What Separates Me and You

Seth hung up before Josephine could say anything.

She put her phone away and stepped out of the stall before scanning her surroundings. She was on the fifth floor of the hospital restroom.

Climbing out the window was clearly not an option, and only one exit existed. How was she supposed to get out of here?

She couldn't get rid of her two guards.

Feeling helpless, Josephine suddenly saw a girl entering the restroom. For some reason, she kept staring at the girl.

The girl seemed to notice her gaze and turned to look at Josephine. "Why are you staring at me?"

Josephine pursed her lips, her gaze becoming more mysterious.

Outside, Darren and Arrik had been waiting for over forty minutes. They were starting to wonder if Josephine had gotten stuck in the restroom.

Darren shouted, "Mrs. Alvarez, are you okay?"

There was no response.

He raised his voice and shouted again, "Mrs. Alvarez, if you don't come out soon, we're coming in!"

Josephine still didn't respond.

Their faces fell. Without further thought, they charged into the women's restroom.

"Ah!"

Their sudden entrance frightened the women inside. Startled, they screamed.

"Mrs. Alvarez!"

Ignoring the high-pitched screams of the women, Darren kicked open the doors of each stall one by one.

More screams erupted.

It wasn't until the last stall that a girl wearing the same outfit as Josephine walked out.

They finally realized they had made a mistake!

Meanwhile, Josephine was in Seth's car. They had already driven quite a distance away.

She turned to look at him in the driver's seat. "Alex, where are you taking me?"

Focused on driving, Seth casually replied, "Taking you away from Elysium. Didn't we agree on that?"

Josephine was stunned. "But I haven't prepared anything. Are we leaving just like this?"

"Yes, just like this."

Instantly, Josephine felt her heart tightened. So this was how he planned to bring her away from Elysium?

Everything happened too suddenly.

"Are you sure this will work? Maybe we should plan things more carefully."

Seth's lips curled into a faint smile as he kept his gaze straight ahead on the road. "Don't worry, everything is under my control."

Even though he appeared calm and collected, Josephine couldn't help but feel uncertain about the situation.

She only dared to disguise herself and got rid of Darren and Arrik because she thought Seth wanted to meet her to discuss something. Even if they found out, they wouldn't dare tell Lewis. It turned out that Seth was taking her away just like that. No doubt, her bodyguards would inform Lewis about it. He must have received the news by now.

Josephine's speculation was correct. Lewis had indeed received a call from Darren.

A dangerous smile crept onto Lewis' lips, and a flicker of anger flashed across his eyes.

Despite being separated by a considerable distance, Mrs. Larson could sense the anger radiating from him.

The next moment, he angrily threw his phone on the ground, shattering it into pieces with a loud crack.

Stepping on the broken fragments of his phone, he headed toward the mansion's exit.

Seated in the passenger seat of Seth's car, Josephine grew anxious. "Alex, please stop the car now! Lewis must have found out by now. If we stop now, we might still have a chance." She could tell Lewis she was simply hanging out with Seth. She could even try to pass it off as a date.

But they could never let Lewis know that Seth was taking her away.

Lewis remained as composed as ever. He chuckled and said, "Are you so afraid of him?"

"I'm worried about you! I'm afraid he might harm you." Josephine's anxiety grew as Seth was driving further away from the city. She grabbed Seth's arm and pleaded, "Please stop the car!" Seth slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop on the side of the road. Caught off guard, Josephine almost tumbled forward.

He turned his head toward her.

"Josie, do you trust me?"

Josephine felt hesitant.

She looked into his eyes, but no words escaped her lips.

She did trust him. It was just that she couldn't fully trust his actions now. Moreover, it wasn't just about whether they could escape. Even if they did, it could endanger many people.

"..."

Seth gently touched her cheek. "Trust me just this once."

"But..."

Seth's patience was wearing thin. He interrupted her, "Enough with the 'buts.' You've known me for so long. Don't you understand me by now?" Josephine remained silent. She acknowledged that Seth was intelligent and capable, but he had never outplayed Lewis in their past interactions. If they failed this time, Josephine couldn't fathom the consequences.

Seth continued driving. He did not give her a chance to negotiate. In the blink of an eye, they were out of the city.

Seeing the road signs ahead, a sense of foreboding swept over Josephine. The ominous feeling was growing stronger with every passing moment.

She clenched her fingers tightly, her gaze fixed on the scenery along the road. Everything felt surreal.

She hadn't brought anything with her, and here she was in the car with Seth. He had taken her out of the city, claiming he was bringing her away from Elysium. It all seemed too much like a childish game.

Her phone suddenly started vibrating like crazy. Josephine's whole body tensed up, and she nervously pulled out her phone. She noticed it was a call from Conrad.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet she still lacked the courage to answer.

As the call automatically ended, it immediately started ringing again.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Seth asked.

Josephine glanced at him. "We've come all the way out here. What would I even say if I answered?"

Then, she continued in a slightly pleading tone, "Can we go back, please?"

"We're already out here. Going back won't help." Seth used his own words to counter her, leaving Josephine speechless.

The phone rang again.

Josephine stared at the blinking screen. Each vibration felt like a death knell, and her heartbeat raced.

Seth sighed, sounding somewhat resigned. "Just answer it. The ringing tone is giving me a headache."

Josephine held her phone tightly, her gaze fixed on the answering icon on the screen. She hesitated several times but still didn't have the courage to pick up the call.

The memories of the failed escape attempt with Quintin last time were vivid in her mind. What would happen this time?

Finally, when the fifth call came in, Josephine realized that Conrad would just keep calling if she didn't take his call. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down.

Opening her eyes again, she slid her finger over the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Josephine, tell him to stop the car. I can pretend like nothing happened," came the voice of Lewis.

Josephine opened her mouth, but no words came out. She turned to look at Seth.

He showed no intention of stopping the car. He held the steering wheel casually as he drove.

Josephine glanced at the rearview mirror and could vaguely see several black Mercedes approaching from behind. If she guessed correctly, Lewis was coming after them.

"Did you hear me?" Lewis' voice sounded again. "Don't push me to do something I don't want to."

Sweat formed on Josephine's forehead. Her back was damp with sweat.

Meanwhile, Seth remained composed even though he knew they were being pursued. Furthermore, the road was becoming increasingly remote. Josephine began to piece things together. Perhaps Seth didn't intend to take her away. Instead, he had something planned for Lewis.

She hung up the call and grabbed Seth's arm again. "What are you trying to do? Did you intentionally lead him here?"

Seth glanced at her briefly, a mild smile playing on his lips. "Are you worried about him?"

Josephine froze.

His voice was gentle, but his words were chilling. "Josephine, don't forget, he's our enemy. Once he's gone, we can easily leave Elysium."