What Separates Me and You

No matter what Mrs. Larson said, Josephine paid no attention to her.

Mrs. Larson returned to the kitchen and prepared a bowl of oatmeal for Josephine. She brought it out and asked Josephine if she wanted to eat again.

However, it was still in vain.

Mrs. Larson sat beside her, scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal, and brought it to Josephine's lips. This time, Josephine reacted by tilting her head to avoid the spoon.

At this point, Mrs. Larson didn't know what else she could do.

A group of bodyguards surrounded the mansion. Josephine had no chance to do anything drastic. Even if she spent more than five minutes in the bathroom, someone would knock on the door. Josephine dragged her feet up the stairs, and Mrs. Larson followed her.

She entered her bedroom, and Mrs. Larson followed her closely. Mrs. Larson didn't leave her side for even a second.

Josephine paused and turned to look at Mrs. Larson.

Mrs. Larson smiled awkwardly and said, "Mrs. Alvarez, you can do whatever you want. I won't disturb you as long as you're in my sight."

Josephine stared at her for a while, then averted her gaze and began searching for something in the room.

She found an envelope in a drawer and took out its contents. It was a stack of pictures she took with Lewis back at Hardington.

There were at least a dozen sets of photos. Josephine was smiling happily in every picture.

Meanwhile, Lewis only smiled in a few of the pictures.

She flipped through these photos until she reached the last one. Then, she retrieved a lighter from the drawer, walked over to a trash can, and began to burn the pictures.

Mrs. Larson wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She couldn't stop Josephine. She could only let Josephine burn the photos.

After burning the photos, Josephine continued searching the room. Soon, Josephine found a white wristwatch, or more accurately, a tracking device.

Inside the device were all her memories from when she had dissociative amnesia. She couldn't burn the watch, so she slammed it onto the ground and tried to break it. After a few failed attempts, she crouched down, picked up the wristband, and bit it.

Her actions startled Mrs. Larson. She quickly hid in a corner and called Dr. Halliday.

When Dr. Halliday arrived, Josephine had already thrown the wristband into the trash.

"Where is she?" Dr. Halliday asked.

Mrs. Larson nodded toward the walk-in closet. "She's in the walk-in closet."

They both approached the closet and found Josephine rummaging through clothes. She tossed everything from the closet and shelves onto the floor, making a mess all over the room. Josephine grabbed a gray suit and was about to tear it apart when she felt something in the suit's pocket. Her movement froze, and she reached into the pocket to take out whatever was inside. Inside was a worn velvet box that seemed to be toyed with frequently.

Josephine's gaze flickered as she slowly opened the box. A diamond rested within it.

The diamond on the ring sparkled brilliantly in the light.

Dr. Halliday pulled Mrs. Larson aside and whispered, "She's fine. Don't worry about her."

"What do you mean 'fine'? You just arrived. You don't even know what she did earlier."

Dr. Halliday sighed. "No matter what she did, it's better than doing nothing. It's good for her to let out her emotions."

Now Mrs. Larson understood. Josephine was venting.

"So, we shouldn't interfere?"

"Don't interfere. Just keep an eye on her."

Hence, they stopped paying attention to her and stayed outside her room.

Josephine didn't come out of the walk-in closet until late at night. Mrs. Larson was still worried, so she decided to check on her.

She found Josephine curled up inside the closet, fast asleep.

In the following two days, Josephine remained hidden inside the closet. She refused to eat or drink. Mrs. Larson's lips were chapped from talking, but Josephine still refused to come out. She had no choice but to call for Conrad's help.

On the second day, Lewis woke up. The first thing he wanted to do was leave. But Conrad and the doctors stopped him and forced him to stay.

Now, another day had passed. After receiving Mrs. Larson's call, Conrad didn't know what to do anymore.

Feeling weak, Lewis sat at the edge of the bed. Along with a group of doctors, Conrad and Nancy stood before him. It was clear they refused to let him leave.

Although his complexion was pale, his eyes were determined. Anyone who met his gaze couldn't help but shiver.

After contemplating for a while, Conrad turned to the doctor and said, "Doctor, Chairman Alvarez is not in immediate danger now. Is it okay if he recuperates at home?"

The doctor frowned. "As long as you can make sure he doesn't do any strenuous activity and adhere strictly to the medication regimen, it should be fine."

"Is that okay, Chairman Alvarez?" Conrad turned to Lewis.

Lewis impatiently turned his head away. Since he didn't voice his disagreement, it meant he was okay with it.

The doctor sighed. "Alright then."

"Lewis, why are you rushing to go back? Stay for a few more days."

Conrad explained, "Madam Nancy, Seth's matter hasn't been resolved yet. Chairman Alvarez needs to address this issue first."

"Seth is such an ungrateful guy. When did we ever offend him? How can he do something so despicable?"

Ignoring her, Lewis struggled to his feet. He draped his coat over himself and headed toward the exit with faltering steps.

There wasn't much to deal with anyway. He could shift the blame for this incident onto Seth.

His men were still searching at the foot of the cliff. Even though Seth had jumped off the cliff, they needed to find his body or remains, at the very least.

After entering the car, Lewis asked, "Any updates?"

"Not yet. Anthony said he didn't hit any vital areas. But with the severity of his injuries and the height from which he jumped, his chances of survival are quite slim."

Lewis rubbed his temples. "Don't underestimate him. Keep searching. We need to find him, dead or alive."

"Understood. We're still searching. If we can't find his body, he's probably still alive."

"How's Phineas?"

At the mention of Phineas, Conrad couldn't help but shudder. "That guy's luck is something else. He nearly got shot in his heart. But he's still badly injured. He's still in ICU but out of immediate danger."

He looked at Lewis through the rearview mirror and saw Lewis' furrowed brows. He asked, "Is anything else bothering you, Chairman Alvarez?"

Lewis contemplated briefly. "I just feel something's off."

"Off? How so?"

"Why did he agree to go abroad?"

Conrad paused. He suddenly realized something was wrong too.

If Seth had planned this from the beginning, he would have no reason to go abroad. He could have easily lured and confronted Lewis before he left for his trip.

"Perhaps he was searching for people to help him execute his plan?"

Lewis shook his head wearily and closed his eyes. "Let's discuss this after we get back."

With that, they fell into silence. Conrad continued driving and took Lewis back to Styx Mansion.

Upon his return, Mrs. Larson welcomed him as if he were a savior.

"Mr. Alvarez, you're back."

"Where is Josephine?"

"She's in the dressing room upstairs. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything for two days. I have no idea what to do."

Mrs. Larson didn't dare to force-feed Josephine as Lewis did.

Bypassing her, Lewis went straight upstairs.

He entered the dressing room and searched through each cabinet. Finally, he found Josephine in the last one.