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 he

She smiled as she asked, “I didn’t think you’d be here as well, Miss

Anastasia took it in stride as she feigned exasperation and said, “Oh, I wish I didn’t have to come,

smile on Aliona’s face turned frigid. “Is that

Anastasia by the hand at that moment and

who was standing in their way. With a delicate raise of her brow, she said flatly,

them pass, watching as they happily made their

up unexpectedly and thwarted her schemes. Frustrated, she fished

had called one of her henchmen that she had stationed at the event to ensure Elliot would sleep

“You guys saw that woman who was clinging onto Elliot just now, right? She’s his date for the evening, and

“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 planned on seducing Elliot. After she

to compete with her, was lording

with concern. He might be the one who had put this charity auction together, but he didn’t look to be in high spirits at all. In fact, he seemed exhausted. “Mr. Dora, take it easy and make sure to get enough rest,” she pointed out

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“Thank you for your concern, Miss Tillman.” He would never have agreed to Riley and Aliona’s plans

looked at Elliot and said meaningfully, “The young woman on your arm

sure, Mr. Dora,” Elliot replied with a good-natured

nonsense again, she thought in exasperation, though there was no denying the fondness she felt

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

no time in bidding for a diamond bracelet for Harriet, and he was the highest bidder at three

closely followed by his bidding for an antique, and it was sold to him

The man was shopping like how she would at a thrift store at this point of the auction. He didn’t even blink when he

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

her head and pointed out, “I’d rather not

anyway; think of it as indulging in

married one day,

she 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 that

in amusement, “I think Miss Dora

you,” Elliot said matter-of-factly as he turned to

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

for

forehead. He’ll be mine by the end of the night. Mark my words, Anastasia. Just imagining the devastated look on Anastasia’s face filled her

over, Aliona leaned close and

wearily and rose to go up on stage, whereupon he announced, “Thank you all for being here tonight. Next up, I have an important

elegantly made her way up the stage. Then, she hugged Lucas as she said sentimentally, “Thank you, Dad.

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

want no part in this,”

give him the wine,” she drawled as she dug her nails into his shoulders, threatening

bit out forcefully

everyone thought that it was a harmless and loving embrace between a father and his daughter. They were all clueless about the truth

to give it to Aliona for being so dedicated

and glass-clinking, hoping that they could seize every chance to strengthen their social

hand him the precious goods they had bid for during the auction as

walked up to him with two glasses of wine in hand, one of which had been spiked by

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the other end of the room, but her gaze was fixed on Elliot and the glass

the drug, which was specially made to knock someone out temporarily, only

and said politely, “Miss

the elegantly dressed woman and nodded, not wanting to turn her down. The woman led her to the side 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 we can go over the

but I can recommend someone whose work is far better than mine if you’d like,” Anastasia offered. Naturally, she would love to help bring in business

had taken the glass of

remarks, Lucas said to the younger man, “Here’s to pulling off this event

head back and gulped down every last drop of wine, then looked down again to see

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

direction and seeing that she was in the middle of conversing with a woman, Elliot turned

was so excited to see Elliot finish his glass of wine that her heart beat wildly in her chest. Her plan was finally going to succeed; she was

aftermath that followed was something

pulled out her phone and ordered

earlier when two security guards suddenly walked up to her and said, “Sorry, miss, but

I came here with Young Master Elliot at the very last minute, which is why my name wasn’t on the guest

provided the woman a chance to slither away, and Anastasia was left alone to deal with the guards. They insisted, “In that case, could you please come with us

She didn’t want to follow these two strange guards out of

with us,”

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 didn’t want

to head up the stairs to the

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

one round

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

here and return to the party later,” Lucas offered as he went over to

open and walked into the lounge. She looked at Elliot’s unconscious form, and a devious but elated smirk curled

in disgust. “Take him upstairs. You’ve finally got

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

two security guards, but when she saw Aliona walking up the stairs, she wondered if Elliot was on the second floor as

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

lounge at the end of the corridor. While she was turning

to her throat. Elliot looked weak and drained, and he couldn’t walk without the

Aliona emerge from the lounge before she followed the two guards toward the elevators. At

elevator Aliona and her henchmen had presumably taken had stopped on the fifteenth floor. The banquet hall where the auction was

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

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? Isn’t it bad enough

her floor. She hurried through the open doors and stared anxiously at the floor numbers displayed on the little screen in the elevator, feeling bile rising in her throat. Never had she imagined that an elevator could move so slowly. She couldn’t believe that the fifteenth floor felt

carried into a suite and plopped down on the couch. The security guards had left, and right now, Aliona was sitting on the other side of the couch with a smirk on her

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 see how he

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, and she wanted to make sure that the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was her in a

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

out 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

going to do everything she could to stop Aliona’s hideous acts before she got away with them. I have to save

didn’t change the fact that the man needed saving tonight. She was going to

to knock on every door along 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,

wrong room. I apologize for

she knocked, she would dodge to the side of the door, afraid that

stop at the last room, Anastasia took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles

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 her henchmen needed to speak with her, so she crossed the room

side, she turned to walk away. Just then, another series of knocks came, and she impatiently threw

person was standing out

she saw Aliona at

the words left her mouth, she belatedly realized what was

slammed her palm against the door before it

of my room, Anastasia,”

sleeping form on the couch and pointed at

any of this have to do with you? Leave on your own!” Aliona

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

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

her eyes as she eyed Anastasia murderously. This annoying pest

Anastasia threw the phone on the ground and stepped on it with

dare you destroy my phone?!” Aliona screeched, refusing to believe that Anastasia had such a feral side to her even though she

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 was wearing and sneered, “Why bother wearing a nightgown when you

demand to leave with him?”Aliona shrieked. Now that she couldn’t call for backup, she was going to have

still wouldn’t let Elliot be

call security if you don’t get

to call the police on you,” Anastasia spat as

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

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 phone, and

you just hit

over at the man lying on the couch. If she hadn’t gotten

her wrist. She had grown up fighting with Erica, and her experience put her at an advantage. Aliona, on the other hand, had been raised and coddled like a princess

was like a cat with all its fur standing on its

anticipated this, Anastasia toppled backward onto the ground, but when she retaliated, she was like an angered

of Aliona’s hair, pulling it with

her eyes, feeling as if her hair was going to be pulled from her scalp. “Let go

go. Instead, she pinned Aliona to the ground while keeping a firm grip

hair as well, thereby clawing off the

wildly around her face, both women were locked in a fierce

realized that the man on 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 violent fight that was only escalating with every

“Stop!” he ordered hoarsely.

immediately as his

each other, though she

dealt considerable damage to Aliona, whose hair had come close to being pulled out of her scalp. There were even claw marks on her skin, and the delicate straps of her nightgown had been ripped off, barely holding up the only item of

Anastasia tried to pull her tangled long hair into submission. She grabbed her purse and went up to Elliot to help him to his feet, saying,

through Elliot. He narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly felt heat rising in him, threatening to consume him

if there was a raging fire burning in Elliot, and it didn’t feel like it was dying down anytime soon.

seething, “You can’t take him

you,” Anastasia retorted furiously

this, Elliot’s eyes glimmered happily. She’s

out pleadingly, reaching

He glowered at her warningly as he bit out in disgust, “Don’t touch me.” He

and led him out. Then, she fished out

was close to unraveling with hysteria. She couldn’t believe that her plans had

submission with her fingers and straightened

damage on her. He then asked