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 could always still bring

of those. Seth,

to lose. It was

the outcome of their decision was

stood up

walked out of the room without sparing her another glance, his

sleeve before standing up and

Conrad stared at the burning light in the

stack of documents as he spoke without

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

“Alright.”

if he

speak before raising his

you not going to

stilled, and he fell

long pause, he spoke again. “Have you found

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

had been reading earlier. He fixed his gaze on Conrad as he

can leave

“But, Seth-”

coldness so terrifying

shut his mouth and retreated out

of calamities that struck them. In a situation like this, he

he had devoted all of his energy to investigating Josephine’s whereabouts, he would

what use would there be even if he’d

trade shares for her safety under Seth’s threats?

drive Seth up a wall until he was forced

the president would get nothing by then

did.

turned and the more respect he felt for the president. His ability to weigh the pros and cons of a

admirable.

success and would never be held back by his emotions. and personal relationships.

for the key to making the best choices-it was

Night fell.

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

she was squatting while Seth sat on an armchair

it wasn’t rope that encircled her ankles but metal

her to

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

illuminated his face as he read, softening his already delicate

the ground for an extended period. Noiselessly, she sat down

her

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

his feet was reminiscent of a