Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1661-1670

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.

Ellen smiled in surprise. “Is that so? Was it that magical?”

Jared nodded; 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 on his behalf.”

Ellen was moved by his words. I’m so lucky to get to know him! she thought.

“Why don’t you stay at my place for the time being until you find a house? Your suitcase has been delivered to my place, anyway,” Jared said, making an excuse. He had insisted that Stanley take Ellen’s suitcase to his place this morning.

Indeed, Ellen had nowhere to go . She replied with a nod, “Well, then, I’ll bother you for a couple of days. Once I find a place to stay, I’ll move out.”

Jared didn’t want her to hurry, though; he was willing to let her stay at his place for the rest of her life. “Okay!” He was delighted. I’ll make use of this period to soften her up into letting me take care of her for the rest of her life. What reason do I have for not taking care of her? It was all thanks to her brother that I could stay alive, after all.

Jared thus took Ellen to his home. Even the scenery around them seemed to become wonderful along the way, and she relaxed a bit as a result.

That afternoon, Connor called a real estate agent to put his family’s house 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 a little over 8.5 million, which was already the highest selling price.

Connor did some calculations. If the house could really be sold at 8.5 million, he would have to give Ellen 7.5 million and pay the mortgage’s outstanding balance 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 the future.

Olivia shut herself in the room while crying her heart out. Now that she looked at this house, she was really reluctant to part with it. Still, however reluctant she was, she had to take the consequences into consideration. Ellen would bring a suit against them, and perhaps she and Connor would have to go to jail.

With Jared backing her up, it’d be easy for Ellen to 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 my comfortable life is ruined thanks to her!

Much to their surprise, shortly after their house was put up for sale on the real estate listing website, 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, so we’ve got to tidy it a little.”

“I don’t want to sell it,” Olivia replied stubbornly.

Connor ignored her, though. “They’ll arrive at 3.30PM.”

At 3.30PM sharp, a couple came to view the house. Since Olivia usually took pretty good care of 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 decided to buy the house.

Connor accompanied the couple on a tour of 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 to sell it, Connor immediately struck the deal.

Olivia stood aside in silence with a long face, while the real estate agent said the agreement could be signed tomorrow afternoon.

“May I ask when you guys will move out of here? We have to renovate the house immediately for my son’s wedding,” said the buyer.

“We’ll move out three days after we get the money,” Connor promised.

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

Olivia looked at the spectacularly dressed woman, then at her scholarly and refined husband next to her. She was really filled with envy.

Later that day, Connor drove his Bentley out to have it appraised. He had indeed succumbed to his conscience on this matter.

…

Meanwhile, at the Presgrave Villa…

Ellen moved into the guest room where she had stayed previously, which was next door to the master bedroom. Her clothes had been put away in 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 a kitten in his arms.

“Milkshake!” Ellen blurted out in delight. Little did she expect Jared had brought the kitten home.

“I 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 Ellen’s new cell phone to her. “This phone’s camera has a higher resolution, which would make it easier for you to take pictures of Milkshake.”

Ellen’s cheeks burned slightly. These were the things that she had done yesterday in a fit of pique, so she felt somewhat ashamed at this moment.

“You, Milkshake, and I will be living together from now on,” Jared said smilingly with his eyes full of anticipation.

As he had expected, kittens were experts at mood healing, for Ellen was already in a good mood that night.

The Presgrave Villa was big, so it would take a long time to look for Milkshake 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 fall somewhere, and besides, she was now on the third floor, so she feared that it might fall while going around.

She searched along the hallway, but she didn’t find Milkshake either. Then, she noticed that the door to the master bedroom was half-open, which caused her stomach to knot at once. Don’t tell me Milkshake has gone into Jared’s bedroom! It’ll be bad if it pees on his bed. She couldn’t think of anything else. In a moment of desperation, she hurriedly pushed the door open and entered the room to look for the cat.

The man was nowhere to be seen in the master bedroom. Ellen was only worried about one thing: she feared that Milkshake might pee on his bed.

“Meow!”

Hearing a 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 the kitten.

As she was absorbed in finding the cat, she didn’t notice at all that the bathroom door had been pulled open behind her.

A slender figure who still had 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 high-quality carpet in the master bedroom, which perfectly absorbed the sound of his footsteps.

Just then, the man noticed a shape protruding from the curtains, which caused him to knit his brows instantly. Someone’s hiding behind my curtains? His nerves tautened at once; he clenched his fists while stepping toward the curtains, wanting to catch the thief immediately.

At this moment, Ellen was about to come out after holding Milkshake in her arms 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 forward for a moment while retracting his fist.

Immediately, the man placed his hands firmly on the glass window for support, trapping the frightened young lady in his arms. In an instant, their faces were so close together that they almost kissed.

The atmosphere was indescribably awkward.

Therefore, the man decided to just go through with it. Since God had created such an opportunity for him, how could he waste it? He playfully sucked the young lady’s red lips for a moment with his thin ones.

Ellen’s pretty face reddened instantly. She quickly turned her face away; just then, Milkshake jumped out of her arms again.

“Don’t hide behind the curtains next time. I might hurt you by mistake,” Jared said, reminding her in a deep voice.

Feeling deeply embarrassed, Ellen had no choice but to shift the blame onto Milkshake. “I-I didn’t enter your room on purpose. Milkshake suddenly went 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, “Sorry.”

Jared took a few steps back while looking totally at ease.

While covering her face with her hands, 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 and well-proportioned in stature. With clearly outlined muscles and robust lines, his figure was the perfect embodiment of strength and beauty.

“Meow!”

Ellen was startled by the meow, only to see that the kitten had naughtily jumped onto Jared’s bed. “Ah! Milkshake, you can’t get onto the bed.” She 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, so she had no choice but to beg Jared for help. “Young Master Jared, please help me catch it.”

Walking to the other side of the bed to stop the kitten, Jared soon caught it with his big hand.

Ellen came 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 glance at it.

At this moment, Jared’s deep eyes also flickered unnaturally. He couldn’t keep calm in the young lady’s 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 husky voice.

Ellen hurriedly ran out with the kitten in her arms, thinking that she had to keep an eye on the kitten and forbid it from running around in the future.

After she had left, Jared finally heaved a faint sigh of relief. Looking down at 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 just come of age.

That night, Ellen placed the kitten on its little bed; she dared not let it run around anymore.

The next morning, Ellen got out of bed and was startled to see a figure awaiting her outside the door. “Why did you get up so early in the morning?”

“Wanna go jogging with me?” Jared invited her.

As it 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 hilltop.

Shrouded 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 as she jogged along the trail.

The man in front of her jogged while matching her pace. The morning sun cast a gentle glow on her face, making her look delicately attractive with a refreshing charm like morning dew.

As expected, Ellen’s stamina wasn’t up to it. After jogging less than 200 yards, she had to slow down and walk instead. Panting slightly, she said with a smile, “I can’t run anymore.”

Jared stopped jogging, too; he walked with her at a strolling pace. “Let’s walk, then! We’ll walk to the top of the hill before coming down.”

Only then did Ellen get a picture of what the super-rich was like. Even such a big jogging facility is privately owned, she thought.

After climbing 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 a sigh.

Jared quietly 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 shoulder, asking, “You like it?”

Ellen’s body tensed up for a moment before she quietly relaxed. She replied with a nod, “Uh-huh, I like it.”

“Then, you should keep on staying at my house. I can come here and enjoy the scenery with you every day,” the man pleaded under his breath.

Ellen could hear her heart thump. Jared’s words were no different from a profession of love; however, having been through so many things, she was no longer impatient for an outcome. Gazing into the distance, she replied, “Let’s wait until I’ve settled down before we talk about this, okay?”

Jared was also a little annoyed with himself for pushing her too hard. She’s just been through so many things. Can’t I wait until her life becomes more peaceful before going out with her?

They stayed on the hill for a while. As it was too windy, Jared then led her down the hill for fear that she might catch a cold.

He drove her out for breakfast. He usually stayed alone and 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 Ellen so that she could have tasty and nutritious meals while staying at home. “My time’s all yours today. What would you like to do?” he asked her.

Ellen pondered for a moment before suggesting, “Would you like to go to the movies with me, then?”

Jared smiled. “Of course.”

Meanwhile, Connor and Olivia went 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 off the outstanding loan and get back the mortgaged title deed before making an appointment to go through the property transfer procedure in the afternoon.

The 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 full.

The property transfer was completed at 3.00PM. When the remaining 7.5 million was credited to Connor’s bank account, Olivia, who was standing next to him, was so angry that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Ellen, that little brat! So much cash is gonna be given to her in the blink of an eye. I’d rather be killed instead!

“Connor, can’t we talk to Ellen again and 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 to Ellen!

As one would expect, greed began to stir 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 us keep some of the money for our living expenses.

Connor prepared to ask Ellen out tomorrow to give her the money and talk about this while he was at it.

Meanwhile, in the movie theater…

Having bought the movie tickets, Ellen first went to the movie theater’s lounge area with Jared. They were going to watch a warm and inspirational movie for 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 to the movie.

While waiting for the movie to begin, Ellen picked up the mini poster on the table; a 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 darted a sidelong glance at the lead actor on the poster, who was indeed pretty good-looking. “Do you like this actor very much?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Uh-huh, I like him very much. He’d just made his debut when I started high school. At the 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 proud of him.

Little did she notice that the smile on the face of the man beside her was somewhat strained. “Is that so?”

Ellen replied, “That’s right! He’s not only a good actor but also skilled at singing and dancing. My friends and I even clubbed together to go to his concert when I was at college.” Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke of her idol, as though she were talking about one of the happiest moments of her life.

At this moment, the man’s strained smile vanished. Pressing his tongue against his cheek, he looked askance at the lead actor on the poster, as if a hint of jealousy had surged up within him without rhyme or reason.

Ellen continued with a look of anticipation, “I’ll definitely go rooting for him at his next concert. Not only that, I’ll get the upfront seat and try to shake hands with him.”

The man beside her turned as black as thunder in an instant. He replied with a faint cough, “Okay! Take me along then. I’ll go with you.”

“Do you like him as well?” Ellen asked in surprise.

Jared was speechless. “Uh-huh. You like him, so I like him too, of course.”

Just then, several young ladies who 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 refined beefcake, but he also looked even more handsome than the lead actor. How they wished they could draw his attention!

Ellen darted a look at the ladies nearby. As a young lady, she naturally saw through their intentions. Only then did she look narrowly at the man beside her with mesmerizing eyes. No wonder he’s such a

chick magnet. He’s really charming, after all.

Just then, it was announced that they could enter the theater by showing their movie tickets. Ellen stood up, saying, “Let’s go.”

The movie began shortly after they entered the theater.

Ellen was holding a box of popcorn in her arms when Jared reached over for it. At first, Ellen wanted to grab some popcorn, but she ended up grabbing the man’s hand while watching the movie. She darted an embarrassed look at him.

Feeling the softness of her fingers, Jared felt a flutter in 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 from a bunch of fans in the theater.

Of course, 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 Ellen’s lips curved into a smile, too.

Staring at the lead actor in the movie, the man beside her became jealous at once. Does this lady like this actor so much? Does she have to fangirl over him like this?

Jared didn’t watch the 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 secretly shed tears for him.

When the movie came to an end, Jared finally heaved a sigh of relief.

It was hinted at the end of the movie that there was an Easter egg. Ellen wanted to wait for it, but the man took her hand and dragged her away.

“Hey… There’s still an Easter egg in the movie!”

The man dragged Ellen out of the theater without a pause. She couldn’t help but break free of his grasp, asking, “Let go of me, okay?”

“Haven’t you had enough of watching the movie?” Jared asked grumpily.

“I-I’m going to the restroom!” Ellen blinked her eyes, confused as to why Jared had lost his temper all of a sudden. Is he not even gonna let me use the restroom?

Jared relaxed his grip on her hand. As she went to the restroom, he stood in the hallway and became the subject of discussion among the ladies passing by. A few ladies even purposely stood there just to peep at him. After all, this was their first time seeing a man in real life who looked just like one of those wealthy scions in the movies!

Just then, Ellen came out of the restroom. Jared immediately wrapped his arm around her and left.

“He’s got a girlfriend!”

“That lady’s so lucky to be his girlfriend!”

Ellen happened to hear this. After being startled for a moment, she started feeling somewhat bashful.

As soon as they stepped out of the theater, Ellen’s phone rang. She picked it up and took a look at it, only to see that it was a phone call from Connor.

Jared noticed it as well. He patted her on the shoulder, saying, “Just answer the phone and get back what’s supposed to be yours.”

Ellen answered the phone. “Hello.”

“Ellie, it’s me, your Uncle Connor. I finally collected enough money to give you by selling my house and my car. Say, when are you free? Let’s meet up.”

“I’m free right now.”

“Okay, you decide on the place, then. We’ll sit down and talk.”

Seeing that the theater wasn’t far from Connor’s house, Ellen replied, “Okay, I’m waiting for you at the mall. I’ll send you the address.”

Connor sounded gentle and sincere over the phone. “Alright, see you in a moment.”

Jared looked at Ellen. “I’ll meet them with you.”

Ellen nodded. In fact, she would feel more relaxed in his company. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Meanwhile, at Aguirre Residence, Olivia couldn’t help getting excited after watching Connor end the phone call. “How is it? Did Ellen change her stance?”

“I think so. She’s softhearted in the first place, anyway.” Connor thought it feasible to negotiate with Ellen.

Olivia replied, “That’s great! In that case, can we ask her to give us more of the money?” Her greed went to her head again; she couldn’t wait for Ellen to pity their family. She even purposely chose to wear some old clothes today while getting Connor to wear a suit from several years ago. The clothes were discolored from multiple piles of washing, which made the couple appear shabbier than before.

Just then, Connor’s phone rang; Ellen texted him her address. After taking a look at it, he said, “It’s not far from here. Let’s go!”

Olivia pondered while saying, “Ellen will come alone, right? Young Master Jared gives me the creeps now whenever I see him.”

Connor replied, “I think so.” He thought that a busy man like Jared probably wouldn’t have time to keep Ellen company. And besides, he also hoped that Ellen would come alone so that it would be easier for him to make the request.

The couple decided to just brazen it out. As long as they could extract some money from Ellen’s 7.5 million, they wouldn’t have to live in such poverty after this.

They took a cab to the shopping mall. As soon as they got out of the cab, Olivia complained with a look of disgust, “What’s that smell in the cab?! It stank so much that I almost threw up.” She had always gone out in her husband’s Bentley in the past. Its spacious seats were pure pleasure, and besides, she hadn’t taken a cab for a dozen years already.

Connor said to her, “All right, stop being so unreasonable! Let’s meet Ellen first.” At this moment, he was still thinking about another pair of mother and son to whom he wanted to give some money, so he yearned more than his wife for Ellen to give them some cash.

“It’s that cafe, right? Lena took me there before. It’s a nice place,” Olivia said.

Connor nodded while taking her to the cafe’s entrance. As soon as they entered, they saw a couple seated in front of the French window, and their hearts thumped instantly.

Why is Young Master Jared here too? Olivia and Connor exchanged a brief look. It’s gonna be difficult for us to say it this time. They sat down. When the waiter approached them, Olivia ordered a cup of coffee for herself and a cup of tea for Connor.

“Ellie, we’re really sorry. What happened in the past was our fault. We’ve mistreated you as your elders,” Connor sincerely apologized.

Jared eyed the couple with his penetrating gaze. Seeing through their lingering resentment, he figured that they were going to play the misery card to gain Ellen’s sympathy. He said with a squint, “She’ll let you off as long as you guys give her share of the money back to her.”

“Aren’t you busy today, Young Master Jared?” Olivia asked with a forced smile.

“I’m keeping Ellen company today,” Jared answered.

“Young Master Jared, can we talk to Ellen alone?” Connor pleaded.

Jared reached out and wrapped his arm around Ellen’s shoulders. “I’m Ellen’s boyfriend, so I don’t think there’s anything that I couldn’t listen to. Mr. and Mrs. Aguirre, just spill it if you’ve got something to say!”

Connor and Olivia exchanged another brief look, feeling so embarrassed that they didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Jared said, “If you’ve got nothing to say, then please give the 7.5 million to Ellen. We’ve got somewhere else to go.”

Upon seeing this, Olivia couldn’t help but say, “Well, Ellie, we’ve driven ourselves to the brink of financial ruin in order to collect the money. We’ve sold our house and our car, you see, yet we’ve got only 7.5 million in our hands. Your uncle and I are getting old, and we really have no idea how we’re gonna live from now on!”

Jared looked at Ellen. At this very moment, he hoped that she would stand her ground and not sympathize with them.

Ellen looked at Olivia. Hearing her aunt’s words, she indeed fell silent for a moment, which made Olivia and Connor wonder if those words had touched her and aroused her sympathy for them.

Ellen looked up at the husband and wife across from her as tears slowly welled up in her eyes. “Yeah, that’s right. You two are getting old because you spent the best years of your lives on enjoyment when you two should’ve worked hard. While you two were indulging in luxury, Grandma and I were struggling in poverty. Grandma skimped on food and clothing in order to support me through my schooling. Had you two had the slightest conscience over the years, you would’ve supported us financially; had you shown us even the slightest sympathy, we wouldn’t have had such a rough life. However, you two had neither conscience nor sympathy. You two weren’t even willing to give us a bit of the reward you got in exchange for donating my brother’s heart.”

Listening to her speech, Connor and Olivia hung their heads in shame and avoided her gaze, whereas Jared only had a pained look in his eyes.

“Sorry, Ellie. I’m really ashamed of what we did,” Connor said before taking the bank card out of his wallet. He continued, “Here’s 7.5 million on the card, and its passcode is six sixes. Just change the passcode yourself.”

Seeing that her husband had actually handed over the card like that, Olivia pleaded brazenly at once, “I’m begging you, Ellie, please give us a little money for our living expenses, okay? We don’t need much; 750,000 would be enough.”

Ellen took the card before standing up to leave.

Olivia jumped out of her seat and grabbed her hand. “I’m begging you, Ellie! Take this as my plea to you. Please let us keep some money for the sake that we’re old and incapable of working!”

“Isn’t your daughter quite capable? She came back after studying abroad. Surely, she could earn enough money to support you two,” Ellen said before withdrawing her hand from Olivia’s grasp.

Olivia then said to Jared, “Young Master Jared, could you please take pity on us and give us some money again? We helped you back then, after all.” She was so anxious that she lost her mind and

actually pleaded with the man. To her, it was as though the Presgrave Family’s money would fall from the sky; the family was so wealthy that she could easily get several hundred thousand from them!

Jared darted a look at her. “It’s true that I’ll show my gratitude to the person who saved me back then, but that person is Ellen, not you and your family.”

Ellen took his arm, saying, “Let’s go.”

Olivia’s eyes were full of bitter resentment as she followed the couple with her gaze. She looked back and scolded her husband, saying, “Connor, why did you give her the money so readily just now?! Now we’re not getting anything!”

Jared took Ellen to a bank nearby. After confirming that there was indeed 7.5 million in the bank account, he had the amount transferred to her account immediately.

However, Ellen wasn’t delighted by the sight of the phone notification showing the account balance. Instead, her heart was heavy, and her feelings were complicated.

“It’s still early, so let me take you somewhere for fun. Let’s go!” Jared said to her in an attempt to make her happy.

Ellen nodded before getting into the car with him.

Meanwhile, Olivia and Connor quarreled as they left the cafe. In the end, Connor left first by cab in a fit of rage, leaving Olivia at the entrance to the shopping mall. With no alternative, she had no choice but to call Selena.

After getting the phone call, Selena hurriedly took a cab here to pick Olivia up. When Olivia told her about their family’s situation, she immediately got anxious. So, my family is penniless now? “Mom, have you estimated how much money we have left?”

Olivia’s head was throbbing at this moment; she felt there was no hope left in her life. “If we go back and sell some furniture, we can probably raise around 15,000.”

Selena replied, “Ellen’s so heartless! Does it make her happy to leave us homeless?!” She was filled with hatred for Ellen. Now that Ellen’s gotten the 7.5 million, she’s definitely going to be very pleased with herself in the future! After all, she just turned into a rich lady in an instant.

Olivia said, “She wouldn’t have been so cruel to us if she had a conscience. I pleaded with her today to let us keep 750,000, but she wasn’t even willing to give us a single dime! She’s really hungry for money.” She thought that what Ellen had said at the end of their conversation was just an excuse she had made to refuse to give them the money.

At this moment, Selena’s feelings were also complicated, because she had a big secret that she dared not tell Olivia. It disgusted her that Connor had another family outside of his marriage to her mother. She wondered how much money the mistress had gotten from her father with her amazing capabilities. She must’ve gotten a lot of money from Dad. Perhaps they’re even better off than us! “Mom, you have to keep an eye on the money at home. Don’t let Dad spend the money out there.”

Olivia replied, “How much money could your dad spend, anyway? He only spends money on drinking tea apart from smoking.” She was still not alerted even now. In her mind’s eye, Connor was frugal despite his incompetence. His monthly allowance wouldn’t exceed 150 apart from the money he spent on gas.

“Mom, you have to control the purse strings of our family. We can’t let Dad do that anymore,” Selena insisted vehemently.

Olivia asked, “Lena, I gave you 15,000 before. How much money do you have left now?” At this moment, she hoped that Selena would spend more thriftily.

However, Selena had always been a spendthrift since she was little, so how much money could she save? She had spent several thousand in the blink of an eye while staying at a five-star hotel over the past few days. “Mom, I don’t have much left. I have only about 3,800 left in my bank account.”

“How could you spend so much money in just a few days?!” Olivia’s head instantly throbbed again in anger. “You can’t spend money like this anymore. Our family can’t afford to let you be so extravagant anymore. We all have to live a frugal life from now on.”

Selena felt very displeased as she listened to this. Olivia had never said such things before, but now she reprimanded her like this.

When they returned to the Aguirre Residence, Connor was already packing their belongings. He had rented a three-bedroom house from a friend and was trying to move to a new house tomorrow.

However, Olivia protested the instant she heard that the house was in Lockwood Village, where she had lived before. “It’s so out of the way! How are we gonna go shopping in the future?!”

“How are you gonna go shopping when we’ve got no money anymore? It’s nice enough that we have a place to stay and have food to eat at the moment!” Connor barked at her.

Olivia was stupefied for a moment. “Can’t you rent someplace else instead? We can’t even hold our heads up if we move back and run into someone we know.”