Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1711-1720

Selena was beginning to fear now, for she saw that all the news articles related to Ellen were gone. This meant that Jared had taken action.

Selena didn’t want to get involved, much less bear the responsibility for it.

Ellen’s reputation was considered ruined at this point, so even if the news articles were gone, it was enough to force Ellen out of the chess community. From today onward, Ellen wouldn’t dare participate in official competitions, and her championship would become the joke of the chess community.

Selena was quite satisfied with the outcome, feeling that it was worth sacrificing her body in exchange for such results.

…

In the meeting room, Jared was seated at the front while a group of people sat before him. They were all concerned about one thing, which was to find the culprit behind the scenes who wanted to defame Ellen.

At that moment, they had gathered enough information to paint a complete picture.

“Young Master Jared, these are records of Alden Thomas’ financial situation. This is his call history and duration, as well as the people he met recently at the hotel.”

“Based on the people he’s met in the past few days, we carried out a thorough investigation. These are all people who have contacted him before.”

“According to our speculation, it’s highly possible that Alden wanted to get revenge on Miss Reiss because he couldn’t accept the fact that he lost.”

Jared stared at Alden’s photo with an extremely disgusted look in his cold eyes. Back then, this man had smashed the chess pieces right in front of Ellen during the finals.

“President Presgrave, shall we employ our special methods?”

“For the moment, no. Keep investigating.” Jared shook his head. He had to be a little more careful since Ellen’s reputation was involved. He wanted to clear Ellen’s name and restore her reputation as well.

If he just wanted to exact revenge, he had all the methods in the world to do it.

Just then, Jared’s phone rang. He glanced at it, gentleness instantly filling his eyes as he took his phone over to the French windows. He answered the call and said tenderly, “Hey. Are you going to sleep already?”

“Is the investigation still underway?” On the other end of the line, Ellen asked as her heart ached for Jared. It was already 9.00PM.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find the truth very soon,” Jared comforted her.

“Just forget it if you can’t find anything. I won’t stoop to their level.” Ellen didn’t want him to work too hard either.

“I’ve said before that I won’t let anyone bully you anymore. I’m a man of my word.” Jared would never let those people off the hook.

He would make all of Ellen’s bullies pay the steep price for it. Even if they couldn’t be punished by law, he could still employ his methods.

Just then, Stanley’s phone rang. He reached out and picked up the call. “Hello. Did you get any information from eavesdropping?”

“Send it to me.”

Not long after Stanley listened to a portion of the recording, he spoke to Jared, who was still on the phone. “Young Master Jared, we’ve found something. Listen to this.”

Jared glanced at Stanley, then said gently over the phone, “I’ll go home to you as soon as possible.”

“Okay, don’t overwork yourself,” Ellen said in concern. After hanging up, Jared sat down at the table and listened to the audio recording. Two drunken voices were heard speaking.

“Jay, I helped you this time, so you’d better thank me properly.”

“Of course, I will.”

“That girl is outstanding, though. If I play against her in the future, I’m honestly not sure if I’d be able to win.”

“I’ll make use of this incident to bar her from entering competitions, and you won’t ever see her at any matches in the future.”

“That’s great. I’ll have hopes of getting first place next year.”

“You’ve helped me this time, but you’re also helping yourself too!”

“I wouldn’t have helped you so readily otherwise!”

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

After the playback ended, Stanley continued, “President Presgrave, a subordinate recorded this while sending the two back to the hotel. Looks like Alden was just a pawn, and the real person who wanted to ruin Miss Reiss’ reputation was the judge named Jay Harris. He probably has a grudge against her.”

Jared frowned a little. The recording was proof that Alden was helping Jay destroy Ellen’s reputation, so who was the one behind Jay?

“Keep investigating,” Jared said in a low voice.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the hotel, the two drunk men staggering into the building had no idea that the driver of the taxi they took wasn’t the real driver at all. The real driver was sitting in the black car tailing them.

In the meeting room, they managed to figure out Jay’s connections and networks within ten minutes. Stanley quickly arranged them, then handed them to Jared.

“Young Master Jared, these are all the people Jay contacted in the past few days at the hotel. Curiously enough, we didn’t find anything between him and Miss Reiss.”

Jared took the photos and scanned through them. He suddenly caught sight of a photo taken at the front desk, where a woman was standing next to Jay. Even though it had been more than a year since he last saw her, Jared recognized the woman right away.

Selena.

She was Connor’s daughter, and Jared had thrown her into jail a year and a half earlier. He didn’t realize that she had been released.

Why would Selena and Jay appear at the front desk of the hotel?

“Investigate this girl’s contact with Jay.” Jared pointed at them.

With a clear direction, they quickly completed the investigation of all the surveillance cameras in the hotel. It was three hours later when they saw a recording of Jay carrying clothes with him as he went into Selena’s room.

Now, the truth was out in the open. The real mastermind behind Ellen’s defamation was Selena, who had just gotten out of prison.

Jared delivered a forceful punch to the table. Connor’s daughter still hadn’t learned her lesson. She was just released from prison not too long ago but was already targeting Ellen again.

Apparently, the year-and-a-half sentence was too short for her.

“Collect all the evidence. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.” Now that Jared had an answer, he was no longer panicking. He would make every single one of them pay.

…

Ellen sat in front of the French windows as she gazed at the neon lights outside, deep in thought.

Just then, she heard some noises coming from the door. She was instantly filled with joy, for he had returned.

She didn’t care about the fights and chaos going on outside; she just didn’t want him to overwork himself for her sake.

“You’re home.” Ellen ran up to Jared and threw her arms around him.

Jared embraced her lovingly. She was so kind, but people kept trying to harm her. He was undoubtedly furious about that.

“We’ve got our answer. The one slandering you behind the scenes is Connor’s daughter, Selena,” Jared explained honestly.

Ellen looked up in shock. “Selena? Is she out of jail already?”

“She was probably released not too long ago. She seduced the head judge, who then contacted Alden Thomas so that he would slander you.”

Anger flashed across Ellen’s eyes. This morning, Ellen had just learned from Jared over breakfast that Selena went to jail. She was shocked, but she hoped Selena would turn over a new leaf. However, reality proved otherwise.

Some people were rotten to the core, and this was something no amount of imprisonment could change.

Selena would rather sleep with a man of her father’s age and think of all sorts of ways to harm and slander Ellen. This was unforgivable.

“Don’t worry. She deserves to be in jail for the rest of her life, and I won’t let her off the hook!” Jared caressed the back of Ellen’s head as he comforted her.

“Okay. This time, I want to see her getting jailed in person.” Ellen decided she would not be soft- hearted anymore, even if it meant cutting off ties with her uncle.

…

Early in the morning, Jay was sleeping soundly inside the hotel when he heard someone knocking on the door. Feeling a little annoyed, he opened the door to see a few uniformed men standing outside.

“Is… something the matter?”

“Jay Harris, please come with us.”

“W-What happened? Did I break the law?”

“We have a warrant for your arrest.”

Before Jay could react, he was handcuffed. He never thought that the police would come knocking on his door, and he couldn’t figure out why no matter how much he racked his brains.

Meanwhile, in another room, Alden was arrested as well.

Selena spent the night at her parent’s house that day. She dared not tell her parents about the incident until the police came knocking at 9.00PM.

Olivia and Connor were so shocked that their faces turned pale. Their daughter had been in jail once, so they were deathly afraid of the police.

“Is Selena Aguirre home?”

“My… My daughter is home. What happened? Has she done anything wrong?”

“We need her to come with us.”

Shocked, Olivia turned around and ran toward her daughter’s room. When she opened the door, Selena was still sleeping. Olivia shouted, “Wake up, Lena! What did you do this time, you ingrate?”

“What did I do?” Selena shouted in annoyance.

“The police are here,” Olivia said, her eyes red in anger.

Selena instantly panicked as she thought, What?!

She anxiously gripped her mother’s hand, saying, “Mom, if anything happens to me, ask Dad to look for Ellen!”

“Why? Did you mess with her again?”

“Don’t ask, Mom. I don’t want to go to jail again. I was just getting a little revenge on her, and it was supposed to be a harmless joke.”

“What did you do?” Olivia couldn’t believe her daughter had gotten into trouble again, and with Ellen at that.

Meanwhile, Connor was asking questions at the door. The police said straightforwardly, “Your daughter is suspected of seducing someone and receiving 15,000 in return. She’s also suspected of threatening and slandering others.”

“What? Impossible. My daughter will never do such a thing.”

“We have obtained sufficient evidence, and we’re arresting her according to the law. Please refrain from obstructing official duties.”

Selena had just stepped out of her room when the police came in to arrest her. She turned around and looked pleadingly at her father. “Dad, please talk to Ellen. Ask her to forgive me and let me off the hook! I don’t want to go to jail again, Dad!”

She was regretting it to the core as she didn’t want to go back to prison again.

Connor was so mad that he stepped forward and slapped Selena across the face. “Since when have I raised a useless daughter like you?”

“Lena, my dear Lena! Don’t worry, we’ll definitely beg Ellen for mercy. I won’t let you go to jail again,” Olivia promised through tears as she went down the stairs after her daughter.

A peaceful morning had turned tense and terrifying simply because her daughter did something wrong again. Olivia was regretting it now. How could her daughter be so clumsy? She thought Selena would turn over a new leaf, but the girl was being arrested again.

Meanwhile, Connor had given up all hope on his daughter. He had clearly made the wrong decision by allowing her to study abroad. Selena never learned anything related to her studies and absorbed all the negative habits instead.

It wouldn’t be a problem if they were poor. Selena could just suffer early in life, then get married and live the rest of her life in security. It would be much better than her life right now.

“Connor, go and talk to Ellen. You have to find her even if your life is at risk,” Olivia said angrily. Last time, their daughter had been jailed for a year and a half because Connor couldn’t find Ellen. Now, she didn’t want Selena to go back to jail if they could help it.

He was getting old. It was late at night, so where could he possibly look for Ellen? If he had to run around looking for people, it would be too taxing for him at his age.

“I’ll talk to her tomorrow morning.” Connor couldn’t be bothered about his daughter anymore.

At that moment, Olivia became so mad that tears began falling from her eyes. Still, she had no choice. She hated Ellen for being so cruel, but it was also her daughter’s fault for being a loser. She had lived most of her life in bliss, but she had to worry about her daughter in her old age. She wondered if that was retribution from the heavens.

At the police station, Alden and Jay stubbornly refused to admit that they had slandered Ellen, and they only began panicking when evidence was presented to them.

To them, this was just a joke, so how could they get arrested for this?

However, they quickly realized that this wasn’t a joke; they were actually being prosecuted.

Hence, they tried to blame it on someone else, wishing they could be completely free of this responsibility.

When Selena was taken in, Jay happened to be leaving the interrogation room at the same time. The moment he saw Selena walking in his direction, he pointed at her and said angrily, “It’s her. She’s the one who threatened me!”

When she saw him, she knew that the end was inevitable. There was no escaping now, and she even felt like dying at that moment.

At noon, two apology videos were uploaded online, and they had so many views that they went viral in an instant. In the videos, Alden and Jay behaved with utmost sincerity while apologizing. No matter what identities they once held, at that moment, they had only one—sinners.

The netizens had just finished gossiping about Ellen buying her championship, and before they could even recover themselves, they were already faced with apologies from the people who started the rumors. The development was so fast that they could barely react in time.

In Alden’s video, two policemen were standing behind him. After Alden revealed the entire process, the police also announced how the slander started and how it ended.

In an instant, the fans realized that Ellen was the true victim. She deserved every bit of her championship, and she most certainly did not buy her way through it.

Not only that, several chess professionals voiced their thoughts as they analyzed the game Ellen played in the finals. They were amazed at Ellen’s skill in chess, and it was proof that she was a bona fide champion.

With the professionals backing her up, Ellen’s skills were once again acknowledged. After the ruckus online, she was now receiving a huge wave of fans and support.

Ellen sat on the couch, donning a casual dress. She was too tired last night, so she only woke up at 10.00AM this morning. As soon as she got up, she stumbled across articles about herself. When she

saw that her reputation had been restored, she put down her iPad and turned around, running toward the study. This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

When she opened the door, the man who was sitting in the chair was startled by the sudden noise. Without another word, Ellen walked toward him and spread out her slender arms, then wrapped them tightly around his neck. She nuzzled into his shoulder as she thanked him.

“Thank you!”

Jared enjoyed her most sincere thanks as he reached up and caressed the back of her head. “I’m just doing my job, aren’t I?”

With that, he kissed her forehead. “I’ve said before that I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Ellen raised her beautiful eyes to look at him. His words were filled with security and love.

With him around, she did not need to fear anything.

Just then, Ellen heard the phone ringing. She gave him a peck on the cheek, then said, “I’m going to answer the phone.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

Ellen sat on the couch and answered the call from the team.

“Hello, Nicholas.”

“Ellen, someone claiming to be your uncle came to us and said he’s looking for you.”

Ellen was stunned. Why was her uncle looking for her? Did he want to beg for mercy on Selena’s behalf?

Just then, the phone was snatched from Nicholas, and Connor’s voice rang out anxiously. “Ellie, it’s me, your Uncle Connor. Can we meet up? Lena was foolish and made a mistake. Can we talk about it?”

“Uncle Connor, there’s nothing to talk about. Selena did something wrong, so she should bear the responsibility. You shouldn’t worry about her.”

“I mean, she was just released from jail, so she can’t go back again! Her life shouldn’t be ruined like this! I’m your uncle, and she’s your cousin!”

“I only know that she should pay the price for her own actions. That way, she’ll learn to become a decent person and respect others.” Ellen wouldn’t give in this time, regardless of the person asking her.

Ellen hung up the phone and sighed gently. In the end, her uncle still pressured her.

Just then, a man’s voice rang out gently behind her, comforting Ellen as he said, “You did the right thing. There’s no need for compassion toward people like Selena.”

Startled, Ellen looked at the man who had walked toward her. She nodded. “I know.”

Just then, another phone call came in. When Ellen saw that it was from the producer at the TV station, she hesitated for a moment before picking up.

“Hello, Miss Lane.”

“Miss Ellen, are you free tomorrow night? We can proceed with the interview, so I’d like to get your confirmation.”

“Huh? Wasn’t it canceled?” Ellen was surprised.

“It wasn’t canceled, just delayed. Now is the best time to interview you,” Miss Lane said a little excitedly. Ellen’s popularity was booming right now, after all.

However, Ellen replied determinedly, “I’m sorry, Miss Lane, but I think we should cancel the interview. I’m feeling a little tired, and I don’t feel like going.”

“Miss Reiss, this is a rare chance for you to become famous! Are you really going to pass it up?” Miss Lane asked in surprise. After all, once someone became famous, they would become even more well- known after getting interviewed on TV.

“Yes, I’m giving up.” Ellen nodded. She now realized that fame was exhausting and being herself in her quiet corner of the world was the better option instead.

“Miss Reiss, did you run into any trouble? It’s okay, we can solve it for you.” Miss Lane persisted. Ellen was in the spotlight now, and an interview with her would definitely raise their ratings.

“I’m fine, but I personally don’t like interviews. Thank you, and goodbye.” With that, Ellen didn’t give Miss Lane any more chances to convince her. When she put down the phone, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, and the man gazed at her in approval. He was surprised that despite her young age, she had resisted the temptation of reputation and popularity. This was considered quite a feat already.

“Why don’t you want more fame?” he asked.

“I don’t want to live under the attention of others. I just want to stay with you and live the rest of our lives in peace,” Ellen answered honestly.

She was already exhausted from the fighting and chaos outside. Simple, clean social circles and connections were the best for her.

Meanwhile, in Connor’s home, they could only sit around restlessly since Ellen refused to help them.

They couldn’t contact Ellen again, and they didn’t even manage to get her number. Moreover, the team had left Averna as well.

“Why are you so useless?!” Olivia shouted.

Just then, Connor’s phone rang. Connor glanced at it but didn’t dare pick it up. Olivia thought it was a call from Ellen, who decided to have mercy on their daughter. “Why aren’t you picking it up?” she asked.

Connor gripped his phone in slight nervousness, but he stubbornly refused to answer. Seeing that, Olivia reached out to grab his phone. Connor didn’t think she would try to snatch it, so he became even more panicked and started fighting back. Suddenly, a boy’s voice cut through the air.

“Dad? Dad, where are you? Come over and have dinner! Mom and I are waiting for you!”

Olivia immediately froze in her attempt to grab the phone, while a strong look of panic colored Connor’s face. Connor hastily ended the call, not daring to look at his wife.

“Whose child is it?” Olivia asked through gritted teeth, the fury already raging in her eyes.

“They’ve gotten the wrong number,” Connor said guiltily.

“Connor, are you hiding something from me? Do you have a child with another woman?” Olivia asked in a shrill voice.

Connor still dared not admit it as he roared at her, “I told you they got the wrong number! Why are you still pestering me?!”

Olivia’s tears gushed down her face. She covered her face in despair as she said, “Connor, you b*stard! You got yourself a son with another woman just because I can’t give you one, didn’t you? You’re inhumane! You’re a jerk!”

Realizing that he couldn’t hide this any longer, Connor sat down on the couch in silence.

Olivia’s heart was filled with pain and regret. She knew that if her husband never had much money all this while, he wouldn’t have dared to cheat on her. That sum of money made him bold enough to establish another home outside.

“Who is that woman?” Olivia dashed over to him in a frenzy, shaking him as she interrogated, “Who is that woman? Tell me, who is she?!”

Connor had to protect his son, so he wouldn’t tell Olivia. He gritted his teeth and stubbornly refused to say a word.

“Connor, I’m going kill you! You deserve a thousand deaths! No wonder you don’t care about Lena anymore; you’re already devoted to your illegitimate son!” The more Olivia spoke, the more pitiful she felt. She began wailing like a crazed woman.

Likewise, Connor knew he had done something wrong. He remained silent as he allowed Olivia to hit and shout at him.

As for Olivia, she calmed down sometime after her outburst. She was already in her 50s, so she knew that she had to accept the truth even though it was a tough pill to swallow.

“How old is that child?” she asked.

“Nine,” replied Connor.

Olivia broke down once again. She thought every man in this world would cheat, but her husband was the only exception. Little did she know his illegitimate child was nine years old already. That meant that he had already cheated on her ten years ago.

“Who is that woman? Tell me, who is that b*tch?!” Olivia asked in a hoarse voice.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill her as soon as I find out who she is,” Olivia said with reddened eyes.

Connor could only come clean. “It’s Aida.”

Olivia almost fainted right then and there. Aida was her distant cousin who had divorced more than ten years ago. She never thought that Aida would seduce her husband and even give birth to his son.

What retribution is this?! she thought.

Olivia wanted to die. Getting betrayed in relationships paled in comparison to getting treated like that by distant relatives. How dare Aida seduce her husband and spend their money?!

“How much did you give her?” Olivia asked furiously.

“I bought an apartment for her. I gave her five million in total,” Connor said truthfully. He lived frugally at home, but all his money was spent on that homewrecker.

Olivia was so furious that her chest throbbed in pain, and she couldn’t catch her breath. She felt that her life was already in shambles.

Their daughter was still being detained at the police station, and now, she discovered her husband had cheated on her and had an illegitimate child with a homewrecker. Her days were spent in poverty, and she was already 52 years old.

She had enjoyed life for 16 years in the past while living in materialistic luxury, but now, she had nothing left.

“Connor, save Lena. I don’t care what methods you use—just get Lena out of there!” Olivia roared. Her daughter was her only hope now.

Connor nodded. “I’ll look for Ellen.”

As for where Ellen had gone, Connor didn’t have a clue. He could only call up Benjamin, who had contacted Presgrave Group before.

“Hello, who is it?”

“Mr. Stark, it’s me, Connor Aguirre. I was wondering if I could get a hold of Mr. Presgrave’s address.”

“Sorry, I cannot tell you that.” On the other end of the line, Benjamin hung up coldly.

Connor was regretting everything he had done, but regret wasn’t going to help anything. They were now getting retribution for how they had treated Ellen back then.

They had no right to ask Ellen for forgiveness.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Selena was trembling as she tapped her feet. She was waiting anxiously and nervously for her father to save her.

If her father didn’t save her, only jail awaited her.

She was truly regretting it now, and she was scared. She shouldn’t have tested Ellen’s patience. She wanted to live in the beautiful and vibrant world outside instead of going back to that cold, tiny room.

…

Jared arranged a romantic dinner to lift Ellen’s mood. Because of the slander, Ellen had been a little depressed all this while.

Jared received a message from Benjamin, informing him that Connor was asking about him.

Jared glanced at it, then replied, ‘Ignore him.’

The Aguirres had always gone too far.

After dinner, Jared took Ellen to a seaside hotel for a vacation so that she could relax.

The next morning, Ellen received a message on her phone. She opened it to see a short video posted online where Connor was talking to the camera, asking to contact Ellen.

Connor had tears in his eyes as he begged earnestly to meet Ellen, evoking a lot of sympathy from netizens. He was trying to force Ellen to meet him by taking it to the internet.

The caption read, ‘I am terminally ill, and I want to see my niece urgently.’

Also, since Ellen was famous, the media was more than willing to share this video. In an instant, the entire internet was looking for Ellen, hoping that she would meet her terminally ill uncle as soon as possible.

Ellen watched the video her uncle posted, seeing him wipe his tears in front of the camera. She hadn’t seen him in a year or so, and he had aged a lot. Ellen sighed lightly as she recalled her past.

After her parents passed away, her uncle had been very caring toward her and her brother, and he even took care of her brother when the latter was ill. Ellen felt that she had no choice but to have mercy. Now that she was living worry-free, she hoped that her family could live their lives in peace and warmth as well. This was probably why she was different from whom Connor and his family used to be!

Also, there was another reason why Ellen didn’t want to turn completely against her uncle and his family. She believed in karma, so she wanted to protect the people she loved the most in her way.

Even though she was in the dark about her brother’s heart donation back then, if Connor hadn’t agreed to it, Jared wouldn’t be where he was today.

Ellen took out her phone and dialed Connor’s number, which was saved on her phone.

“Hello?” On the other end of the line, Connor picked up and spoke in an exhausted tone.

“It’s me, Uncle Connor,” Ellen said.

“Ellie, is it really you? Please don’t hide anymore, I want to meet you!” Connor said in a pleading and emotional voice.

“Okay, I’ll go to you. Tell me your address,” Ellen said.

“Alright. Ellie, you’re willing to come to my home, yes? Okay, I’ll send you the address right now. I’ll always be waiting for you at home, Ellie. I’ll be waiting, so you have to come.”

“I’ll probably be there in the afternoon.”

“Of course. I’ll be waiting.” Connor still didn’t want to hang up after saying that, so Ellen ended the call instead.

Ellen had just let out a sigh when she suddenly sensed someone behind her. Startled, she turned to see the man standing behind her. She had no idea how long he had been there, but she told him honestly, “I’m going to meet my uncle.”

Jared had also received a call from Stanley when he was in the living room just now. He had also watched the video of Connor looking for Ellen all over the internet. He had to admit that Connor’s

method was extremely effective, for it took advantage of Ellen’s kindness and sympathy.

He also predicted that Ellen would soften her heart, but he wasn’t surprised or angry about it. He knew that Ellen and Connor’s family back then were entirely different beings; Ellen had kindness permeating from the very core of her being.

“I’ll go with you.”

“If you’re busy, I can go by myself.” Ellen didn’t like the idea very much.

“I have time!” Jared insisted.

How could he let her face that family alone? He wanted to be with her and serve as a shield she could rely on.

At the Aguirre Residence, Olivia had just returned from grocery shopping when Connor told her the good news. However, there wasn’t even a smile on Olivia’s face, for her heart was filled with pain and hatred. Whenever she saw Connor, she felt disgusted as if she were looking at a fly.

“We can definitely save Lena.” Connor was still insistent on getting Olivia’s forgiveness, for he still wanted to spend his life with her.

Aida was treating him worse as time went by, and she even used their son to threaten him for more money, saying that he wouldn’t get to see him if he didn’t pay up. Soon, Connor’s money had all gone into Aida’s pocket.

He was getting poorer by the day, and he was already in thousands of debt.

“Hmph! I don’t believe that b*tch would let Lena off the hook that easily.” Olivia wished she could just use her most vicious insults on Ellen.

“Oli, don’t talk about Ellie like that. She didn’t do anything wrong; Lena’s the one at fault.” Connor couldn’t help but speak up for Ellen.

“What did Lena do wrong? Ellen ruined our family; does she feel good about that?” Recently, as if possessed, Olivia kept dreaming of their former days. Back then, they didn’t have to worry about their necessities and could just enjoy their lives in material wealth.

But now, every time she opened her eyes, a life of poverty greeted her. She felt like she had aged a dozen years in the span of one year.

All her hatred had to be channeled toward someone, and she believed Ellen was the cause of all this.

“If we had given some money to Ellen and Aunt Jessica back then, she wouldn’t have treated us like this. Every time I wanted to do so, you’d stop me and start arguing with me. Now, no matter what our days are like, we were the ones who caused them.” Connor deeply regretted not insisting on his own ways. He had lost his compassionate self when he became rich.

Even if Olivia regretted anything, she refused to admit it. In truth, she knew that she could’ve won Ellen’s heart in exchange for a small amount of money, but now that Ellen had gotten independent, it was too late.

“Connor, if you hadn’t secretly arranged for Ellen to join the Presgrave Group, she wouldn’t have had the chance to encounter Mr. Presgrave. Then, she would never know about her brother’s heart being donated.” Olivia was blaming it all on Connor now.

Connor closed his eyes. He felt that this was destiny, and the heavens were punishing them for being selfish and cold-hearted.

Meanwhile, Olivia also realized it was too late for them to realize their mistakes, but even so, she hadn’t forgotten about her priority of saving her daughter.

Later that afternoon, several cars that came from the shore pulled up outside Connor’s place, drawing the attention of all passersby with their conspicuous arrival. Soon, Ellen stepped out of the car and she was in a white fur coat due to the winter. On top of that, her rosy cheeks seemed like a perfect match with her outfit.

At the same time, her bodyguards quickly grabbed Jared’s coat and put it on him. While the black coat billowed with the blowing wind, Jared didn’t button it. Instead, he wrapped it around the lady to keep her warm from the chilly breeze.

Soon, Ellen phoned her uncle since she didn’t know how to find him in the building. Not long after that, a silhouette was seen running toward them as it turned out to be Connor. When he saw Jared there, he quickly greeted the boy and said, “Mr. Presgrave, I didn’t expect you to visit. Anyway, my house is this way. Please follow me.”

“Mr. Aguirre, we’ll talk in the car. It’s cold outside.” Jared didn’t want to head to Connor’s place with Ellen.

While Connor seemed a little reluctant and embarrassed to talk to his niece in front of Jared, Ellen decided to visit her uncle’s place after a brief hesitation. “Where is your home, Uncle Connor?”

“It’s not far up ahead.”

“I’ll go with him. Just wait for me in the car.” Ellen turned around and looked at Jared.

When she insisted, he eventually gave in and nodded in agreement, watching her walk with Connor into an alley.

In the meantime, Connor seemed relieved without Jared’s presence as he kept criticizing Selena for what she did. “What Selena did was completely unacceptable! How could she do something like that to

you? I bet she hasn’t learned her lesson despite having spent a year and a half in prison. Alas, when will she ever learn from her mistake?”

While Ellen remained silent, Connor went on to praise her, saying, “I’m happy and proud of you for winning the chess competition, Ellie. I didn’t think you had such a remarkable talent for playing chess. Your parents would be so proud of you if they knew about it.”

“How have you been lately, Uncle Connor?” Ellen asked Connor caringly.

“I’m fine, I guess. Nothing much. My life has never really changed much at all, and I have nothing to complain about.” Connor tried to act tough. However, Ellen knew that was not the case, noticing several embroidered patches on Connor’s coat. Furthermore, the fact that Connor was living in a low- end residential area gave him away. “There is no elevator here. Just stairs. My unit is on the fifth floor,” he said.

After Ellen followed Connor to the fifth floor, the man opened the door and invited her in. Since Ellen grew up among the poor, she didn’t find the environment she was in surprising. “Come and sit here, Ellie.” Connor grabbed a cleaner chair and told her to sit on it.

At that moment, Olivia opened the door roughly and glared at Ellen hatefully. When she saw Ellen’s decent outfit and her fair skin, she couldn’t help but begrudgingly think that Ellen seemed like a daughter from a rich family indeed. However, the thought of that was what precisely stung her like a blade put through her heart.

How ironic! A few years ago, Ellen was a poor kid who struggled even to feed herself; today, she presented herself just like a socialite, much to Olivia’s surprise and dismay.

While Ellen continued to stand without taking a seat, Olivia responded with a chuckle. “Oh, come on! Does she think she is a princess now?! I can’t stop noticing her airs and graces!”

“Keep your mouth shut, Olivia!” Connor told Olivia to pipe down, lest she pissed Ellen off.

“Aunt Olivia,” Ellen greeted Olivia despite Olivia’s sarcastic attitude.

Olivia grunted in response, but Connor spoke gently to Ellen. “Selena might have made a terrible mistake, and I’d like to apologize on her behalf, Ellie. Can you please let her off this time? I promise I’ll make her understand her mistake once she is back.”

In truth, Ellen had made up her mind to forgive Selena the moment she agreed to meet up with Connor at his place. She replied, “Alright, I’ll let her off this time, but it’ll be the last chance she gets.” Ellen nodded, her eyes filled with kindness.

“Of course! Of course! I promise to make her learn from her mistake.” Connor was happy, heaving a sigh of relief when Ellen said she would let his daughter off.

In the meantime, Olivia shared Connor’s feelings, although she didn’t say a single word. However, she suddenly chuckled coldly at that moment and asked, “Ellen, do you know that your uncle has an illegitimate son?”

“Olivia, how could you…” Connor was stunned by his wife’s unexpected response.

Nonetheless, Ellen only responded calmly, “Aunt Olivia, that’s between the two of you, and I wouldn’t want to be a part of it.”

Olivia was taken aback by Ellen’s response, wondering if she no longer treated them as her family. Isn’t she going to say something or stand up for me? At the same time, Olivia was not the only one feeling surprised, for Connor couldn’t believe his eyes either. After all, Ellen’s indifference suggested that she was probably growing apart from them, indicating that she might not get along with them anymore in the future.

“Take me back to the car, would you, Uncle Connor?” Ellen asked. Sensing her reluctance to stay any longer, Connor opened the door for her and walked her downstairs. Then, Ellen took a card out of her pocket and said, “Here is 145,000. The password is triple six triple six.”

“Ellen…” Connor was touched, feeling guilty about what he did to Ellen back then when she could have repaid him with retaliation instead of kindness.

“Say no more, Uncle Connor. Take good care of yourself,” Ellen responded. Deep down, she only decided to help Connor because he was her uncle; she wasn’t concerned about the others. “Alright, I know my way out from here.” Ellen walked away upon finishing her sentence.

At that moment, tears of regret were rolling in Connor’s eyes, but he didn’t continue to follow Ellen any further, feeling ashamed of what he did to his own niece. Nevertheless, he was grateful for Ellen’s kindness when she lent him a helping hand in his desperate moments.

After all, Connor found his back against the wall when he couldn’t find a job due to his age. Although he tried interviewing for a position as a security guard earlier, he was rejected almost immediately because he was deemed too old for the role.

Soon, Ellen walked out of the alley and was immediately able to see a tall silhouette waiting for her amidst the chilly breeze. While the man was standing outside the car, his bodyguards each took a corner and stood guard. At the sight of that, Ellen felt a stab of pain in her heart and wished Jared had waited for her in the car instead.

Come on! What’s he doing outside the car? Doesn’t he know how cold it is out here? In fact, the bodyguards wouldn’t have allowed Jared to wait outside the car and risk catching a cold, but since Jared insisted, they had no choice but to give in.

Soon, Ellen came running Jared’s way just as the man walked closer to her. However, a cyclist suddenly appeared on her left, shocking Jared just when she fell in his arms in time. Although she

bumped her face against the man’s firm chest, a delighted smile showed on her face.

“What’s so funny? Do you know how worried I am about you?” Jared pinched Ellen’s nose.

“I’m fine, aren’t I?” Ellen curled her lips upward and seized Jared’s hands, which were freezing cold. “Why didn’t you wait for me in the car? You shouldn’t have waited for me outside.”

“I knew you wouldn’t stay long.” Knowing Ellen, Jared believed she would be back as soon as she did what she wanted to, which was why he decided to wait for her outside the car.

Ellen seized the man’s hand and said, “Let’s get in the car before you catch a cold.” After Jared wrapped his arm around Ellen’s shoulder and entered the car with her, the motorcade disappeared on the road in the cold winter.

Meanwhile, Connor and Olivia were informed that they could pick Selena up and immediately headed to the police station. The moment Selena walked out of the building, Connor slapped her in the face before Olivia could react. Seeing that, Olivia quickly hugged her daughter and questioned her husband for his unnecessary action. “What are you doing, Connor?!” she bellowed.

“What did I do in the past to deserve a daughter like you?!” Connor couldn’t accept the fact that Selena had seduced a man about his age to set Ellen up.

“Says the man who betrayed my mother! Don’t you also have an illegitimate son?” Selena refuted her father.

“You…” Connor slowly dropped his hand when he realized he had also made a terrible mistake in his youth.

Selena gazed at Olivia, whose expression told her that her mother had already known everything. “Have you found out about it, Mom?”

Despite knowing the truth, Olivia couldn’t do anything about it, for she wanted to give her daughter a complete family. Although she felt tempted to divorce Connor in the past, she couldn’t bring herself to do it in the end.

Because of that, Olivia would have to bear with her stigmatized marriage for the rest of her life, no matter how much she hated it. “Let’s go home, Selena.” Olivia decided to do everything she could to shape her daughter’s future.

Meanwhile, Connor didn’t tell his family about the money he received from Ellen even after they returned home from the police station. Deep down, he was planning to find a job while keeping the money until any unforeseen circumstances arose.

On the other hand, Selena eventually learned from her mistake after she was nearly sentenced to jail twice. Also, she began to realize that she could never retaliate against Ellen of whom she was jealous for having a good life.

I can only live my life well by forgetting Ellen. Although Selena was still jealous of Ellen, she was unwilling to risk her future by dragging the latter down anymore.

…

A week later, the couple spent their vacation on a warm and cozy island. At the same time, the woman, who was seizing the man’s arm, wore an elegant outfit with a floral skirt. As the cooling breeze blew, the lady rested her head on the man’s shoulder lovingly.

While enjoying their vacation, the couple treasured every minute they spent together as if they were in a world where there were just the two of them. Upon spending half a month on the island, Jared and Ellen grew closer to each other than ever before as they indulged in their romantic life despite what the others thought of them.

After all, Jared had done everything he was supposed to for Ellen, from walking with her by the beach and arranging private swimming lessons for her to presenting a firework show that was specially meant for her. In fact, the firework show that lasted for nearly two hours was the most exciting part that got every tourist spellbound. While the fireworks lit up the whole sky, Ellen rested in Jared’s arms on a yacht not far away, sipping her red wine and enjoying the show that was prepared for her.

However, their vacation was about to come to an end, and Ellen realized it was time for Jared to get back to work. Furthermore, she knew it was also a good time for them to return to their country since spring had arrived after winter. Therefore, they boarded a private jet and flew off the island. By the time they landed, it was already in the afternoon. Ellen was glad and relieved to see the familiar city view in front of her.

As soon as she got into the car, she dozed off almost immediately. When she opened her eyes again, she realized it was already the evening and found herself in the house that Jared had specially readied for her. She then stretched her back just before the man gently seized her hand.

“Here we are, finally home. Get a good rest.” Jared spoke to Ellen while their bodyguards took their luggage into the house. When it was dinner time, the two of them made themselves something simple instead of eating out. After all, they were happy and content as long as they could be together. At 8.00PM, Jared heard his phone ringing and checked it out, whereupon he walked closer to the window and answered it. “Hello?”

“Mr. Presgrave, the documents for the bid are ready. When would you be free to swing by the office, Sir?”

“I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”

“Sure. By the way, I have some news for you. The Quins Group from Hogland has appeared to show some interest in this project like never before. For that, we believe they’re going to be a potential rival

sooner or later. Thus, I suggest that we prioritize looking into this company.”

“Alright, just leave the details about this company on my desk in my office by tomorrow.” Jared quickly hung up the call. He didn’t want to talk about work in front of Ellen, refusing to pressure her with it.

At that moment, Ellen suddenly came rushing out of the washroom and looked at Jared anxiously. “H- Hey, I need to head downstairs.”

“What’s wrong?” Jared asked after sensing Ellen’s panicky expression.

“Nothing. I-I just realized that I’m on my period now, and I didn’t see it coming,” Ellen responded bashfully as she was caught off guard by her unexpected menstrual period. After all, she was usually prepared for it.

“No worries. I’ll get what you need for you.” Jared could tell how desperate Ellen was from her standing posture, smiling at her at the same time.

“Alright, I’ll send you the brand and the other details about the product I need.” Ellen reckoned it was better for her to stay in the apartment due to her menstrual pain, which was starting to kick in.

In the meantime, Jared immediately headed downstairs and made his way to a nearby supermarket. Since he rarely visited places like marts and malls, his presence in the women’s department instantly drew the attention of many other young ladies in the area.