Never Too Far Novel

Jared backed Ellen up, saying, “Ellen, I’ll provide you with the best attorney.”

Olivia panicked; she thought Jared was poking his nose into this too much. “Young Master Jared, this is a matter within our family, so please stay out of this.”

“Ellen can have you all sentenced to jail just for illegally keeping the compensation payment for yourselves,” Jared replied frostily.

Connor, who had been looking on, finally looked up in distress, saying, “That’s enough, Oli! Just shut up. We’re indebted to Ellie in the first place, so we’ll compensate her for that. We’ll sell our house and our cars to make up 7.5 million for you as soon as possible.”

“What? Connor, what nonsense are you talking about?! How could we afford to pay it back?!” Olivia was taken aback. She had no desire to sell the house or their cars, as she felt comfortable living here!

“Dad, what are you talking about?!” Selena was shocked, too. Is Ellen trying to tear our home apart? How are we supposed to raise 7.5 million with this house of ours? “Don’t go too far, Ellen!” she threatened while suddenly charging toward Ellen.

Connor pulled Ellen into his arms before warning in a cold voice, “Stay away from her!”

Ellen’s attractive eyes were fixed on Selena. She said coldly, “You guys are the ones who’ve gone too far.”

Selena replied, “You’re demanding 7.5 million from us! This house is the only valuable thing we have now, and there’s still a mortgage on it! Ellen, are you trying to leave us with nothing to our name?” She was clear about the value of her family’s property. Indeed, her family could raise 7.5 million with all of their money, but they would have nothing to eat if they were to give all the money to Ellen!

Olivia also nearly passed out in anger. She walked up to Connor, saying, “Connor, I object to this! I won’t agree to sell our house.”

It went without saying that Connor didn’t want to sell the house either. However, with Jared backing Ellen up, perhaps he would really have to go to jail for what he had done over these years. He would rather go from riches to rags than go to jail to soothe Ellen’s anger. “Ellie, can you please give me some time? I’ll definitely make up 7.5 million for you,” he said to Ellen.

Seeing that he had promised her so, Ellen decided to trust him this time. She gritted her teeth, saying, “Fine, I’ll give you some time, but I must get no less than 7.5 million.” Then, she turned to Jared. “Let’s go!”

Jared also didn’t want to stay in front of this family any longer. He led Ellen by the hand out of the house, but Olivia immediately came out after them. She pleaded with an imploring look, “Ellie! Wait, Ellie! We can still talk this over! You can move in with us; we’ll be nice to you in the future.”

“Ellen doesn’t lack a place to stay. She’s staying with me from now on,” Jared replied flatly.

Olivia replied, “Young Master Jared, we did you kindness in saving your life back then. Can’t you let us off for the sake of this? You’re so loaded, after all. Surely it wouldn’t be a problem for you to give her another 15 million as compensation?” Isn’t Ellen just asking for money? She could’ve demanded money from Jared as she pleases! Why does she have to demand money from us?

Ellen replied, “As I said, what I want isn’t money, but justice.” She was seething with hatred. Looking at Olivia, she couldn’t help but recall how she had greedily asked for money.

“Ellen, what are you talking about? We’re a family. What kind of justice are you seeking?” Olivia really thought Ellen was being unreasonable. All we did was not give her a share of the money, no? Does she have to strip us of every penny for that?

At this moment, Selena came out as well. Seeing that her mother was still pestering Ellen, she had no choice but to brazen it out and said, “Ellen, can you let our family off for the sake that we’re cousins?”

Jared actually feared that Ellen would be softened up.

Luckily, Ellen wasn’t softened up at all. Looking at the mother and daughter, she recalled the injustices she had suffered over these years, including how they had shown off in front of her and turned up their noses at her while spending her brother’s money, as well as how they had treated her and Jessica with indifference while living in a fancy house and driving luxury cars when she and Jessica were in the most difficult time of their lives. “No, I can’t. I’d rather not have relatives like you guys, and there’s no way I’d let you guys off either,” she replied frostily without mercy or sympathy.

Olivia and Selena were both foaming at the mouth as they watched Jared and Ellen enter the elevator. Finally, Olivia couldn’t help but swear, “That little b*tch!”

Selena dragged her home. “Mom, we have to hurry and talk Dad out of selling the house! It’s our family’s most valuable property!”

Connor sat on the couch with his head in his hands while sinking into guilt and remorse. It was Olivia who had called the shots on many things over the years. He wasn’t heartless from the start; he had wanted to give Jessica and Ellen several thousand every year, but Olivia had stopped him from doing so. As this happened again and again every year, he slowly turned into a heartless man.

“Connor, don’t you ever sell the house! Lena and I won’t agree to this!” Olivia yelled at him as soon as she returned home.

Selena decided to let her parents refuse to pay the money as Connor had promised. “Dad, Mom is right. We’re not selling the house. We’ll see what Ellen can do about us.”

Connor replied, “If we don’t sell the house, I’ll have to go to jail! Would you rather sell the house or let me go to jail?”

Olivia continued to behave like a shrew. “Ellen wouldn’t dare to do that! If she dares to send you to jail, she’ll be an ingrate! You’re her uncle, after all. We’ll wear her down.”

Suddenly, Connor growled at her, “Olivia, had you not egged me on over these years, would Ellie have hated us so much? Would she hate us so much if we had given her a few thousand every year?” He blamed his wife, saying, “It was all your fault! You were insatiable! You are the reason for all of this!”

Olivia was instantly speechless for a moment; little did she think her husband would throw accusations at her. “You could’ve given her the money if you wanted! You didn’t give her the money just because of the few words I said, huh? Doesn’t that mean you weren’t willing to give her the money as well?” She would never admit her mistakes. Whenever something wrong happened, she would always pass the buck to others.

“You… How could you…” Connor trembled all over with anger. Flying into a rage, he jumped on Olivia, raised his hand, and slapped her hard across the face.

Olivia was stunned; never did she think her husband would hit out so hard at her. Not only did her cheek turn numb from the slap, but she even tasted blood in her mouth.

“Aah! Mom!” Selena was frightened to see her father hitting her mother. She quickly stopped Connor, saying, “Dad, stop hitting Mom!”

“She deserves this! Look how I’m gonna beat her to death!” Connor was mad with rage. At this very moment, he even felt the urge to kill Olivia.

Olivia burst into tears. She yelled, “Come at me if you have the nerve! If you dare to beat me to death, you’ll have to go to jail for the rest of your life!” Overwhelmed with rage, she wanted to slap Connor back in return, so she reached out and throttled him.

Selena tried to dissuade them from fighting, but Connor shoved her away.

In an instant, the husband and wife got into a scuffle.

Selena was terrified as she watched her parents fight one another. Tears rolled down her cheeks; inwardly, she hated Ellen’s guts. What has become of my originally happy family now? My parents were so devoted to each other before, but they’ve turned against each other now. It’s all thanks to Ellen! All of this is her fault! “Stop fighting! Stop fighting, both of you!” She rushed over in an attempt to pull Olivia away.

However, Olivia yelled at her, “Don’t get in my way, you little brat!”

In the end, someone swung a punch at Selena’s face, causing her to let out a cry of pain.

Only then did the husband and wife stop to look at Selena. Clapping her hand over her face, which was red from being punched, she looked at them resentfully, saying, “I hate both of you!” With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out the door.

Only then did Connor and Olivia come to their senses a little. They looked at each other, their resentment toward each other lingering.

“I’d never sell the house no matter what,” Olivia uttered through clenched teeth.

“We have to sell it even if you don’t want to,” Connor replied with determination.

Compared to the bedlam in the Aguirre Family, Ellen calmed down a lot as she sat in the passenger seat of Jared’s car at this very moment. It was just that she lapsed into complete silence. After going through so many things, she finally saw Connor and his family in their true colors. People are so unfathomable. Their interests turned them into a bunch of insatiable people, making them so unrecognizable that they’re no longer the people I remember.

Jared couldn’t help but look at her a few times with concern, fearing that she would really sink into depression out of anger. “Wanna grab something to eat?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then what are your plans after this?”

Ellen replied, “I’d like to buy a small house and settle down in a small home.” Her plans for the future were simple. If she managed to get the 7.5 million from Connor, she would be able to stay unemployed for a long time, during which time she could do whatever she liked.

“Which area do you prefer to buy a house in? I can go house-looking with you,” Jared immediately replied. Of course, he would buy the house for her, too. No matter where the house was located and how expensive it was, he would buy it for her as long as she liked it.

Ellen replied, “It’s not necessary. I can go house-looking myself.” She knew the man’s intentions. Although Connor and his family had kept the obvious gains for themselves, she wouldn’t ask the Presgraves to show her their gratitude. After all, the Presgraves had shown them enough gratitude.

“Ellen, I want to return your kindness. Just tell me if you want anything. I’ll satisfy you,” Jared replied frankly. Even if she didn’t bring this up, he would return her kindness from now on in every way possible.

“I don’t want anything.” Ellen shook her head while regretting what she had said to the man yesterday. She apologized, “I was too impulsive yesterday. I lost my mind after Selena suddenly said those things to me. Don’t take it to heart.”

“Why would I blame you for that? I’m the one who should apologize. I actually didn’t find out the donor’s identity for such a long time. Had I learned sooner that it was your brother, I would’ve shown you my gratitude already instead of tarrying until now. It was my fault for being stupid,” Jared replied remorsefully. This whole thing was my fault. I was too slow.

Ellen pursed her lips for a moment. Then, she shook her head, saying, “I wouldn’t blame you for that. Besides, I’m proud of my brother for saving your life.”

“Speaking of it, Ellen, it was magical that my heart pounded when I first laid eyes on you. It was like I was destined to get to know you. Do you still remember? You were carrying such a big garbage bag at the golf course that day. The instant I saw you, I felt that I couldn’t bear to see you like that,” Jared said.

surprise. “Is that so?

he believed that it must be the case. “It’s true. I think your late brother must be hoping that I can take care of you and protect you

words. I’m so lucky to get

to my place, anyway,” Jared said, making an excuse. He had insisted that Stanley take Ellen’s

“Well, then, I’ll bother you for a couple of days. Once I find a place to

her life. “Okay!” He was delighted. I’ll make use of this period to soften her up into letting me take care of her

his home. Even the scenery around them seemed to become wonderful

up for sale. The real estate agent told him that the houses in his neighborhood were in high demand and sold very well on the real estate market, so the house was valued at

with the remaining one million. However, the outstanding balance was about 1.7 million, which meant he would have to fork out another 700,000. Because of that, he decided to sell his car, too. This time, he was really going to sell everything they had. He didn’t even know where to get money for his family’s living expenses in

with it. Still, however reluctant she was, she had to take

ruin Connor and me. We might even get sentenced to jail for a few years longer once she files a suit against us. “Damn you, Ellen!” she cursed while crying. Now

the real estate agent called, saying that someone would like to check out their house. Connor hurriedly knocked on the door to Olivia’s room. Even though they had fought just now, they had to discuss what should be discussed. “Someone’s coming to view our house in a moment,

sell it,” Olivia replied

ignored her, though. “They’ll arrive

it, the couple was satisfied with the house at first glance. After hearing that the real estate agent would bring another group of prospective buyers here to look at the house tomorrow, the couple discussed it for a while and immediately

the house before they bargained with him over the price. In the end, they offered to buy the house at 70,000 higher than its selling price. Seeing that they sincerely wanted to buy the house and that he was in a hurry

stood aside in silence with a long face, while the

of here? We have to renovate the house immediately for my son’s wedding,” said

days after we get the money,”

settles it, then. We’ll pay the money in full tomorrow,” the buyer said

and refined husband next to her.

it

…

the

wardrobe. Just then, she heard someone’s footsteps. The next instant, the door to her room was pushed open, and Jared came in with

Little did she

just picked it up from the pet shop. Only when you’re here would we have time to keep it.” Jared placed the kitten in Ellen’s arms. Seeing the smile that appeared on her face when she saw the cat, he heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he went downstairs before returning with two large suitcases of clothes in his hands. As it turned out, he had someone go to Ellen’s previous apartment and pack up the clothes she had left there. Not only that, the clothes were all branded. “You should switch back to this cell phone.” He handed

burned slightly. These were the things that she had done yesterday

now on,” Jared

he had expected, kittens were experts at mood healing, for Ellen was already in

if the little kitten were to disappear somewhere. All Ellen did was tidy her room a little, yet the kitten in her room had gone missing in the blink of an eye. “Milkshake! Milkshake, where are you?” She had no choice but to set aside what she was doing to look for the cat. She feared that the cat might

Don’t tell me Milkshake has gone into Jared’s bedroom! It’ll be bad if it pees on his bed. She couldn’t

in the master bedroom. Ellen was only worried about one thing: she feared that Milkshake

“Meow!”

faint meow from under the curtains, Ellen was overjoyed. Turns out Milkshake really came in here. She immediately came to the curtains and pulled them back, getting behind the layers of sheer curtains to search for

absorbed in finding the cat, she didn’t notice at

steam coming off him stepped out from the inside with only a bath towel wrapped around his waist. Toweling his hair dry with his towel, he stepped onto the

from the curtains, which caused him to knit his brows instantly. Someone’s hiding behind my curtains? His nerves tautened at once; he

behind the curtains. The instant she pulled back the curtains, a fist came flying toward her face. Her eyes widened in fright, and the man also retracted his fist in shock when he saw that it was her. However, he lurched

the frightened young lady in his arms. In an instant, their

atmosphere was indescribably

go through with it. Since God had created such an opportunity for him, how could he

face reddened instantly. She quickly turned her face away; just then,

behind the curtains next time. I might hurt you by mistake,” Jared said, reminding her in a deep

missing before I realized that it entered your room and was h-hiding behind the curtains…” she explained with a stammer. Then, seeing that the man only had a bath towel wrapped around his waist, she immediately covered her face with her hands, saying,

a few steps back

Ellen peeped through her fingers at the man’s figure. This had to be the most perfect male figure she had ever seen. Jared wasn’t scarily beefy, nor was he lanky. Instead, he was slender

“Meow!”

immediately leaped to catch the kitten. However, Jared’s bed was too big, and the kitten immediately jumped to the

other side of the bed to stop the kitten, Jared soon

over and held the kitten in her arms. Feeling the man’s sturdy chest in close proximity, she went red in the face and dared not even take another

presence, especially when he had just taken a shower. Her presence simply ignited his flames of desire. “Go back to your room!” he said in a slightly

ran out with the kitten in her arms, thinking that she had to keep an eye

a certain part of his body, he bit his thin lip helplessly. The days ahead aren’t gonna be easy, I’m afraid. After all, I’m an adult man who’s already 26 years old, not a young adult who has

little bed; she dared not let

next morning, Ellen got out of bed and was startled to see a figure awaiting her outside the door. “Why did you

jogging with me?” Jared invited

happened, Ellen also wanted to exercise a bit. She replied with a nod, “Okay! Give me a minute while I get changed.” She changed into sportswear before changing into a pair of sports shoes as they went out. Then, she greeted the morning sun ‌with the man, breathing the fresh air on the hillside while jogging along a perfect jogging trail that stretched to the

in a thin layer of mist, the Central Business District nearby looked amazingly beautiful from here. Those high-rise buildings look just like geometrical figures from here, thought Ellen with wonder

sun cast a gentle glow on her face, making her look delicately attractive with a refreshing charm

to slow down and walk instead. Panting slightly, she

a strolling pace. “Let’s walk, then! We’ll walk to the top of the

get a picture of what the super-rich was like. Even such a

all the way to the top of the hill, she was already out of breath, but she felt very fulfilled. “Wow! It’s so beautiful!” she said with

stepped behind her. Before she realized what was happening, an arm gently wrapped itself around her waist. He leaned forward and rested his attractive chin lightly on her

quietly relaxed. She replied

at my house. I can come here and enjoy the scenery with you every day,” the man pleaded under

words were no different from a profession of love; however, having been through so many things, she was no longer impatient for an outcome.

too hard. She’s just been through so many things.

Jared then led her down the hill for

didn’t like to have servants at home, so he normally ate out for breakfast. However, he wondered if he should get a couple of servants for

pondered for a moment before suggesting, “Would you like to go

Jared smiled. “Of course.”

to the real estate agent together to sign the house purchase and sale agreement. The full payment was credited to Connor’s account before the real estate agent, who then accompanied Connor to the bank to pay

buyers were in a hurry to move in, so they gave Connor and his family three days to pack up their belongings and move out after paying in

bank account, Olivia, who was standing next to him, was so angry that her heart almost

see if she can let us keep some of the money for our living expenses? Don’t ask for a big amount; just ask her to let us keep about 750,000. What do you think?” she said to Connor. Our family will be reduced to starving if we give all 7.5 million

in Connor’s heart as he looked at the account balance shown on his phone. Indeed, we can talk to Ellen and ask her to let

tomorrow to give her the money and

the

young people. Many youngsters came in groups to watch it, and besides, its male protagonist was played by an actor whom Ellen had always liked, which made her especially look forward

smile couldn’t help but reach her beautiful sparkling eyes as she looked at the handsome lead actor on the poster. Unbeknownst to her, the man beside her was also looking at her and thus noticed the animated expression on her face. He

time, he was an unknown little actor; now he’s already one of the top celebrities!” Ellen said, introducing the actor as if she were very

face of the

concert when I was at college.” Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke of her idol, as though she were

he looked askance at the lead actor on the poster,

go rooting for him at his next concert. Not only that, I’ll get the upfront seat and

man beside her turned as black as thunder in an instant. He replied with a faint cough, “Okay! Take

him as well?” Ellen asked

speechless. “Uh-huh. You like him, so I like him too,

had been staring at Jared for a long time made some loud noises, with each of them trying to draw his attention in every way possible. They never expected to come across a super-handsome guy in the lounge area. Not only was he a

through their intentions. Only then did she look narrowly at the man beside her with mesmerizing eyes.

was announced that they could enter the theater by showing their movie tickets. Ellen

began shortly after they

box of popcorn in her arms when Jared reached over for it. At first, Ellen wanted to grab some popcorn, but she

his heart. However, just when he looked at her tenderly, he noticed that her eyes were fixed steadily on the silver screen, on which the lead actor’s youthful and upbeat appearance drew screams

Ellen was also drawn to the lead actor, who really looked like every lady’s perfect dreamboat in the movie. His smile was so therapeutic that

Does this lady like this

whole movie at all. Instead, he saw again and again how Ellen looked like when she was infatuated with another man. Her eyes even glistened with tears when the lead male protagonist got banished from his family by his parents at the end of the movie. Immersed completely in the plot of the movie, she

movie came to an end, Jared finally heaved a sigh of

the movie that there was an Easter egg. Ellen wanted to wait for it, but the man

Easter

a pause. She couldn’t help but break free of his grasp,

watching the movie?” Jared