What Separates Me and You

Chapter 141 A Balancing Act

Josephine looked up with tears in her eyes, Seth’s mocking laughter echoing in her ears.

“You can’t still be waiting for him to swoop in and rescue you, can you?”

She flinched.

Seth crouched in front of her, shattering her fantasies mercilessly. “Do you understand why things have come to this point now?”

Josephine inhaled sharply, her eyes fixed on his face.

“Do you really not know? The last time you disappeared for three days…Do you think he didn’t

find you then?”

He leaned closer, his voice soft as he said, “No, he knew where you’d been all along. He just didn’t choose to save you. He had been trying to set a trap for me.”

Seth continued, laughing and playing with her hair. “Oh, you poor, poor mute. He’s the one who caused all this. You’re here now because of him.”

Tears fell from her cheeks like broken beads, trickling down her chin and dripping into her plate.

“Guess what he’s doing right now?”

He paused, seemingly deep in thought. “Maybe he’s busy preparing for the shareholders’ meeting in two days. Maybe he’s scheming to eliminate his father from the game at long last. Or maybe, he’s busy getting rid of his sister-as for you; you’ll probably have to wait a long, long time for your turn to come.”

Josephine held her plate in a death grip, her chest heaving.

“Provided, if he still wants to have anything to do with you, he has to go through me and deal. with

my terms. But of course, he knows, deep down, that he could never afford to give me what I want.”

“So,” Seth assumed an inferring air as he spoke, “he might as well ignore you altogether, and in doing so, he is directly refusing the opportunity to negotiate with me.”

“But then,” he continued, “I suppose it’s understandable. What is the use of women in the face of profits and income? He might like you, but he would never sacrifice everything he has now for you, would he?”

She knew she shouldn’t believe his words, yet, they still found a way into her subconscious regardless-eating away at her. The pain was like millions of needles piercing her heart.

Josephine lowered her head and wolfed down her dinner. The food was bland, but she continued shoveling them into her mouth.

Seth crouched beside her as she ate, watching her polish the plate clean.

Moments later, Josephine sniffled and placed her plate back onto the ground. She raised her head, and her eyes were red as she looked at him.

The sky outside darkened. In the dimly lit room, Seth caressed her cheeks tenderly, wiping away the residual tears at the corners of her eyes with a gentle hand.

Suddenly, Josephine remembered how Lewis used to do the same thing to her. She couldn’t help but fall for him a bit more every time.

Now that she compared it with what Seth was doing to her, she realized how cheap and self- righteous Lewis’ actions had been.

they despised someone, they could always still bring themselves

one of those. Seth,

them, they had nothing to lose. It was simply a matter of moving

between reaping profits and everything else, the outcome of their decision was the only

stood up and

without sparing her another glance, his food untouched on the table.

wiped her tears with her sleeve before standing up

at the burning light in the study as he paced the length of the hallway. Eventually, he knocked on the

reading a stack of documents as he spoke without lifting his

“President Alvarez, all the shareholders have been. contacted.

“Alright.”

opened his mouth, debating if he should

him to speak before raising

going to continue looking for

and he fell silent.

long pause, he spoke again. “Have you

like this with limited information regarding her whereabouts, I’m

his gaze on Conrad as

leave now.”

“But, Seth-”

coldness so terrifying that Conrad

shut his mouth and retreated out of

figured out why the president had been so calm throughout the series of calamities that struck them. In a situation like this, he could accomplish nothing by losing his head and succumbing to anxiety.

his energy to investigating Josephine’s whereabouts, he would have inevitably delayed everything else he had going on on

be even if he’d

to trade shares for her safety under Seth’s threats?

until he was

had reached that point, the president would get nothing by then no matter what

did.

thought about it, the colder his heart turned and the more respect he felt for the president. His

admirable.

a person was destined for great success and would never be held back by his emotions. and personal

for the key to making the best

Night fell.

few degrees in response. Josephine was clad in a dark men’s jacket made from wool. The jacket seemed to be Seth’s. It was incredibly long, and the fabric was sweeping

was burning in the building beside where she was squatting while Seth sat on

were bound to chains again. Only, this time, it wasn’t rope that encircled

for her to move around the

very quiet. Apart from the crackling of flames within the brazier, the only sound that could

the fire’s glow illuminated his

squatting on the ground for an extended period. Noiselessly, she sat

her but said

the reflection of the flames dancing in her eyes. Her long eyelashes were lowered, hiding the

ground beneath his feet was