What Separates Me and You

“1

Lewis’ gaze

darkened. His grip tightened on the gun, the veins on his arms bulging. He looked like he was about to

lose control and shoot Seth in the head right there.

Seth burst out laughing, a reckless, crazed sheen on his face. He spread his arms and exclaimed,

“Lewis, go ahead and shoot me. Let us all die here together.”

Lewis stared at him unblinkingly. After a while, he too, smiled.

He grabbed the gun barrel with one hand and smashed it against Seth’s jaw. Seth crumpled to the

ground again, groaning as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lewis ignored him after that. Instead, he strode toward Josephine.

His gaze never left her eyes as he asked, “I’m asking you one last time, are you coming?”

Josephine squeezed her fingers together tightly. She shot a look at Seth, who was a mess. But before

she could get a good look at him, Lewis forced her chin away from his direction.

“Look at me!”

Josephine was stunned by the coldness radiating from his eyes. Instinctively, she took a step

back.

It was that step that cemented her decision.

“Lewis!” Seth yelled at him suddenly.

Lewis turned to look at Seth.

Seth raised his hands and waved the remote control in the air. “23 hours. I will let you take her away if

you can stay here for 23 hours.”

Lewis’ gaze became even colder. He refused without any hesitation. “In your dreams.”

Seth shrugged, seemingly indifferent toward his injuries. “Why? Are you in that much of a hurry to

make it to the shareholders’ meeting?”

Seth looked at Josephine meaningfully. “Since you care so much about the shareholders’ meeting,

leave, then. You can’t possibly think you could get both your profits and her, can you? In this world,

nothing is perfect. You can’t get everything you want, Lewis.”

Josephine looked at Lewis upon hearing those words.

Despite her absolute certainty that she would never be on par with his career in terms of importance,

that she was merely a speck compared to his professional aspirations, she

couldn’t escape the delusional spark of hope within her.

She swore that if he hesitated, even the slightest bit- if there was an instance where he chose her in

the grand scheme of things no matter how minute, even if she died today, it would have all been worth

it.

Even if the bomb chained to her ankles blew her into a million pieces, she would give herself to him

completely and willingly.

The two of them stared at one another. A chilly gust snaked between them, lifting the stray strands of

hair near her ear.

Against the lush, green backdrop and the infinite stretch of mountainous peaks reminiscent of a

watercolor painting, the two stood with their eyes locked, and no words were exchanged between

them.

Josephine’s stance was clear. At that moment in time, she was on Seth’s side.

Lewis’ answer was the only thing she needed. She would follow him home willingly if he agreed to stay

for 23 hours.

This time, the reins he gripped, the thread that tethered her to him, had been stretched to its limit. He

would need to make significant sacrifices to restore their connection to their former

state.

“Is that what you think too?” Lewis asked her.

Josephine’s gaze wavered. She looked away, but her silence spoke volumes.

Lewis smiled. “Unbelievable. It was merely two days, and your new master had already managed to

successfully train you to follow his every command.” z

Josephine froze again.

New master-

She looked at Lewis, suddenly realizing what she had been to him all this while. A pet-she had been

nothing but a pet to him and him, her master.

The notion itself was ridiculous.

Any remaining light in her face dissipated, desolate disappointment taking over her features.

As if she’d been holding out on him all that while, she turned and walked to Seth’s side and helped him

up.

Lewis watched everything unfold in front of his eyes coldly.

Seth was a mess, with dirt and blood splattered on his body, but his eyes were arrogant as

ever. This time, he had still emerged victorious despite everything.

“If you like him so much, I’ll send you both to hell then.”

Lewis raised his arms and pointed the gun at the both of them, the murderous intent in his eyes

intensifying.

Seth held her hand and pulled her into his embrace. “Are you afraid of dying?” he asked her gently.

Josephine clenched her fists. She knew that Seth was intentionally provoking Lewis.

She shut her eyes and shook her head.

She no longer wanted to live anyway. They’d all done nothing but threaten her. If Lewis had killed her

himself, he wouldn’t be able to threaten her anymore after that.

After all, he was the one who chose to fire the

gun.

The sight of the two of them entwined in an embrace was striking, even more intense than the

scorching sunlight on the horizon.

Lewis’ finger hovered above the trigger. He stared at the two of them straight in the eye.

Before he could pull the trigger, he stopped suddenly and lowered his arm.

“Seth, I don’t believe you really want to die.”

Seth hesitated as he heard Lewis’ words.

Lewis continued, “You can’t have lived for so long only to die together with Josephine today. But in the

event that it really is what you want, I don’t mind granting your wish.”

Faintly, the sound of horns blaring permeated the air.

About two minutes later, a few cars sped to the homestead and stopped in the yard.

A group of people alighted, but at the front, leading the group, was Conrad. Without wasting any more

time, they surrounded Josephine and Seth, trapping them in the middle. “President Alvarez, what

should I do now?” Conrad asked, wiping away the sweat on his brow.