What Separates Me and You

He sank back into his seat, as if he’d finally realized that any glimmer of hope he had clung to for

salvaging the situation was long lost.

He was so fucked.

In the mansion, several electronic experts brought in by Conrad were studying the metal chain. around

Josephine’s ankles, but they seemed to be making no concrete progress.

“How’s it going? Can it be removed?” Phineas asked on the side.

Josephine had seen Phineas before once or twice. She knew he was aligned with Lewis, but

unlike Conrad, she was unaware of his role or position.

Moreover, he rarely appeared by Lewis’ side, and this was her first time directly interacting

with him.

“The material used to manufacture this ring is unique. It can’t be dismantled using ordinary

tools.”

“Can you erode it with chemicals, then?”

The expert shook his head. “No, we tried just now. This is neither metal nor any composite material

we’ve ever encountered. If we could bring it back to our lab and analyze its composition, perhaps we

could determine the material it’s made of and develop a strategy for dismantling it.”

Phineas was a bit hesitant. They had been studying the chain for almost a day now, yet they still

couldn’t remove it. He didn’t know what to report back to Lewis.

“Let me see.” He knelt down and looked at the ring on Josephine’s ankle.

“Is the screen electronic? Can’t you destroy the screen?” he asked, turning around to face

them.

“We could, but can you be entirely certain that the covert listening device is hidden inside the screen?”

Phineas frowned. “It doesn’t matter. Destroy the screen first, and you can study the rest later.”

To be honest, if Lewis hadn’t told them that it was a listening device, none of them would have been

able to tell.

It was only after confirming the signals obtained from the device through a signal detector that they

finally had confirmation that it was indeed a listening device.

A few of them fiddled with their tools for a while before successfully smashing the screen.

After the screen was removed, only a thin, black band remained on her ankles. It looked exactly like a

bracelet. It would have been rather aesthetic if it weren’t a listening device.

One of them took out a tool and carefully scraped the band a few times. After trying for a long time,

they obtained whatever little powder they managed to scrape off and stood to leave.

“I’ll take this back with me and try to figure out what material this is.”

Phineas nodded. “Sure, you do that. You can go down now.”

The rest of the team packed their equipment and left, leaving Phineas and Josephine staring at one

another wordlessly.

Phineas glanced at his watch. The president should be back soon.

At that moment, Lewis was stuck in a traffic jam. His brows were knitted, exhaustion lining his features.

Conrad was driving in front, and he couldn’t help but shoot surreptitious glances at Lewis. The

shareholders’ meeting had gone on for the entire day. It was, indeed, an exhausting

experience.

After thinking about it for a while, he still decided to voice his concerns. “President Alvarez, since Seth

escaped, should we still look for him and bring him to you?”

Lewis did not even bother to open his eyes as he replied faintly, “Of course.”

“Seth would not leave Elysium this easily. Search carefully,” he added.

“Will do but sir, how do you know he won’t leave Elysium?”

Lewis hummed in response but provided no clarification. Conrad could only shut his mouth and

continued driving.

Back at Styx Mansion, Phineas immediately explained the situation to Lewis as soon as he

returned. Lewis didn’t even pause before he walked into the house.

Phineas spoke up by his side. “What do we do now, sir?”

“Go get a signal jammer.”

“Yes, sir.”

Phineas watched him walk into the mansion. Tactfully, he stopped and decided to leave the

JA

premises for the night..

Lewis stood by the entrance, his gaze falling on the figure on the couch.

Josephine sat idly on the couch, her head lowered as she studied the band around her ankles. Her hair

fell on both sides of her cheeks, shielding her line of vision. She hadn’t realized that Lewis was back

yet, not until a hand landed on her head.

She raised her head immediately, meeting Lewis’ deep, meaningful gaze.

His eyes had a certain complexity, a blend of indifference and a depth she couldn’t quite grasp.

Josephine’s fingers tightened. She suddenly recalled the incidents in the homestead, particularly when

he’d asked her if she was coming with him.

She took a step back.

At that time, he was looking at her with the same distant disappointment he had in his eyes

now.

Instantly, he seemed to have gotten so much further away than he’d ever been, as if the affection he’d

shown her in the cave had been nothing but an illusion.

When it came to Lewis, it wasn’t the first time Josephine had sunk into her own delusions. about their

relationship.

If she thought about it more, hadn’t she been living in her misconceptions in the past twenty years too?

She cast her head downward.

Lewis turned and went upstairs, saying nothing. Only then did she tilt her head and watch hist

disappearing silhouette.

Her heart sank.

The day before, she had pushed him away time after time, but he’d still jumped off the cliff after her. His

disappointment was justified.

Josephine withdrew her gaze.

She didn’t know how long she’d remained on the couch before she finally stood up and went to the

kitchen to prepare dinner.

Eyeing the table full of food and peering up the stairs, she gathered her courage and walked up to his

study.

When she’d reached his study door, she raised her hand and knocked.