Never Too Far Novel

Willow hugged her mother and smiled sweetly.

“Mom, did you know my future sister-in-law is the sister of the guy who donated his heart to Jared?!” Willow couldn’t help asking as she didn’t hear Anastasia bring the topic up the entire journey.

On the other hand, Anastasia was stunned by the revelation. “What? Really?!”

“Yeah!” Willow affirmed. “Jared told me on the road. I thought he would’ve told you guys!”

At that, Anastasia pondered for a quick second. Knowing Jared, he would certainly bring it up.

As for why he didn’t, it wasn’t that he had forgotten but that he wanted to introduce Ellen solemnly when they officially met. It was an intentional move. That said, Anastasia was pleasantly surprised that Jared’s beloved was the donor’s sister. Though 18 years had passed since the car accident, Anastasia’s heart constricted every time she was reminded of the incident.

Hence, the Presgraves had always been grateful to the family. Even when so many years had passed, they would help the family out whenever the latter needed it. But who’d have thought Jared one-upped them and gave himself to the family?!

“She’s our family’s savior and also a future member of our family.” Anastasia had already acknowledged Ellen even though she had yet to meet the young woman.

What the Reisses did for them was something they could never repay.

“Yeah!” Willow was on cloud nine, too. We’ll be having a new addition to the family! No, wait. Two additions! Nearly forgot my unborn nephew. Oops!

Following that, Anastasia brought the fact up with Elliot, and the man, too, was lost for words. He wasn’t sure why Jared would hide this from them, but he knew there must be a good reason.

“Do you want to take a nap? You barely slept the entire journey,” Elliot suggested lovingly.

Anastasia was indeed feeling a little tired. At that, she checked the time to find it was only 2:30PM, a few hours away from their dinner booking. She could take a nap.

“Nap with me, then,” Anastasia asked her dear husband; she could fall asleep faster with him around. As such, Elliot followed Anastasia back to their room.

As Willow had always studied abroad, she spent little time within the country. That said, she made many friends. When she came out to the yard, she bumped into a bodyguard opening the trunk for a large Doberman to dash out. However, it appeared very alarmed as this was unfamiliar ground to it.

“Duke,” Willow called out with a beam, and the canine immediately ran to her and circled her happily. Meanwhile, Willow cupped its head and petted him affectionately.

Duke was a member of the family. As it had been six years since the Doberman came into their lives, it had long become a part of the family and played an important role in their lives.

“Do you miss me?”

“Woof!”

“This is our home,” Willow introduced. “I’ll find you a spot for your bed, but don’t run around, okay?”

Duke gazed at Willow as though it understood her, then ran happily for a few circles before following Willow into the house.

…

Jared, on the other hand, had returned to Ellen, who was taking a nap in the master bedroom right then; she was honestly really lethargic. Meanwhile, Jared tiptoed to her side and watched her sleep. He didn’t have the heart to wake her up, and there was still plenty of time. No rush. Let her have a good nap.

One reason Jared didn’t tell his parents about Ellen’s identity was due to the complicated arrangements. Plus, she never received a sliver of his family’s kindness and was instead bullied and neglected by the Aguirres. Hence, even if his parents were grateful for Ellen, she never received warmth in her life in the past. At the end of the day, he decided to find a good time to bring this up with his parents after they returned.

Now, the Presgraves weren’t only grateful for Ellen because of her brother’s generosity and because she was willing to give them a progeny.

In actuality, Jared didn’t want her to suffer such torment, but Ellen was anticipating the growth and arrival of their little one every day now, even though she started off rather lost and overwhelmed.

Ellen woke up naturally at 4.30PM, but she was still startled when she opened her eyes. Shoot, what time is it?!

Just as she was frantically getting out of bed, the man on the couch reassured her gently. “Take it easy. It’s still early.”

Seeing that Jared had returned, she heaved a sigh of relief. “What time is it? Have I overslept?”

“Four-thirty. The dinner reservation my parents got is at six. We have plenty of time,” said Jared as he sat next to her and draped her jacket over her shoulder. It was already winter, and it felt a little chilly when she had just woken up.

At the thought that she was going to meet his parents, and that she was the only one remaining in her family, Ellen couldn’t help feeling sad.

“From now on, you’re a Presgrave too. We will be your loving family,” Jared comforted her. He immediately knew what was running through her head when he saw the bitterness in her eyes.

With that, the sliver of bitterness in Ellen’s heart was driven away. “Okay!” She nodded while leaning in his arms. “And I will be your dutiful wife.”

At 5.00PM, the Presgraves headed to the restaurant. They had come in advance to wait for Jared and Ellen’s arrival.

Meanwhile, in New Town, Jared and Ellen had also departed under the bodyguards’ escort.

Back in the restaurant’s private room, Elliot and Willow were discussing her future, and he enjoined her about thinking twice when she wanted to go anywhere dangerous. As she interacted with antiques, Elliot worried that his precious baby girl would get curious and follow others into a graveyard. That was very, very alarming.

“Relax, Dad. I wasn’t born yesterday,” Willow said to her father.

However, to Elliot, Willow was a child no matter how old she became, and he wouldn’t feel assured unless he enjoined her anything three times.

After all, he personally raised this little one up. No way was he going to let anyone take advantage of her. However, at the thought that he would eventually have to marry a man, he didn’t feel too happy about it.

“When has your father ever seen you as a big girl?” Anastasia teased.

Willow felt loved. Growing up, she did love to hide behind her father whenever she made a mistake or got into trouble, as he would take care of it every time.

Hence, she knew her father would forever be her strongest support, and it also made her fearless. The more Elliot spoiled her, the more daring she became.

Just then, Jared led Ellen through the door, and the Presgrave couple looked with gentle gazes in their direction at once. Anastasia stood up and greeted Ellen even more so. “Hi, Ellen. I’m Jared’s mother.”

The young woman was awestruck, for she thought it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to assume her future mother-in-law was only a few years older than herself. She looks so young! And she’s absolutely stunning!

“Ellen!” Just then, a sweet, crisp voice rang out beside her, and she found a gorgeous girl greeting her.

Though abashed, she still looked up at Anastasia and greeted, “Hello, Mrs. Presgrave.”

A chuckle escaped Anastasia as she extended her hand out for a handshake. “Just call me ‘Mom’ like Jared does, Ellen. From now on, you’re my other daughter.”

Anastasia’s words truly touched Ellen, and she couldn’t help but well up with emotional tears. “Mom!” she said with a quivering voice; it had been far too long since she had addressed anyone with the word.

“Yes, dear?” Anastasia replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Willow handed Ellen a paper napkin and said, “Hi, Ellen, I’m Willow.”

“Hi, Willow.” Ellen was immediately in love with her future sister-in-law as well, and as she looked up, she found that her future father-in-law had gotten up from his seat as well. That said, her heart skipped a beat, for it was her first time meeting someone so intimidating.

Elliot had likely caught the young woman’s evasive gaze as he smiled warmly and said, “I’m your father-in-law. Welcome to the family. From now on, I’m your father.”

At that, Ellen raised her head, and her eyes welled up with moving tears once more. The nervousness she had vanished, too, as she called out timidly, “Hello, Dad.”

“This is awesome! We have a new addition to the family! Now our house will become even livelier,” Willow exulted, then recalled something. “Oops, I mean, two additions. I forgot I have a nephew coming.”

Her adorable behavior amused everyone, and the mood was instantly relaxed as everyone guffawed.

Later, everyone took their seats. As Jared behaved very relaxed in front of his family, Ellen eased as well.

“Ellie, you and Jared decide on a date for the wedding tonight. I’ll take you to a wedding service agency tomorrow to learn more about wedding procedures, alright?”

“Sure, Mom.” Ellen nodded.

“Mom, I’ll join you guys,” said Jared before turning to Willow. “You should come with us too. You’re going to be Ellie’s bridesmaid.”

“Okay! What a great honor. It’s my first time being a bridesmaid too!” Willow gushed, then asked, “What about your best man? Have you gotten one?”

“I’m getting my guy to come back from wherever he is, of course,” said Jared. He had a close friend whom he had known since childhood and was also born to the purple. On top of that, he had a quarter of foreign origin.

“It’s Ethan, isn’t it?!” Willow was spot on.

“It is.” Jared nodded, then turned to Ellen. “He’s my closest friend. I’ll introduce you guys to each other when he comes back.”

Ellen nodded in response and thought his friends were likely as outstanding as he was.

“It’s been a while since I last saw Ethan,” Anastasia said with a smile. “It was about three years ago, I think, when you two came home and stayed for two weeks.”

“I heard he’s gone to the North Pole for business. He should be back soon,” Jared added. Ethan’s family was a leading enterprise in shipping, and their business stretched across all major cities of the world. Plus, they also had some business dealings with the Presgraves.

to the couch and pulled out the present she had prepared for her new daughter-in-law. “Ellie, this is a first-meeting gift from me to you.

jewelry. With that, she opened

is so pretty!” Ellen gushed from the bottom of her heart. While she knew nothing about jewelry, she knew the

for you,” said Willow, and Ellen felt extremely

even had her own listed company. Now, seeing Anastasia’s design for herself, she was

Mom,” Ellen thanked

Jared from a son to a husband and a father and made him a more responsible and conscientious man,” said Anastasia, feeling

and held Ellen’s hand before turning to his mother. “Mom, there’s something I should tell you. Ellen is the sister of the guy

told me about it. It must be fate that

checked with Ellen when they were

that, Jared gazed at Ellen with an aching heart, then revealed to his parents, “Mom, Dad, Ellen was only seven back then, and she never got the 15 million we gave the Aguirres. Not even a portion. They claimed it for themselves. Not only that, they even treated

“If my memory serves me right, Mr. Stark told your father to have a chat with them because they had a daughter who was looking to

her the best of everything but left Ellie under

heart was Ellen’s brother. Hence, given the young woman’s kinship, she could get at least half of the money. The Aguirres are

be so selfish?!” Willow, too, was beside herself

for not seeing things to the end back then. We

let anyone upset you ever again,” Anastasia promised as she

if anyone dares bully you again, bring it up with Jared. Have him fight back,” Willow echoed, causing a chuckle to escape Ellen as she said,

too, beamed. “Willow’s

I’m sorry this happened to you.” Anastasia gazed at Ellen with an aching heart. She was aware that the Aguirres struggled to make ends meet back then. Hence, they gave the family 15 million one shot in hopes that it would change

and behold, the Aguirres took the money for themselves and even sent the sister of their savior away. Their actions were absolutely outrageous. It was evident

Dad, let’s just leave the past behind. Meeting Jared and becoming a part of this family is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Ellen treasured everything she had now and was grateful to the

and nodded with a smile. “This is

promise you, Ellen, Jared will make you the

touched. This

take Ellen home to rest early so as to

Ellen checked the calendar together for the best wedding date. Ultimately, they settled on the 18th of February as it would give them a

She thought the Aguirres were terrible. They had even donated 700 thousand so that the girl

for them. But now that hearing the Aguirres used

ask. We will certainly see

infuriating!” Anastasia grumbled before going to bed, still unable to come to

to comfort her. “We’re partly responsible as well. It’s our fault for not looking into the situation. What we can do now is to make it

daughter-in-law no matter what,”

his dear wife was like. Hence, he would only ever support her

…

For the venue,

Hence, it was perfect for accommodating guests who’d be flying over from all over the world. Plus, it was very private. Jared didn’t want to give Ellen a grand wedding so that people would comment on it, but he only wanted to give her the best

would still be the grandest and the most luxurious wedding. After the wedding service agency was certain of the wedding venue, they would provide the young couple with several proposals. As for the details, it would entirely be left for them to

the afternoon, they went to a bridal shop accompanied by Anastasia. Averna had the world’s top-of-the-line bridal shop; any brand

the catalog together, with Willow providing suggestions and Ellen making the final call. In the end, they decided on four sets of wedding gowns and eight evening dresses. As for the jewelry, Anastasia’s

the wedding,

in the afternoon, so he left his soon-to-be

women had more to talk about when they were

arm as they followed Anastasia into a tea

stiffened instantly, for it was none other than Selena. The young woman had gotten a job as an

absolutely embarrassed. Looking at the beautiful

up. Can she

at that. Ellen has become the Presgraves’ daughter-in-law, hasn’t

looking away. It wasn’t until the trio

pressure Olivia inflicted on her. She dreaded the fact that she might run into someone familiar. However, this tea

a peek and found the trio took

and attend to the customers,”

guests into the tea house, but working

“Ma’am.”

demanded the manager

do it?” Selena asked

wrong. She couldn’t believe a new employee dared to

knew she could only bite the bullet. “Okay,

table, and Ellen met Selena’s gaze as soon as she looked up.

to take up a job. At that, she pushed her cup closer to Selena to make it easier to pour

said Willow, and Anastasia echoed, “Yeah. I’ll send you

“Thanks, Mom.” Ellen smiled.

have to pick at least ten sets. Don’t forget

jealousy made her absent-minded, causing her to overspill the water by accident. As the water flowed

so sorry, ma’am!” Spooked, Selena hurriedly grabbed

approached her. “I am so sorry, ma’am. What’s the matter with you, Selena?! Hurry up and apologize to

“I’m so sorry I slipped.” In the end, she still turned to Ellen for help.

turned from displeased to shocked when she saw Selena calling out to Ellen. “Do you know

daughter of that uncle, Mom,” Ellen answered, prompting Anastasia to size Selena up.

still fresh here, so I’m still

won’t hold you for anything.” Anastasia decided to overlook the matter only because

as Anastasia watched the manager lecture Selena in the corner, she mused,

want to invite your uncle and his family to the wedding?” Anastasia asked. She knew it was something she had to check

Anastasia didn’t want

thought about it, and she thought it wasn’t morally right if she didn’t invite her uncle. Hence, she nodded. “I’d like to invite them if they’re willing

over. It’ll be up to them whether they want to

Ellen’s direction with envy and jealousy. However, she couldn’t harm Ellen anymore,

had had enough jail time. Now, she just wanted to live, and judging from what she heard about Ellen’s wedding, the latter’s life had reached a height

lose to Ellen when I started off so much better

had done wrong. Plus, what happened with Charlie trampled her dignity and crushed her confidence, causing the social circle she tried so hard to build to come to nothing. Rather, it became her life’s burden. The balderdash and big talks she made now taunted her, putting her in a state where even she looked down on herself. The

called for a while as he stood in front of the

The line connected, and at the same time, howling wind could be heard

wind not sent you back home

“Jared, perfect timing!”

Why would you

could be heard as he spoke, worrying Jared instantly. At that, he made it a quick one. “Alright, I’ll just say this. I’m getting married on the 18th of February, so you get your *ss back here to be my best

what? You’re getting married?! You could’ve at least given me a heads-up!”

kept his words concise,

promise I’ll come

safe!” Jared couldn’t help

Presgraves were speedy when it came to getting the wedding ready. The private island was immediately reserved for three months, becoming a place for the Presgraves

Connor’s address, which Connor gave her

had to hand-deliver it to Connor before he could leave, and it sure as hell was an adventure for him, for he had to ask for directions several times before he was finally certain which was the

climbing five levels of stairs, he cross-checked the address while heaving before knocking on Connor’s door, and the person to answer the door was none other

to deliver invitations for the

Family’s invitation?” Connor exclaimed with excitement as he accepted the

invitation of Young Master Presgrave and Miss Reiss. We look forward to seeing you

and looked through the invitation. As he read the name, a pang of guilt hit him, for he never thought Ellen was still willing to invite him to her wedding even though he had done

saw her husband looking at a wedding invitation on the couch, “Who’s getting married this time?

is Ellie’s,” Connor

name. “To

“Say, Connor, do you think Ellen invited you or

stay

Why can’t I go? And Lena’s her cousin. She has the right to go too!” Olivia’s life was absolutely miserable now. There was no way she would miss

stay here.” He didn’t want to bring his wife along because he didn’t

you mean I stay?! Well, I’m going,

arguing again, she

as she was about to enter her room, Olivia stopped her. “Lena, take a look at this. We’re going to

She couldn’t even be

step into her bedroom. “Ellen’s wedding? She’s getting married?

she picked up the wedding invitation. Connor and Olivia were so focused on the bride and groom that they didn’t take a good look

high-end event like this to relax, and since it was on an island, it would mean that she could enjoy an all-expenses paid trip for a

An island?! Let me see!” Olivia snatched the card away to verify it

right?” Selena gazed questioningly at her father, who was in a dilemma. Should he really take his wife and daughter with him to the wedding?

don’t you give Ellen a call? Cajole her and see that she’ll allow Lena and me to attend.” Olivia was

to have fun on

see if Ellen will welcome you

they felt just as guilty about everything

the mother and daughter gazed at each other, and Selena said while biting

if she won’t let us attend. The most important

The most important thing is that the world’s richest people will be attending the wedding. As if I’ll ever need to be

house, Connor still shamelessly called Ellen after taking a

before Ellen’s voice

not calling at a bad time, am

“No.”

invitation. Congratulations. Your parents would’ve