Never Too Far Novel

Since coming of age, Arthur had met countless women who approached him with ulterior motives, but Sophia was different. She was refreshingly bold and blunt. She was so naive that offending him was something she never thought to be afraid of. At the same time, he wondered if she was just a really good actress, one who was simply employing a different method of getting close to him and seducing him thereafter.

If that were the case, he ought to have seen the cracks in her pretenses by now, but he did not. Was she just really well-trained, or was she being her true self?

In another villa, Mason was awake and waiting for his sister to return. She had told him that she wanted to go night sailing, but it was already well past midnight, and she had yet to return. Knowing how crazy she could get when it came to having fun, he grew exasperated and somewhat furious. She’d better not get herself into trouble, he thought grimly.

Meanwhile, over in the largest and most opulent villa, a warm glow was shining through one of the windows. Under the red covers of the luxurious bed, two figures were entangled in what could only be described as an amorous affair.

The next morning, Anastasia woke up without any prompting whatsoever. She opened her eyes and found herself in the warm embrace of the man sleeping next to her. She dared not let her gaze flicker to his shoulders, which were decorated with claw marks that served as a reminder of their heated endeavors last night.

She could not bring herself to wake her dearest husband. Hence, she quietly took in the dark hair tousled over his forehead and his young, deep-set features. A pleased smile curled on her lips as she stared at him, wanting to burn the image of his face into the back of her mind.

After watching him sleep for a while, she decided to get out of bed and put on her clothes. However, she had only just lifted a corner of the covers when a strong pair of arms pulled her backward.

“Stay in bed with me for a while longer, Mrs. Presgrave,” the man muttered, his warm breath tickling her collarbone as he nuzzled his chin into the crook of her neck. A hoarse chuckle escaped him as he added devilishly, “I was very satisfied last night.”

Anastasia had been tipsy the night before, which resulted in her present groggy state, but the moment he said this, a particular memory surfaced in her headspace and made her blush.

“I like it when you take initiative, Mrs. Presgrave,” he went on to tease, opening his eyes. Basking in the sunlight that spilled through the window, they looked like two sparkling obsidian pools.

Anastasia quickly reached out to clap a hand over his mouth, then said shyly, “Okay, stop.”

Elliot drawled lazily, “Shall I go over the details of what you did that I loved most?”

“No thank you.” She did not want to hear about it as her face had turned positively crimson.

The day after the wedding, the guests who had to get on with the busy schedules of their lives bid their farewells and left. The weight on the flushing bride’s shoulders was finally lifted by a fraction. Visibly more relaxed now, Anastasia decided that she was going to have fun today.

That afternoon, she got a call from Mason, telling her that he had to get back to work, so she bid him goodbye.

Katrina, on the other hand, had woken up in Jacob’s bed. She was like a cat that ate the canary, and she was more than pleased to have him become her new prey.

Over in Villa No. 58, Arthur decided to leave as well, and that afternoon, he gave Elliot a heads up before getting off the island.

As for Sophia, she stood on the deck of the departing yacht and watched the strip of white shore grow into a speck. She thought about how she had pinned Arthur down on the sand the last time, and the corners of her lips tipped up into a mischievous grin.

She turned around and glanced at the man whose silhouette radiated elegance, repressing the urge to laugh as she thought about how rare it must be to see him completely caught off guard like he had that night.

Among the wedding guests who left were Presgraves’ extended family, and those who stayed were the women in the family. Lorelai, in particular, did not look like she was about to leave anytime soon.

That evening, Harriet gathered all the ladies into one dining area and set the men up in another so that dinner could be a more intimate affair. Lorelai was seated next to Anastasia, and when she saw Jared, she praised heartily, “Well, aren’t you just the most adorable little boy I’ve ever seen!”

“Hello, Aunt Lorelai,” Jared greeted sweetly.

“So, what do you want to be when you grow up, Jared?” Lorelai asked, making small talk with the child.

“I wanna be as great as Daddy,” Jared answered without even thinking.

“A brilliant dream indeed.”

Then, the little boy turned to look at his mother and said, “After that, I’ll marry someone as beautiful as Mommy.”

Anastasia sputtered at his childish humor and said, “I suppose I should be relieved that you’ve already got that part of your life all worked out.”

Lorelai laughed and pointed out, “Children have such a wonderful naivety about them, don’t you think?”

Having listened to all this, Harriet beamed and encouraged lovingly, “I’m looking forward to seeing you all grown up, Jared.”

“By the way, Mrs. Presgrave, I’ve heard that you have a knack for jewelry design, and I was wondering if you could help me take a look at a few of my sketches,” Lorelai said enthusiastically as she gave Anastasia an expectant look.

“Of course! You can bring me those sketches anytime,” Anastasia agreed with a smile.

“Really? Thank you so much, Mrs. Presgrave!” Lorelai nodded earnestly, then continued, “I’m designing the jewelry for a friend of mine as a gift. With your feedback, I’m sure the gift will be perfect for her!”

Anastasia asked curiously, “Did you ever go to design school?”

“No, I’m just doing this as a hobby, which is rare for me. I picked it up and I fell in love with it, but I didn’t, like, receive professional instruction or anything like that. I guess that’s what sets you and me apart, huh?” Lorelai replied modestly.

Laughing, Anastasia said, “Well, I’d rather you keep this up as a hobby. It can be cabng if you turn a hobby into full-fledged work.”

Lorelai chuckled as well. “Yeah, I guess you have a point.”

At that moment, someone at the dining table caught sight of the piano sitting in the corner and started pushing Lorelai to perform a tune. The girl very obligingly walked over to the grand-looking instrument and took her seat, then started playing a song with the sort of quiet grace that lulled everyone into a trance. While the melody carried on, someone said in a low voice, “Lorelai sure is talented. She could be a maestro if she wanted!”

“I’m sure she’ll marry well someday,” another person added.

Upon hearing this, Kendra smiled and said, “That’s very sweet of you to say, but Lorelai is just an ordinary girl.”

Most of the guests had left three days after the wedding. After that, Anastasia and Elliot returned to the Presgrave Residence alongside Harriet.

Jared was due to go back to school soon, and Elliot had plenty of work piled up for him at the company. In stark contrast, Anastasia had a lot of free time on her hands, and she had seen the press release about their wedding. However, the exclusivity of the event meant that the media did not have much information to proceed with, and the journalists dared not use it as clickbait either.

Meanwhile, Arthur had stopped living in bars and bought himself a villa close to Elliot’s as a temporary dwelling place. Initially, Sophia wanted to go back to visit her parents, but Arthur refused to let her do so. As such, she ended up following him wherever he went.

That day, two world-class etiquette instructors dropped by the villa to specifically teach and guide Sophia on the ways of upper-class societies. Thus, beginning the first steps of molding her into a lady of nobility.

Sophia was admittedly frustrated by this. She wondered why Arthur was splurging on unnecessary things because she thought it would be better for everyone if she remained as carefree as she had always been, unbridled by the stuffy rules of fine society.

Nevertheless, the instructors were dedicated to their jobs, and they carried out the lessons according to a strict plan. Sophia ended up spending two hours each day learning how to stand, walk and sit properly. At the end of each lesson, she was exhausted and found herself questioning her own sanity.

While she was having these lessons, Arthur would be upstairs doing heaven-knows-what. Occasionally, fortune tellers would drop by the house, and she wondered if the young master truly believed in such things, or if he was helplessly superstitious because he certainly did not appear to her as such.

Presently, in the living room of the second floor, a medium had apparently thrown a seance to communicate with Arthur’s grandfather’s spirit in order to pinpoint the location the old man best preferred to be laid to rest.

After sending off the medium, Arthur decided that he would go to the location and scope things out for himself.

Meanwhile, Sophia had just said goodbye to her instructors. She was rubbing her aching shoulder while walking up the stairs when she suddenly heard Arthur calling out to her, “Sophia, please come over here.”

She did as she was told and presented herself before him, then asked, “Is there something you need help with, Young Master Weiss?”

“A shoulder rub,” he answered curtly as he cast her a sideways glance.

She then stood right behind him and began to rub his shoulders, kneading out the tense muscles as he closed his eyes and disengaged with the rest of the world.

Just as Sophia was admiring his chiseled features, she suddenly felt an alarming tickle in her nose, and before she could stop herself, she sneezed onto his face. “Ah-choo!”

She froze after the sneeze. She could not believe that she had sprayed her germs and saliva all over the features she had been admiring just seconds ago.

The air around them grew cold. Arthur’s brows furrowed as he said, “Wash my face for me.”

“I am so sorry!” she squeaked, running off into the adjoining bathroom and retrieving a moist, patterned towel. She half-knelt on the couch and began to carefully wipe his face. He kept his eyes closed the entire time, and because he had a sharp sense of smell, he could pick up the faint fragrance lingering on her.

His long lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes, and it was then that he saw Sophia wiping his face with a towel.

When she met his gaze, she flushed and said, “I am so sorry for what happened. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Arthur was speechless as well, but what made him even more incredulous was the fact that he did not mind the incident at all.

“Do not do this again,” Arthur warned.

“Yes, sir!” Sophia nodded obediently. She was so embarrassed by the incident that she wanted to crawl into a hole.

Just then, Arthur’s phone rang. A look of surprise flashed across his features when he saw the caller ID, and he hurried to answer the call. “Hello?”

“Artie, it’s me! I’m coming to visit you!” a girly voice spoke up on the other line.

When the call ended, he gave Sophia an unreadable look. She swallowed nervously and asked, “What is it?”

“A friend of mine will be staying here for a while,” he explained. A moment of thought later, he added, “From now on, you are not to misbehave in front of me, and you will act like a proper servant. Do you understand?”

Sophia was no idiot. She had a feeling that this friend of Arthur’s was someone that he secretly had a crush on, so she suggested hopefully, “You know, you’re more than welcome to give me some time off if you think I’m only going to get in your way.”

He eyed her frigidly and bit out commandingly, “You are not leaving.”

Curiosity got the better of her as she tilted her head to one side and asked in amusement, “So, is this friend of yours just an ordinary friend, or is she someone special to you?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” he replied with a raised brow.

“Well, if it’s the former, then I’d be more than willing to play the part of the loyal servant and wait on your hand and foot, but if it’s the latter, then my presence here would put us all in a sticky situation, don’t you think?” She wanted to go home desperately, so she enunciated the point of her argument, “Young Master Weiss, all I’m asking is that you give me some time off.”

but in the end, he gritted his teeth and shot

like a line from a romance novel? He had no right to order her to stay in such

she retorted, “I wasn’t

It seems like there is still a long way to go before she will

a private jet had come to a stop on the tarmac, and an elegantly-dressed young lady was

the airport and put a hand up to block out the blazing afternoon sun. As she suddenly thought

Weiss’ bodyguards, and they have

go then,” she said. She

an entourage came out of the idling cars. The girl leading the entourage through the front yard

be greeted by the man who had been running around in her mind as soon as she walked past the threshold, but she met eyes with a young lady instead. Astonished, she demanded, “Who

Weiss’ maid,” Sophia introduced herself politely, appraising the other girl with

girl narrowed her eyes, but when she saw Arthur coming down the stairs, she broke into

returned her friendliness and greeted,

up to him and grabbed his arm affectionately, then tipped her head to one side as she gave

he denied with a

who still stood

of my meals and tidies up the

that Emily was without

came into the house with suitcases in tow. Emily’s eyes gleamed diabolically at the sight of this, and she

upon hearing this, they immediately sensed

as she said imperiously, “You there! Help me carry these bags up

a double take when she saw that Emily was pointing at

the sight of Sophia’s dazed expression, Emily snapped impatiently, “You’re

so she quickly answered, “Oh, of course. I’ll have

drag the two mammoth bags toward the stairwell, but when she tried to lift them, she realized they were firmly weighed down on the floor. Those

“Be careful with those. I have tons of valuable stuff in there; you break them, you pay, but I doubt you could afford

was sure that she had no way of lifting them. Panting, she said,

find good help these days, it seems,”

this, Sophia called out for the only man in the living room to

to carry out a servant’s duty, you little—” Before Emily could continue the rest of her scolding, Arthur brushed past her to

a helping hand by carrying the bags up the stairs. It was the most bizarre thing she had ever witnessed. We’re

well, and much to her surprise, he had brought the bags

the bags into Emily’s designated room either, and when she got to the top of the stairs, she quickly said, “Thank you, Young

interjected, then grabbed his hand to inspect his palm with a pained expression. “I would have asked the bodyguards to help, you know.

palm as well, and sure enough, the skin was chaffed red. The bags had a combined weight of more than a hundred pounds,

Arthur said dismissively as he pulled away from

be? I cannot believe you had your master do your work for you. You’re fired! Go, get out of our sights!”

then her eyes lit up as she asked, “Really?

said you could? In case you forgot, I’ve given you a one-year advancement on your wages,” Arthur

here. Going along with his act, she said, “I believe you’re the one forgetting things here, Young Master Weiss. Remember how you said you would pay me the last time and

scoffed, rendered speechless by her

not actually going back on your word, are you, Young Master Weiss?

what was going on, Emily snorted and said contemptuously, “Artie’s fortune is far more than anything you could ever imagine, so he wouldn’t go back on his word to pay you the pittance you’re

with implication, “That’s what I think too. I know a gentleman of nobility such as him would never go back on his promise or mistreat his staff. Right, Young Master Weiss?” Then, she flashed him a meaningful smile as she added brightly, “If it helps, you

at a loss for

realized that her presence was completely overshadowed by the maid, and she grew infuriated as she snapped, “Okay, fine, he’ll pay you what he owes you, so get back to work! I want all the clothes in these bags ironed and hung in the wardrobe, and I mean every single piece of clothing, got it? If I see so much as a wrinkle, you’re done for!” she emphasized the last part of her command and sprinkled malice on top of it, too. “The

with Arthur and said cheerily, “Come on, Artie, let’s leave her to her work. Let’s catch up

left the room, but she couldn’t help wondering why

the black lace negligée from the very top of the pile of clothes. The fabric, or rather the lack thereof, had her stumped. Miss Jennings might as well be naked in this! Who’s she going to wear this for? Arthur? Does he have

idea how to operate a clothing iron. Her parents had raised her like a princess all her life, and they had never once let her go near house chores, much less do

down on these menial household tasks, which were not so much menial to her

listened to Emily prattle on about the latest details of her undoubtedly jet-setting lifestyle. She stopped talking at some point when she realized that he seemed miles away, then asked dejectedly, “Is

not!” He looked at her with narrowed eyes. He knew exactly why Martha had asked Emily to come here. Knowing the old lady, she

to see me?” Emily accused, biting down on

I was just thinking about something else, that’s all.” He had only just said this when

“Ow!”

Arthur rose from the couch and headed up the stairs with Emily in his wake. When they reached the guest room, they saw Sophia standing by

reached out to grab her hand and immediately saw the

myself earlier. I’ll be fine,” Sophia said. She had instinctively cried out in alarm when she made contact with the hot iron, but she didn’t

away from Arthur, but he tightened his grip on her and led her to the bathroom, then turned on the tap to run her red, angry palm under cold water. While doing so, he

Emily’s heart leaped to her throat when she saw this scene. She remembered how much Arthur hated physical

closer to him and whispered in retort, “It’s not my fault I’ve never

did not continue berating her. After turning off the tap water and drying her hand, they walked out of the bathroom together. Then, he glanced at Emily and said, “Have your maids do the ironing, Emily. I’m afraid Sophia’s a little too clumsy for

don’t you just fire her?” Emily assessed Sophia belittingly and added, “We can’t pay someone who doesn’t do

to say she wasn’t insulted. Arthur, however, defended her, “It doesn’t matter. I’m used to having her around

how determined he

so make me a cup of coffee,” she ordered Sophia furiously. “Prove yourself

usually got her coffee from a local barista or any other cafe. Right

he saw the despair in her wide doe eyes, he repressed the urge to sigh in frustration. She can’t iron, and she can’t make coffee. Is there anything she knows how to do other than talk back

after glaring at Sophia. “I’ll send someone out to

tea? Surely, she can bring me tea.” She was trying to gauge how important this so-called maid was to Arthur, and there was no hiding the

hate her too. That way, if he decides to keep her, I can order her around as

she had to nip this in the bud before she ended up losing Arthur to

Sophia bustled off into the kitchen to make tea, which, thankfully, was something she knew how

had made the tea and brought the tray over to the couch, but just as she was setting down

immediately unhappy when she noticed that Sophia was wearing a nice dress, not to mention, looking really good

over to Arthur as she said slowly, “I’ve only started work a month ago, so I don’t have a

I shall get one ready for you,” Emily declared with a

need for that,” Arthur interjected. “Honestly, I find uniforms to be a stuffy

to warrant such concern from Arthur, who was famed for being stoic,

that her life here wasn’t going to be all rainbows and butterflies now that Emily had moved in. That woman’s a jealous one, she thought grimly. Still, she

to cry out in exasperation. Of all the people she could have a score to settle with, it just had to be an eccentric jerk like

desperate to design the perfect jewelry for her friend’s engagement and that she was wondering if she

not reject her plea for help and invited her over to the

porch of Elliot’s villa. She walked through the front door and into the living room, whereupon she

“Mrs. Presgrave.”

Mrs. Presgrave sounds too formal,” Anastasia

wanting to address you by your first name since the first time we met, but I didn’t want to offend you,” Lorelai

name when it’s just the both of us,” Anastasia said with a smile. She then proceeded to appraise Lorelai’s get-up today. The latter was dressed appropriately in an outfit that included dark academia elements with just an understated, feminine appeal. She was

and giving it a

don’t have much time usually,

that needed to be smoothed over and suggested several ways Lorelai could achieve it. The latter nodded delightedly and said, “You really are a

and shared a few insider’s tricks with Lorelai, Anastasia didn’t even notice that an hour had passed until she checked the time and saw that it was already 5.30 pm. She thereafter rose to have the kitchen prepare dinner, but just as she was about to invite Lorelai to stay, the girl shook her head and said she had to

but I have something planned for tonight and I should go,”

late, and Elliot will be home soon.

you to offer, but I couldn’t impose, not tonight at least. Dinner’s on me next time, okay?” Lorelai

see you some other day.” Anastasia walked with her out the door and to

small wave and

Returning the wave, Anastasia watched as the car pulled out of the porch and out the

cast over the garden, coating it

stood outside. She did not go back into the

the little boy pulled up outside the house but did not drive in. Jared leaped out of one of the cars and dashed through the gates. He ran up to

she answered

beamed and held her hand while exclaiming, “I love you

too.” She reached out to ruffle his hair,

room and saw the kitten darting back and forth on the couch, he quickly set his bag aside and began

black Bugatti sports car drove and parked on the car porch. The soft purr of the car engine indicated

When she saw Elliot walking up to her with his silhouette outlined by the twilight glow, she set her book down and ran to meet him

dearly after not seeing

her just as she threw herself into his embrace like a child. He lifted her up by the waist and twirled her once, then set her back down. “Missed me?” he asked teasingly. There was a warm and gentle gleam in his eyes as he kissed her forehead

as

demanded as he approached the loving couple

pick up the little guy, then kissed him on the cheek lovingly.

bet!” Jared replied

saw that everyone else

Elliot reached out to pat its soft, furry head and asked, “You’re not angling for a kiss too, are

once more as

he continued scratching the cat behind its ears to placate it. There was a serenity in the way the family of three and their cat hung out with each other under the evening sky. For a while, it was as if

with Anastasia. Upon hearing the details, Kendra said on the other line, “You did

house during the late afternoon and left before dinner time just so the latter wouldn’t think she was trying to butt into her family affairs. The clever planning would help

there was an ambitious glimmer in Lorelai’s eyes as she said, “By the way. Mom, I’ve already sent in

father said not to rush the plan, remember? After all, Elliot is still in his honeymoon phase with Anastasia. You ought to wait until she’s

only doing this to gauge Elliot’s feelings for me, that’s all,” Lorelai explained. It was like playing chess, and every move she made along the way was intentional with a purpose behind

pace yourself and don’t muck up our

Mom. I’ll be careful,”

to see the kitten clambering onto the couch, its claws digging into the fabric as

you be with

reward, it staked out a corner and

in dressed in his lounge suit. He had only just wrapped up an online conference with international affiliates, and there was an imperial, decisive, and deadly air

moments like these. It was

side that lay on

and

what will you do after

and gave her