Never Too Far Novel

“Will Elliot be attending any events these days where I might run into him?”

The benefit gala tomorrow night came to Daniel’s mind, but knowing that Elliot would likely bring Anastasia as his date, he lied, “Not that I’m aware of. President Presgrave has been tied up with work at the company these days.”

Hayley could only swallow her bitter resentment. Her eyes were still a little swollen post-surgery, and she could afford to wait before meeting Elliot in person.

The next morning, the news of the Lancaster Group’s benefit gala broke out among the upper-crust society. Given Lucas’ network, he managed to rally a considerable number of distinguished guests for the benefit, one of whom happened to be Elliot.

For the sake of being able to climb the social ladder and work the elite society to the advantage of her schemes, Aliona had ordered Lucas to announce her identity as his illegitimate daughter at the benefit tonight. She had only one target this evening, and that was Elliot. She had already made all the arrangements and set her plans into motion; all there was left to do now was for him to rise to the bait.

Needless to say, she was going to dress up to the nines in hopes of catching his eye, and it would be even better if he could fall for her charms without any prompting on her end. If he refused to bed her tonight, then she was going to have to resort to other means to make him.

That afternoon, Anastasia had only just finished lunch when Elliot called to tell her he would be picking her up at 2.00PM and bringing her somewhere. He had deliberately kept the details vague, so at this point, she could only sit around and wait for Rey’s phone call.

Just then, her phone rang a second time. She thought it might be Rey, but upon glancing at the caller ID, she saw that it was an unfamiliar number. As she frowned, she put the call through and asked, “Hello, who is this?”

“Good afternoon, Anastasia. Have you been taking good care of my son?” The voice on the other line belonged to a man, but it was heavily warped by a voice processor and hearing it sent a chill down Anastasia’s spine.

A dark look passed over her face, and her hand shook as she clutched the phone tightly. “I swear, if you show up, I’ll kill you with my own hands.”

The man chuckled. “You could kill me, Anastasia, but that would leave our son with two criminal parents. It could be rather brutal for the kid, don’t you think?”

“Shut up,” she demanded through gritted teeth as her thoughts clamored in her head.

“What is your relationship with Elliot?” he asked grimly. “If you dare to even marry another man and have him become the new father to my son, trust me when I say I’ll be very, very angry with you.”

“My son has nothing to do with you,” Anastasia growled.

“He’s my son too, and that means I’m just as involved in his life as you are.”

She clenched her fists as a murderous rage filled her. “What the hell do you want?”

“Listen carefully, Anastasia—you are not allowed to marry someone else while our son is under your care, especially if that someone is Elliot.”

“You know Elliot?” she asked when she sensed unbridled hostility in his tone when he mentioned Elliot.

“I don’t know who he is, but I saw your pictures with him all over the internet. If you so much as even think about marrying him and setting up a new family for our son, you can be sure that I will make you pay,” he threatened in a low and angry voice.

“The kid is mine and mine alone, and you have nothing to do with him! If you show up, I won’t hesitate to call the police and have you locked up,” Anastasia warned, not at all backing down in the face of his threats.

“You were the one who snuck into my room voluntarily five years ago, Anastasia. Whatever happened next was a mere accident, and you can’t press charges against me for that.”

She clenched her jaw and bit out, “In that case, why don’t you try me and see if I could put you in jail for life?”

“I’m sure our son would love to find out more about his biological father,” he said, biting down on her weakness.

“Leave my son alone! Don’t you dare go near him!”

“I know where he goes to school, where you live, and where your father lives.”

“Don’t even think about hurting my family unless you want to pay in blood,” she warned maliciously.

He scoffed. “You don’t scare me at all, Anastasia. I am a man with nothing to lose, and I don’t mind taking our son down to hell with me if you were to kill me.”

“Why don’t you die someplace else and leave my son alone?” Her heart had leaped to her throat, and in the next second, she started to formulate a plan. She took a deep breath and pressed in a more obliging tone, “What do you want? Money? I could give you a sum of money if you promise to leave my family alone.”

“You’re going to give me money?”

“I could give you a million, but you have to stay the hell away from my son,” she bargained icily.

However, he countered, “I don’t want your money. I want you to stay away from Elliot!”

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Anastasia frowned. She found it odd that the man claimed he had nothing to live for on one hand while refusing her money on the other, and odder still was how someone so beaten down insisted she stay away from Elliot. He simply wasn’t making any sense.

In the end, the man’s greed got the better of him as he said, “Fine, wire me the money!”

“I’ll hand you the card with the money in it if you come over personally to retrieve it,” Anastasia countered stubbornly.

“Trying to lure me out, I see. Hah! I’m no idiot, Anastasia. I know you’re trying to set me up to get caught! Save your energy and don’t bother trying to catch me; you won’t succeed. Stay away from Elliot if you know what’s good for you, you hear?”

With that, the man hung up.

Anastasia stared at her phone as she pondered on their conversation. She couldn’t help wondering why the man so stubbornly demanded that she stay away from Elliot. Does he bear a grudge against Elliot?

More to the point, the man had figured out that she was, indeed, trying to lure him out into the light by using money as bait.

In the past, she would do all that she could to avoid ever meeting the man who had assaulted her five years ago, but now, he was forcing her to confront him. She was starting to realize that the only way she could move on from her nightmarish past was not by running away, but by facing it head-on fearlessly. Perhaps it was only after she had personally condemned the sc*mbag to a life of imprisonment that she could finally look back on the incident from five years ago and learn to walk away from it.

Anastasia vowed that she would never let this man escape the rule of law no matter what. She wouldn’t let him get away with what he had done to her, even if it meant having to tell Jared the truth about his birth.

Meanwhile, over by the man-made lake near Summit Mansion, Hayley was seething with rage as she clutched her phone in one trembling hand after she realized that Anastasia could no longer be manipulated by her vicious, albeit empty threats.

She had planned on using the identity of the male escort to force Anastasia into staying away from Elliot, but the call had ended with Hayley being the one threatened instead.

It was 3.00PM when Rey pulled up outside Anastasia’s apartment. She got into the car and was ferried to a boutique in the heart of the city.

“Miss Tillman, President Presgrave has asked that you pick out a dress for the benefit gala tonight, which you will be attending as his date,” Rey informed politely.

Anastasia nodded. If she was going to attend an event with Elliot, it was only par for the course that she had to pick out something elegant and understated to match his refined grace. After all, the last thing she wanted was to humiliate him by wearing some old dress pulled from the back of her wardrobe.

The boutique had a wide collection of designer dresses from Anastasia to choose from, and the owner personally led her to peruse the seasonal items that were on the more exclusive end of the evening-wear spectrum.

However, Anastasia had turned down all of these dresses in favor of a beige one that accentuated her flawless, porcelain skin, which seemed to glow under the lights.

Time ticked by, and before anyone noticed, it was already 5.00PM. Anastasia emerged from the boutique with her make-up done and her dress fitted. The beige evening dress hugged her slender figure and flattered her curves, and her hair was gathered elegantly at her nape with tendrils framing her face. Coupled with the shimmering earrings she was using, she was the perfect picture of poise and grace.

“You look beautiful tonight, Miss Tillman,” Rey praised with a smile.

“Thank you,” she replied graciously. She slid into the backseat of the car as Rey held the door open for her, and the staff at the boutique came out to send her off, enviously watching her leave.

As Anastasia leaned into the seat, she looked like a young lady born out of aristocracy whose every little gesture and expression radiated innate elegance.

Not two minutes after the car had pulled up outside Presgrave Corporation’s headquarters, Anastasia saw a towering figure step out of the revolving doors of the main entrance before he proceeded toward her. He looked ethereal when the twilight rays from the winter sun played over him, giving the illusion that he had a halo around him.

Anastasia’s eyes lit up at the sight of him, and she didn’t even realize that she was gazing upon him with love and endearment. Then again, anyone would look at Elliot the same way if they caught even the slightest glimpse of him!

Elliot opened the door and slid into the backseat next to her. His eyes fell on her appreciatively, and he found himself unable to look away.

He thought she was already gorgeous enough without dressing up, but now that she had, he was surprised by how breathtaking she looked.

Anastasia couldn’t help blushing at the way he was staring at her, and she self-consciously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she asked shyly, “How do I look?”

“No words can describe how beautiful you are right now,” Elliot said honestly as he grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling lovingly.

She gaped at him. “You’re exaggerating, aren’t you? I think I look passably decent, if not slightly better than how I usually look.”

“I think you’re drop-dead gorgeous,” he went on to praise.

A little flustered by how earnest he sounded, she pointed out, “You look really good in a suit as well. In fact, you’re the only man I know who can look this handsome in a suit.”

He was pleased to hear her compliment, and a delighted smile curled on his lips.

Alas, neither of them ever stopped to think about how Rey—the perpetual bachelor who was driving them to the benefit gala at present—might feel as they rubbed their relationship in his face.

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They cruised down the road leading to the hotel where the benefit gala was being held. When it came to charity auctions and benefit galas in the upper-crust society, the charity aspect was often overlooked in light of the distinguished guest list. More valuable than any of the antiques and items in the auction were the connections one could make during an event like this.

As such, the benefit gala became a hotspot for powerful figures in politics and business to gather and acquaint themselves with those who could launch their careers and social lives into new heights.

It went without saying that Elliot was the main target for the social climbers this evening.

Presently, Aliona was seated in her hotel room, checking her make-up in the mirror. She had seen Elliot’s name on the guest list, and she was delighted when she found out that he did not have a plus-one. If things went well, she could seize the chance to become his date for the evening.

Just then, the hotel manager whom she had ordered to keep her informed on the arrival of the guests called and said, “Miss Dora, Mr. Presgrave has arrived.”

“Alright,” she replied as a smile curled on her lips. After checking herself one last time in the mirror, she grabbed her sequined clutch and rose to leave the room.

She was dressed in a ravishing red dress tonight that gave a subtle view of her cleavage. Any man who saw her would undoubtedly be attracted to her.

When she was in the elevator, she gazed at her reflection and admired her flawless presentation. She wondered if she would catch Elliot’s eye as soon as she showed up in front of him, and there was a confident voice in her head that told her she would.

Upon reaching the conference hall downstairs, she descended the stairs that led to the crowd that had gathered below. She was the princess of Dora Group, and she was set to impress those who beheld her.

However, just as she was walking down the steps, she caught sight of something that made her so angry that she nearly tripped on the hem of her skirt. Disbelief colored her face when her gaze fell on the woman who was currently holding onto Elliot’s arm. What the hell is Anastasia doing here?

Aliona swallowed her rage and continued her elegant descent, but she was already fuming. Anastasia’s name had not been on the guest list, which meant she should have been denied entrance the moment she showed up at the entrance.

Then again, Elliot was powerful and intimidating enough to bring in anyone he pleased without needing further verification.

At the thought of this, Aliona took a deep breath and steeled herself as she walked toward Elliot. She was determined to trample all over Anastasia tonight.

Downstairs, Anastasia could sense hostility being directed at her, and she looked up to meet Aliona’s spiteful gaze as the latter made her way down from the landing. When Aliona looked at her, it was with unbridled contempt, but when she looked at Elliot, it was with adoration.

“You’re here, Elliot.”

greeted perfunctorily as

flickered over to Anastasia. She smiled as she asked, “I didn’t think you’d be here as well, Miss Tillman. If I’m not mistaken, your name wasn’t on

she feigned exasperation and said, “Oh, I wish

on Aliona’s face turned frigid. “Is that

that moment and interjected, “Come on, let’s

to look at Aliona, who was standing in their way. With a

could do nothing but step aside to let them pass, watching as they happily made

at her sides as fury burned in her. She hated how Anastasia always cropped up unexpectedly and thwarted her schemes. Frustrated, she

her henchmen that she had stationed at the event to ensure Elliot would sleep with her

as she sat on the couch in the third-floor lounge and said to the four bodyguards who had appeared before her, “You guys saw that woman who was clinging onto Elliot just now, right? She’s his date for the evening,

“Yes, ma’am.”

However, she had only just said this when she decided that laying low for tonight would be the wiser thing to do. She shouldn’t make any dramatic moves if she

begin to compete with

but he didn’t look to

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he said, “Thank you for your concern, Miss Tillman.” He would never have agreed to Riley and Aliona’s plans had they not used his son’s life as leverage. He could never bring himself to do this to Elliot, but as things were, he

he looked at Elliot and said

for sure,

other hand, blushed. There he goes with that nonsense again, she thought in exasperation, though there was no denying

well, and I’ll be sure to show up for the occasion. Have

wasted no time in bidding for a diamond bracelet for Harriet, and

antique, and it was sold to him at a whopping eight million. A gift for Harriet,

store at this point

welcome to put up your card when you see something you like,” Elliot said quietly as he leaned closer to her. Most of the things he had bid on were more suited

out, “I’d rather not

be my woman someday anyway; think of it as indulging in advance,” he countered

that they would get married one day, but she had to admit that confidence certainly boosted

glanced over at Aliona, who sat toward the front of the crowd. She had turned around several times to cast admiring looks at Elliot, and it was clear to see

whispered in amusement, “I think Miss

compared to the feelings I have for you,” Elliot said matter-of-factly as he turned to look at

took the chance to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to kiss her on the forehead. She froze at first, and when she glanced at Aliona again, she

hated Aliona for

the forehead. He’ll be mine by the

close and whispered

up on stage, whereupon he announced, “Thank you all for being here tonight. Next up, I have an important announcement. I would like to introduce all of

up the stage. Then, she hugged Lucas as she said sentimentally, “Thank you, Dad. I

as he was about to pull away, she whispered in her ear menacingly, “I’ll be handing you a glass of wine later, and

in this,” Lucas rejected

the one to give him the wine,” she drawled as she dug her nails

out

a father and

in the scene. She had to give it to Aliona for

could seize every chance to strengthen their social network during the benefit gala. Some of them circled Elliot, who was the main target of these social climbers tonight, while trying to get acquainted

even tried to hand him the precious goods they had bid

of wine in hand, one of which had been spiked

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was to have Lucas hand him the wine. Aliona sat on the other end of the room, but her gaze was fixed on Elliot and the glass of wine in his hand.

was specially made to knock someone out temporarily, only to have them wake up as the effects of the

swooping into action now. She greeted Anastasia after walking up to her and said politely, “Miss Tillman, I heard through the grapevine that you’re a jewelry designer at

of the room, away from Elliot and Lucas. Then, she explained with a smile, “If you must know, I have taken a liking to your designs, and I’d like to have a jewelry set custom-made. Could you squeeze me in for an appointment so that

offered. Naturally, she would love to help bring in business to Bourgeois,

Elliot had taken the glass

to pulling off this event successfully.”

wine. He tipped his head back and gulped down every last drop of wine, then looked down again to

held onto their empty glasses as Lucas went on to say, “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, Elliot. Shall we head

the middle of conversing with a woman, Elliot turned to follow Lucas up

Elliot finish his glass of wine that her heart beat wildly in her chest. Her plan was finally going to succeed; she was but one step away from

the drink at first, the aftermath that followed was something to look forward to. She felt certain that he would please her in all the ways she had

spine as she pulled out her

when two security guards suddenly walked up to her and said, “Sorry, miss, but we noticed that you weren’t

last minute, which is why my name

and Anastasia was left alone to deal with the guards. They insisted, “In

to search for Elliot’s familiar figure. She didn’t want to follow these two strange guards out of the hall, and when she couldn’t find Elliot, she said stubbornly, “I’ll find someone who can verify my attendance as Young

here with suspicious ulterior motives. Please come with us,”

gaze from across the room. It was then that she realized these two guards were acting on her orders. Throwing me out, I see, Anastasia mused. She had no reason to stay here anyway, but she

turn to

guard’s hand away from her wrist and blended into the crowd of guests. Then, she made her way over to the buffet restaurant from the

she had made one round through the vicinity and found him nowhere

on the second floor, Elliot was listening to what Lucas had to say when he suddenly felt as if his blood was rushing to his head. He blinked hard, but when that did little to alleviate the dizziness, he glanced at Lucas and said, “Mr. Dora, my head

offered as he went over to help the younger man. As Elliot’s conscious mind slowly slipped into the

pushed the door open and walked into the lounge. She looked at Elliot’s unconscious form, and a

him

smiled as she drawled breezily, “Go down and entertain your guests. I don’t want any of

the two security guards, but when she saw Aliona walking up the stairs, she

gravitated toward Elliot no matter where he went. Anastasia reckoned that he was on the second floor, so she made her way upstairs. However, even as she arrived in the corridor, she wasn’t sure where to start looking; all the lounges on

someone being hauled out of the lounge at the end of the corridor. While she was turning away, she

throat. Elliot looked weak and drained, and

lounge before she followed the two guards toward the elevators. At once, Anastasia’s stomach churned.

that the elevator Aliona and her henchmen had presumably taken had stopped on the fifteenth floor. The banquet hall where the auction was being held was on the eighth, which meant there were a good seven floors that got in the

no elevator came down for her. As of now, the only thing that flooded her mind were thoughts of how Aliona was

she was even more determined to go up and stop Aliona from doing anything despicable to Elliot. What the hell is wrong with Elliot? Why does he keep getting drugged?

floor numbers displayed on the little screen in the elevator, feeling bile rising in her throat. Never had she imagined that an elevator could

plopped down on the couch. The security guards had left, and right now, Aliona was sitting on the other side of the

the chiseled angles and planes of his handsome face, and when her gaze fell upon the perfect curve of his lips, she swallowed. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now and

wasn’t in a hurry to make a move on him, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist seeking her out and pulling her into his arms the moment he woke up. All she had to do now was wait for him to regain his senses,

to put on the night-gown that she had prepared for this night. Once she put it on, no man would be able to resist the temptation of

the elevator doors and surveyed the eerily quiet hallway. She didn’t know which room Aliona was in, but she was desperate enough to knock on every door until she

before she got away with

the thought of this was amusing, it didn’t change the fact that the man needed saving tonight. She was going to

the hallway. Seeing as there were several rooms left vacant for the night, she didn’t get a response after knocking on a handful of doors. Once in a while, she would come across a room that was occupied, and presently, the woman who opened the door was astonished to see her. “Is there something I

room. I apologize for disrupting your

she went on knocking one door after the next. She couldn’t care less about the embarrassment, and every time she knocked, she would dodge to the side of the door,

she came to a stop at the last room, Anastasia took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles against

suite. She frowned when she heard the knock, and she wondered with no small amount of disgruntlement who would bother her at this crucial time. Then, she thought that perhaps one of

the peephole, but when she saw that nobody was on the other side, she turned to walk away. Just then, another series of knocks came, and she impatiently threw open

standing out in the

at the

doing here, Anastasia?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she belatedly realized what was happening

She slammed her palm against the door before it shut all the way and

out of my room,

Elliot’s sleeping form on the couch and pointed at

Leave on your own!” Aliona barked as she reached out to grab Anastasia by the wrist and tried to drag her out the

you spike his drink to try and set him up for your own schemes? As a

out her phone to call for backup, but when Anastasia saw this, she snatched the phone away and asked snidely, “Oh, trying to call for help to throw me out, are

was an icy fury in her eyes as she eyed Anastasia murderously. This annoying pest

on the ground and stepped on it with her heel, breaking and shattering the

screeched, refusing to believe that Anastasia had such a feral side to

evening. Just thinking about the despicable things Aliona had planned to do to Elliot sent unbridled anger rushing through her. With a defiant gaze, she pointed out snarkily, “I can pay for the damages if you’d like.” Then, she assessed the nightgown Aliona

here and demand to leave with him?”Aliona shrieked.

Elliot

call security if you

as I’m going to call the police on you,” Anastasia spat as she took out her phone to make

quickly rushed up to her. “I told you to stay out

purse aside, then stormed forward to meet Aliona halfway. Soon, the two women were embroiled in a vicious fight. Aliona got slapped in the face before she could even snatch up Anastasia’s

you just hit me?”

of you,” Anastasia drawled sarcastically. She glanced over at the man lying on the couch. If she hadn’t gotten here in time, Aliona would

with Erica, and her experience put her at an advantage.

cat with all its fur standing on its

backward onto the ground, but

up and grabbed a handful of Aliona’s hair, pulling it with as much force as she could

sharp cry escaped Aliona as tears sprang to her eyes, feeling as if her hair was going to be pulled from her scalp. “Let go of me, you

to the ground while keeping a firm grip

to grab Anastasia’s hair as well, thereby clawing off

around her face, both women were locked in a fierce

the couch had been awakened by their shrill cries. Elliot sat up groggily with one hand pressed to his forehead, only to see the commotion taking place in the space next to the couch. The two women were tangled together in a

“Stop!” he ordered hoarsely.

women stopped immediately as his voice

other, though

whose hair had come close to being pulled out of her scalp. There were

grabbed her purse and went up to Elliot to help him to his feet, saying,

sent an electric current through Elliot. He narrowed his

a raging fire burning in Elliot, and it didn’t feel like it was dying down anytime soon. It was then that he realized he had

seething, “You can’t take him away now. He needs

you,” Anastasia retorted furiously as she

happily. She’s going to save me, he

Elliot!” Aliona cried out pleadingly, reaching out for

her warningly as he bit out in disgust, “Don’t touch me.” He didn’t need to think to know

fished out her phone and

the suite, Aliona was close to unraveling with hysteria. She couldn’t believe that her plans had once again

elevator and propped him up against one wall. Now that her hands were free, she tried to comb her hair into submission with her fingers and straightened her slightly crumpled dress. When she tilted her head and saw the imprint on the

heart twisted as he assessed the damage on her. He then asked