty.

Sophia was in her own world for a few seconds until the man’s deep gaze landed on her. It was only at that moment when she regained her composure and approached him. Suddenly, she almost lost balance due to the slippery road beneath her.

“Ahhh…” she yelled as she lost her balance and fell into his arms.

Arthur wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling, but he was a second late. As Sophia hugged the man, she landed in a kneeling position in front of his legs and her face was exceptionally close to a place in which a man would regard as sensitive.

She wanted to die on the spot.

He lowered his head and sighed because in all his time of knowing her, this was the umpteenth time of seeing her embarrassed.

Luckily for them, there was no one around them. So, he reached out and helped her to her feet, but her face was redder than a shrimp. “S-Sorry.”

Arthur took her hand as his long, slender fingers gripped onto hers. It was evident that he was holding Sophia in a posture that looked like they were about to kiss.

They passed the entrance and walked up the steps, which they estimated to be at a distance of 200 meters, to where the main church was.

It was halfway through the climb that Sophia regretted her decision as she panted. Of all the places that she could have suggested, why did she have to suggest a church on the hill?

On the contrary, the man next to her was relaxed. He wasn’t panting and his face wasn’t flushed either. As the wind gently blew his hair into a somewhat messy state, it made him look just as sexy.

“You can’t climb up anymore?” Arthur asked with a smile.

“I-I still can.” Now that she was under his gaze, she bravely replied, “I can even do it in one breath.”

Arthur continued his climb while Sophia forced herself to follow from behind as a film of cold sweat coated her forehead.

Now that they were at the top of the hill, she felt that it was worth the hard work since the view from where they were was breathtaking. The ancient church resembled a quiet place with a vast history behind it.

He was holding a bottle of water, which he brought from the car. Then, he walked toward her and handed the bottle to her. “Drink it.”

When Sophia saw that the bottle was half full, she realized that he had already drunk half of it and left the rest for her.

“What’s up? Do you have something against my saliva?” Arthur read her thoughts.

She shook her head and sincerely took it with a blushing face before she unscrewed the bottle cap. Who am I to slander? We’ve already kissed, so what am I being picky about?

Both Sophia and Arthur went to the main area of the church where candles could be found for them to use to offer their prayers.

Then, she took six candles and lit it before handing it to him. “Follow my actions and say your prayers. They say that miracles occur if you offer your prayers here, so hopefully it will be granted.”

When he took it, he followed her suspiciously. Firstly, they left the bright candles at the candle holder at one side of the church before they walked to the pews and knelt down.

Sophia was unaware that when she made a wish, the man beside her still had his eyes open as he observed her beautiful yet serious face. It was as if she arduously tried to make a sincere prayer. Once that was done, the corners of her lips curled up into a smile.

When this happened, it caused Arthur to subconsciously follow suit and when he saw her bright red thick lips, his heart skipped a beat.

As he observed her dazzling and long eyelashes, he hurriedly closed his eyes in a comical manner, so as to pretend that he was in the midst of offering his prayers.

Now that it was Sophia’s turn to admire him, she realized that he still had not offered his prayers.

He looked even more handsome now that his eyes were closed. His facial features seemed to have been meticulously carved by the angels above with perfect proportions.

She softly swallowed and harbored inexplicable thoughts while watching him.

What’s going on? Is it because he kissed me? Her heart started to race as she thought of this. Wait! This isn’t going according to plan! I’m the one who seduced him to make him fall for me, after which I’ll beg for his forgiveness. So, why am I having second thoughts about him?

Although Arthur’s eyes were closed, he was a sensitive man and knew that Sophia was sizing him up. As a result, he purposely took his time to open his eyes.

After emerging from the main area of the church, they arrived at the community center where she couldn’t help but say, “Young Master Weiss, this is where the young single people meet up to socialize

with each other. Do you want to head in and get to know a few girls? Who knows you might be able to meet your Ms. Right?”

Arthur retorted, “Why would you want me to head in? What about you?”

Sophia gave a smile. “I don’t have to since I won’t be married before age thirty, anyway.”

He didn’t enter the community center to mingle around because he never intended to settle down either.

At this moment, there was a sudden downpour that trapped the both of them inside the church on the hilltop. The security guards had already knocked off work at this stage and forgot that Arthur and Sophia were still inside before they proceeded to lock the doors.

It was raining cats and dogs and did not look like it would stop for a long time.

When she looked at the time, she couldn’t resist informing him, “I think their staff has knocked off work and would lock us here if we don’t leave soon.”

“It’s raining cats and dogs, so how are we going to leave?” Arthur felt at ease as he asked.

“I think it won’t stop until night time!” She cupped her face while she answered.

Not long after that, she felt that the raindrops were beautiful and reached out to play in the rain. The sky gradually darkened over in the distance, which meant that nightfall was about to arrive. The mountain behind the church had also started to become deserted.

“Otherwise, let’s try to make our way down,” Sophia said to Arthur. “If we’re drenched, so be it!”

He nodded in agreement, after which they walked into the rain. As they were heading down the steps, he reached out with his hand and explained, “I’ll hold you.”

“You don’t have to…” She waved her hand in rejection.

“I’m worried that you’ll fall down,” a concerned Arthur explained. This woman had been repeatedly too reckless for her safety, so he could predict the kind of dangers that would befall her in advance.

A helpless Sophia then took his hand before they held hands in the rain and created the impression that they were romantic lovers.

When they finally arrived at the bottom of the steps, she looked left and right as she yelled without receiving any response. She cursed as she slapped her own mouth. “I really have a crow’s mouth because what I said turned out to be true. They have indeed knocked off work.”

Hearing this, Arthur, who was next to her, puffed in amusement because she was scolding herself.

“You are still laughing! See, we are stuck here,” she growled as she blinked.

He surveyed his surroundings and noticed a wall measuring about two meters in height next to him before pointing at it. “We’ll get out here.”

Sophia panicked when she heard his words and looked around. “How can you climb up the wall without a ladder?!”

Just as she threw her question at him, she saw him approaching the wall and raising his arms to hold the top of the wall. Then, he easily climbed up before stretching out with his hand while saying, “Come, I’ll pull you up.”

A surprised Sophia did as instructed, after which he yanked her up with his full strength.

“Stay here and don’t move,” Arthur warned before he jumped to the ground and reached out to break her fall. “We’ll jump down together since I’ll be catching you.”

“I can’t because I’ll end up injuring you. Stand aside; I’ll jump down on my own.” She was petrified when she saw the distance of about two meters.

“Jump.” He did not mind breaking her fall by carrying her.

As she nervously moved on the wall in preparation to make the jump, she suddenly screamed, “Ahhhh…”

Was she behaving like she was an ant in hot water? She should be making the jump with Arthur’s safe hands around her.

Fortunately for Sophia, he had already anticipated her reaction and when they made the fall, he tightly hugged her. As she was in shock, she grabbed onto his neck and buried her small face in his collarbone.

They were drenched as a result of being in the rain and now that they were in a tight embrace, it was exceptionally easy for them to create misunderstandings.

“How did you manage to grow up without injuring yourself?” an irritated Arthur asked her.

Sophia felt aggrieved because she had a peaceful upbringing that was devoid of mishaps and injuries! Yet, after running into Arthur, she seemed to be landing herself in all kinds of troubles.

As she sat in the SUV, she noticed that the sky was completely dark by now. He switched on the heater in the car, but he was nowhere in a better shape than her. His hair was glued to his forehead and under the headlights, it was evident that his soaked shirt was so glued to him that it restricted the movement of his muscles.

Yet, in such an embarrassing situation, the moment he pushed his hair to the back, it revealed a different kind of attraction—one that was full of humility.

As Arthur and Sophia had just climbed off the wall, their clothes were stained with dirt.

“Let’s find a hotel nearby and take a shower there.” He turned his head to Sophia and suggested. It would take about another hour to get back to the villa, but he could not endure the journey any longer without first refreshing himself.

Without any objection, they arrived at a five-star hotel twenty minutes later. However, he could not get the suite like he expected to as they were all reserved by foreign visitors who came for the newly large enterprise nearby.

Therefore, there were only double rooms available for the time being. Sophia was not picky about their limited choice, but she was worried that Arthur would not be happy with the outcome.

“Give me a double room then.” Having no other choices, Arthur could only compromise.

While checking them in and distributing the key card, the receptionist stole a glance at him. Even though he was soaking wet, the receptionist still found him fairly handsome despite his state.

After checking in, they entered the elevator.

As she saw her reflection in the mirror, Sophia crossed her arms around her chest immediately. Oh, god! She was surprised to see her white t-shirt drenched against her body, which revealed her curves to everyone.

After entering the room, she could see that the double room only came with a bathroom. Therefore, she suggested, “Mr. Weiss, you may go first. I might take a long time to wash my hair.”

Arthur was not bothered by the fact that he needed to wait and instead, he offered with courtesy. “Ladies first.”

Touched by his generosity, Sophia kindly accepted his suggestion. “Alright, I will make it fast then.”

After that, she walked into the bathroom and took a shower to clean herself thoroughly from head to toe.

Reality hit and stunned her as soon as she finished showering. She slowly remembered that there were only towels prepared in the bathroom. If she needed a bathrobe, she would need to get it from the cabinet outside the bathroom.

Having no other options, she wrapped the towel around her body and began to dry her hair. Her silky hair cast down her back as she attended to them.

Besides, she had an average height of five feet five and fair skin which could reflect light; such a combination gave her a perfect appearance. Before she walked out of the bathroom, she took a deep breath and hoped that Arthur had left the room to not see her current state.

Once she pushed the door open, the first thing she saw was Arthur waiting on the couch with his bare chest. He was wearing only his pants right now and his hip bone was shown as he lounged casually on the couch.

“I-I have finished. It’s your turn to shower.” Pulling the towel close to her body, she walked out of the bathroom and informed him in a meek tone.

When Arthur heard Sophia’s words, he raised his head and took the view in. A glint flashed across his eyes at the sight in front of him.

He had been living smoothly without any obstacles or hindrances, so this was the first time he felt charmed as the woman stood before him.

There was no calmness and clarity in his eyes like usual. Instead, his eyes were bright as if they could scorch into her soul.

As he rose to his feet, Arthur’s height enveloped her like a net. Sophia looked up immediately to prevent him from making any sudden moves. Just as she thought he was going to do something when he walked toward her shirtless, his comment rang in the room. “Not bad, you have nice curves.”

After being caught off guard by him, she was speechless and could not make a snarky comeback against his remark. However, needless for him to say, she was always aware of her fit body and had confidence about it.

Before she could remind him to take the bathrobe with him, Arthur had already entered the bathroom and shut the door.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she half expected to see him with a towel around his waist later, even though that was not in her plan.

She took the bathrobe from the cabinet and changed into the attire. It was a brand new experience for her to only wear a bathrobe.

Twenty minutes later, Arthur pulled open the bathroom door to reveal himself. Water was still dripping from his hair and he was in his towel as Sophia had expected.

From what she could see, he had fair skin, but it did not mean that his body was not kept in shape. He had a toned body with visible muscles, which was proof that he spent a lot of time on maintaining it.

“Mr. Weiss, are we heading home later?” She waited for him to settle before she asked.

“I already asked my bodyguard to send us some clothes. He is on his way.” Using the towel she left on the bed to dry his hair, Arthur answered her.

As the space was limited in the room, they were looking at each other at close range.

Suddenly, a malicious thought occurred to him as he observed her.

She is probably only wearing a bathrobe, isn’t she?

At the same time, Sophia was wondering about the same thing. Arthur was probably wearing nothing underneath the bath towel.

Having that thought in mind, she reminded him, “The robe is in the cabinet.”

Walking toward the cabinet, he took out a bathrobe and wore it. Right after that, he yanked the towel from his waist.

As her eyes were glued on him from the beginning, her breath came to a sudden stop as he undressed before her. Did he forget I’m here too?

Since he was changing into the robe in front of her, it left Sophia to her own imagination.

Fixing the sash on his robe, Arthur brushed his hair aside as he turned to look at her. As soon as their eyes met, there was an indescribable tension brewing between them.

“Have you had a boyfriend before?” Feeling bored as he was waiting for clean clothes, Arthur popped a question at her.

Sophia was already twenty-three years old, but somehow she felt like a loser if she answered honestly, so she lied instead.

“Of course.” As she answered his question, she pretended to be calm.

“How many boyfriends did you have?” he asked intensively.

“Just one.”

“How far did you make it?”

“Pardon?”

“Holding hands, embracing, kissing, or sleeping with each other… At which stage were you guys at?” Arthur’s eyes stared intensely into hers and his voice sounded like he was interrogating her.

Taken aback by the explicitness in his question, Sophia stuttered, “C-Can I not answer this question?”

“We can exchange our secrets. You can ask me the same question later.” His eyes did not waver as if they were locked onto hers.

Her eyes blinked a few times at the suggestion and considered it. In her opinion, it would not be a bad bargain, though.

“All we did was… hold hands. ” Sophia decided to give in to the temptation with a lie. She was aware that the most intimate thing she had ever done with a man was sharing a kiss and that happened to be with Arthur. To get the snowball rolling, she would now need to tell more lies to cover up for the first.

He raised his eyebrow with a hint of satisfaction when he heard her answers. “Really?”

“Yeah, I won’t lie.” She kept a straight face even though she was certainly not telling the truth. Remembering her promised right, she tested the waters. “Can I ask you the same question now?”

“Sure.” Sitting down at the bedside, Arthur leaned backward with his elbows on the bed. He then lifted his chin and fixed his gaze on her.

“How many girlfriends have you had before?”

“None at all,” he answered honestly.

However, Sophia did not find it credible and spoke her mind, “I don’t believe any of your words! You must have had many girlfriends before. Isn’t Miss Jennings one of them?”

“I never lie.” His eyes lit up like a torch as unquestionable authority lay underneath them.

She choked on his words with thoughts running through her mind. If he thinks he can fool me…

“Then… How far did you ever go with a woman?” Learning what she wanted to know, she decided to change the topic. Arthur might never have had any serious relationship, but could he say the same about those women whom he had been sleeping with?

“We kissed!” His answer was a surprise to Sophia.

As she was dubious with him, she shot him another question. “With who?”

“You.” Her mind froze as she heard him answer without hesitation. With a shocked expression, she stared at him while having a hard time believing his words. She could feel the burning sensation on her cheeks as well.

Up until now, he had been only kissing one woman, which was her.

“Stop lying. I have a hard time believing it because you were so good at kissing last time.” Sophia intended to lift the mood by teasing him.

“There are a few things that come naturally to man and one of them is kissing.” However, Arthur was serious with an explanation. A smug smile slowly formed on his face as he explained, “Are you trying to imply I have good kissing skills?”

Warmness crept onto her face as she shook her head hard. “I’m not!” I am not going to stroke his ego!

He squinted at her denial with displeasure. Is she trying to say I lack skill? he wondered.

Suddenly, he rose from the bed with determination and walked toward her. “Why don’t you tell me how I am doing at kissing exactly? I want to know your opinion.”

When she saw him closing their distance, her whole body tensed as she wondered about the reason why he was so bothered by her opinions.

“How can I—” How can I give out opinions regarding this matter? He is only trying to take advantage of me!

Before she could finish her words, Arthur had already closed the distance between them. With his face staying dangerously close to her, his hands cupped her face. “Why don’t you try it again and tell me how you think?”

Right at that moment, he pressed his lips onto hers and began to kiss her.

At first, Sophia was so mad at him, thinking that he was only looking for excuses to kiss her. But soon enough, the woody scent of cedar filled her mind and it became all she could think of.

Sophia’s arms wrapped around his neck reflexively. The thought of Arthur had been on her mind lately and she found herself attracted to him.

She wondered when she had fallen for him. Was it that time when he risked himself to save her at the beach; or the moment he tried to rescue her but ended up rolling down the hill with her; or when he settled her father’s debt?

For her whole life, never had someone sacrificed himself for her like he did aside from her family.

As time passed, the kiss between them became more intense. She could not help but panic as everything was going out of her control. Right now, he was giving off a dangerous vibe as though he could devour her with the kiss.

Sensing that Sophia’s body was tensing under his touch, Arthur let go of her promptly. Emotions were surging in his eyes and his face showed a trace of him restraining himself. Moreover, he felt like his

body was burning in a fire and the fire was slowly making its way up to his brain, eating away all his reasons.

The more he tried his moves on her, the more he was confused by the results. At the same time, even if he wanted to trigger a reaction out of her to explore her effect on him, he still did not want to scare her away by making one wrong move.

As the stalemate grew heavier between them, someone rang the bell.

Assuming it was his bodyguard outside with the clean clothes, he turned to open the door. As he expected, standing out there was one of his bodyguards, but Emily stepped into the room with a click of the high heels before the bodyguard could.

As soon as she took in the scene in the bedroom where the occupants were wearing only bathrobes, she turned to Sophia with gritted teeth and Emily’s body shook uncontrollably as she turned green with envy.

How dare Sophia bring Arthur to mess around in a hotel room!

“Emily? Why’re you here?” Even though Arthur directed the question to her, his eyes were shooting daggers toward the bodyguard.

The man’s stomach churned at the sight. In no position to reject Emily’s demand, the bodyguard let her follow along without a second choice.

When Sophia’s eyes met Emily’s gaze, she noted instantly that Emily had misunderstood the situation and was now mad at her.

Even more, it was a huge misunderstanding.

“Wait outside, we’re changing.” With a deep voice, Arthur instructed Emily.

Emily was full of resentment as she eyed Sophia one last time before exiting.

At last, Sophia swapped her attire with clean clothes. They even brought me the underclothes, she thought. It must be Emily’s servant who prepared for me.

After changing, they made their way back to the villa.

In the car, Sophia took the passenger seat while Emily and Arthur sat at the back seats. As they did not bother to make any conversation along the trip, there was a heavy silence hanging in the air.

Suddenly, the car came to a hard stop and Emily seized the opportunity to fall into Arthur’s arms. “Ah!”

Just as Sophia turned to check on them, Emily’s upper body was already leaning feebly into Arthur’s chest.

“Sit tight.” Arthur helped her into a sitting position.

“But I’m feeling dizzy! Artie, let me lean on you, please!” Emily refused to wait for his reply and clung to him with great force.

Fixing her gaze on the road, Sophia tried her best not to check on the commotion at the backseats.

It was an obvious fact that Emily liked Arthur. Other than that, they came from a similar family background, which added to the possibility of Emily becoming Arthur’s future wife.

Sophia was aware that she should keep her hopes down, but when she heard Emily playing coquetry on him, her heart felt tangled.

At this very moment, she began to feel her mind turning cloudy. She wondered whether she was suffering from carsickness, or if it was because she was drenched in the rain this afternoon.

Sensing the warmness enveloping her cheeks, she placed a hand on her face. Feeling the burning sensation under her touch, she finally realized that she was running a temperature.

“Sir, please let me off here.” Sophia turned to the side and asked the bodyguard in the driver’s seat.

The bodyguard stopped the car at the roadside according to her words. Before she left the car, she turned to the back and told Arthur, “Mr. Weiss, I can’t accompany you back to the villa. I have some matters to attend to tonight.”

Finishing her sentence, Sophia pushed the door open and alighted from the car.

Seeing that Emily made no remark about her departure while Arthur was silent, the bodyguard continued to drive on.

He made it about a hundred meters before Arthur directed an order at him. “Reverse now.”

The bodyguard was confused only for a second before he reversed the car just as the man had ordered.

Meanwhile, after alighting from the car, Sophia was feeling worse than before. As she stood under the streetlights, she waved helplessly at the passing cars, in the hopes of someone stopping to send her to the hospital.

However, her effort was fruitless as she was standing in the middle of the roadside, which was not suitable for a cab to stop.

At this moment, a black SUV rolled to a stop about ten meters away from her. The beaming light enveloped the person who alighted from the car. Arthur, who was wearing a dress shirt with embroidery, caught her in his sight and noticed her discomfort immediately.

He strode to where she stood.

Feelings of queasiness were coursing through her bloodstream. As she saw a silhouette nearing toward her, she wearingly let out a deep breath and raised her gaze at that person.

The sight made her pupils dilate.

Didn’t he leave by car?

Why did he come back to find her?

“What’s wrong?” Arthur asked in a low voice. At the same time, he saw her face flushing red, so he realized something and placed his big palm on her forehead.

The burning sensation took him aback. After wrapping her in his arms, he cursed, “Are you an idiot?”

Sophia was scolded, but why did she feel loved? “I didn’t want to trouble you guys.”

The next second, Arthur carried her in his arms and walked quickly toward the off-road vehicle.

When Emily looked back from the rearview mirror, her fingernails were about to pierce the car’s leather seat. What on earth had Sophia done to make Arthur hold her in his arms?!

Once the door opened, Arthur said to Emily, “Take the passenger seat.”

“Why?”

“She’s sick. We’re going to the hospital,” he answered in a low voice.

She gritted her teeth with hatred in her heart. What did she have to do with Sophia’s being ill?! Why should she switch seats with Sophia?

Since Arthur’s words sounded like a command, Emily reluctantly moved to the passenger seat. Once she turned her head around, she could see Arthur holding Sophia like she was someone precious to

him.

After looking for a nearby hospital, the bodyguard drove there immediately.

In the emergency room of the hospital, Arthur carried Sophia, who was suffering from a high fever. It was so bad that her body temperature soared to 104 degrees.

The doctor immediately took emergency measures to reduce her fever. On the hospital bed, Sophia was attached to a drip, which made her delicate skin even hotter and drier to touch.

While Emily waited in the car, she started to become annoyed. She wished that she would suffer from a sudden illness so that Arthur would feel bad and take care of her too.

At that moment, the bodyguard returned to the car and said to her, “Young Master Weiss wants me to take you home first.”

“What? Is he going to stay and take care of her? Why should I let Artie take care of that brat?” Emily cursed in anger.

Naturally, the man did not dare to speak, so he started the car and drove away from the hospital.

In the ward, Sophia, who was receiving a drip to reduce her fever, looked extremely fragile. Her black hair was spread out on the pillow and her skin paled red from the fever, but she was now fast asleep.

Arthur sat on the chair by the edge of the bed and rested his chin on his folded hands. His gaze landed on the sleeping Sophia, but no one knew what was going on in his mind.

Under the incandescent lamp, it seemed as if his usual aloofness was covered with a layer of warmth and tenderness. He had never shown this side of him to any outsider except for his family.

If Sophia woke up, she would see the difference in his temperament.

However, she was too exhausted and the ingredients in the IV drip were also making her drowsy.

At this moment, his phone rang, which startled him, but he quickly picked up the phone and muted it. When he glanced at the caller ID, he walked out to the corridor and answered the phone. “Grandma!”

“I missed you so much, so I decided to bring your grandpa’s ashes back in advance. My flight will arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

“What? Tomorrow afternoon?”

“Why? Why do you sound so surprised? Don’t you miss me?” the old lady asked with a smile.

“Of course I missed you too.”

“See you at the airport tomorrow afternoon then! Come and take your grandpa back home.”

“Sure!”

After hanging up the phone, Arthur raised his brows slightly as if he suddenly recalled something embarrassing.

Sophia slept until the early morning and her fever had subsided. Apart from the drowsiness that came as a result of the high fever, she felt a little better.

The nurse who came to change her drip greeted her with a smile. “You’re awake, Miss. Your boyfriend has just left, but he will be back soon.”

After speaking, she couldn’t help looking at Sophia with envy. “Your boyfriend is really handsome.”

Sophia knew who the nurse was talking about, so she explained, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Oh? Does he have a girlfriend?” The nurse blurted out with extreme curiosity before realizing that it was an inappropriate question and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry for mistaking him as your boyfriend.”

In fact, the nurse also thought that the lady resting on the hospital bed with fair skin and delicate facial features was a rare beauty!

Sophia sat up and asked the nurse, “Did he stay the night?”

The nurse was the one who worked the night shift, so of course, she knew who was with her in the ward last night.

“Yes. That’s why I thought he was your boyfriend!” replied the nurse with a smile.

Sophia looked at the chair by the edge of the bed, and there was a hint of distress in her eyes. How could she make him stay up all night to take care of her?!

At this moment, footsteps could be heard from outside the door, and Arthur came in with boxes of food in his hands. It was breakfast, specially delivered by his bodyguard from a luxurious restaurant.

“You’re awake. Have something to eat.” After Arthur finished speaking, he opened a box of food and handed her a fork.

“Thank you, Young Master Weiss,” Sophia thanked him from the bottom of her heart.

Arthur’s hand fell on her forehead. As if he had done this action too many times last night, it seemed natural.

Once his warm and big hand was placed on her forehead, Sophia felt warmth reaching the bottom of her heart. Blinking her long lashes and having her head lowered bashfully, she waited for him to check her body temperature.

It seemed that overnight, her relationship with this man had broken through another dimension.

“Once you’re done with breakfast, I’ll send my bodyguard to take you home to rest,” Arthur uttered while taking a seat. His deep and clear eyes were now bloodshot, and he looked kind of fatigued, which was visible to the naked eye.

“Why don’t you tell your bodyguard to take you home instead? I will call my dad’s driver to come and pick me up,” Sophia suggested, feeling bad for him.

Arthur nodded and responded, “Sure!”

After she made the call, the driver said that he would come half an hour later, but Arthur did not leave immediately. Sophia took a bite of the pancake, which was fluffy and melted instantly in her mouth. It also had a smooth buttery scent.

After taking the first bite, she immediately turned to look at Arthur, inquiring, “You haven’t eaten, have you?”

“I’m not hungry,” Arthur replied.

Hearing that, Sophia hurriedly ate her portion of the pancake and forked another piece, shoving it at Arthur. “It’s delicious. Try it.”

Arthur was slightly stunned. After that, he leaned over and opened his mouth to eat the pancake she offered.

“Is it good?” Sophia asked expectantly, as if eager to get his feedback. Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“Yeah!” Arthur nodded.

Sophia grinned at his response. After sharing the food, they finished the pancake in no time.

There were two more boxes of breakfast, but Sophia was too full to eat them. Since her fever had just subsided, she didn’t have much appetite.

Arthur then said to her, “You don’t have to stay by my side during this time. I’ll call you if I need you.”

Hearing that, Sophia guessed, “Are you leaving?”

“No. My grandma came back with my grandpa’s urn, so I’m going with her to bury my grandpa’s ashes,” Arthur answered truthfully.

Although Sophia was a little clumsy sometimes, she could still make sense of some matters. Nodding sensibly, she replied, “Sure! You should get that done first.”

When her driver was about to arrive, Arthur left, leaving Sophia lying in bed. Suddenly, she fell deep into thought while looking pure and beautiful.

In Arthur’s mansion, Emily stayed up late last night waiting for him to come home, but she couldn’t hold her sleepiness, so she fell asleep. It was not until the morning that he returned.

“Artie, why did you only come back now?! Is Sophia Goodwin worth your night spent in the hospital?” Emily failed to hide her jealousy in her tone.

“Emily, my grandma will be here this afternoon. Don’t mention Sophia in front of her.” Arthur told her with a serious expression.

Emily was startled upon hearing that, because she had already told Martha! She secretly reported it to Martha last time.

“I’m sorry… I accidentally mentioned Sophia’s name on a call with your grandma last time.”

Arthur’s handsome face suddenly turned gloomy as he questioned, “What did you tell her?”

“Nothing. I only said that you hired a young maid,” Emily explained in a soft voice, not daring to infuriate Arthur.