Never Too Far Novel

Connor finally came home at 1.00AM. He was shocked when he found Olivia awake, and he asked with a guilty conscience, “Why are you still up?”

“And why are you back at this time?”

“I was drinking and chatting with Carter! I would need to get a picture of his project that I invested in,” he lied. As Olivia was clueless about investments, she took his word for it. At this point, they did not have common topics of conversation despite sharing the same bed.

…

Ellen woke up early in the morning. She visited the flower shop nearby to pick a bouquet of flowers and some decorations for the grave visit. When she was done, she received a call from Jared telling her that he was on his way to pick her up.

At 8.30AM, a black SUV stopped at the entrance to her neighborhood. She hopped into his car, and they took off in the direction of the graveyard with bodyguard vans in tow.

The graveyard was far away in the outskirts and it would take them three hours for a roundtrip. Ellen had a heavy heart on her brother’s death anniversary because she had gradually lost her memory of his appearance, but what stayed with her was his love and protection.

“What’s his name?” Jared asked tenderly.

“Kevin. He passed away when I was seven. I was too young to understand it and did not even say my final farewell,” she explained with a guilty look.

“How did he pass?”

“Brain cancer. End-stage brain cancer. It was too late to treat it.” Her eyes were misty as she recalled the unjust fate that befell her family. First, her parents passed away when she was young, and then, her only older brother could not grow healthily.

Jared felt sorry for her and gave her a sympathetic look. He had never seen anyone with a more miserable fate than Ellen. It seemed that everyone she loved had left her.

“I will be by your side from now on,” he comforted her.

She glanced at him gratefully. “Okay!”

Then, she added, “The last time I saw him was on the burial day. I held onto his urn. It was raining, and I refused to leave the grave. My uncle had to forcefully drag me away.” She vividly recalled the scene from years ago, which she would revisit every year when she visited Kevin’s grave. Each time, she lacked the strength to face his death. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became.

While they waited at the lights, Jared reached out and patted her softly on the shoulder. He also put on some light music to distract her from the painful memories.

He did not know that Kevin was his heart donor because his parents made all the arrangements on his behalf. Moreover, his parents kept the details from him because they didn’t want him to shoulder the burden of knowledge.

Still, the heart donation was a medical miracle, for Jared’s body accepted Kevin’s heart without any complications, as though the two entities were one. Kevin’s heart received a second life in his body.

Due to the smooth process, Jared was not exposed to more information about the heart donor. Plus, he was only ten years old when the accident happened, and the near-death experience greatly affected him, to the point that he wallowed in the trauma for a long time. At this moment, the mention of Kevin did not raise any suspicion.

At the graveyard, they walked all the way to the middle of the hill. Ellen found herself by a grave in a corner overgrown with weeds. She placed the stuff in her hands on the ground and started pulling out the weeds. Similarly, Jared did not care that he was dressed in a luxurious suit and helped her to clean the site.

He glanced at the name on the headstone but did not find any photo of the deceased. The grave was minimalist in design, and even the headstone was a simple rectangular slab that appeared rather miserable and lonely.

“Ouch!” When Ellen was pulling out a bunch of weed with sharp edges, she accidentally cut her finger, after which blood started oozing from the wound.

Jared immediately hurried over and started bandaging her finger with a napkin. “Take a rest at the side. I’ll pull the weeds.”

Ellen shook her head and insisted, “I don’t need rest. I can do this.”

Jared disagreed, “If your brother knew that you are tiring yourself with that injury, he’d feel bad. Take a seat and let me do it.” He sounded authoritative in his last sentence.

Dazed, she stood aside and pressed against her bleeding finger as she watched him work on the weeds. Although he had never done anything similar since a young age, he wrapped up the chore perfectly. Soon, the grave was clear of weeds.

The bleeding on Ellen’s fingers had stopped. She placed the bouquet in front of Kevin’s headstone and took out a wooden box. She lit up some candles and lay out the decorations in front of the headstone.

Jared was looking at her when he felt a dull pain in his chest. He reached out and pressed against it lightly—the pitiful sight of Ellen made his heart ache.

Thanks to Jared’s company, Ellen did not spend too much time cleaning the grave. After the visit, she went down the hill with Jared. At the foot of the hill, he grabbed a first-aid kit from the SUV trunk and disinfected her wound again.

To ease things for her, he lifted her and seated her in the trunk. She sat there and received his help with the dressing. The bodyguards in the vans nearby did not come down to disturb Jared, as no one wanted to ruin the perfect atmosphere.

When Jared was done bandaging Ellen’s wounds, he brought her downtown where they had lunch. After that, they went to a pet store. He had decided to buy her a cat as a companion after sensing her loneliness on that day.

Ellen had always wanted a cat since she was a child, but she could not raise one because of her living arrangement. Now that she had the time and space for a cat, she would love to have one.

Jared allowed her to pick her pet, and she selected a Ragdoll. To her surprise, she learned that the tiny cat was priced at 9 thousand dollars. Holding the cat, she was dumbfounded at the price, but Jared paid for it without hesitation. Not only that, he bought all the accessories and food for the cat.

Ellen went home with her new pet that day, and Jared followed along to help. The presence of the cat was healing for her, and she could not let go of it when she reached home.

A childlike Ellen had been giving all her attention to the pet, causing a certain someone to feel neglected and upset. When the cat ran up to Jared, he scooped it into his arms and successfully got Ellen to come into his embrace.

He caressed the back of her head, and his hand traveled down to her waist. She was too focused on playing with the cat and did not notice his advances. He gulped and kissed her on the cheek, making her blush.

Smiling, he muttered, “Are you picking the cat over your boyfriend now?”

She realized that she had neglected him, for she did not even offer him a glass of water after he arrived. She smiled at him and said, “I’ll get you some water.”

“Iced water,” he clarified. Without iced water, it would be hard for him to put out the fire that was burning in him.

She grabbed a bottle of iced water from the ice box. At that moment, the cat started meowing for help from Jared’s arms, seemingly out of fear. She put down the bottle and went over to “save” her cat.

Dressed in a black suit, Jared looked imposing despite his young age. It was not surprising that even pets would be scared of the vibe that emanated from him.

“Alright now. Take good care of your cat. I’ll need to drop by the office.” He stood up with the bottled water in hand. She sent him to the entrance with the cat in her arms. There, he suddenly rubbed the cat’s head and said, “Okay now. Daddy’s leaving! Have fun with your mommy!”

Ellen’s face turned as red as a tomato at the suggestive titles. He was pleased to see her shy expression and left her place with a satisfied smile on his face.

…

Connor received a call when he was at home. He was informed that the project he invested 700 hundred thousand into had suffered great losses, and it was impossible to recoup his money. Those were the only liquid assets he owned.

“What? Did all my money go down the drain?” He almost had a heart attack from anger after hearing the news.

Olivia hurried out of the kitchen with a pale face as she fumed, “Did you lose the 700 thousand?”

Connor was not an expert in investment after all. He slumped on the couch, shaking from head to toe, and refused to listen to any explanation from the caller.

“Didn’t I tell you to save your money? Why did you have to invest? Look at what we have left now? We’re going to sleep on the streets,” she reprimanded him.

“Shut up.” His male ego hurt, and he bellowed at her.

Olivia’s mind went blank, and she yelled back at him, “How dare you raise your voice at me?”

In the next instant, Connor grabbed his car keys and left the house. Still puffing from anger, Olivia grabbed her jewelry, including the huge diamond ring, in an attempt to sell them off.

She arrived at the consignment store and waited for the employee’s valuation. The employee merely smiled and returned the ring to her upon first glance. “Madam, we do not accept high-grade counterfeit items.”

“What? What do you mean? This is a genuine diamond ring,” Olivia fired back, looking down at the employee whom she assumed to be ignorant.

“A high-carat diamond ring will come with international certification. Yours is a common Moissanite diamond ring, which isn’t worth much.”

“How much is the market price?”

“You can get it for around 1,000 to 3,000 on the market.”

Olivia’s face turned red in shame and humiliation. She had never thought that his husband would deceive her with a counterfeit item. His profession of love turned into a joke.

She left the store in low spirits. Feeling uncontrollably angry and increasingly spiteful of her husband, who failed in his investments and lied to her about the diamond ring, she dialed his number.

“Hello?” Connor picked up the call, feeling upset.

a fake diamond ring for my birthday! And you had the guts to tell me that it’s worth 75 thousand! You immoral jerk!” she

the mood to engage with her, and he promptly hung up on her. She

he was in a bad mood, he would get solace from Aida, and he

Selena to tell her about Connor’s failed

angry as well. It’d be better if Connor could give her the money! She asked, “Mom,

only liquid asset we have right now! Even our house is mortgaged! Your dad also took out a car loan. We almost spent all the 15 million we have over the years. I wonder where all the

dad definitely spent a lot on his mistress and their son. He must have spent a

what do we do? Are we going

help from the Presgraves. If your dad is willing to put aside his ego and ask for help

pleasantly surprised. “You think? Mom, how much

on how thick-skinned your dad is. I think we can at least get another 15 million from them!” Olivia claimed confidently, thinking that the

We won’t run out of money then.” Selena’s worries were gone in a second as she daydreamed about the amount she could

Gosh, not only has he used up the money, but

eye on Dad’s money. I’m worried that

he keeping a woman?” Olivia asked, but Selena did not want to divulge. At that moment, she needed her family to unite and get the money from the Presgraves. Instead, she said to Olivia, “Oh, I’m just saying. You shouldn’t overthink. Why don’t you

him about it at home tonight.” Olivia put aside their couple arguments, for she

down. He looked at the young son by his side. I am fifty years old, and my son is only six. The huge age gap worried him. The son was the hope of the Aguirre Family, and Connor vowed to be with the kid until he was all grown up. Because of that, he needed to

his money from a wealthy family. Although she did not know what favor Connor had performed for the said family, she believed that he could ask for more, considering that the family

money. You can get more money by asking, right?” Aida badly wanted him to get another huge sum of wealth and give her a piece of the pie. Over the years,

the same thought as well. Given the huge gratitude the Presgraves had shown him, he believed that they would give

son. Hearing that, Aida happily wrapped her

patted her comfortingly.

he forgot that he should have shared part of the money with someone else—Kevin’s closest sister, Ellen. It did not cross

…

as boring as before. The cuteness of the pet melted her heart, and

referred to them as the “Mommy” and “Daddy” of the cat, a

she had been busy playing with the cat, she did not notice that her phone was out of battery. She fell into a deep sleep as her phone shut

of having dinner with Ellen. He called her number, but all he heard was a mechanical female voice. “Sorry, the number

sensed a bad omen. Why

features were clouded with worry, and he became more irritated as time went on. He made a

got in his car and

lovely girl, who was all alone, worried him to no end. What if

of the street. Anyone looking at the car might wonder who the car owner was anxious to

but wonder about the girl that had commanded such care and attention from the car owner. Meanwhile, the girl in question was sound asleep, and she did not

same time, a figure who hurried into her neighborhood pressed urgently on the elevator button. When he arrived in front of the door, he was panting hard from the rush on his way here out of worry for

home?” Jared banged on her door without a care for the neighbors at that moment.

someone banging on her door in

she saw Jared. She opened the door for him and looked at his

He sighed softly and

lost. He appeared to have suffered from a great shock, judging from

go of her and held her by the shoulders. “Why is your phone

turned off?” She rubbed her eyes. “I just

misunderstood the situation. It was his first time overthinking and

her phone was indeed dead. “I’m sorry. My phone is off. I probably took too many photos of the cat. That’s why the phone shut down when

your phone on at all times.” His heart had been pumping wildly

I will not turn off my phone, and I will keep an eye on the battery level every day.” She raised her hand and swore. Meanwhile, the cat had climbed onto Jared’s shoes and was purring at him. He

shook her head. “Not really. I

lay on her couch and checked out the cat in his arms. Its features

itself against him and rudely peed on

his clothes and reaching his skin. Thankfully, he did not throw the cat out of shock. Ellen rushed over to check

but amused, he laughed along. “This little

Ellen looked up and witnessed him taking off his

on him. Gosh! How could he take off his shirt just like

a shower?” she

“I am.”

you at my place!” she reminded

He made a call to Stanley and gave his orders. Half-naked, he narrowed his eyes at her. “Why? Is my

blushed when she heard his words. You are attractive! I just

that,” she mumbled. From her swift glance just

a few more looks when you have the chance? Do you think I show my body every day to others?” he poked fun at her, and she giggled.

into the attached bathroom in her bedroom half-naked. She blushed embarrassedly again when she realized that he was using her bathroom,

minutes later, she heard the doorbell ringing, and she opened the door with the cat in

Reiss, here are some clothes for Mr.

Sure. I’ll hand it to him, do you want to come in?” She smiled at him. He quickly waved at her and said, “No, no.

that, he left Ellen’s place hurriedly. Interrupting the date between Mr. Presgrave and

hands. Her eyes widened again at the sight of Jared wading out with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Water was dripping from his hair. Droplets clung

handed him the bag with clothes as her

His back muscles were a work of art—his

the sight of a man’s half-naked body, which was a first for her. Even though she watched enough half-naked men in movies, seeing one in

Soon, she heard his footsteps from behind. Turning around, she saw him emerge from her room in a casual outfit, looking clean

to dinner,” he said, feeling hungry. She let go of the cat and followed

trouble when he arrived home. Not only

Have

experiencing the warmth and care of his mistress, he was increasingly annoyed by

no longer hung up on the failed investment but added, “We are running low on cash! We still need

was hinting at. He lit a cigarette and drew on it before saying, “I will meet with Young Master Jared tomorrow and try to get some

it through. She sat down beside him happily and agreed, “Yes. Yes. I have the same thoughts. His family is wealthy. They

I can bring this up! You shouldn’t go and meet them. You might

that she had left a bad impression on Jared earlier. Moreover,

would we do without the money? It’s hard for me to get a job at this age, and

comfortably, he could not stand the idea of working any job anymore. His only aspiration was

if they ran out of money, they wouldn’t be able to return to

was easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but

tomorrow! I’ll see what I can

about the fact that Ellen is working there? You must request to meet Young Master Jared outside and not inform him that Kevin is Ellen’s brother,”

wife was correct. “All right, then I’ll invite him out to

who his heart donor is, tell him Kevin is your illegitimate son. Don’t tell him he’s your sister’s son. Kevin will be considered one of us in

Kevin? Olivia’s suggestion is superb.

and turned, unable to sleep. He was considering how to approach Young Master Jared,

a wealthy man would take kindness for granted. What if he refuses to give me

come up with some plausible justifications. He had already made up excuses such as being duped by friends and family. Furthermore, he would say that his family’s financial situation had deteriorated, so

difficult it was for them to decide to donate Kevin’s heart following extubation. Young Master Jared must

complete his task, and he fell asleep in a trance at 4.00AM. During his sleep, he dreamed of a bloody Kevin appearing, which made Connor collapse in front of Kevin and cried, “Stay where you are, you

the money? Why?” Kevin asked, his

Connor shoved Kevin away, saying, “You are already dead. Why do

still had the advantage of seniority. He then said to Kevin, who continued

didn’t you split the money with my sister? Why?” Kevin

she’s not short of

his dream when Kevin roared and

drenched in a cold sweat and panting

gradually faded. He got to his feet, lit a cigarette, and headed to the balcony for a smoke. Kevin’s questioning flooded Connor’s

turning

had been engulfed by greed. He was just concerned with making enough money to live a comfortable life, but he was so stingy that he

plagued by an unspoken fear: running out of

for my son? What will happen

dying poor and having nothing, so I must get a massive sum of

pretty, she can get married easily in the future. She will have a wonderful husband to look after her. Furthermore, she is in college now and can support herself. She won’t be starving or short on cash because she has the relocation

reason, I will not give Ellen a penny after

him as she put it on for him, “Connor, our family is counting on you to speak up. We will be too shy to ask for

no more than that. They might reject us,”

delays if they are willing to give the money. As long as

about the money being given on the spot. She had

after living a magnificent life for the previous ten years, he now had to kneel and beg for money,