Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 741-750

They were immediately surrounded by the motorcycles. The gangsters began to bang on the car windows with the iron bars in their hands. As such, the bodyguard in the driver’s seat swerved the car to knock down some of the outlaws, but the people banging on the windows were too many for them. Suddenly, a row of studs appeared in front of the moving car. It turned out that the motorcycles were only there to divert their attention, forcing the car to accelerate, and then unable to brake in time to avoid the studs.

Sure enough, popping sounds were heard. Although the car tires were anti-puncture, the car was eventually slowed by the overwhelming number of nails. As a result, the three cars behind immediately accelerated and caught up.

“President Presgrave, it appears that we will have to get out of the car to deal with these gangsters.” The captain of the bodyguard analyzed the situation calmly, knowing that they would be unable to proceed at all under the current circumstances. “The cars behind us did not catch up with us, but we’re already entangled by them. We can only get out for the time being.”

Elliot nodded, after which the bodyguard neatly drew the car mat beneath his feet, revealing the spot where they hid their sophisticated and well-equipped weapons.

“Take this, President Presgrave. We must launch a successful counterattack against these outlaws.”

Elliot accepted the gun, and he was still well-versed in the shooting techniques. Despite having been in the business industry for many years and maintaining a successful career, he clearly did not forget the skills he had learned while he was training in the secret army.

To avoid the confrontation on the avenue, the car took a side road and drove into the dense woods.

The four people in the car quickly exited the vehicle and sought shelter. At this point, the outlaws’ cars rushed in, followed by the motorcycles arriving one by one. When the first man collapsed to the ground,

the others instantly became vigilant.

The outlaws lacked a comprehensive understanding of their adversaries. They were simply outlaws who wanted money after completing their missions, but this time they knew the target was a wealthy man. It was very simple for them to get rid of a businessman.

However, when the second and third men were killed, their nerves were put to the test. Their opponents’ skills and equipment were obviously superior, as was their shooting accuracy.

“Come on! Get your act together, everyone! Whoever kills the target receives one million as a reward!”

When the terrified men learned of the million dollar reward, they quickly regained their senses and spirits. They would never be able to make such good money in their lives, so today was their only chance.

When the outlaws’ leader discovered that they had lost six of their members, he became enraged and pulled out the bazooka they had just used to fire aimlessly at their opponents, eventually forcing one of Elliot’s bodyguards to appear. While dodging bullets, the bodyguard injured his leg and fell to the ground at a position very close to Elliot.

Elliot ignored the risk of being discovered while saving his bodyguard. He reached out and dragged his bodyguard to a safe location.

“Don’t worry about me, President Presgrave. The most important thing right now is your safety,” the bodyguard breathed out. His broken leg was bloodied and burned.

Elliot removed his suit before he ripped off the shirt sleeve to expertly bandage the bodyguard’s wound. “Please bear with it for a while. We’ll take you to the hospital as soon as we get back to the city.”

Even though the bodyguard grimaced in pain, he was moved. The reason why they were protective of Elliot was because he was a kind-hearted boss.

Elliot was unlike any other businessman who didn’t care about the lives of his subordinates. Instead, he always treated his bodyguards like brothers.

Elliot’s personality made his subordinates want to serve him, even if it meant risking their lives.

At this fraction of moment, the outlaws discovered Elliot’s hiding spot and immediately approached him.

Elliot had to get up and leave to keep his subordinates safe, leading the group of outlaws in a different direction to distract them.

A few bullets flew by his side and he deftly avoided them all. He ran to a high vantage point and aimed his shot at the four outlaws with no misses. They were shot dead before they could even call for help.

Elliot returned to the injured bodyguard’s side just as the captain of the bodyguard joined him. “President Presgrave, could you please take Mark and depart in this direction? You can hail a cab along the way to get to the hospital. We’ll go in the opposite direction to distract the outlaws,” the captain said.

“I’ll go with you!” Elliot suggested.

The stunned captain refused. “No, your identity is too important for us to risk. We must—”

“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s go.” Elliot stood up, ran 100 meters in a favorable direction, and fired two shots into the sky.

The captain exhaled a sigh. He had to admit that the entire bodyguard team was less brave and capable than Elliot at times.

Elliot was a truly admirable human being.

At this point, the daylight had dwindled to a barely perceptible lightening of the gloom. Elliot and Reece, the captain of the bodyguard, had already drawn the outlaws into the dense forest area.

Dusk arrived earlier than expected; everything in the forest was hidden beneath it, as if a predator was on prey.

“Be careful, President Presgrave,” Reece reminded Elliot since Reece had the responsibility to ensure the man’s safety.

The thirty-five-year-old Reece’s heart was cautious because he had to remain alert.

Elliot nodded, and he checked his gun magazine holder and discovered that he only had one bullet left.

He calmly reloaded it while Reece quickly handed over his firearm, saying, “Here, President Presgrave. I have four more and you can have mine.”

“No, keep it for yourself!” Elliot gently shook his head.

There were only about ten outlaws left when they arrived in the deep woods. They had lost more than half of their members. The leader was irritated and enraged. They appeared to have underestimated their enemy this time.

The information provided by the other party did not state how powerful the businessman was. However, the outlaw leader watched his brothers die one by one at Elliot’s hands.

“After you, President Presgrave.” Reece made the decision to head deep into the forest.

Elliot, on the other hand, was sick of running away from the situation. If he had to walk into the mountains, it would take him a few days to get out, and he didn’t have time to wait that long.

Elliot had only one thing on his mind: to bring Lorelai back so that he could finish the operation at his hospital and to calm his wife.

Therefore, he didn’t want to wait any longer.

At this moment, Elliot noticed an outlaw approaching him in the bushes six meters away, so he motioned Reece to go forward with him. Reece’s heart raced as he saw this and dashed behind Elliot.

The outlaw went over to investigate when he heard a twig snap in the trees behind him, not realizing it was a stone thrown by Reece.

As the outlaw looked around frantically for the source of the noise, Elliot stepped from behind him, snatched his weapon and took him down to finish him off.

Elliot quickly looked at the gun’s magazine and found it more than adequate. Instantly, his eyes turned as cold as a stone, and Reece followed suit when he saw Elliot’s sleek figure moving toward the outlaws.

Within minutes, flocks of frightened birds flew from the woods as it was accompanied by loud noises and screams. After fifteen minutes, there was complete silence.

Reece, who was holding a weapon, was dumbfounded that he had witnessed a scene from an action film whereby the man he was protecting, Elliot Presgrave, was the main character.

“Let’s go before the sun goes down!” Elliot told Reece as he dropped the things in his hands.

Reece was taken aback, and he quickly followed Elliot.

While driving in the car that they came in; they contacted the other team members who were in the other three cars. The team members in those cars soon came to pick them up, but the two injured bodyguards had been transported to the hospital.

Then, Elliot reached for his phone and dialed Anastasia’s number.

“Hello! Hello, Elliot, is that you?” Anastasia’s voice was tinged with emotion.

“It’s me. Don’t worry, I’m fine,” he reassured her. She must have been worried at home for the past two hours!

“You frightened the hell out of me.” She sniffled, indicating that she must have shed tears beforehand.

“I’m not going to die so easily. I still have to look after you and Jared for the rest of my life!” Elliot tried to entice her with humor.

On the other hand, Anastasia’s tears became even more audible. “Could you kindly refrain from bringing up the subject of death? That’s not what I want to hear from you.”

“Okay, fine. I won’t bring it up again,” Elliot coaxed tenderly.

Elliot’s demeanor surprised Reece. Is he the same Mr. Presgrave who killed the outlaws in the woods?

Anastasia informed Elliot to return home early when she learned he would pick up Lorelai.

Meanwhile, Lorelai sat on the sofa, sipping vitality serum for nourishment. She wanted to go outside for fresh air to calm down, as she felt tense and stifled within the villa. Then, she recalled her mother’s warning and knew she had to stay put.

At night, the villa stood out even more prominently. Several shadowy people showed up in front of the villa’s outer wall, and the bodyguards led the way as they climbed up the wall.

Lorelai was asleep in her bedroom when she became aware of the sound. Panicked, she rose to her feet and yelled for her assistant, but nobody responded.

As she walked down the hall, she was thinking about her assistant when she noticed the door to her house being forced open and a tall figure enveloped in a subtle aroma of blood entering the house with a gloomy coldness.

Lorelai stepped back quickly and trembled as she was overwhelmed with fear. The man who appeared before her at this time was not the same man who had once held her heart; instead, he was a dangerous incarnation of Hades, who had come down from hell himself.

“E-Elliot, what are you doing here?” She maintained her composure, but her emotions were in disarray.

When she looked closer, she discovered Elliot’s suit was smeared with a red dye that resembled human blood.

In an instant, Lorelai had a realization about something. Her mother had not informed her of the plan. Is that what Dad was attempting to do by ambushing him?

“Will you return home with me voluntarily, or will you make me use force to bring you back?” Elliot said coldly.

When he looked at the girl in front of him, with whom he had spent his childhood together, he no longer felt anything. He felt disgusted to the point where he didn’t want to look at her again.

“I’m not going back, and I’m not going anywhere.” An emotional Lorelai shook her head and begged, “Elliot, the child is already in my womb. May I give birth to it? I promise the baby will grow up to be a healthy child.”

When Elliot realized she was still adamant and foolish, he coldly said, “Lorelai, you are not qualified to give birth to my child at all.”

“But I want to give birth to your child; I won’t ask for anything in return. I only want to have two children related to you by blood. I promise I will never trouble you again. I assure you, Elliot, that I will never get married again in my whole life. I will take excellent care of these two children.” Lorelai endeavored to make a favorable impression on the man.

“Lorelai, the person affected the most in this situation is my wife. You don’t take her seriously, and she is the one whom I love the most. Do you think I will give you a chance to hurt my wife?” Angry and frustrated, he yelled, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Lorelai was startled by his anger and she supported herself with the use of a couch and gently sat down. If she hadn’t sat down, her legs would have been so weak that she would have collapsed to the ground otherwise.

“I’m sorry I hurt Anastasia’s feelings, but I love you too! From a young age, I had a crush on you. Perhaps I would have been the one to marry you if my father hadn’t forbidden my return. You see, there was no Anastasia when we first met!” Lorelai remarked with red eyes as she had always felt that she was just unlucky, that she was born into the Presgrave Family and had a strict father. Otherwise, she would undoubtedly be able to pursue her happiness.

“I don’t need your dirty love, so come home with me now.” Elliot firmly said, “If you don’t return with me, you will never see your father again, I’ll have the baby aborted, and your family will suffer a life worse than death.”

“Elliot, you can’t treat my family that way; they’re the Presgraves.” Lorelai was worried since she still had a younger brother, who was just eighteen and with a great future ahead of him.

“It’s not about whether or not I lay my hand on them, but more about your cooperation today. If you cooperate, I will do what needs to be done.” As Elliot said in a low voice, the murderous purpose that could be seen in his eyes intensified at this very instant.

Lorelai took a deep breath. Was Elliot going to kill her here?

And what made her think that he would do something like that? Why did he have such a deep love for Anastasia?

“All right, I’ll come back with you.” Lorelai had given up hope since she was convinced that Elliot would abandon their children despite her efforts to give birth to them. Why should her children be condemned from the moment they were born?

She used to delude herself into thinking that Elliot had affection for her. Still, it appeared he was only interested in Anastasia and has no room in his heart for other women.

Lorelai’s two assistants came inside, but they were held by the two bodyguards standing beside them and didn’t have the nerve to say a word.

“Let’s go back, Miss Presgrave!” The assistant pleaded as well. If it weren’t for the money, they never would have followed her and risked their lives in such jeopardy.

When they turned to look at Elliot standing in the hallway, they suddenly became aware of how they had infuriated him.

“Pack up, and let’s go!” Lorelai, with her eyes closed, murmured frantically.

This reckless move embarrassed her family, landed her father in prison, and angered Elliot. Her family would soon be compelled to leave in the future, and there would be no possibility for them to be cared for by the Presgraves.

In the middle of the night, the car set off for the airport, and approximately three hours later, the plane took off from the local airport.

At this very time, a convoy was passing by a luxurious manor, and Martha, seated in the rear seat, held her mobile phone and angrily dialed her grandson’s number.

“Hello, Grandma,” the other end of the line answered the phone as if nothing had happened.

“Artie, are you messing with me?” Martha was about to explode.

“Calm down, Grandma. You’re old, so don’t get too worked up.”

“I believe you are overly wayward. You’re not taking me seriously. You’ve finally matured, haven’t you? I’m going to freeze all of your cards from now on. I’ll only unfreeze them when you come back,” she yelled in rage.

On the other end of the phone line, Arthur laughed and said, “Grandma, you vastly underestimate your grandson’s capability. I can live comfortably even without the cards.

“Hmph! You’re used to a life of opulence since young and if you plan on maintaining your original lifestyle, then you would need to try hard at getting a job,” Martha said this derisively and she seemed to relish in watching him try. She was quite shocked to find her grandson behaving with so much integrity over a girl.

“Don’t worry, Grandma. I will be able to take care of myself.” Having said that, he attempted to end the conversation.

On the other hand, she hastily yelled out, “Artie, are you sure that you want to go against my will just for that girl?”

“Grandma, her name is Sophia Goodwin and you can address her as Sophia.”

“Are you guys in a relationship?”

“Yes!” Arthur admitted.

“Do you plan on marrying her?” Martha’s eyes flickered and it looked like her grandson had met his true love.

“Grandma, let’s not talk about this for now. I’m sorry to trouble you, but you will have to handle the family business for now. Give me some time.”

At that point, she could not help her thoughts as she narrowed her eyes. She knew his personality well and she felt that time would prove whether he was truly in love with Sophia. She would wait and see for herself by then.

However, she reckoned that her decision to freeze all of the bank accounts he held was the right one as it was important to have him go through some hardships in life.

Back home, Sophia moved into her own apartment and she went behind her parents’ back to live with Arthur.

Coincidentally, her apartment was located extremely close to Presgrave Group, so she claimed that it was for the sake of work convenience, which prompted no reason for Drake and Emma to doubt her words.

Despite living in the same space, Sophia and Arthur stayed in separate rooms, so they were not technically in cohabitation.

After Arthur ended the phone call with his grandma, he instantly felt a wave of relief and he glanced at Sophia, who was currently doing the laundry on the balcony, before he initiated his help to her.

Since he was young, he had never done any chores but was happy to help out despite having to do all that now.

“Hmm, are you a C cup?” He held her pink undergarment in his hand and studied it.

At that sight, Sophia blushed slightly and reached out to grab it from him. “Why are you studying this so intently?”

Arthur took out another pink undergarment from the washing machine and she instantly pounced on him to snatch it away from him. “You should just go and relax on the couch. I can do this myself.”

“I wanna help.” Having said that, he reached out and took out some clothes to hang them.

After Sophia finished hanging out the washing, she saw him seated on the couch and he was busy tapping away on his laptop. Out of curiosity, she inched closer and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Investing in the stock market.”

“I thought all of your assets were frozen?” She blinked. Where did he get the money to invest in the stock market?

“I took out a loan.”

“From who? From your friends?” NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

“No, I just went to a bank.”

“Huh?! Arthur, you shouldn’t take up a loan like how you borrow a pen! Do you realize how high the interest is? You should settle the loan right away. I’ll bear the interest.” Sophia instantly stopped him.

However, he grinned confidently. “Don’t worry. I’ll be able to settle the loan within a week.”

Despite not being as optimistic as him, she still had some savings which she could use to help settle the loan when it was due.

“Sophia, let’s have lunch at the same restaurant we went to last night! I like the food.” Arthur folded his laptop shut and looked at her expectantly.

At that moment, she was tickled by the idea. Last night, she had brought him to try out a seafood platter that was extremely spicy and she thought that his picky palate would not be able to tolerate that. However, he actually enjoyed the meal very much and the side dishes he tried from last night amazed him.

“Sure, let’s go for lunch at the same restaurant. Are you sure that you’re fine with it though?” she asked out of curiosity because she was afraid that he would get an upset stomach from the spicy food.

As much as Arthur seemed like a spoiled brat, he actually liked the food that was enjoyed by the general public. Frankly, they even tasted much better than the ones prepared by the five-star chef he brought back with him from abroad.

The restaurant that he pestered Sophia to head for lunch consisted of several awestruck waitresses, thanks to his appearance from last night. Surprised to see his return today, they blushed and tried to find excuses to come over and sneak furtive looks at him as their hearts thudded hard.

Furthermore, they were envious of Sophia for having such a handsome boyfriend.

On the other hand, Sophia enjoyed the food from this restaurant as equally as Arthur did. Despite its low popularity with the crowd, the food was very delicious

Arthur enjoyed the dishes from this restaurant and he ate elegantly with a slightly lazy look. His casual gaze was enough to captivate the women around him and several other female customers from the other tables sneaked furtive looks at him too; some of them even snapped photos of him.

Sophia lifted her head and noticed a girl brazenly capture a photo of him. She quickly interjected, “Excuse me, I would appreciate it if you stop taking photos of us.”

At that moment, the girl awkwardly put her phone away.

Arthur and Sophia finished their lunch and came out of the restaurant. Subsequently, they entered a bustling mall. As soon as they reached the entrance, a sexy woman walked over to them and kept her awe-filled eyes on Arthur as she hurriedly took out a name card from her wallet before handing it to him.

“Hey, Sir. I’m the editor of Cloud Media and I would like to ask whether you’re interested in becoming a celebrity. We’re currently recruiting a new batch of budding talents to undergo training. Your looks and temperament fit our criteria perfectly.”

The woman introduced herself and looked at him expectantly.

Sophia was initially caught by surprise, but she smiled and rejected on behalf of Arthur. “Excuse me, my friend isn’t interested.”

“Ma’am, you’re the right fit for our talent recruit too. Why don’t you two come over and have an interview at my company?” It was only then the woman realized that there was another pretty and young-looking girl standing behind him.

Arthur’s expression instantly turned cold and he rejected the woman. “We’re not interested.”

“Sir, your appearance fits our criteria perfectly and your aura, image, height, and looks are top-notch. How about this? I’ll sign on the two of you and you’ll instantly get the best conditions right away. How does that sound?” The woman was intent on grasping onto the two of them as they were too dazzling.

“I’m sorry, but we’re really not interested. Thanks.” Sophia clutched Arthur’s arm and walked off after saying that.

“Sir! Sir! Hold on. How about this? We’ll sign you on with an offer of ten million. How about that?” The woman gave her best offer.

At that point, Arthur was annoyed. “Stop bothering us, okay?”

The woman instantly felt a chill run down her spine as soon as his gaze hit her. She felt herself under immense pressure and the man in front of her did not seem like an ordinary man. The elegant aura he exuded came naturally from within.

Still, the woman persisted and kept her eyes on the two retreating figures. Oh, what a shame… If only she could get this man to sign under her, then their company would definitely stand out from then on. She was sure that he would become a top star in the entertainment industry.

Sophia turned around a few times and noticed that the woman continued to follow them. It was beyond her expectation that a simple jaunt in the mall with Arthur would end up with him attracting the attention of a talent scout.

Earlier on at the restaurant, she had also stopped a bunch of girls from taking photos of him. Indeed, this man attracted the attention of women wherever he went.

Sophia and Arthur continued to window shop until they decided to head back. He was used to being surrounded and flattered by the crowd since young, but he now realized that he enjoyed a simple but heartwarming life.

They arrived back home at about 6.00PM and Sophia had already purchased some pasta and fruits. She intended to spend the night catching up on some TV shows with him.

Spending their time separately, she was busy in the kitchen as he used his laptop to check on his shares and stock.

At about 7.00PM, dinner of pasta and meatballs was served. She also laid out some side dishes she bought in the afternoon and a simple dinner was then ready.

Arthur washed his hand and went to take a look at the delicious dinner spread. He found himself craving to eat and he was no longer a picky eater as before. After moving in with Sophia, he changed a lot of his bad habits.

In the past, he could only go to sleep on a bed that cost millions and he was very picky about the surroundings he stayed in too. Now that he was with her, he managed to sleep soundly on a bed that was merely a few thousand while accompanied by the bustling noise of the crowded night market outside.

After dinner, Arthur went to take a shower first while Sophia remained perched on the couch as she continued watching a movie. Although she was unemployed at the moment, she did some freelance work and submitted short articles to a special column. On days when she was lucky enough, her income from that would be sufficient as her pocket money.

Sophia heard the noise of the toilet door being opened and she peeked at him red-faced. He was wearing the gray pajamas that she had bought for him. The pajamas fitted well on him and he looked casual, giving off the vibes of a boy next door.

Arthur walked over to the direction of the couch and sat next to her. His strapping tall figure further accentuated Sophia’s petiteness.

She caught a whiff of his distinct scent in the air; in the past, he had a cold, elegant fragrance of cedar on him which contrasted his scent right now—the crisp but pure aroma of shower gel. On top of that, the masculinity radiating off of him was captivating.

Sophia silently took a gulp and lifted her head to look at the man with wet dark dripping hair who was currently right in front of her. His translucent forehead was revealed and paired with his perfectly

sculpted features, making him utterly irresistible.

She squirmed slightly and purposely inched closer to him. As such, she could conveniently lie in his arms and take a rest as she watched the TV shows later on.

Arthur’s dazzling eyes flickered slightly and he astutely realized that she was inching closer to him. He kept his eyes on the television, but he naturally took her into his arms.

Sophia instantly leaned half of her body into his arms as her heart thudded hard. She buried her face into his arms and snuggled against him as she took in the feeling of her head on his firm chest. She felt a rush of comfort and safety at that moment.

Neither of them spoke a word and they remained snuggled against each other quite naturally and continued to watch some TV shows.

To Arthur, he did not care much about the plot of the show. The most important thing was that he enjoyed this moment and his heart was rippled with content.

At that moment, the scene on the TV show depicted a romantic scene between the male and female lead, which happened to be quite an explicit one too.

The male and female lead stood under a dim street lamp and they were deep in embrace as they kissed passionately.

She reached out to grab the remote control to skip the scene, but she realized that it was by his side. “Hey, hand me the remote control,” she said.

He saw through her intention, so he refused to hand over the remote control. At the same time, he focused his dark eyes intently on her.

At that, she blushed from his focused gaze at her. Then, he used his warm palm to gently grasp and maneuver her chin. She knew what this entailed, so she quickly shut her eyes.

He smiled at the anxious sight of the girl in his arms as her eyelashes fluttered.

Knowing exactly how she would react next, he purposely planted a kiss on her forehead. She waited until she no longer felt his lips on her forehead before opening her eyes slightly to peek. At that moment, his dominating lips landed on her red lips and she instantly felt her heart race. He’s so good at such flirtatious behavior!

Undeniably though, the kiss was full of passion and she was satisfied.

He kissed her so dominantly and passionately without any hint of aggression; it was pure and clean.

Sophia found herself limp in his arms after his kiss. Meanwhile, Arthur rose to his feet and went to the bathroom as he needed to take a shower—a cold shower.

On the other hand, she went back into her room and clutched at her chest as her heart thudded frantically. She knew that Arthur was a gentleman, so he would not resort to any hanky-panky. However, it was herself that she was afraid of. She was worried that she would someday find him irresistible and pounce on him.

Fortunately, Arthur knocked on the door to bid goodnight to her before heading into his room.

Around 3.00PM at the airport, a private jet had just landed and Elliot escorted Lorelai, who had just returned home, out of the airport to head directly to Presgrave Hospital.

Along the way, Lorelai tried to negotiate with him and she hoped that Elliot would let her father off the hook and forgive her family members. However, Elliot rejected her requests. Not only that, he

threatened that if she was to not undergo the surgery immediately, then her entire family would face a much horrible fate in the future.

The lights to the operating theater were switched on and Lorelai shut her eyes tightly. At that moment, there was a single drop of tear that fell from the side of her eye out of discontentment. The pain she felt in her body plus the inner turmoil she experienced made her feel bleak.

Twenty minutes later in the resting area, Elliot glanced at Benedict, who had just pushed open the door and walked in. There was a sparkle in Elliot’s weary-looking eyes. “Is it completed?”

“Yes, the surgery has ended, so you can be at ease now.”

Elliot could finally heave a sigh of relief as he had finally got an outcome after tracking for information and running around to handle matters for multiple days.

“Are you sure that you want to destroy it? Perhaps it may be useful in the future.”

“I’m sure about that,” said Elliot with a firm look in his eyes. In the future, the fate of the Presgrave Family would only be held in the hands of one particular woman. As such, there would be no other ways to birth a successor.

“Have a good rest back home. You must be really tired,” Benedict expressed his concern.

“Okay. I’ll leave things here in your hands, then.” At this point, it was already 5.00AM and all Elliot wanted was to leave and head home.

The night summer breeze was quite cooling and a dark-colored SUV made its way through the gates of a posh villa. Elliot tried his best to not make a sound as he held his coat in his hands and walked up the stairs. He decided not to enter the master bedroom, so he went into a guest room to take a rest to avoid disturbing Anastasia.

However, as soon as he got to the living area on the second floor, he noticed a slender figure asleep with her cheeks against a pillow under the dim lights. She seemed to be maintaining a waiting posture but ended up falling asleep.

At that sight, Elliot felt a pang in his heart as he gently placed down his coat and made his way toward her side. He covered her body with the blanket that had slid off to the ground and he was slightly distressed as he touched her cold arm.

It was then that Anastasia was jolted awake by his gentle gesture and she opened her eyes wide. As soon as she saw that it was the person she had been longing to see, she stretched out her arms in surprise and hugged him.

“You’re finally back.”

He squatted down and looked at her slightly chidingly, “Why didn’t you sleep in the room? You’ll catch a cold out here.”

Upon knowing that there was a chance that he could be back tonight, she was unable to go to sleep at ease. She had merely fallen asleep less than an hour ago. so she was not afraid of catching a cold. She was very concerned about not getting to know firsthand that he had arrived home.

Anastasia’s pretty eyes landed on his slightly unshaven face, which somehow still looked handsome. It looks like he had been running around tirelessly abroad for the past few days.

“Go back to the room and take a shower. Your eyes are bloodshot.” Anastasia reached out and helped him toward the direction of the master bedroom.

Though Elliot did not feel tired at all, he did not mind doing anything she said as long as his actions put her at ease.

“Lorelai has just undergone surgery and I’ve destroyed everything, so there’s no need for you to worry,” he explained to her in a low voice.

Having heard that, Anastasia heaved a tiny sigh. She was upset that Lorelai and her family had resorted to such a despicable way to plot against her. In the future, she would not let that family have an easy life.

As for Elliot, he went to take a shower and had a shave. He took slightly longer to shower because he had taken some lives when he was abroad. He was worried that there would be residue of the stench of blood on him, so he made sure to clean himself up well.

His team had dealt with the incident abroad well and there was no longer anything to worry about.

Anastasia lay on the soft bed and glanced in the direction of the bathroom as she waited patiently for her husband to come out.

Ten minutes later, she saw him exiting with a wrapped towel around his waist and she did not mask her perusing look at all as she admired his strapping figure. His dark hair was slightly tousled and he exuded an air of gentle homeliness.

He uncovered the blanket and slid into bed before reaching out to pull her into his arms to get some sleep.

“Let’s get a good sleep.” Elliot planted a kiss on her hair.

Anastasia had her skin against his and she smelled the scent of shower gel on him. His scent seemed to have a hypnotizing effect and in no time at all, she fell asleep in his arms.

He had his cheeks pressed against her forehead and he could finally be at ease as he shut his eyes and slept.

At around 8.00AM, Elliot woke up and went into Jared’s room. He looked at the little guy’s adorable figure in bed before revealing a content smile as he studied Jared while sitting by the side of the bed.

It was coincidentally the time for Jared to wake up as well. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Elliot and leaped up joyfully. “Daddy!”

Elliot reached out to take Jared into his arms and took a whiff of the slightly milky scent from Jared’s adorable body. Subsequently, Elliot lifted Jared. “Did you miss me while I was gone?”

“Of course, I did!” Jared nodded solemnly.

Elliot planted a kiss on Jared’s forehead before rubbing his head against the little man’s forehead. The affectionate feelings the father and son duo had for each other were clearly felt in the room.

For Elliot, despite the amount of bloodshed he experienced outside, his soul seemed to be rejuvenated by the familial warmth he experienced once he reached home. Everything that he did was mainly to give his beloved ones a peaceful, safe life.

At the apartment, Sophia hazily heard the sound of her phone ringing, prompting her to grasp her phone and answered the call in a dazed state. “Hello, Sophia speaking.”

“Sophia, open the door for me in a short while. I’ve gone to do some grocery shopping for you and I’ll cook a meal for you.”

Instantly, Sophia’s eyes widened in fright and she quickly asked, “Mom, where are you right now?”

“I’m in the elevator.”

“Mom, why didn’t you let me know that you were coming?!”

“Why should I have to inform my own daughter before visiting her place? Hurry up and open the door.”

“Ugh! Mom, hold on. I need to change.” Yet, Sophia did not even have time to put on her clothes as she hastily opened the door to rush out before twisting open the door to the other bedroom. She hurriedly pestered the man asleep in bed. “Arthur, get up right now! My mom’s here. She cannot see you here!”

“Huh?” He opened his eyes and as he sat up while the silken blanket slid off his chest.

All Sophia could see was his exposed chest and it remained glaringly in front of her eyes.

He studied her intently with an interesting glint in his eyes. She was currently dressed in a pink spaghetti strap nightgown and her captivating figure was entirely displayed before him. He could not help revealing a slight smile wittily. “I knew that you’re a C cup!”

At that point, she reached out and immediately covered his eyes as she retorted angrily, “Where are your roving eyes looking at?! Stop it!”

Arthur could feel her soft hands covering his eyes. A man was usually most easily aroused in the morning, but she dared to touch him at that moment. He could smell the sweet scent of hers linger in his nostrils and it was quite a trigger to his sensations. Without a second word, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

He plopped backward, which resulted in her falling onto him with their chests pressing against each other.

“You… Arthur, let go of me.”

It was then that a knock sounded on the door and Emma had arrived.

“My mom’s here. You need to hide.” Sophia tugged his hand while her little hands were still lingering on his body as she was pushing him somewhere.

To that, Arthur immediately responded by panting hard, “Stop touching me!”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” At that point, she was fairly anxious and frantic. She did not realize that she had touched him where she was not supposed to.

He noticed the bright-red flush on her face out of anxiety and he kindly uncovered the blanket to get out of bed. He had some pants on his lower torso and he grabbed the pajama top by the side to put on as he said, “Now, open the door.”

“Not yet. I can’t let my mom see you, otherwise we won’t get to see each other again,” she replied.

“I have a way of making myself disappear.”

Outside the door, Emma’s loud hollers rang out persistently, “Sophia. Sophia! Why aren’t you answering the door?”

“The wardrobe. Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to suffer for a moment.” Sophia pulled open the wardrobe and intended to get him to hide inside just like last time.

Arthur pushed her toward the door. “Got it. I’ll stay hidden.”

As Sophia heard the sound of the door shutting behind her, she thought to herself, He must have hidden inside the wardrobe, so I’ll just have to keep Mom out of the guest room later on.

Emma, who was carrying a load of groceries with her outside the door, started to wonder, Why is Sophia taking so long to open the door even though she’s home?

In the end, she could only knock on the door once again. “Sophia, open the door. What are you doing inside?”

“I’m here!” At the moment, Sophia had an armful of Arthur’s laundry in her arms as she collected them from the laundry line outside and headed toward her room. Subsequently, she bundled up everything and stuffed them into her wardrobe. She was just about to turn around and walk out of the master

bedroom when she saw that she had dropped a pair of his underwear on the ground. Hastily, she grabbed it from the ground and stuffed it into her wardrobe before taking a deep breath. She took another look in the direction of the guest room and she reckoned that Arthur must have already hidden inside the wardrobe.

After taking forever, she finally yanked open the front door as Emma glanced at Sophia perplexedly and questioned, “What were you doing?”

“I-I just woke up.” Sophia purposely yawned and pretended to act sleepy.

“You little brat. Did you stay up the whole night again last night? Watch your health. Your body won’t be able to take the stress from the lack of sleep. It’s really bad for your body.”

“I’m aware of that, Mom.”

“I’ve bought you some breakfast. Go ahead and have some,” said Emma as she started to tidy up the items on the table, diligently cleaning up the place for her daughter.

Originally, she and Drake had refused to allow Sophia to move out by herself, but after considering the fact that Sophia was a grown-up woman after all, it was normal for her to yearn for some privacy. However, that did not stop her and Drake from worrying about their daughter constantly.

Emma started to tidy up the place and glanced in the direction of the door to the guest room. She suddenly realized that Sophia must not have gone inside the guest room to air out the room and the items inside, so there was a chance that there would be mold growth inside that room. After finishing her thought, she reached out and twisted the door knob to the guest room and pushed open the door.

Sophia was just about to have her breakfast when she suddenly heard the door to the guest room being pushed open. Frightened, she rushed over and thought, Why didn’t Arthur lock the door from the inside?!

“Mom. Mom…” She rushed toward the entrance of the guest room and noticed that the room was neat and tidy while Arthur was nowhere to be found. She could not help glancing toward the wardrobe and was stunned to find that the wardrobe door—the side that could fit a person inside—was actually ajar.

“Ah!” Sophia revealed an astonished yelp all of a sudden and Emma, who was by the side, was startled by that. Emma turned around to look at Sophia. “Why did you yell like that?”

Sophia glanced toward the window with an extremely horrified expression and the only large window panel that could be opened was currently wide open. She knew that there was a slight path that led to the corridor and that was the spot where the air-conditioning unit was hung on.

Did he actually… Sophia gasped out of fright. Please tell me that he did not just climb out of the window! We’re on the eighteenth floor!!!

At this point, she hurriedly headed toward Emma. “Mom, I need to go out.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, she yanked open the front door and stepped out as her heart thudded frantically. She felt as if her heart was about to stop beating any moment now. He’d better be safe!

She frantically rushed out to the corridor and suddenly, she saw that Arthur was standing lazily at the corner of the corridor as he waited for her.

“Y-You’ve given me such a fright! How could you climb out of the window just like that?!” Sophia’s eyes were reddened from the fright she received and she reached out to punch him.

Although it was just a light punch, it was a clear indication of the extent of her anxiety and terror. Arthur was stunned as he did not expect that she would be so frightened by that.

He grabbed her into his arms immediately and apologized in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”

Sophia was trembling slightly in his arms; as soon as she realized that he had climbed out of the window, her heart nearly stopped and she was hit by a wave of fear that she was going to lose him.

“I would rather my mom find out about you than to have you do such a dangerous thing again!” She lifted her head and uttered.

Arthur ruffled her hair and smiled. “That’s alright. I’ll find another chance to meet your parents next time. I’m afraid that they’ll explode if they see me right now.”

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring you some clothes and send you to a hotel nearby.”

To that, Arthur nodded affirmatively. After all, he was currently just dressed in a pair of pajamas.

Sophia quickly went back inside and gathered some clothes for him. Meanwhile, Emma was busy in the kitchen as she prepared a nourishing lunch for her daughter. Sophia quickly mentioned to Emma that she was going out to see a friend and that she would be back very soon.

Emma then offered to invite Sophia’s friend back for lunch and she grunted while heading out of the door.

Subsequently, the couple made their way to the underground parking lot. She owned a tiny little car and though it was not a luxurious one, it was a very convenient mode of transport for her.

Arthur entered the backseat and started to get changed. He removed his top and grabbed a white T- shirt to put on. Following that, he changed into a pair of track pants.

After he was done changing, he took a seat in the front passenger seat; there was a distinctive strong hormonal scent that belonged to him that hit Sophia’s nostrils. At that point, she found her breathing slightly hitched.

She turned and glanced at the man who had changed out of his pajamas. Even though he had on ordinary clothes, he looked very handsome in them and the elegant air that he exuded was unmissable. He was perfect even just from looking at the back of him.

“What’s wrong?” Arthur noticed her staring at him in a daze and he curled his lips into a slight smile as he glanced at her with a teasing and seducing look.

Needless to say, Sophia’s heart was thudding hard and she realized that life had been great with this man, except for the fact that her heart had constantly pounded. Is this a good or bad thing? Is this a test to see how strong my heart is?

He suddenly pulled open the car door and alighted from the car before saying to her, “I’ll drive.”

Then, her side of the car door was suddenly yanked open by him and she asked him in confusion, “Why?”

“I’m worried that you won’t be able to concentrate on the road because of me.” Arthur was full of confidence that his charm was definitely going to make her lose concentration.

Instantly, her pretty face flushed red despite knowing that he was speaking the truth.

As it was because of this very fact, she felt shyer than ever as she muttered a retort, “That’s not true.”

However, she meekly positioned herself to the front passenger seat. Indeed, it was true that he had an irresistible charm as she actually forgot to buckle her seatbelt upon taking her seat.