What Separates Me and You

Josephine looked at him in a daze. She didn't understand what he said, but her heartbeat was irregular for a second upon seeing the slight sadness in his eyes.

Lewis gazed at her for a moment before laughing self-deprecatingly. He abruptly stood and said while looking at her, "Have a good rest now that you're awake, and don't wander off."

She looked at him eagerly, wanting to ask him to take her to Quintin, but she didn't know how to express it.

Paying no more attention to her, Lewis turned to leave. He didn't slam the door, but she still flinched at the sound of the door closing. He went to the study and stayed there for the rest of the day.

After the last time, Mrs. Larson learned her lesson and dared not be absent-minded. She watched Josephine's door nearly the entire day.

Josephine's menstruation ended several days later. Her stomach stopped aching, and she was back to her usual self. But then Mrs. Larson brought her a bowl of murky concoction, which Josephine refused to take just because of the smell. Mrs. Larson tried her best to coax her and eventually got her to try it, but she spat it out the moment she drank it and ran away bare-footed.

Alarmed, Mrs. Larson immediately gave chase. "Madam, where are you going?"

Josephine ran down the stairs and hid behind the sofa. When Mrs. Larson came after her, she ran to the other side.

Mrs. Larson was unsure if she should laugh at her behavior. "Madam, the herbal concoction is good for your health. Why are you running away from it?"

Josephine held the sofa tightly, watching the older woman vigilantly. The concoction was horrifyingly bitter! She would never drink it!

Mrs. Larson couldn't do anything about that. She racked her brain for words to coax Josephine, yet Josephine didn't give in.

Lewis saw these two playing hide-and-seek straight away when he descended the stairs. He watched Josephine from above. Her hair was unkempt, and her clear eyes stared intently at Mrs. Larson. She'd run away at the first sign of movement.

At Mrs. Larson's age, it was only to be expected that she couldn't catch up with Josephine. She started panting after a few rounds. Looking back, she saw Lewis on the stairs, and her eyes lit up like he was her savior. "Master Lewis, the madam refuses to drink the herbal concoction regardless of how I persuade her. I'm out of ideas."

Josephine heard her and looked toward Lewis.

The man stopped briefly before walking toward Josephine, who knew he was on the same side as Mrs. Larson. Hence, she immediately took off.

However, she couldn't outrun both of them. She turned to run the other way when Mrs. Larson blocked her way, but Lewis was right behind her. Standing still, she pursed her lips and glared at Lewis, seemingly on the verge of crying.

He came to her and stroked her cheek. "Why didn't you take the herbal concoction?"

She moved her lips and put on a pained expression, indicating it was too bitter.

Lewis grasped her wrist and pulled her to the sofa while he signaled Mrs. Larson to bring him the herbal concoction. He told Josephine, "I'll bring you out to play if you drink it."

Josephine blinked and shook her head with determination.

"I'll take you to get something yummy."

She hesitated at this. She thought about all the delicious foods and couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

Soon, Mrs. Larson brought the bowl over and handed it to Lewis.

"Be a good girl and drink it."

Josephine stared at the black liquid in the bowl. She grimaced, and her eyes spoke loud of her resistance toward it.

"Do you still want to get yummy foods?"

Josephine nodded.

"Then drink it."

Josephine lowered her head, silent for a long time. Then, she mustered her courage and took the bowl from Lewis. With one hand pinching her nose and the other holding the bowl, she emptied the content into her mouth.

Withstanding the urge to vomit, she drank it all in one breath. Then, she thrust the bowl to Lewis while she tried to fan the bitterness away from her mouth. But it was useless. She leaned over the dustbin and gagged, throwing up half of the concoction she had just drunk.

Lewis frowned upon seeing that. He reached out and patted her back.

After she finished vomiting, Lewis handed her a glass of water. She grabbed it and gulped it down. Upset, she looked at Lewis with reddened eyes.

Lewis fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a lollipop. He tore the packaging open and stuffed it into her mouth.

She was about to burst into tears when the sweetness on her tongue promptly stopped her from doing so. The speed at which her expression changed was astounding.

Lewis watched her in silence briefly before instructing Mrs. Larson to take her to get changed. Mrs. Larson nodded and brought Josephine upstairs to change her clothes.

Moments later, Mrs. Larson returned to Lewis' side while holding Josephine's hand. "Master Lewis, the madam has changed into fresh clothes."

Lewis casually sized her up and stood, grabbing her hand as he led her out.

Josephine thought he was taking her to grab something delicious, but Lewis brought her to the company. Having used to work here, some employees recognized her though not many knew her. So when Josephine and Lewis entered the company hand-in-hand, they attracted great attention. Heads turned, and eyes were fixed on them.

Not even Sierra had come to work holding hands with Lewis when she worked here. But behold! He was holding another woman's hand upon arrival, and what was more, she was sucking on a lollipop! Those who were bold enough took out their phones and started snapping photos of Lewis and Josephine, sharing them in the company's group chat.

Josephine was ignorant of all these. All she had in mind was delicious food. Her mouth was still bitter from the herbal concoction, but looking around, she thought it was unlikely that this place served food. In the elevator, she handed Lewis the stick of the lollipop she had finished. Lewis lowered his eyes and glanced at Josephine. He didn't take it.

She stretched her hand out further, her clear eyes fixated on him.

Silence filled the air.

A short while later, Lewis reached out and took the garbage from her. Upon leaving the elevator, he conveniently threw it into the dustbin beside him.

Then, he led Josephine to his office.

The door closed behind her, and she turned visibly displeased. There wasn't any food in this room!

However, Conrad knocked on the door moments later and entered when he received Lewis' permission.

He was carrying a large box as he briskly entered the sitting room. After placing the box on the coffee table, he opened it to reveal a variety of snacks. "Madam, take your time and enjoy these snacks. I'll get you more if this isn't enough."

Josephine went closer for a glimpse. Her brooding face instantly lit up as she nodded vigorously at Conrad.

The man's lips twitched unnaturally. He added, "Can you stay here and eat them, then?"

Josephine had already opened a bag of chips, sat on the sofa, and started eating, taking no notice of him.

Conrad sighed and left the room. He went to Lewis and informed, "Sir, it's almost time for the meeting."

Lewis' gaze fell on the figure behind the glass partition. A few seconds later, he left the office with his documents.

Josephine rummaged through the box and tipped the snacks out onto the coffee table. She picked and chose those that she liked. She didn't even realize Lewis was gone.

Soon, the office door opened again, and someone came in.