Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1701-1710

Selena couldn’t stand losing to Ellen. She commented harsh words under the video; every one of them was scolding Ellen. Then, she felt it wasn’t enough and snarled. “Ellen, you b*tch! I will never forgive you.”

Her voice shocked the girls, and they all looked at her. One of the girls frowned and said, “She is criticizing Ellen!”

Immediately, Selena smirked coldly and replied, “That’s right. I’m badmouthing the chess champion, Ellen. She is a b*tch, yet you guys admire her. This is just ridiculous.”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Yeah. She must be crazy from being jealous. Let’s go.”

When Selena heard their words, she glared at them angrily, and the girls left. Ellen must have won the championship by bribing. I need to find evidence of her cheating! Then, she will be thrown off the crown. I’m going to destroy her, even if it means I will ruin my life, thought Selena as she gritted her teeth.

Then, she took out her phone and called Olivia. “Have you seen the news about Ellen, Mom? It’s ridiculous that she is a chess champion,” Selena said with contempt,

“I know. Just ignore her and live our own lives,” replied Olivia.

“I went to jail for over a year because of her, Mom. Do you think I will let her get away with it?”

“What are you going to do, Lena?”

Hearing Olivia’s words, Selena quickly reacted and said, “I’m not going to do anything, Mom. I just hate her.”

“Don’t do anything stupid. You just got out of jail.” Olivia reminded her.

After Selena promised to Olivia, she searched for people connected to the chess tournament. Then, she saw the judge who was in charge of Ellen’s match. She decided that she was going to investigate to see whether Ellen had won fair and square.

On the other hand, after Ellen had finished the interview, she texted Jared. ‘Do you have any free time tonight? I’ll treat you to dinner.’ She wanted to buy him dinner since she still felt guilty about her sudden departure.

Just as she had sent the text, Jared immediately called her. Ellen was startled, but she soon answered the call. “Hello.”

“I’ll choose the place,” Jared said.

Ellen was cool with it. No matter how expensive it would be, she decided to pay. “Sure. Let’s meet up at 5.30PM.”

During the past year, she had managed her finances well, so she should be able to buy him a meal or two at a fancy restaurant.

“Sure. See you at 5.30PM, then.” Jared smiled on the other end of the phone.

As Ellen returned to her room, she searched the gossip about her and Jared. When she saw the articles, she was shocked. After all, their names were everywhere. Looking at it, she wondered if the media had overdone it. She was embarrassed to see how they had praised her. Initially, she didn’t want to be high profile, but as long as her name was bonded with Jared, it would go viral.

Then, she returned to her room and got some calls from her friends. She was embarrassed. She didn’t want to admit it, but gossip about her and Jared was everywhere. However, she couldn’t bring herself

to admit it since this was the first time they had met after one year of departure. She needed time to sort it out!

When it was 5.30PM, there was a knock on Ellen’s door. She opened it and saw Jared standing there. Since she was also ready, they entered Jared’s car and headed to the restaurant. Jared was curious about her life.

“Why did you go to Brownsville?”

“It’s the Home of Chess, which is also my mentor’s hometown.”

“When did you learn to play chess? You never told me about it.”

“I started when I was seven. At first, I was just watching the others playing. The person who first taught me was also my mentor. Since Grandma loves to play poker, I would accompany her to the park. From preschool to high school, I spent most of my time at the park. After seeing it for such a long time, I just took an interest in it.” Ellen used to think of it as a hobby. However, after encountering Brook, he encouraged her, which made her work hard for it and go to the rank match.

“That’s great,” praised Jared earnestly as he looked over at her.

Ellen was glad to hear that, but she replied humbly, “Thank you, I’ll continue to treat my hobby as my career and further develop it.”

“You have my support.” He then looked at her with a deep gaze. “I’ll support you in whatever you do in the future.”

Ellen blushed upon hearing that; she wasn’t sure whether he was offering support as a friend or as someone beyond that. “Why did you post such a comment on social media?” Ellen asked.

“I’m speaking the truth. Is there anything wrong with it?”

“But we…”

“Do you think that you aren’t my girlfriend anymore just because we have been separated for a year? We haven’t officially broken up, you know.” Jared spoke in displeasure.

Ellen’s face flushed red and became hot instantly when she heard his remarks. She wound the car window down to get some air, not knowing how to answer him. After a brief pause, she replied shyly, “Alright!”

Upon hearing her reply, Jared smiled since it was the answer he wanted from her. “What about you? Have you been in contact with any guys in the past year?” Jared started fussing about it since he wanted to know how she felt about him.

“Nope.” She shook her head.

“Did anyone try courting you?” he asked again.

This time round, she didn’t shake her head but replied honestly, “Yeah, but I rejected his advances.”

“In the future, you should announce that you are taken.” Jared scoffed, still feeling jealous about it.

“Don’t be so domineering!” She chuckled.

“Do you blame me for not looking for you the past year?” he asked again.

“I don’t.” She shook her head. After all, she had written to Jared and told him not to look for her to give her some space and freedom.

“I knew that you’d be back. I had a feeling that you’d return for sure.” He revealed to her his thoughts in the past year. The reason he didn’t go looking for her was that he was waiting for her to return.

Tears welled up in her eyes upon hearing that. Does he really think that way?

“After dinner, I’ll bring you somewhere. You’ll love it.”

“Where is it?” she asked curiously.

“You’ll find out later on.”

As soon as they reached the upscale steakhouse, which was Ellen’s favorite restaurant, she told him about the house she had gotten in town. It came with a garden, which was how she imagined her dream house to be.

“If there’s a chance, I’d like to go take a look. Perhaps I’ll even stay a few nights there.” He was already looking forward to it.

“Sure!” She welcomed the idea.

It was only 8.30PM when their dinner ended. Following that, Jared drove Ellen in his car. The further they drove, the more familiar her surroundings looked.

Isn’t this where my house used to be? She even remembered that she had deliberately come over to look at it once before. “Why are you taking me here?”

“Take a guess.” He smiled.

However, nothing came to mind, so she could only wait for him to bring her there. As soon as Jared parked his car at a luxurious car park, he asked her to get out of the car. Then, the both of them took the elevator before heading over to the penthouse.

“Did you move here?” she asked.

After Jared opened the door, he stretched his hand out and made a welcoming gesture. “I designed this place, especially for you.”

Upon walking into the unit, Ellen was shocked. As she looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she noticed the dazzling city lights and realized that she was within the central location of New Town. After giving it some thought, she looked up and asked, “No way. Is this location where my house used to be?”

“You’re right. This is where your house used to be, so I built you a house in the same spot. Do you like it?” he asked earnestly.

She was overwhelmed by emotions upon hearing that. The next moment, she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist before burying her face in his chest. She couldn’t find the words to express herself. With that, Jared tightened his embrace around her and planted a kiss on the top of her head as he relished the long-awaited hug.

“Thank you.” Ellen didn’t know he had done so much for her, which made her feel guilty for leaving him.

“I hope that you won’t leave again since I’ve gotten you a house!” Jared looked down and said in a raspy voice. After all, the reason he built her the house was so that she would stay.

Hearing that, she shut her eyes and nodded. “Alright, I won’t be leaving anymore.” Now, she had a home within the city. Jared smiled when she accepted his gift, and from today onward, this would be their home. After Ellen was given a tour around the duplex that spanned almost 10,000 square feet, she thought that the place was cozy.

When she noticed the shelves on the balcony that were filled with pots of succulents, she turned to him and asked in surprise, “Did you get these too?”

Hearing that, Jared stood behind her with his arms folded and answered smilingly, “Yes. I was also the one who picked them out. Do you like it?”

“They look so cute!” she gushed. She loved it and could feel that everything in the house was carefully curated by Jared, which showed how much he loved her.

“Yes! Very cute indeed.” He was referring to the succulents and also Ellen.

Soon after, Ellen toured the living room before checking out the master bedroom on the second floor. There was a private multi-functional movie hall, a gymnasium, and various beautiful furniture and sofas where the color schemes caught her heart at first glance.

Jared had thoughtfully selected everything in the house. Ever since the start of renovations, he had been there every day. After the renovation was completed, he went to the shopping mall to pick out the fixtures and fittings. It was as if he had been living and preparing for her return in the past year. He believed that everything he had done would be rewarded, and the reward was Ellen. The moment when he saw her smile and the tears in her eyes, he knew that everything he had done was worth it.

“Do you like it?” he asked in a deep voice.

“I love it! I love everything about it.” She nodded. She was moved as his love for her was noticeable through the details in every corner of the house.

“Something’s missing, though.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a chess table. I’ll get someone to send it over tomorrow. That way, you can teach me how to play chess.” Jared was looking forward to playing chess with her as he thought that it would be fun.

At that, she chuckled. “I don’t dare to play chess with someone as intelligent as you. I’m afraid of losing to you.” She finally managed to win the championship and didn’t want to be defeated by him.

“Let me tell you a secret! When I was young, my parents made me learn how to play chess. I wasn’t able to master it, so they eventually gave up. So, I’d like to learn from you.” Jared laughed.

“No way!” She blinked her eyes.

“I’m not lying. You can ask my parents when they’re back.” He would never lie to her.

Hearing that made her blush as it sounded like she would be meeting his parents soon. The thought of it made her anxious. It was probably because she had watched too many movies and read too many novels which instilled fear within her toward women from wealthy families. She felt that marrying a wealthy family would lead to an unknown world, and she would lose her freedom because of that.

Jared noticed how hesitant she was and comforted her, “Don’t worry, my parents are easy to get along with, and I have a cheeky sister. I’m sure you’ll like her.”

After hearing that, an image of a haughty girl from a wealthy family instantly popped into her mind, making her even more nervous. “Alright!” She nodded.

“Where do you think we should place the chess table?” he asked.

“Placing it in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor would be nice. We can look at the view if we get bored while playing chess,” she answered.

There was a smirk on his face when his gaze fell on her as she spoke, and Ellen blushed upon that.

They spoke like a married couple where the husband just bought something home and was asking the wife where he should place it, while she answered him like his wife.

He then walked over with a smile and held her hand before saying, “Would you like to sleep here tonight?”

“Huh? I didn’t bring any clothes with me, and my luggage is in the hotel!” She never thought that she would be sleeping over there tonight.

“We have everything here.” With that, he held her hand and led her to her master bedroom before pushing open a hidden cabinet door. The next moment, a luxurious closet of nearly 500 square feet appeared, and it had everything that one could expect.

Ellen was so surprised that she covered her mouth with one hand. When she was in the bedroom earlier on, she didn’t notice that there was a closet over there. Inside a row of lighted cabinets lay an array of women’s watches and jewelry, a row of neatly arranged bags, and three rows of women’s shoes. Not only that, comfortable sofas were placed in the middle of the walkway.

The lighting made the place feel warm yet luxurious, and one could get a view of the night sky full of stars from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Having a closet like this made changing clothes a pleasure.

Moreover, the closet next to her was filled with all kinds of women’s clothes, and even a dozen pajamas were hanging in there. Ellen blushed a little, wondering if Jared had bought each and everything in the house.

“All these clothes have been dry cleaned and are ready to be worn. I bought them based on your size, so you should be able to fit into them.”

“Aren’t you afraid that I might get fat? What if I weighed more than 200 pounds when I returned? The clothes that you got me would have gone to waste,” she said with a chuckle.

Jared burst out laughing and said, “I’d still love you even if you become as chubby as a pig.” He was confessing to her and ridiculing her at the same time.

“How dare you call me one?” She punched him.

“Even if you’re a pig, you’ll be the cutest piglet.” He pulled her into his arms while laughing.

“I’m not, but you are.” She wasn’t pleased with the nickname.

“From now on, I shall address you as piglet or piggy, but if you don’t like it, I can come up with another nickname for you.” Jared thought that it would be a good idea to give each other a nickname. He got the idea from his parents who came up with nicknames for each other and called each other using that since the beginning while loving each other until now. He admired his parents’ relationship, and he wanted to love Ellen for the rest of his life and maintain a loving relationship like how his parents did.

The next moment, Ellen tilted her head as she started contemplating which animal Jared resembled. After giving it some thought, she figured that he resembled a lone wolf since he didn’t have many friends except for a group of subordinates who took orders from him and thinking about it broke her heart.

“Why not we call each other piggy?!” Ellen looked up and suggested. She didn’t want to call him Mr. Wolf since it would make him seem uptight, and she was looking for a sweeter nickname.

“Alright! My adorable piglet.” He brushed her cheek.

With that, she wrinkled her nose and looked like a cute piglet. He lowered his gaze and held her face before leaning in for a kiss. She didn’t push him away as her heart was filled with love, and she was anticipating this kiss more than him.

“Just spend the night here!” Jared spoke in a hoarse voice after kissing her. It sounded like a plead, and she could tell. Tonight, she seemed to feel sorry for him because he had spent a year building a home for her, and she appreciated everything that he had done. She stretched her arms out and wrapped them around his waist as she nodded while in his arms. “Alright!”

“But you only prepared my clothes. What about yours? Did you not prepare anything for yourself?” She pushed him away when she thought of the question.

“Yes, I did prepare some for myself.” With that, he held her hand and they entered the guestroom next door. There was a small closet in there with five or six outfits, and it couldn’t compare to the closet in the master bedroom.

Ellen blinked her eyes as she looked at Jared and felt bad for him, for he had built her an amazing house but only prepared himself a small room within it.

“I sleep here at times, so I’ve prepared some spare clothes.”

“Where’s your blanket?” She noticed that there was no blanket on his bed.

“I spilled some red wine on my blanket while sleeping here two days ago. I’ve already asked my assistant to send it for dry cleaning, but it hasn’t been sent back yet,” he replied while laughing,

Hearing that, she tugged his sleeve and whispered to him while blushing, “In that case… You can sleep in my room tonight.”

There were other rooms in the house, but Jared understood what she was implying. He, too, blushed as he was surprised and elated to hear that. “Really?” he asked.

“Yeah!” She nodded. In the past year, she managed to find herself and build her self-confidence, so she was ready to start a relationship with him; she no longer felt scared and wanted to date him publicly. Even if she overheard the female staff belittling her while she was hiding in her cubicle one day, she wouldn’t be afraid anymore.

“It’s getting late, and I feel tired! Let’s go to bed earlier!” she uttered but was so shy that she didn’t dare look at him.

Jared gazed at her affectionately and replied, “Okay!”

“I’ll go take a shower!” She pushed him away.

Seeing how shy she was, he decided to give her some time and space and said, “Sure. You should go to bed first. I’ll take care of some work before going to bed.”

Sure enough, Ellen felt more at ease after hearing what he said. She then went into the room and closed the door behind her before taking a shower. After that, she walked into the closet with a towel wrapped around her, and as she was standing in front of a row of pajamas, she bit her lip while trying to choose one. In the end, she chose a short, pink night dress with spaghetti straps which beautifully outlined her curves and revealed her soft and smooth skin.

As Ellen lay in bed, she had a hard time falling asleep; her mind was full of Jared as he continued to work outside. She tossed and turned and got curious about when he would finish his work.

Is he planning to wait for me to fall asleep before he comes in?

On the other hand, Jared was sitting on the couch with his laptop switched on. Although he was looking at the report on the computer, his mind was thinking about Ellen being in the room. He wondered if she had finished taking a shower and whether she would be startled if he went in.

Is she waiting for me?

No matter how important his work was, he had no inclination to do it at the moment and wouldn’t even mind if he lost a hundred billion. He couldn’t help but look at the time. It’s been half an hour. Is she already asleep in bed? Can I go in now?

At the same time, Ellen’s mind was racing with thoughts as she lay in bed. Does he not want to come in? Does he think that his work is more important? Should I go out and call him? Should I ask him to go

to bed and complete his work tomorrow?

Finally, Jared shut his laptop and decided to enter the room. As soon as he pushed the door open, Ellen, who was initially sitting on the bed nervously, lifted the blanket over herself and pretended to be asleep.

When Jared walked in, he felt slightly disappointed when he saw the still figure in the bed. Was she so tired that she fell asleep? Just then, the figure moved, and he couldn’t help but smile. It seems like she is pretending to be asleep! With that, he headed straight to the bathroom.

When Ellen heard the bathroom door closing, she sat up and let out a sigh as it was suffocating to hide under the blanket. She was extremely nervous. As she held her hot and flushed face, she found it hard to calm herself down. Soon, she heard the sound of water in the bathroom and quickly got out of bed to get a glass of water outside. All that anxiety made her feel thirsty.

Finally, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and Ellen immediately returned to the position she was in before while pretending to still be asleep. She had no idea how cute her behavior was. Soon, the bathroom door opened, and Ellen shut her eyes when she heard footsteps approaching her. The next moment, she felt the other side of the bed sink as someone sat on the edge. Ellen’s mind exploded. Doesn’t Jared wear pajamas or something? Is he going to bed like this?

Following that, the blanket was lifted, and a hot breath pressed against her. Ellen shrieked in surprise as her head went blank. The next moment, she was wrapped in Jared’s arms.

“Not asleep yet?” Jared asked with a suppressed smile.

“I… I’m asleep,” Ellen answered with her eyes closed.

“How can you still answer me if you’re asleep?” Jared caught her flawed statement. Because of that, Ellen opened her eyes shyly. Her clear eyes showed that she wasn’t sleepy at all. Obviously, she had

been waiting for him!

It was so hot that it felt like a fire was burning under the blanket. Jared was breathing heavily, and his breath was warm. Meanwhile, Ellen’s body was beginning to feel unbearably hot. In the end, Jared couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

“Mmph…” Ellen was kissed.

…

Both of them spent a passionate night together. In the morning, the first ray of sunshine on the warm winter morning fell on Ellen’s face, highlighting the hickey on her neck. She shrunk her body like a shrimp, and Jared was spooning her from the back. Both of them were still fast asleep. Even though Ellen was sleeping, she could still sense the dazzling sunlight. She turned over to avoid it and snuggled in Jared’s chest while continuing to enjoy her slumber.

Just then, Jared woke up. His thick, fan-like eyelashes fluttered open, revealing his dark eyes that were filled with satisfaction and affection. He cuddled Ellen in his arms, treating her like a treasure as he kissed her. He stretched his arm to grab the remote control for the curtains and clicked on a button to close them before continuing to enjoy his sleep with her in his embrace.

…

In a hotel suite, Selena finally locked onto her target—the chief referee of the chess competition. No matter the cost, she was determined to uncover insider information. She wanted to ruin Ellen’s reputation and see her demise.

She walked into the hotel’s buffet restaurant in a sexy outfit while pretending to look for someone. She then intentionally scanned the area. Finally, when the referee turned around with a glass of red wine in his hand, the wine spilled on Selena’s chest.

“Oops! I’m so sorry, miss. Are you okay?” Jay, the coach who was in his fifties, immediately apologized as he stared at Selena’s cleavage for a few seconds.

Selena noticed his lewd gaze and sneered inwardly. She knew that men like him could easily be lured.

“I’m fine. It’s just that I don’t have any other clothes to wear,” Selena said helplessly. “Also, I don’t have room to take a shower in,” she added.

“How about I get you a room? Sorry about that!” Jay offered.

“Can you buy me some clothes too? Anything will do,” Selena asked again.

“Of course.” He was captivated by Selena’s youthful beauty and hot figure. He had already started fantasizing about her. What was more, he wanted to get to know her as she seemed so innocent and unguarded.

“Okay. You get me a room, and I’ll go take a shower. Meanwhile, you can go to the nearby mall and buy me a dress.” Selena agreed.

Jay was more than happy to oblige. He went to the front desk and got another room before handing over the key card to Selena. Following that, he went to the mall to buy her some clothes.

As soon as Selena entered the room, she took a quick shower. Once she was done, she wrapped herself in a bath towel and waited on the sofa. Before that, she hid a set of equipment, so all she had to do was to wait for the fish to take the bait.

Soon, Jay came back with a dress. He was instantly aroused when he saw Selena wrapped in a towel. She then deliberately fell, causing the two of them to fall onto the bed together. Everything happened so naturally, and Selena didn’t care about the fact that Jay was as old as her father. On the other hand, Jay was even more surprised that such good luck had come knocking on his door.

Selena left after both of them exchanged phone numbers. However, half an hour later, she suddenly sent a bunch of photos to him. In the photos, only Jay’s face was shown while hers remained hidden.

“Referee Harris, what do you think your family would do if I sent them these photos?” Selena immediately threatened him.

Jay was stunned. He did not expect Selena to be a fraud who would threaten him after sleeping with him. Since he was a celebrity, especially in the world of chess, he certainly couldn’t risk ruining his reputation. He had no choice but to negotiate with Selena over the phone.

“Selena, how much money do you want?”

“I don’t need your money. I have a question to ask you. Did the player Ellen cheat during the chess tournament?”

“Ellen?” Jay was extremely surprised. Why is she asking about Ellen?

“Ellen won the championship based on talent. She did not cheat!” he quickly replied.

“Huh! Are you sure she didn’t cheat? The Ellen I know is worthless. How could she become the champion?” Selena sneered, thinking that Jay was lying.

On the other end of the phone, Jay replied earnestly, “Selena, Ellen won the championship through her merit. I can guarantee that the competition was fair and just. Moreover, all the players throughout the country watched it via live stream, so Ellen couldn’t have cheated.”

Selena felt extremely uncomfortable after listening to these words. It was like a bitter pill to swallow, and she did not want to admit that Ellen was outstanding.

“Jay, if you don’t want to ruin your reputation, then you’ll do as I say,” Selena threatened fiercely.

“Selena, what exactly do you want from me? I can give you the money. Although I’m not very wealthy, I can give you a few hundred thousand at most.” Jay didn’t want to get into trouble. He thought to himself that sleeping with a call girl would cost ten thousand at most. Given the situation, he would rather give Selena a few hundred thousand with the hopes of satisfying her.

Selena sneered upon hearing that. “I don’t want your money, but I want you to publicly admit that Ellen cheated. I want you to denounce her championship title.”

“What did you just say?” Jay was shocked. “Do you have a grudge with Ellen?”

“It’s none of your business. Anyway, if you don’t do as I say, I will ruin your reputation and your family,” Selena warned. At the same time, she was searching for Jay’s family online. He had mentioned his family in a few interviews, and his wife turned out to be an excellent doctor. Jay never thought that a romantic affair would ruin his reputation, and he was a person who valued it dearly.

“Give me an answer before 6.00PM tonight. We shall meet online,” Selena threatened before hanging up the call.

…

Meanwhile, in a luxurious living room, Ellen was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window with a cup of hot milk in her hand. Suddenly, a pair of sturdy arms wrapped around her from behind, and her back was pressed against a warm chest.

Jared’s thin lips and hot breath landed on her neck, and she avoided him since it felt ticklish. He then kissed her hair in satisfaction. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” Ellen blushed. She seemed to have gained a different kind of charm after sleeping with a man for the first time.

“Is the medicine bitter?” Jared asked in a hoarse voice, feeling sorry for her.

“Such a small pill can’t be that bitter.” Ellen shook her head as she looked at him before asking, “The medicine should be effective, right? What if it doesn’t work?” She was too embarrassed to recall the craziness of last night.

“In that case, let’s hurry up and hold a wedding so that we can give our baby a home.”

Ellen looked at him in shock as she quickly shook her head. “I’m not mentally prepared for that yet!”

“Why? Are you refusing to take responsibility after sleeping with me?” he asked in a resentful tone.

“Yes, I don’t want to take responsibility,” Ellen deliberately replied.

“Don’t you even dare.” Jared impatiently scratched her cheek.

Ellen laughed upon hearing that. Meanwhile, Jared suddenly pulled her into his arms and said, “It looks like you’ve had enough rest.”

“Jared, are you even human?” Ellen asked surprisedly.

“I can be anything other than human when you’re here with me.” As soon as he spoke, he carried her toward the master bedroom.

The streetlights lit up when night fell.

Selena had been waiting for Jay’s message in the hotel, and finally, she received it. He finally found a solution after careful consideration.

Jay happened to be familiar with the competitor who had competed with Ellen. He decided to bribe the competitor to admit that he had secretly taken Ellen’s money and intentionally lost to her, who was a

newcomer. Since the competitor felt resentful and humiliated for losing to a newcomer like Ellen, he was more than happy to seize the opportunity and smear her name.

Jay explained his plan to Selena over the phone and asked her to be patient.

“Can you denounce Ellen’s championship qualification by doing this?” Selena asked.

“Even if you can’t take away her championship qualification, you can still ruin her reputation and make her win without honor.”

“Okay, then I’ll wait and see. As long as Ellen’s reputation is ruined, I’ll let you go,” Selena said.

“Selena, this is as far as I can go,” Jay said helplessly.

With that, Selena immediately went online and followed the comments made by the contestant. As expected, he spread rumors about the incident online, which instantly caused a buzz. Media outlets even reposted his post and spoke out about it. Meanwhile, the furious Selena posted more than a dozen insulting comments about Ellen, all of it which were extremely inappropriate.

She also registered an account and reposted the post, even paying to spread the news. Her goal was to ruin Ellen’s reputation and make her the object of criticism and abuse on the internet. Before this, news about Ellen and Jared was still trending, but the topic of the suspicion of Ellen’s championship being rigged quickly rose to the top.

Fans who had previously held a favorable opinion of Ellen could not believe that she had paid to gain the championship. Moreover, media analysts speculated that Ellen’s championship was bought by her boyfriend, Jared, and everyone instantly believed it. There was no doubt that the president of Presgrave Corporation could manipulate the results of the competition through power and money and at the same time, promote his girlfriend as the champion.

Ellen received a call from the team leader at 8.00PM. “Ellen, have you seen what’s happening online? What’s going on?” the team leader asked.

Ellen had no idea what had happened since she hadn’t touched her phone at all. “Nicholas, did something happen?” she asked.

“Your opponent, Alden, said that you paid him off before the competition. He intentionally lost to you and let you win the championship. Is there any truth to this?”

“Nicholas, what are you talking about? There’s no such thing,” Ellen said firmly. She didn’t expect Alden, would resort to such means to discredit her after losing the game.

As soon as the game ended, Alden’s action of smashing the chess pieces indicated that he was displeased about losing the game. However, right now, he was trying to ruin her reputation using such means. This infuriated her very much.

“Are you sure?” Nicholas asked again.

“I’m sure, and I certainly did not bribe him. Moreover, I didn’t even know him before this.” Ellen was very certain.

“It seems that many people don’t believe you won the championship fairly this time. It’s okay, Ellen, we’ll talk to them about this. Don’t be too bothered by this as we know your capabilities,” Nicholas comforted her and hung up the call.

After that, Ellen quickly sat on the couch and searched for information related to herself on her phone. She saw Alden’s posts, which directly accused Ellen of bribing him to make him lose the game. Upon seeing that, she breathed heavily while anger burned in her eyes. She couldn’t believe that such shameless people existed!

Soon, Jared walked over with a glass of water and saw her biting her lips while staring at the phone screen furiously. “What happened? Is something wrong?” he asked concernedly.

“My opponent deliberately accused me of buying him off and is now trying to discredit me online. He said that I won the championship through unfair means.” Ellen sighed.

“Really?” Jared sat next to her and picked up her phone to check the posts.

After reading them, he clenched his fists when he saw a comment saying that Ellen’s victory was only possible because he had manipulated the scores behind the scenes. The comment discredited her hard work and tagged her with a reputation for buying championships, which led to her being questioned throughout the internet.

“This is outrageous! He is digging his own grave!” Jared’s face contorted with anger. He didn’t mind being targeted, but he would not tolerate anyone bullying his woman.

With that, he picked up his phone and dialed Stanley’s number. “Have you seen the online attacks against Ellen? Investigate this immediately.”

“Yes, Mr. Presgrave!”

Jared also felt a sense of guilt, for he shouldn’t have announced their relationship so publicly. After all, it had given Alden a reason to defame Ellen. Since Ellen had an ultra-wealthy boyfriend who inherited a conglomerate, it made Alden’s malicious remarks seem more convincing.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so high-profile about our relationship.” Jared blamed himself.

Ellen was originally very angry, but upon hearing his words, she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and shook her head earnestly. “How can this be your fault? You should be blaming the

despicable Alden.”

“I wanted to announce to the whole world that you are my girlfriend, but I should’ve been more low-key to protect you,” Jared confessed as he kissed her. “I will investigate this matter and make sure Alden pays the price.”

“Okay, I’m not in a hurry.” Ellen nodded. She had nothing to fear, for she had a clear conscience.

At the same time, Selena, who was at the hotel, kept checking comments about Ellen online. The more she read, the more excited she became. Ellen’s reputation had been tarnished, and the internet was filled with criticism and outrageous comments toward her. Selena felt extremely satisfied, for this was the result she wanted.

Soon, Jay called her. He had been keeping an eye on Ellen’s news and was now relieved. “Selena, I’ve done everything you asked me to do. Can you let me go now?”

“Give me another 15,000 and I’ll let this go,” Selena demanded the money greedily.

“Selena, you…” Jay was a stingy person, but he did not expect Selena to be so greedy.

“15,000 and nothing less than that,” Selena blackmailed him.

“Fine! Consider myself unlucky!” Jay then hung up the call furiously.

Selena was overjoyed. Not only she had easily destroyed Ellen’s reputation, she even got 15,000 from it. It was enough to pay for some of her expenses for the time being. She had been in jail for over a year, and it was time for her to enjoy herself. The pleasure of retaliating against Ellen was fantastic.

Meanwhile, everyone in Ellen’s team felt powerless in dealing with this matter because of Alden’s words. Even if they wanted to prove the truth, they had no way of doing so.

“Ellen relied on her talent to win,” Brook said with certainty.

“We all know that Ellen relied on her talent, but unfortunately, the netizens have blindly believed Alden’s words. Ugh! Alden is too shameless.”

“We can only suffer this loss. I’m just worried that Ellen can’t take it since she’s still so young, and it’s apparent that Alden is out to get her!”

“The TV station just called and said that the interview has been postponed. I think we’re done for!”

“Who would dare to interview us given these circumstances? Our team’s chance to become famous has been destroyed.”

“Do you think Ellen’s boyfriend is actually the president of Presgrave Group? He’s a super rich second generation!” an assistant uttered. Hearing that, everyone fell silent. Now, only Brook firmly believed that Ellen was a talented person!

News of Ellen buying her championship spread like wildfire online. Many media companies also grabbed this chance to gain traction and cash in on the opportunity.

However, at 6.30PM, all the media outlets fell silent, and any discussion of Ellen vanished. It was as if a large hand had taken firm control of the situation behind the scenes, halting all the slander and insults aimed at Ellen.

Without the internet to spread the word, the fans quickly diverted their attention to something else. As for the incident with Ellen, it was limited to small offline talk. After all, Ellen wasn’t a major celebrity.

A force had seeped into the chess world and begun investigating this incident that targeted Ellen.

Meanwhile, Alden was feeling a little accomplished, for he didn’t expect to ruin Ellen’s reputation just because of something he said while venting about his defeat in the competition.

He was on good terms with Jay in private too. Even though he didn’t know why Jay had suddenly asked him to do this, it was just a piece of cake for him to slander and attack the newbie with just a few sentences.

Now that the deed was done, Jay invited Alden to a meal and some drinks at night as repayment for his favor. Because of Alden’s help, Jay’s problem was solved as well, and everything was settled after he transferred the money to Selena.

After a few drinks, Alden was still curious as to why Jay would target Ellen. Jay had nowhere else to vent, and Alden wasn’t an outsider either, so he decisively told Alden about Selena blackmailing him.

When Alden heard everything, he felt like he had helped Jay tremendously, so it was considered a huge favor. Hence, Jay would gladly return the favor if Alden ran into anything in the future.

“Jay, I was putting myself at risk to help you, but I don’t like Ellen that much either, you know? I’ve been coveting the championship for almost eight years, and I swore I would get first place this year. Who knew that a brat would appear out of nowhere and block my path? That’s just infuriating.” Alden was furious at the mention of Ellen. It was terribly humiliating for a veteran like him to lose to a newbie.

If he were going up against another veteran in chess, he wouldn’t be this worked up. However, Ellen had just entered the scene this year, and she was just a young woman in her 20s. She even disregarded his seniority in the competition, making him so mad that he vented his frustration out on the chess pieces.

Jay sighed. “It’s miserable for me too! I fell right into Selena’s trap. If you hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t know what to do!”

“Who would know about this incident if we don’t tell anyone?” Alden held the wine glass in his hand as he said in satisfaction, “Just one sentence from me is enough to ruin Ellen’s reputation. Also, she has a

powerful boyfriend, doesn’t she? That’s the perfect opportunity for people to doubt her skills. Let’s see if she dares to complain anymore now!”

Jay brushed it off as well, then clinked glasses with Alden. “We’re brothers from now on.”

Just then, Jay’s phone rang. Jay glanced at it, then answered the call in annoyance. “What else do you want, Selena?”

“Didn’t you see the news? All news reports about Ellen are gone. If someone asks you about it, don’t mention me, or I’ll send those photos to your wife immediately.” Selena’s voice sounded anxious on the other end of the line.

“What? What is going on?” Jay asked in surprise.

Selena had personally experienced the consequences of defying Ellen. She could sense something dangerous on the horizon, and she felt that Ellen was about to launch a counterattack. All content is © N0velDrama.Org.

“Just remember what I said.” With that, Ellen hung up.

Jay had yet to come to his senses. Alden asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Is that girl asking for your money this time?”

“No.” Jay pretended everything was fine as he continued drinking with Alden.

Meanwhile, Selena checked out of the hotel and walked outside, tensing up. She had been in jail not long ago for threatening Ellen several times. Now, she had ruined the woman’s reputation out of anger.