Never Too Far Novel

Early morning the next day, Alex secretly made an appointment with Naomi and Erica. After they had all arrived in the private room of the appointed restaurant, he began to tell them in detail about the plan Hayley had told him last night. Erica was fairly startled as she listened to his words, but Naomi was surprisingly calm as she sat there.

“Alex, do you have the confidence to do this?”

“Of course, the two of you will have to lend a hand in this.” He didn’t want to be the only one who was responsible for it.

Erica, however, was still too timid to do something that would harm her father. She muttered in a small voice, “Mom… Dad—”

Naomi immediately cut her off as she threw a glance at her daughter. “You call him your Dad, but has he ever thought of you as his daughter?”

Alex chimed in too, “Erica, your mother is right. President Tillman only has eyes for Anastasia. The will shall take effect immediately if you don’t act now. It is still not too late to alter the will. You won’t be getting anything otherwise.”

Upon hearing that, Erica was instantly filled with resentment for Francis. She clenched her jaw before she finally said, “Okay. I agree with your plan.”

Naomi and Alex continued chatting into the afternoon before he finally left. They decided to first have Francis killed, then secretly change his will. They would be bribing lawyers along the way and have the company divided into three equal parts, Naomi and Erica would each hold one part of it, whereas Anastasia would have the other one. This would make the mother and daughter own more than 60% of the company’s equity, which meant that they would have absolute right of execution over the company.

Naomi and Erica continued to stay at the restaurant after Alex left. Erica’s hands were shaking ever-so-slightly, as she felt uneasy about the plan.

Naomi suddenly took her daughter’s hand and stared at her calmly. “Erica, are you afraid?”

“Mom, does Dad really…have to die?” There was fear written all over Erica’s face at that point.

Naomi felt that it was time to tell her something, or else her daughter would not be able to carry on with the plan calmly.

“Erica, Mom has something to tell you. You won’t be scared anymore after this,” Naomi reassured her.

“What is it?”

“It is about your birth. Francis is not your biological father. You are the child born to me and another man.” Naomi felt no need to continue hiding her secret.

Erica’s head immediately went blank as she heard the shocking news. “What?! Mom, how can I not be Dad’s daughter? Didn’t Dad have a DNA test when you brought me to the house? Did he not doubt me at all?”

“Of course Francis did. I drew blood from you in front of him to do the DNA test, but I exchanged a container of Anastasia’s blood with yours. That is why Francis has had no doubts for so many years.”

Erica clutched her chest after hearing her mother’s confession. This secret was too shocking even to her.

“Who is my biological father then?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“You don’t have to care about who he is. He’s just a piece of trash who is still rolling in poverty!” Naomi spat contemptuously. “We must do this if we want to live a good life for the rest of our lives.”

As Naomi had expected, Anastasia started feeling a lot better after that. It turned out that the man she had called “Dad” for over 20 years was not her biological father.

“You can’t just call him Dad for so many years for nothing. We must get the share we deserve.” Naomi’s eyes were filled with determination to win.

Erica was also afraid of losing status and wealth during the remainder of her life. She was just like her mother at this very moment—she wanted a share of Francis’ property. Francis might very well chase her out of the Tillmans’ if he were to find out her identity one day.

Instead of letting something like that happen, Erica would rather Alex join hands with her mother and make Francis leave the world unknowingly.

Francis was currently playing card games with a few of his good friends during the festive season. He had no idea that his wife and daughter had come together with his most trusted man in a plot to harm him.

It was finally New Year’s Eve after the people spent weeks anticipating it.

Elliot and Anastasia had already arrived at the Presgrave Residence around 10 AM.

Elliot was naturally not keen on telling the truth behind Jared’s injury when Harriet noticed Jared’s injured leg. He even made up a reason, which didn’t go unnoticed by the older woman’s hawk-like eyes. However, she didn’t press on to know the truth. All that was important to her was that her grandson was safe.

Immediately afterward, she got good news from Jared that Elliot and Anastasia were getting engaged.

The news made Harriet so worked up that her eyes were wet with tears. This truly was something that made her happy. It was also something she had been looking forward to for so many years!

Anastasia was walking toward the study room from outside when she heard Harriet’s voice coming from the opened door of the room.

“Wonderful! This is great, Elliot. You have to treat both Anastasia and Jared well after she becomes your wife.”

Upon hearing that, Anastasia came to a halt before she heard Harriet’s voice rang out again. “Thank God my wish for the Tillmans and the Presgraves to become a family has been fulfilled. I will make sure to give my gratitude to Officer Amelia if I were to die someday.”

Anastasia’s chest seemed to clench at that. She could tell that Harriet was truly grateful to her mother for saving one of the Presgraves.

“Grandma, I promise to treat them well for the rest of my life,” Elliot reassured Harriet. At that, the latter said in an earnest tone, “You must not force Anastasia if she is unwilling to give birth again in the future. You can always train Jared to be your successor.”

“It is all up to her to decide. She can have another child if she wants, but I won’t pressure her into anything if she doesn’t. To me, Jared is my son.”

“Okay. I like him very much as well. He is exactly the same as you were when you were young. This is all God’s will.”Harriet sighed at that.

Anastasia was hit by a myriad of emotions when she heard the conversation. Even she wasn’t sure if she wanted to have a child with Elliot.

In fact, she should give birth to a Presgrave if she loved him.

At that point, Anastasia decided to stop trying to make sense of the mess in her head and heart for now. It only confused her more without solving anything.

Instead of going in and interrupting the chat between the grandparent and her grandson, Anastasia went to the garden, where her son had been having fun by himself. Harriet even spent money to build him an outdoor playground that was equipped with an air conditioner. The young boy continued to play in that cozy space.

This was a very thoughtful gesture on Harriet’s part. Anastasia deeply felt that she and her son were being pampered by the Presgrave Family.

The tide at a faraway beach was starting to come in when evening came and as night fell, the lights of the city seemed to illuminate the whole place as though it was still morning.

The Presgraves had a feast for their dinner. As Elliot sat beside Jared, he made sure to spoon more food onto the young boy’s plate.

Harriet was secretly happy when she saw what was going on. Anastasia, too, quietly saved this scene of Elliot showing his love into her memory.

“Young Master Tillman, I will add some rice to your plate,” one of the servants standing aside respectfully said to Jared.

She even seemed like she was treating him like a precious young master of the Presgraves.

Anastasia’s heart skipped a beat at that, but the little boy proceeded to announce out loud politely, “I can do it myself, Madam.”

His one sentence was enough to show how well he had been educated at home to be so polite. He was a child that everyone, the servants included, would easily fall in love with.

After they were done with the meal, Anastasia brought Jared to the second floor for a video call with Francis. The man was waving a present in his hand as he said to the boy, “Jared, your grandpa prepared a present for you.”

“Thank you Grandpa!”

The man then turned to his daughter. “Anastasia, are you bringing Jared home for lunch tomorrow?”

“Yes,” she briefly replied with a nod. It was normal to pay visits to relatives after Christmas.

She hung up the call after their conversation ended. As she turned around, she was greeted by the sight of Elliot walking toward her. He gave off a homely vibe in his gray sweater and a pair of dark-colored slacks.

He, too, had four presents in his hands. Looking at Jared, he walked over and gave him two of them. “These are for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Presgrave.” The child was ecstatic as he took the presents from Elliot. He then waved at the adults. “Mommy, I will be going back to my room now!”

Anastasia couldn’t help but lift her gaze at the man. “Oh—you didn’t have to give him two. Just one is more than enough.”

“Those were from Grandma and I respectively,” Elliot replied in a low voice. He swiftly reached out to pass Anastasia the other two. “And these are also from Grandma and I to you.”

“For me?” She blankly blinked at him. She wasn’t even a child who needed a present!

Elliot quickly came up with an excuse to give the presents to her then. “This is our family’s tradition. We always give out presents to guests who come to visit during Christmas.”

And so, Anastasia had no other choice but to take them. The man, however, continued to encourage her to open up her presents. “Open them and have a look.”

She shook it around a few times. The contents were so light it didn’t seem like there would be much in it. She was starting to get curious when she noticed the mirth in his gaze. She finally tore the present wrapping open, only for a piece of black credit card to slide right out.

“This one is from me,” Elliot told her with a smile on his face as he rested his chin on his arm.

Anastasia was slightly startled holding the card in one hand. “You are giving me a card?”

“It is a card that does not have a limit. You can use it as you like.” His sharp eyebrows raised slightly, his eyes full of love for her.

These were probably the words any woman loved hearing the most. Anastasia, too, couldn’t hide the smile on her face as she moved on to the next present. “Is this one from Grandma?” she asked.

“Open it and see.”

Elliot was curious as to what Harriet prepared as well. The elderly woman hadn’t told her a thing, after all.

Anastasia opened the present, and when she poured the contents of the present, a strange card that looked like an access card fell out.

“What is this?” she asked.

Elliot glanced at it before he replied with a smile, “The access card to Cloud Residence No. 1’s top floor loft unit.”

She was startled again after hearing his words. If her memory served her correctly, she had somehow come across the insane price of a unit at Cloud Residence No. 1. She also saw how the price of the big loft had been raised to about 100 million.

And the access card to such a place was in her hand right this moment.

“I-I can’t accept it!” Anastasia wouldn’t reject the black card from her future husband, but Harriet’s present was too expensive for her to accept.

“Why not? Everything the Presgraves have will belong to you in the future.” Elliot then added, “I remember telling you before about a top private kindergarten in the area. The security measures are top-notch, and their education system is also the best internationally. Grandma cares about both your safety and Jared’s education.”

Upon hearing that, Anastasia could feel a gush of warmth in her chest. The loft might be expensive, but what was more valuable and heartwarming to her was Harriet’s kindness and sincerity toward Anastasia and her son.

Hence, Anastasia had no choice but to accept it as well. She then took the black card again and took a look, and her red lips curled into a smile. “I am finally a rich lady,” she cheered.

man instantly corrected her, “You mean you

hearing that, Anastasia bashfully chewed on her

long arms around her as he muttered, “It will be soon.” After saying that, he pressed his thin lips to her forehead. “I can’t

there were only 15 days left before she

felt like a

where she would steadily earn money to raise the child. She had only planned to keep her focus on her career and her child. However, she somehow managed to gain a husband within a year

of it, she and Elliot had only been together

Francis like he was a stranger after she found out the truth of

best to not call him ‘Dad’. Her

on the sofa when he noticed Erica all dressed up and ready to leave. Out of concern, he asked, “Erica, where are you going so

I am heading

to go out by yourself. Why

she muttered

that, she smoothly hugged him around his neck from behind and said, “Don’t bother with her, my dear. She is an adult now. You can’t

turned and threw a glance at his wife briefly before she sat down with him. “Francis,” she started. “Anastasia is

it for a moment, he told Naomi, “I am not sure what she doesn’t have. Let me ask her. We will

sour then. She was starting to magnify all the good ways Francis was treating Anastasia. It even seemed to her as though Francis couldn’t

as a dowry if she wanted

is the one who will

give her the

doesn’t have

the second. She eventually stood up and as she was walking away, she turned to look at Francis for a short second, the

point of no return. She and her daughter would really not have any share of the company if she didn’t

bottle of pills from the corner of a cabinet. She then poured the content into a bottle of antihypertensive pills that

ailment by increasing his blood pressure and causing him to have heart problems. It could easily

without a weapon. Francis only had himself

switched out the pills. We will let him take it consistently for a

after.

that night, and

had reminded her to not tell Alex regarding her birth, which was why she had to keep it to

my plan with your mom is about to begin. You can’t start panicking when the time comes,” he reminded her. She was the one among the three of them that he was most worried would

didn’t know that Erica had already treated Francis like a stranger that had no ties to her at some

replied in a cold voice, “Don’t worry. You and Mom can go ahead as planned. I won’t get in the way. I don’t

how Naomi had managed to raise her

…

windows of the luxurious hotel suite. He had on a white high-collared sweater, but despite how warm it looked, it did nothing to suppress the chill emitting from

found her?” Arthur’s angry eyes

really looks like because of how well the heavy makeup she had on covered her features. That is why we still haven’t found out who she

hearing that. He remembered how much of a nightmare the woman was

insulted him

was something that his mother had personally given to him so that he could hand it to his wife, and have it passed down to their children

been stolen by this darn female

all the second-hand jewelry stores as we look and wait for the woman. We will be notified immediately if she were to visit any of

by the woman. As someone who had mysophobia, he was disgusted by the thought of having someone else lay

the other person even if his

buy a new one if it was something of little importance. This, however, was a family heirloom that had been passed down for more than two

out loud. Why would you

to find something like this

only brave enough to

long eyelashes was a face that looked as though it had been sculpted

“Fine! I will give you a little more time. Find it before

had no

still up in the air whether or not they

the woman was to steal something that belonged to Arthur, out of all the other people she could steal from. The man who looked like he would never hurt a fly was, in fact, the incarnation of the Devil himself. They could only

same time, a woman on a beach abroad sneezed multiple times. She wondered whether someone was thinking about her or talking

and one could vaguely see a

keep such a precious thing safe, she could only wear it from time to time

she avoided returning to her home country as she was running away from her marriage. Therefore,

next day, Anastasia took her son back to the Tillman Residence for lunch. Naomi pretended to be polite and warmly welcomed Anastasia.

my Christmas present for you.” Francis handed a huge present filled with

instead. “Dad, he is still young, so a few of

spoil him.” In fact, he

side. Better spoil them while you

his chest. “I’ve only had a pint of beer

Anastasia quickly stood up. “Should

be alright; he had his medicine earlier. Just take a rest

I have been drinking some alcohol these

you to never touch

his chest and gasping for breath. “Dad,

since it was the festive season. Hence, he waved his hand. “It’s fine. The medicine should be enough

pill and handed him

he took the pill, he sighed. “I’m

well. We’ll take our leave.” Anastasia

He was getting dizzy and wanted

him upstairs, Anastasia didn’t leave until the woman returned. Naomi was startled when she saw that Anastasia was still downstairs and felt guilty because she had given Francis the poison instead

like to have some fruit?”

stood up and answered, “No, thanks. I’m busy.” After that, she sincerely looked at Naomi. “Mom,

course, I will. He is my husband, the person I will spend the rest of my life with, so I will definitely take

“Okay. I’ll take my

was finally relieved. The pill is so effective. His blood pressure rose dramatically after only one tablet and a pint of beer. Now, all that is left is to let Alex find an excuse to take him on a long journey and cause a car

of her mind. I should bring Dad to Elliot’s private hospital for a medical examination so he

Elliot gave her was still parked in the garage as she hadn’t had a chance to drive

the habit of visiting relatives during Christmas. Instead, she enjoyed quality

read a book, occasionally played Lego with Jared, and enjoyed a

in the villa and was busy as his status attracted many invitations for events and

was a robot as he refused

just an engagement

slightly tipsy Elliot returned. Benedict

attending gatherings and not drink any alcohol. Or else, you can kiss your legs goodbye,” Benedict reminded him while reapplying the

beside them and sided with Benedict. “Did you hear that? Treat your injury

I heard you. I will rest until my legs are

never ever leave the sofa. She

He requested a lot

him a book, he took the chance to pull her into his arms and kept her

only let him enjoy the hug. He was only mad at his useless legs, as he could

Year. The wedding planner visited them a few times a day to confirm the details for the engagement party. Elliot let Anastasia choose the party’s theme, color palette, and flower arrangement, so she

had already sent the party invitation cards to the Presgraves. All that was left was to wait for the day itself

pending. He was

pale. As Alex worked closely with him that day, the younger man noticed Francis was not in good

you alright, President Tillman? Should we take a

as he cared for the company

come over to discuss the cooperation. Therefore, I think we should take the initiative and

We’ll depart as

take down the project from President Lehmann as soon as possible, so we won’t have to worry

treated the project

to fight for President Lehmann’s project. We must not let other people take that project away. Or else, we will be at a loss as we invested a lot of

was necessary for the company’s profit. Hence, he made a swift decision. “Okay, we’ll set off tonight. Now, I should go

you,”

and he let Alex drive him home to pack his luggage. In the end, it was decided that they were going to stay in

the Tillman Residence, seeing the two men come in together, Naomi asked in surprise, “Francis, are you going on a business trip

Mrs. Tillman. I will accompany Francis to Haystone, and it will take a

you can’t catch a break; we just had our New Year. Francis, don’t forget to bring your

some clothes and bring the medicine for

while, she packed a suitcase of clothes and passed it to Alex after returning. “Mr. Hunter, please take good care of my husband. He is not feeling

worry, Mrs. Tillman. I will definitely take good care of

at that point. He glanced at it and went to his study room to accept

a medicine bottle and stuffed it into Alex’s hand as soon as Francis left. “Before

the bottle

a while, Francis came out, and Alex accompanied him to leave the house. However, the former suddenly felt dizzy

the matter?” Naomi hurried over to

okay. Have you packed the

briefcase. Remember to take

and it was effective. So, he trusted the medicine and never thought it was swapped with other pills. As long as I have the drugs, I will be able to handle the business trip

eyes. Alex asked, “President

go there to gather some

well. He

could get onto the highway, Francis’ cell phone rang. Alex felt anxious and nervously

the call from his eldest

invite you over to dinner at

to go!” Francis replied excitedly and tried to get Alex’s attention. “Alex, hey Alex!

he stepped on the brakes. Why does Anastasia have to call

project

important as my future in-law’s invitation to dinner! Enough talking, go back

Alex could only drive back to the city. I have to do it here if I can’t

saw Francis return

Tillman to the family dinner at the Presgrave Residence tonight, so he

at Alex and knew

changed into a suit in his room and went downstairs. He told her, “The engagement party is around the corner, so buy

smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll look for it in a

Presgrave, shall I take you

take me there; he knows the way. So, you can

Naomi said, “Alex, I am going to the shopping mall. Please take me

“Okay, Mrs. Tillman.”

for dinner. Before he did that, he felt his chest was getting more painful. He remembered his doctor said that if the sickness was worsening, he could take one more tablet

…

is so annoying!

he takes the tablet on time, he will have a heart attack soon. There’s no time to take him