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.”

eyes were like a tempestuous ocean. He looked torn, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and shot her a warning glare. “Do not even think about leaving

a romance novel? He had no right to order her to stay in such a roguish manner, she thought. She was only his maid, after all, and not his

she retorted, “I wasn’t planning

It seems like there is still a long

come to a stop on the tarmac, and an elegantly-dressed young lady was presently being escorted

walked out of the airport and put a hand up to block out the blazing afternoon sun.

we’ve already contacted Young Master Weiss’ bodyguards, and they have sent us an

said. She couldn’t wait to see

three cabs pulled up outside Arthur’s newly-bought villa, and an entourage came out of the idling cars. The girl leading the entourage through the front

her mind as soon as she walked past the threshold, but she met eyes with a young lady instead. Astonished,

herself politely, appraising the other girl with the expensive clothes and deciding that she most definitely ran

her eyes, but when she saw Arthur coming down the stairs, she broke into a dazzling grin and called out

friendliness and greeted,

grabbed his arm

he denied

over at Sophia who still stood by

care of

Emily was without a

eyes gleamed diabolically at the sight of this, and she quickly said to them, “You girls must be tired. Go and

were used to waiting on her, and upon hearing this, they immediately sensed that she was up

she said imperiously, “You there! Help

a double take when she saw

the sight of Sophia’s dazed expression, Emily snapped impatiently, “You’re a maid, aren’t

so she quickly answered,

to 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 two maids

her arms as she watched Sophia struggle to lift the bags. “Be careful with those. I have tons of valuable stuff

way of lifting them. Panting, she said, “Miss Jennings,

help these days, it seems,” Emily mocked with a cruel

the living room to aid her. “A little help please,

duty, you little—” Before Emily could continue the rest of her scolding, Arthur brushed past her to the stairwell and grabbed the two

lent the maid a helping hand by carrying the bags up the stairs. It was the most bizarre thing she had ever witnessed. We’re talking about the young master of

much to her surprise, he had brought the bags

into Emily’s designated room either, and when she got to the top of the stairs, she quickly

Artie,” Emily interjected, then grabbed his hand to inspect his palm with a pained expression. “I would have asked

the skin was

said dismissively as he pulled away from

can you be? I cannot believe you had your master do your work for you. You’re fired! Go, get out of our sights!” Emily barked commandingly at Sophia, terminating her services right

as she asked, “Really? I

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

Master Weiss. Remember how

scoffed, rendered speechless by

word, are you, Young Master Weiss?

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

Sophia nodded earnestly and said 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

was at a loss for

in these bags ironed and hung in the wardrobe, and I mean every single piece of clothing, got it? If I

“Come on, Artie, let’s leave her to her work. Let’s catch up on all

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

for a full three seconds. Then, she picked up the black lace negligée from the very top of the pile of clothes. The fabric, or rather

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

hunker down on these menial

looked distracted as he 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 my presence here

narrowed eyes. He knew exactly why Martha had asked Emily to come here. Knowing the old lady, she

like you aren’t happy to see

that’s all.” He had only just said this when

“Ow!”

When they reached the guest room,

to grab her hand and immediately saw

accidentally burned 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

turned on the tap to run her red, angry palm under cold water. While doing so, he chided, “You

Emily’s heart leaped to her throat when she saw this scene. She remembered how much Arthur hated physical contact, but here he was

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

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

she’s so clumsy, why don’t you just fire her?” Emily assessed Sophia belittingly and added, “We

however, defended her, “It doesn’t matter. I’m used to having

was surprised by how

ride here, so make me a cup of coffee,” she ordered Sophia furiously. “Prove yourself to be useful, why

coffee was one of the many things Sophia did not know how to do. She usually got her coffee from a local barista or any other cafe. Right now, she tossed

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 to

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

how important this so-called maid was to Arthur, and there was no hiding the fact that Emily hated Sophia’s guts. Hence, the former was currently thinking of ways to get rid of the latter and eradicate any good impression Sophia might have

to make Artie hate her too. That way, if he decides to keep her,

had to nip this in the bud before

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

the tray over to the couch, but just as she was setting down the cups on the coffee table, Emily asked, “You’re a maid,

wearing a nice dress, not to mention,

only started work a month ago, so

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

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

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

Weiss,” Sophia said, then backed out of the living room. She had a feeling 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 would not have to suffer like this if she could find that

possibly be? She wanted to cry out in exasperation. Of all the people she could have a score to settle with, it just

over at the Presgraves’, Anastasia received a call from Lorelai that morning. Lorelai told Anastasia that she was 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

drove into the car porch of Elliot’s villa. She walked through the front door and into the living room, whereupon she was greeted by Anastasia, who looked like a

“Mrs. Presgrave.”

Presgrave sounds too

name since the first time we met, but I didn’t want to offend you,” Lorelai explained. With a self-mocking smile,

fine. You can call me by my 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

sketch from Lorelai and giving it a cursory look, Anastasia praised, “There’s definitely

sudden inspiration, I guess,” Lorelai said humbly, laughing. “I don’t

design that needed to be smoothed over and suggested several ways Lorelai could achieve it. The latter

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

planned for tonight and I should go,” Lorelai explained, gathering her things as she got

Elliot will be home soon. Come on, stay

of you to offer, but I couldn’t impose, not tonight at

some other day.” Anastasia walked with her out

a small wave and said, “Thanks for today.

safe.” Returning the wave, Anastasia watched as the car pulled out of the porch and out the front

over the

as she stood outside. She did not go back into the living room. Instead, she glanced at the watch on

of the cars and dashed through the gates. He ran up to Anastasia when he saw her and asked happily,

she answered with an affectionate

beamed and held her hand while exclaiming, “I

ruffle his hair,

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

Bugatti sports car drove and parked on the car

lawn right outside the living room while Jared was playing with the cat. When she saw Elliot walking up to her with his silhouette outlined by the

had missed him dearly after not seeing him for the

she threw herself into his embrace like a child. He lifted her up by the waist and twirled her

smiling as she

Jared demanded as he approached the loving

up the little guy, then kissed him on the cheek lovingly. “Did you have fun at school today,

Jared replied

looked decidedly unhappy when it saw that everyone else had received Elliot’s affection.

to pat its soft, furry head

once more as if to answer in the

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 the world was at

told her what happened with Anastasia. Upon hearing the details, Kendra said on the other line, “You did the right thing, Lorelai.

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 Lorelai make a good impression on Anastasia, who would then put her

said, “By the

the plan, remember? After all, Elliot is still in his honeymoon phase with Anastasia. You ought to wait until she’s got a second kid on the

I’m only doing this to gauge Elliot’s feelings for me, that’s all,” Lorelai explained. It was like playing chess, and every move she

pace yourself and don’t

Mom. I’ll be

ready for bed, only to see the kitten clambering onto the couch, its claws digging into the fabric as it launched itself onto the padded cushion. It let out a soft mewl as

to the side and asked in amusement, “Shouldn’t you be

it staked out

bedroom door opened and Elliot walked in dressed in his lounge suit. He had only just wrapped up an online conference with international affiliates, and

wore suits, and she couldn’t help the primal urges that seized her during moments like these. It

the hidden side of him, the side that lay on the other end of the spectrum

and murmured as he undid the

and asked innocently, “And what will you do

gave her