What Separates Me and You

Nancy's shoulders trembled as she turned stiffly. Upon laying eyes on the grisly sight in the bag, her breathing stifled, and her eyes rolled upward as she fainted.

Lewis hurled the watch back in and checked the other bag. He asked, "That's too few. It's not complete, is it?"

"Yes, we only found some parts of his body. We're trying our best to search for the remaining parts."

Lewis stood, sadness in his eyes, as he looked at the police officers. "Please arrest the murderer."

"Of course. We'll do everything we can without you saying it and detain the murderer lawfully, Mr. Alvarez."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to. It's our duty." The police showed him several photos. "These photos were taken before he went missing. He seemed to have received an invitation from someone to come here. However, due to the limited number of surveillance cameras in this area and the fact that this mansion has been vacant for a long time, these are the only images we have. Therefore, we don't know who else was here." "What about his phone?"

"We can't find it. The murderer must have destroyed it. We'll know more when we manage to obtain his call history."

Lewis nodded and chatted for a while before getting someone to carry Nancy back to Alvarez Manor.

Nancy was in deep shock. She fell sick once she returned and was lifeless upon waking up. She didn't have the strength even to speak. Gory images flashed into her mind once she shut her eyes, and she would think of the water she drank as his blood, vomiting after every mouthful.

Lewis didn't return to Styx Mansion. He stayed at Alvarez Manor with Josephine temporarily.

Josephine was happy to be here, though, as she could continue playing with Baron.

Nancy's eyes were filled with despair as she leaned against the head of the bed. Lewis sat beside her, peeling some fruits for her, when he heard her say, "Do they have the results?" "Yes, they have."

She slowly turned and looked at Lewis blankly. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, "Is it him?"

Lewis halted. He looked at Nancy for several seconds before saying, "It is."

Nancy closed her eyes in distraught, and tears trickled down her cheek. "That geezer... Do you think he'll rest in peace if he knew that this is how his life has ended?"

Lewis said nothing. He continued peeling the fruits.

Nancy sobbed. "Lewis, tell me honestly. Do you have anything to do with his death?"

Lewis didn't even look up. "Well, do you hope I've something to do with it or otherwise?"

Nancy's words choked in her throat. For a second there, she didn't know how to answer him. She looked at Lewis for a long time before spitting out her words with difficulty. "He's your father." "You've already said that." Lewis' voice was unusually calm, so much so that Nancy felt her hair standing on ends. In fact, he looked more like he was ending someone's life instead of peeling fruits. Fear gradually etched itself onto Nancy's face, causing her to pale. "Although he had been behaving outrageously recently, do you feel nothing for him after all these years? How do you manage to be so calm?"

Lewis asked her back, "So what would you have me do? Should I lie in bed, moaning and groaning like you, to show how I feel about this?"

"You ..."

Lewis could always make her choke on her words.

Nancy ceased arguing with him over this matter. Staring at the ceiling, she mumbled, "Do you remember when you first arrived here? You were only five then."

Lewis was still an obedient little boy at that time. He always had a polite smile and treated others courteously. When he met Robert, he was neither proud nor unconfident and always had an answer for whatever Robert asked.

Robert liked this son at first glance. He sized Lewis up and nodded with satisfaction. He said, "This will be your home from now. I'm your father. Come, call me 'dad."

The boy looked at the man who was supposedly his father, confusion flickering in his eyes. Nevertheless, he smiled and heeded. Robert's smile was more brilliant than ever upon hearing the child call him "dad."

Ever since Lewis joined the Alvarez family, Robert made sure to bring him along wherever he went, proudly introducing him to everyone as his son. Although everyone knew how Lewis came to be, they treated Lewis respectfully because Robert cherished him.

Lewis had never been mistreated after he came to the Alvarez family because Alan liked him too. Both Robert and Alan had plans to mentor and train Lewis, so they allowed him to be by their sides and included him in their business affairs and market analysis discussions.

Alan thought he was more talented than Robert in business, so occasionally, he would even bring Lewis to meetings. Lewis had been famous in the company since he was young, and most long-time employees knew he was the next heir.

Robert also enrolled Lewis in various talent classes, doing all he could to help Lewis grow. He wanted nothing less than to cultivate the perfect successor.

In contrast to their tolerance toward Lewis, Nancy was extremely strict toward him. If Lewis scored lower than before in any of his examinations, Nancy would either subject him to physical punishment or withhold his meals as a form of discipline. She only became more lenient toward Lewis after Daphne was born.

Nancy gradually earned Alan's recognition and acceptance after giving birth to a son and a daughter. With that, she finally gained a foothold in the Alvarez family.

However, Daphne was the complete opposite. She grew up pampered and was showered with love. No one ever blamed her for scoring zero on her tests. No one thought she had to work hard as she was a girl. They would marry her off to some other family in the future anyway.

Tears rained down Nancy's cheeks as she reminisced the past.

Lewis placed the peeled apple on the table and said, "It's all in the past now. Why are you bringing it up?"

Nancy said, "It has all passed, but the only thing that has passed is time, not affection."

Lewis' lips curved into a mocking smile upon hearing the word "affection." He said, "I asked him for a reason before Kiran came into the picture, but he didn't answer me." Before Nancy could say anything, Lewis continued, "Similarly, you didn't tell me when you aborted my child. I can't deny the effort you guys have poured into training me, but I dare you to reach out to your conscience and say that all you did was for my benefit. You did it for yourself, your glory, and your ego. None of you ever asked me what I liked."

Nancy looked at his calm demeanor, dazed. She was at a loss for words.

Lewis picked up the apple he had just peeled and handed it to her. "What about you? Do you know what I like?"

Nancy reached out to take the apple, but Lewis returned it to its original position. "I don't like apples. I like lychees. You all think that lychees are bad for me, so you forced me to eat apples, and if I don't, you'll crush the lychee with your feet right before my eyes.

"That's your way of expressing 'affection."""