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

was one of those. Seth,

to lose. It was simply

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

stood up and ordered, “Clean this

of the room without sparing her another glance, his food untouched on the

standing up and clearing away the dishes

the mountain, or more precisely, in Styx Mansion, Conrad stared at the burning light in the study as he paced the length of the hallway. Eventually, he knocked on

he spoke without lifting his head to acknowledge

shareholders have been.

“Alright.”

debating if

him to speak before raising his head.

Alvarez-are you not going to

movements stilled, and he fell

pause, he spoke again.

I mean, should we increase our search efforts? If we continue searching like this with limited information regarding her whereabouts, I’m afraid it would take more than months- years even to find anything remotely useful.”

the document he had been reading earlier. He fixed his gaze on Conrad as he sat in silence

can leave now.”

“But, Seth-”

coldness so terrifying

mouth and retreated out of the

almost figured out why the president had been so calm throughout the series of calamities that struck them. In a situation like

had devoted all of his energy to investigating Josephine’s whereabouts, he would have inevitably delayed everything else he had

there be

for

was he to drive Seth up a wall until he was

point, the president would get nothing by then no matter

did.

it, the colder his heart turned and the more respect he felt for the president. His ability to weigh the pros and cons of a situation with composure was

admirable.

great success and would never be held back by his emotions. and

to making the best choices-it was

Night fell.

the homestead, the temperature plunged more than a few degrees in response. Josephine was clad in a dark men’s jacket made from wool. The

was burning in the building beside where she was squatting

rope that encircled her ankles but metal chains anchored to the legs of the

length was just enough for her to move

crackling of flames within the brazier, the only sound that could be discerned was that of Seth flipping through the pages of his

hue of the fire’s glow illuminated his face as he read, softening his

numb after squatting on the ground for an extended period. Noiselessly, she sat down and shifted into a kneeling

glanced at her but

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

beneath his feet was reminiscent of a dog-a docile one