Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 751-760

Sophia was wondering when he was going to start the car when she suddenly noticed him reach out and leaned his upper torso over to her side.

Instantly, her pretty eyes widened and her eyelashes fluttered wildly. Subsequently, she shut her eyes instinctively and awaited his kiss.

At that moment, she heard his low rumble of laughter sounding by her ears. Soon after that, she felt someone tugging on her seatbelt and buckling it for her.

Slightly embarrassed, Sophia wished so badly for the earth to swallow her up. Right then, he cupped her tiny face in his large palms and his dominance engulfed her as he planted a sweet good-morning kiss on her lips.

“I was afraid that if I didn’t kiss you, you would be disappointed,” said Arthur in an annoying tone.

“You’re taking advantage of me and yet you think your actions are justifiable, huh?” Sophia chided him in a low voice.

In response, he burst out laughing. He did not look the least bit similar to a young master from an affluent family at all in this present moment; he was just a childish man-child in front of his beloved woman.

“Stop laughing! Let’s go!” she urged him.

Arthur’s large palm gracefully maneuvered the steering wheel as they drove out of the underground parking lot.

Meanwhile, inside Sophia’s house, Emma noticed some intriguing clues soon enough. Why are there two toothbrushes on her basin? There are also two bath towels and the color of one of them clearly belongs to a male.

As such, she started to search the place and soon found a pair of male bedroom slippers and even a pair of sneakers. At that point, she finally realized the reason why Sophia insisted on moving out—she had a boyfriend and they were both now cohabitating!

Emma was momentarily dumbfounded as she did not expect Sophia to have suddenly grown into a woman who had a boyfriend.

Gosh! As parents, we can’t interfere in such matters, so I guess I can only get her to bring him back home when the time comes. By then, we’ll be able to judge his personality and find out more about his family background.

Emma decided not to expose Sophia’s secret for the time being to avoid Sophia from feeling awkward. As such, she decided to head home and discuss the situation with Drake before inquiring with Sophia another day on whether she would bring the mystery man home.

After Anastasia had sent Jared off to school, she decided that there was something that she had to do. She had to organize a meeting and invite every elder member as well as those who held important positions from each of the Presgrave extended family. She would then have to reveal during the meeting what Liam and his family had done and raise a warning to everyone else.

Clearly, she did not wish for the same thing to occur again. If anyone dared to go after her family, then they would have to face the consequences of it.

Elliot was not going to interfere in this matter because he had left things in the hands of his wife. He was just going to be her steadfast supporter and back her from behind.

At 9.00AM, everyone important who was supposed to attend the meeting had received the notification. Naturally, some of the older generations, who presumed that they held exalted statuses due to their age, sent their children as representatives. The reason was that they intended to emphasize their status as Anastasia’s elders.

This was their unspoken way of going against this young lady, who was the Young Mistress of the Presgrave Family.

At the meeting room of Presgrave Group with the capacity of thirty pax, every family representative that was supposed to attend had already gathered together at 10.30AM. Amongst them was Jacob who was also in attendance to represent his father.

All of them had heard of the things that Liam and Lorelai did, so they were on tenterhooks at the moment as they could tell why Anastasia had called for this meeting today.

At 10.32AM, the sound of high heels were heard clicking rhythmically outside the door to the meeting room.

Soon, Anastasia appeared dressing in an elegant custom-made suit and she strode purposefully into the room. Her long hair billowed behind and she exuded elegance and dominance as the lady of the family. She had no intentions of masking her dominant aura nor did she turn up to this meeting as the younger generation of the Presgraves. She appeared at this meeting as the exalted Young Mistress of Presgrave Family; everyone on the scene could tell by sensing the aura she radiated.

Subsequently, she took a seat in the middle of the room and swept her eyes across each person in attendance. She paused for a moment and considered with a solemn expression before voicing out, “Thank you all for making the time to attend this meeting that I’ve organized.”

“Anastasia, why did you call us all here for an emergency meeting?” a woman in her fifties voiced out first and called out Anastasia’s name as if she was not the Mrs. Presgrave.

Anastasia shot a look at that woman, whose heart instantly clenched upon her gaze. The woman hurriedly corrected herself with a smile. “Mrs. Presgrave, please enlighten us.”

“I trust that everyone has heard of a matter that just happened within the past few days. Dare I say, it was quite a despicable thing to do. Liam and Lorelai Presgrave have stolen from the hospital and attempted to bear a child with my husband’s genes by quietly giving birth in another country. After our investigation, Liam will be facing imprisonment of at least ten years while Lorelai will be facing imprisonment of three years. From now on, Liam Presgrave’s branch of the family will no longer be part of the Presgraves while terminating them from any relations with our family.”

At that moment, there was an outburst in the room and everyone continued to put on an act of indignance.

“That was such a despicable thing to do. How dare they do that! This is outrageous!”

“That’s right. Lorelai used to be such a promising young one and she obtained such high qualifications too. I can’t believe that she’s actually an ugly and despicable person within. They tried to break up your family, Mrs. Presgrave, so they deserve this punishment.”

The crowd in the room was full of curses for Liam and Lorelai. Soon enough, Anastasia put a stop to that and spoke with an air of authority in a clear voice.

“I hope that each of you will cease interaction with Liam and his members of the family. At the same time, I would like to use this matter to seriously inform all of you here one thing. If any of you here dared to disrupt my family, ruin the reputation of my family members, or do anything that would harm the safety of my family members, there will be consequences. The least that could happen to you guys would be expulsion from the Presgrave Family while the worst would be imprisonment. I do not wish to see such a matter that could result in the downfall of the Presgraves.”

“Mrs. Presgrave, your words make perfect sense. We lead a great life with the help of the Presgrave Family, so what else could we ask for?”

“Yes, that’s right, Mrs. Presgrave. We’re really proud to be able to work alongside you and to maintain our close family ties, which have been passed on since more than a hundred years ago.”

Jacob clenched his fist under the table and trembled once he released it. That was because two days before, his father had mentioned about joining the Board of Directors of Presgrave Group. However, it looked like this matter was completely unachievable right now. Anastasia was warning them to refrain from seeking things that did not belong to them from the Presgrave Family.

“I may be young in age and have plenty of things to learn, but that doesn’t mean that I’m weak-willed and a pushover. I hope that none of you here will get to experience first-hand how I handle things because I would be glad to just maintain a peaceful relationship with everyone,” Anastasia spoke calmly.

In the past, Harriet’s identity as the head woman of Presgraves held her back from doing plenty of things, but she soon realized that there was no point in maintaining the Presgrave Family. As such, Harriet had instructed her to keep a distance from this bunch of people if necessary. Furthermore, Anastasia was told that she could easily sever ties with them and live a peaceful life without being disrupted.

As soon as Anastasia’s words hit, everyone in the room was immediately caught by surprise and sensed the polite warning behind the words of the family’s young mistress. They were aware that she had broken the original close ties of their families and she no longer paid much heed to the link between their families and the Presgrave Family.

Presently, it was their turn to grasp tightly to their relationship with Anastasia. On the contrary, she was no longer the one required to treat them well out of obligation.

After the meeting ended, several ladies from the older generation took the chance to build up a bond with Anastasia as they tried to win her favor. However, she did not give them a chance and left

immediately in her car.

Anastasia entered the backseat before Adriana asked, “Miss Tillman, do you want to go for a walk to clear your mind?”

“Yes. Let’s go for a walk together,” Anastasia responded.

At that moment, her phone went off and she reached out to answer the call. “Hey.”

“Where have you disappeared to after the meeting?” asked Elliot from the other end. Clearly, he must have been looking for her.

“I just left and I’m about to go for a walk to get some fresh air.”

“Okay. I’ll make a lunch reservation and I’ll see you for lunch then.”

“Sure.” Anastasia smiled.

“Adriana, re-route to the prison. I would like to meet someone there.” Anastasia suddenly changed her mind about taking a walk.

“To see Lorelai?”

“Yes,” she responded. Lorelai was still detained in prison at the moment.

Inside the lockup cell, Lorelai had lost her haughtiness as she remained curled up in a corner with her long hair pulled into a ponytail behind her head. She was bare-faced without any makeup on; all that was left written on her face was frailty and weariness…

It was then that someone walked over and stated, “Lorelai Presgrave, someone is here to see you. Get up.”

Hearing that, Lorelai was a bit shocked. Is Mom here? Did Dad manage to bail me out?

When she came to the visiting room with the handcuffs on, her gaze overflowed with panic and guilt upon seeing who was waiting for her on the chair; Anastasia was the last person she had expected to see.

On the other hand, Anastasia’s piercing gaze was filled with spite and rage.

Sitting down with a lowered head, the embarrassed Lorelai could feel the scorching gaze projected on her, which made her cheeks turned hot as if they were just slapped.

“You really are shameless, Lorelai,” stated Anastasia coldly.

“I have no choice. I was forced to do that. Besides, I have liked Elliot since I was a child. It was me who first appeared in his life, so why were you the one who he married? I cannot accept this.” Lorelai revealed her suppressed emotions.

“There are no such things as who came first or who came last in love, so stop giving me such excuses. He’s my man now and you will not hurt him.”

Lorelai’s face reddened as she wanted to rebuke her, but she soon realized that everything she had to say would go against Anastasia no matter what.

“I wanted to give birth to his child, even if it meant that the child will be illegitimate.” Lorelai smiled bitterly.

Suppressing her emotions, Anastasia rejected her words outright. “You don’t have even an ounce of right to do that.”

Lorelai suddenly lashed out at Anastasia while retorting, “You think that Elliot would love you forever? One day, he will meet another woman that makes him realize he had a change of heart. Stop being so

conceited.”

Regardless of anyone, a woman would still be agitated upon hearing these words.

Yet, Anastasia only listened to this calmly while knowing that her words were spoken just to spite her. “I think you should be thinking about your own future, Lorelai. About your father, he should be serving a sentence of no less than ten years. If I have my lawyers work a bit harder and dig up some more dirt on him, even twenty years is not impossible!”

“You… Don’t cross the line, Anastasia.” Lorelai started to panic.

“As for your mother, since your father’s company is on the brink of bankruptcy and has stopped all transactions on the stock market, I think she would have to work for the rest of her life to repay the debt your father owes. Not only her; even your brother will also share the same fate. Still, all of this is rooted from what you and father have done to yourselves, so this is merely retribution.”

After hearing this, Lorelai flopped onto her chair with tears of regret as she begged, “Anastasia, please leave my dad alone. I beg of you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I can apologize to you until you’re satisfied.”

Yet, Anastasia only looked at her coldly. “The only apology I want from you is for you to taste the same pain I went through.”

Stating that, she then left elegantly while leaving Lorelai deeply steeped in hatred.

Immediately after exiting the premise, Anastasia’s cold look was nowhere to be seen as she had a gentle expression when picking up Elliot’s call. “Okay. I’m coming to the restaurant now.”

The restaurant had a warm atmosphere that was especially suitable for a couple to dine in. With a delicious lunch accompanied with wine, any conversation would lead to a romantic one.

Standing up, Elliot took her bag and pulled a seat out for her.

Anastasia, who joyously accepted her husband’s gentlemanly gesture, felt very happy inside.

“Nobody gave you a hard time in the meeting this morning, did they?” he asked dotingly.

“Nope.” Anastasia smiled and shook her head.

“If they did, tell me. I will handle it.”

To that, she only smiled confidently. “Relax! As your wife, I will deal with trivia matters like this.”

Of course, he knew that she had a strong personality. As much as she looked gentle on the outside, she was actually tough within.

“The company will be hosting a charity event this week under our names. You can invite your friends to the event as well,” said Elliot.

“Really? Then, I’ll invite Felicia and Grace. Oh, there’s also my new assistant, Sophia.”

“Is that the girl that’s always with Artie?” Elliot recalled who she was. C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.

“Yup! I think they are dating.” Anastasia nodded.

Taking his phone out, he called Arthur to ask his whereabouts.

“Hey, Elliot.” Arthur picked his call up.

“Where are you? Are you still in the country?”

“I am. Do you want to go out for a meal or something?”

“I was thinking of inviting you to a charity event that my company is hosting this Friday.”

“Sure! I’ll be there. I’ll be bringing a partner with me.”

“No problem. See you then.”

Elliot hung up and told Anastasia, “Artie will come. He might bring Sophia along too.”

“See, I told you so! Looks like we’ll be receiving a wedding invitation very soon!” she exclaimed happily.

On the other hand, Elliot knew Arthur’s family and understood that his family was not just some wealthy group as they had migrated abroad about two hundred years ago and increased their influence while still maintaining their secrecy. Thus, for a girl with a normal background like Sophia, it would not be easy for her to marry into the Arnolds.

“Yup. I hope that we can receive their wedding invitation soon too.” Elliot nodded.

Speaking of the devil, Arthur was just waiting for Sophia to come pick him up at the hotel while he repeatedly checked his watch.

Ever since he slept on her bed, even the presidential suite could not satisfy him anymore as he missed the cozy feeling of that tiny home.

It was around 4.00PM that he finally got a call from Sophia, who informed that she was on her way to pick him up.

Arthur stood by the window and smiled while counting down the time. What he did not notice was that the window reflected his child-like smile.

Suddenly, he received a message from the elders of his family. They were asking him when he would be back as there were important things awaiting his decision.

Gradually, the smile on his face disappeared when the sun shone on his face, for it had been replaced with a solemn expression.

At last, he heard the doorbell ring and opened the door quickly only to be startled by the panting woman.

Seems like she ran here, judging from her flushed face and uneven breathing. Did she want to see me that badly?

“Why are you out of breath?” Arthur held her hand and invited her inside.

Sophia did not want to tell him that she indeed ran all the way here after parking her car.

“Let’s go! My mom left.” She held his arm and added, “Let’s go home.”

Her actions made Arthur smile. “Alright!” With his arms around her, he gushed, ‘Let’s go home!”

“My mom even made a few dishes for me, so we don’t have to think about what to eat for dinner.” She chuckled.

“Really? Then, I should try Mrs. Goodwin’s cooking.” He then informed her, “By the way, there’s a banquet this Friday hosted by the Presgrave Group. I’m thinking of bringing you with me.”

“Huh?! But… I don’t have a dress for that sort of occasion.”

“No worries. I can help you with that.”

“Aren’t you kinda broke now?” Sophia blinked and asked him.

Amused by her words, he thought, Does she think so little of me?

The view at night was stunning as Arthur drove the car with Sophia along the coastline. Stopping at an open area, the two of them walked toward the glass bridge.

She took her phone and snuck photos of the man from time to time. Regardless of which angle she took it from—be it his silhouette, side profile or even the back of his head—it looked just like he came out of a magazine with him being a top male model while every frame looked straight out of a film.

Still, she preferred to take selfies with him more. Since Arthur had long limbs, he took the phone and hugged Sophia who laid obediently in his embrace while emanating a romantic atmosphere.

Now that the two of them were a couple of their own consensus, they did not need a grand confession for the best to have is each other’s company.

Looking at the beach not far away, Sophia sighed and said, “Do you still remember what happened during Anastasia’s wedding? I nearly got washed away by the sea. When I saw you dashing to help me, I was really moved then.”

Arthur rubbed her head. “You still have the cheek to mention that, eh? You’re forbidden from going to any dangerous places from now on. I can’t be at your side at all times after all.”

“But, it’s so strange! I never found myself in such situations before I met you. Ever since I stuck with you, it’s either I nearly drowned at sea or rolled down a hill. Fortunately, you were always there to save me.” Having said that, she hugged his waist and looked up, still a bit baffled that the man in front of her was her boyfriend now.

He hugged her tightly while promising, “With me by your side, you’ll be safe and sound for the rest of your life.”

“We’ll be safe and sound.” This made Sophia a little teary-eyed.

A thought then came to her mind as she asked him in a serious tone, “Young Master Arnold, I have a question for you, so please answer me sincerely.”

“Yes?” Arthur also became serious, not wanting to answer perfunctorily.

“With your status, you must have had a lot of girls swarming you since you were young, so why did you choose me?” She had a very curious gaze.

Looking down at her bright eyes, Arthur felt like she resembled a flower blooming in summer as there was an inexplicable charm to her. The thing he loved about her was her smile; though it had hints of silliness, it always soothed him and made him feel like life was full of joy just by being with her.

Yet, when mentioning what trait made him fall for her, he only wanted to say that she brought a sense of life into his world. Being with her made him feel comfortable and natural, which prompted him to envision his future with her.

Since his young age, Arthur had always been surrounded by exceptional ladies from prominent families and even nobles as their desires and ambition were always on full display. Hence, when Sophia appeared, she was like a ray of sun that pierce through his ironclad heart.

Reaching out, Arthur did not answer her. Instead, he gently hugged her and kissed her head twice. “You shouldn’t underestimate your charms. To me, you’re unique and irreplaceable,” he whispered.

“But, I’m dumb,” she replied while still in a haze.

Rubbing her hair with his jaw, he answered dotingly, “It’s fine. I don’t need those from you. I just need to be the first person you think of whenever you’re in danger… and the person you come home to whenever life gets hard.”

Sophia felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing this as she laughed out loud while embracing him tightly. To her, this was the highest form of confession she could receive; it was even more romantic than hearing an ‘I love you’.

In a blink of an eye, Friday came as the banquet by Presgrave Group was organized. Being the star of the event, Anastasia appeared under the lenses of the media while holding her husband’s hand.

Since they needed to reach the venue earlier, she stepped out of the car in a light gold dress in the evening. The dress, which was exquisite and glamorous, accentuated her beautiful figure and charisma.

Even under the scrutiny of the flashing cameras, her naturally beautiful face was flawless. Appearing in front of the media for the first time since a long while, Elliot appeared handsome while not losing his dominating aura, which made the surrounding women gasp and scream.

It was apparent that even after his marriage, this could not stop the ladies from admiring him.

Yet, he paid no heed to all this as he naturally held his wife’s hand gently and walked together on the red carpet while the reporters made sure to capture this affectionate moment.

From adjusting her dress to holding her bag, his gaze never left his wife as if nobody except his wife mattered to him.

Meanwhile, in a high-end dress shop…

Since Sophia was also invited, Arthur brought her to a dress shop to pick out a gown.

After personally selecting a dress, he had his lady try it out and it fit unexpectedly well. Thanks to the pearls and diamond, it was a very flashy dress and she looked like a princess after matching it with her fair skin.

Although Sophia had not dressed so formally or even wore high heels in a long time, her figure that had been trained through dancing still stood out very much in the dress. With a well defined collarbone and shoulder lines, her fair skin and clear gaze made her look like a goddess.

Arthur, who was flipping through the magazine, could not take his eyes off her the moment he looked up.

On the other hand, Sophia pursed her lips embarrassingly as she turned away, not daring to face his passionate gaze.

“We’ll take this dress!”

The owner then stepped up and smiled before explaining, “Sir, I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but due to the brand of the dress, it is only available for sales and not for rental as this dress belongs to one of our exclusive collections. However, we can rent out the jewelry and heels that Miss Goodwin is currently wearing.”

“How much does the dress cost?” Sophia asked out of curiosity while having a feeling that it must fetch a pretty penny.

“This dress is a piece from the top designer, Oleh. It costs eight million.”

Suddenly, the light and airy dress immediately weighed a ton, making Sophia feel a shortness of breath. Eight million for a dress? No, thanks.

“We’ll pay by credit card! Including the jewelry and shoes too. I don’t like the word ‘rent’.” Arthur took out his black card.

Sophia was stunned. Wait, what? He’s going to buy this?

“Artie, how about we discuss this for a bit before coming to a decision?” She walked over and asked gently.

Smiling, he replied, “No need for that. I like this look on you very much.”

She closed in and whispered, “Isn’t your bank account frozen? I don’t want you spending this much money.”

Not being able to explain all this, Arthur did have his cards frozen, but his income did not depend solely on the family as he did some trading since he was bored lately with the money he borrowed from loan sharks. Does she think I am a poor man just because of this?

He patted her reassuringly. “It’s fine. Eight million is just a number; I could even give up my life for you.”

Exiting the shop, Sophia found a black colored Bugatti parked in front as she blinked her eyes in confusion. Where did he conjure this out from?

A man then walked over and handed the keys over to Arthur. “Mr. Arnold, I hope you have a lovely evening.”

“Where did this car come from?”

“I just bought it.”

Sophia looked at him in shock. Naturally, this car was not just bought as he had specially imported this from abroad; it had been his possession all along.

On the way to the banquet, she felt like she was eloping with a rich young master for she felt both nervous and expectant as to what they might do tonight.

This must be how it feels to be in love! I just want to experience everything wonderful with him.

Arriving, Arthur alighted from his new car and opened the door for her before reaching his other hand out to Sophia. She naturally accepted the gesture and they both walked to the main hall.

Under the bright lights, the dashing couple instantly attracted everyone’s attention as they whispered among themselves how dashingly good-looking the couple was!

In the venue, Elliot was chatting with the guests when he saw Arthur arrive, so he excused himself and went to welcome him.

“Artie.”

“Elliot.” Arthur walked over and they bumped fist, which was their unique way to greet each other.

Following that, Arthur then introduced the woman standing beside him. “Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Sophia.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Presgrave.” Sophia felt very honored to be able to greet Elliot.

“Nice to meet you too.” Elliot smiled and nodded.

It was then that Anastasia also slipped away from the guests and came over as Sophia greeted her enthusiastically upon seeing her, “Hello, President Tillman!”

Approaching them, Anastasia praised the lady in gold, “You look very beautiful tonight, Sophia.”

“Thank you, President Tillman.” Sophia always felt that Anastasia was more akin to an older sister that she never had.

Even though they were a few years apart in age, the similarities in beliefs made them closer.

“It’s so formal of you to call me ‘President Tillman’. Just call me by my name from now on!” Anastasia held her hands passionately. “You two continue on, Elliot. I’m going to chat with Sophia elsewhere.”

Arthur then went with Elliot to talk about topics common among men while Anastasia took Sophia to where Felicia and the others were.

“That’s your boyfriend, right, Sophia?” Grace asked straightforwardly.

Somewhat blushing, Sophia nodded despite getting all shy. “Yup!”

“Wow! He’s so handsome! You sure are lucky, Sophia!” Grace said enviously.

Feeling their gazes, Sophia pursed her lips and smiled, thinking that she was indeed lucky to be able to meet him.

“I’m so looking forward to our press conference abroad this time, Anastasia! I heard that a lot of celebrities are coming to support us!” Grace clasped her hands together expectantly.

“If you want to, you can come. I can sponsor the flight tickets and accommodation fees,” offered Anastasia.

“Yay! Our president is the best! I love you!” Grace did a heart-shaped gesture.

At that moment, someone appeared behind them and asked shamelessly, “Anastasia, could you bring me along too?” It turned out that the someone was Katrina.

Turning around, Anastasia nodded. “Of course.”

“Thank you for inviting me and my brother to this banquet, Anastasia. We’re very honored.” Katrina raised her cup in appreciation.

Anastasia did not expose her for she only invited Mason. She must have entered under the guise of Mason’s partner.

“I’ll stop bothering you all now.” Katrina walked away on her own accord since she was here for fun and to target someone of higher status.

It was then that she saw Arthur, the man of her dreams while they were on the island, who was also standing beside Elliot. She had never thought that she would meet him at the event. With one look, she was able to discern that the man came from the top one percent and was the same kind of elite as Elliot.

If I can manage to seduce him, then I won’t have to worry about the rest of my life.

Katrina fixtated her target on Arthur.

At the same time, Sophia’s appearance attracted a man that was Jacob. As this was an event hosted by the Presgrave Group, all the important members of the family were invited. As such, Jacob had never thought that he would bump into Sophia here.

Tonight, she was heartachingly beautiful as she looked like a lost deer in the forest, making her out to be a prize who anyone would love to capture.

Adjusting his suit subconsciously, Jacob slicked his hair. Of course, he knew that Sophia came with Arthur, but he was still determined to show off his charms.

Even till now, he did not know who Arthur really was. He could only assume that he hailed from a prominent family and that he was very secretive about his background, which was why he thought that Sophia’s background could not match up to such an individual.

Hence, he felt that he still had a chance.

Breathing in deeply, Jacob walked toward Sophia while deciding to ask her for a drink at the balcony.

Yet what he did not know was that Sophia had been in a man’s focus throughout the whole night as he could immediately detect whoever dared to approach his woman.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Arthur said to Elliot before walking toward Sophia.

Just as Jacob mustered up his courage and was ready to greet Sophia, a man’s low voice suddenly came from behind him, “Could you come here, honey?”

With that, Sophia turned around to find two men standing behind her. Despite that, there was only one in her eyes as she blushed out of embarrassment. How could he call me ‘honey’ in front of everyone?

Still, she greeted Jacob out of courtesy, “Hello, Jacob!” Then, she walked to Arthur’s side and held his hands.

Although Jacob looked fine on the outside, he felt like his heart was pricked as it was somewhat uneasy and hard to swallow his feelings.

Is this guy doing this on purpose? Did he show off his superiority in front of me intentionally? Who is this goddamn person? At that moment, he had made up his mind to teach Arthur a lesson.

Clenching his teeth, he thought that he would make this ‘Arnold fella’ pay for his insolence with his blood without exposing himself.

The reason why Jacob was so confident was because he felt that Arthur was not a person from this country even though he had a typical Caucasian look and was speaking their language. Furthermore, there was no prominent family within the country with the surname ‘Arnold’.

Sophia, who was dragged away by Arthur, sat down inside a private room. Thinking that the man might have something important to convey to her, she was suddenly fed a piece of peach by him.

“Try it.”

Seeing how enthusiastic he was, she could not reject him and took a bite. “Did you bring me in here just to feed me some fruit?”

“You are too stunning tonight. I don’t want another man to even look at you one more second, so just stay here and be with me,” Arthur conveyed his thoughts straightforwardly.

However, she was a bit dumbfounded at his words. Why does he sound so needy?

It was then that another piece of peach appeared in front of her. As she was attracted by the taste of it, she naturally reached to take another bite. Yet, the man suddenly took it away and lowered his head to kiss her.

Sophia’s lips were suddenly making contact with his.

Paired with the sweetness of the peach, Arthur nearly could not control himself and did not care about the setting anymore. He did not care whether a banquet was going on outside nor did he care if anyone might stumble upon this scene. All he wanted right then was to have her all to himself.

Sophia obediently laid in his embrace as she greedily absorbed his love at this unknown corner.

While kissing, tears unexpectedly rolled on Sophia’s face for she felt an unknown sense of bitterness inside. There was this feeling that no matter how much she loved him, she might lose him someday.

Hence, this kiss awoken her love for him and became a reminder that the deeper she came to love him, the deeper in pain she would be.

Tasting the salty tears, Arthur opened his eyes only to find the girl in his embrace had become teary- eyed. He clumsily wiped her tears before asking, “What’s wrong? Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“It’s not that…” While pursing her lips, she turned to face another direction. Although they had been very happy these days like a real couple, there was a nagging feeling inside her heart.

She knew that they would not be together in the end because Martha would never allow her to marry her grandson. So, Sophia decided to forget about this and give her whole heart to him, thinking that

she should live as happily as she could for now and cry when she finally lost him.

The more she found herself loved by this man, the more she could not ignore the problem. Now, his love had become like a knife, slowly piercing her heart the more he cherished her.

“Silly. Why are you crying, then?” He lowered himself and kissed her lips gently yet passionately while showing a gaze that he had never let any other women seen before.

The cold and distant Arthur from before used to seem like he would never come to love any woman in this world as if no one could ever occupy or flatter his heart…

However, that Arthur no longer existed. He met a girl that had changed him; a girl that he could share his worries with.

“I’m sorry. I…” Sophia did not want to ruin such a blissful moment as she really wanted every moment with him to be a happy one.

Reaching out, Arthur rubbed her hair gently and kissed it. “I’m here. You don’t have to overthink this.”

She did not dare to tell him about the fact that his grandmother had met with her before.

All of a sudden, Sophia lay on him while deciding that she would do something tonight that she would never come to regret. This was because she feared that she had no time left to profess her love. She would not want to regret anything when the day he left came.

After sitting in the room for a while, they then exited with Sophia returning to Grace before she started drinking red wine.

Let’s get a bit tipsy tonight! If I get tipsy, I’ll be able to let loose a little.

On the other hand, Anastasia was chatting with some high status women. Even though she was very young when compared to them, her background ensured that she had a dominating aura that followed her when conversing with these ladies.

Naturally, she did not let this chance to establish some business deals slip away as she had planned to grow her company into a renowned global jewelry brand, which needed the support of the upper society. This was why Anastasia was being so proactive in pushing her company.

All of this was observed by Elliot. Watching his wife converse with those women calmly and elegantly made him realize how adorable and charming his wife was.

He used to think that his wife would be one content with being a housewife. Now, she was focusing on her career like him. While fully supporting his wife’s endeavors, all he strived for was the joy he felt whenever she achieved her success.

Anastasia was getting along with one of the rich women when she met with her husband’s gaze. Not forgetting to show her love even in this setting, she winked at him.

This made Elliot smile involuntarily as all the other girls that fancied him presently saw this. Seems like the president only has eyes on his wife. He did not even glance at the other women here no matter how beautiful they are.

In a flash, Sophia had already finished two glasses of wine. With a flushed face, she still thought that she did not have enough as she wanted to continue drinking when a hand suddenly took the glass from her grip.

“Why are you drinking so much?” The man had a low and upset voice.

Arthur was standing beside her and had witnessed everything when she was drinking by herself.

Turning around, she then burped at him and mumbled, “N-Nonsense!”

To the man who only focused his attention on her the entire night, he had plenty of evidence to prove that she indeed was drinking excessively.

“I think you’re drunk. Let’s head home.” Arthur did not want others to see her in such a state.

“But… Isn’t the hotel providing rooms tonight? Can we not return home?” Sophia requested.

Of course, he did not refuse her as he agreed with a low voice. “Okay, then. I’ll bring you upstairs to rest.”

Inside the elevator, the tipsy woman leaned into Arthur’s arms to rest. Thanks to the alcohol, courage welled up inside her as she hugged him by the neck and asked, “Am I pretty?”

Naturally, he batted his eyes at her and her beautiful features were accentuated by the bright lights. Pretty? You’re as magical as a goddess.

“Did you drink so much just to muster your courage to ask this?” asked Arthur with a smile.

Suddenly, Sophia closed in and whispered, “Nope. I want to do naughty things tonight.”

How could Arthur not know what she meant? Her words made him gulp and ask in a low tone, “Are you for real?”

“Yup! I’m serious!” She looked at him sincerely and nodded.

Arthur now knew the reason why Sophia kept drinking. It was to boost her confidence to make a move on him! She had learned the tricks!

Although he had been suppressing his desire well, it seemed like she could not rein it back anymore. A wasted Sophia was nestling in his arms as she had drnk too much.

When the elevator door opened, he had no choice but to carry her in bridal style. She gladly buried her face into his chest while she felt her body floating on the clouds. Inhaling the scent on him, her face began to burn.

He opened the door and placed her on the couch. Since she was completely wasted, she might not be able to do anything regardless of how much she wished to.

However, Sophia was seemingly eager about it as she beckoned him over with her finger. “You… Come right here.”

Arthur ignored her while he was busy switching on the curtain opener and the air-conditioner. Plus, he would not accept any advances from her when she was still under the influence of alcohol. What if she deems it as a bad experience when she’s sober? It will be my loss, then.

“Artie, come over here,” she sweetly called while lying on the couch.

Yet, he only gave her a cup of water. “Have some water. Let’s talk when you’re sober.”

“No! I don’t wanna be sober.” She shook her head, knowing that she would not have the guts to do the naughty things without a push from the alcohol.

Arthur sat opposite her and declared in a serious tone, “You can only do things to me when you’re sober or else, it’s no deal.”

Sophia blinked her beady eyes. “Why won’t you? This is your chance.”

Suddenly, jealousy surged within him as she would have been taken advantage of had she been with another man in this state. “Sophia Goodwin, promise me that I’ll be the only one you wanna do bad things with. Got it?” he ordered.

However, she disagreed, “But you said that it’s no deal, so why should I promise you?”

Feeling helpless, Arthur stared at her before rising to his feet to approach her. “Are you sure you want it? You can’t have me stop midway, though.”

Sophia wrapped her arms around his neck in response. “I swear.”

He held his breath as he felt her body burning like the sun, igniting his body into fire. Then, he stretched out his arms to carry her toward the bedroom. In a gruff voice, he replied, “As you wish.”

Even if it was still early, things were getting steamy in the bedroom.

On the other side, Anastasia was feeling dizzy although she had attempted to control her alcohol intake. With red cheeks, she came to her husband and rested in his arms.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her naturally. As a reward for the tiring night, he pecked on her head gently. “Let’s go take a rest in the room.”

She smiled and whispered, “Jared is not around tonight. Any ideas on what we should do next?”

At the sight of his beautiful wife cuddling in his arms, his voice became restrained and hoarse. “Well, I’ll listen to you tonight. I’ll stop when you’re tired.”

Anastasia burst into laughter while resting her head on his chest to hide her chuckles. Needless to say, she was anticipating the night as well.

Once the event was coming to an end, the employees tended to the guests by escorting them to their respective rooms, so the couple could leave earlier.

Standing not far away from them was Katrina, who was watching them leave with bitterness. Deep down in her heart, she could not forget the pathetic sight of Anastasia wandering alone in another country. However, the table had now turned. Anastasia was stunning and confident in front of everyone; that very fact alone had elicited jealousy in Katrina.

Jacob, who shared the same fate as she did, approached her. “Kat, wanna have a drink together tonight?”

Truth be told, she looked down upon someone like him. Although he was Mr. Presgrave too, his family business was not of the same league as the Presgrave Group; its future was basically bleak.

Even so, it was fine to have a little bit of fun.

“Sure.” Katrina gladly accepted the invitation.