What Separates Me and You

"Mr. Fairchild, it's good to have self-assurance, but not excessively," said Lewis idly as he walked past Seth into the mansion.

Seth watched as he left, no longer smiling.

In the mansion, Lewis didn't see Josephine anywhere. However, the sofa was in a mess. Discarded paper and crumpled balls of paper scattered everywhere.

"Where is she?" asked Lewis.

Mrs. Larson answered immediately, "She's upstairs, playing with Ms. Green."

Lewis gave it some thought before going upstairs. He heard Josephine's chuckles coming from the bedroom even before he was near. He paused before he reached out to open the door.

Josephine and Avery were playing a game. Josephine had a blindfold on and was trying to catch Avery. Avery had a squeaky toy tied beneath her feet, and it would squeak whenever she took a step. Josephine would have to locate Avery based on the direction of the sound. They learned about this game on the internet. Josephine enjoyed it very much despite not being able to catch Avery the entire afternoon.

"Don't run, Avery. I know where you are!" Josephine felt about as she headed for Avery.

Avery quickly tried to sneak away but accidentally stepped on the squeaky toy, letting out a piercing squeak. Josephine roared with laughter at that and even teased Avery.

Avery was just about to say something when she caught a glimpse of Lewis standing at the door as she turned. He was clad in black; his trench coat accentuated his tall and slender build. His standing there and watching them was a true buzzkill.

Josephine was unaware of his presence. She felt about with her arms extended, reaching the door first and Lewis' chest next. She hugged him. "I caught you, Avery! Now it's your turn to catch me." Josephine pulled off the blindfold joyfully only to see a coat of black and a man's chest. Her smile faded. She looked up and saw Lewis' grumpy face. "It's you!" Josephine let him go, displeased. Lewis ignored her and said to Avery, "It's time for you to leave."

Avery's lips move, her rebuke lingering at the tip of her tongue. But at the thought of the consequences—the possibility of her getting banned from seeing Josephine—she withheld her words. Avery untied the squeaky toy from her feet and casually cast it aside, smiling at Josephine as she said, "I'll play with you again tomorrow."

"Are you going home, Avery?" Josephine held her, feeling sorry to see her go. She obviously wasn't finished playing with Avery.

"That's right. It's almost dark. My brother will tell me off if I'm not home."

"Okay then." Josephine understandingly released her and cast her a clinging glance.

As Avery turned to leave and passed by Lewis, she looked up at him. Eventually, she left without saying anything. She kept reminding herself not to get on Lewis' nerves, or he wouldn't allow her into the mansion again.

After she left, Lewis entered the room and approached Josephine. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

Josephine blinked and said matter-of-factly, "Yes, I did!"

Lewis' eyes flickered. He raised his hand and helped her to tidy her ruffled hair. Her long hair had been cut short because the fire singed it; it was currently shoulder-length.

Seeing how Lewis wasn't talking to her, Josephine ignored him too. She went to the corner and picked up the squeaky toy, placing it in a small basket. She also kept away the drawings Avery drew for her. She had to tidy up her belongings, or someone would take them away.

Lewis watched her getting busy as she squatted on the floor and fell into a trance.

After tidying, Josephine went to wash her hands and returned to Lewis, looking up at him. After playing with Avery the entire afternoon, she had already forgotten about the scolding Lewis had given her. She hugged his arm and glued herself onto him like a boneless slug. "I'm hungry."

Lewis let out a sigh, then turned to go back the way he came, saying, "Let's go."

Josephine skipped and hopped behind him. She had never been this happy since she woke up, and even her strides oozed joy. However, her excitement lasted until it was time to take the herbal concoction. Her face lost its radiance when she saw the murky concoction. She turned away reluctantly.

Lewis said, "Be good and drink this."

Josephine shook her head like a rattle, firmly refusing to take it.

Lewis continued coaxing for a long time. Not even the ice cream trick worked this time. In the end, he could only threaten her and say, "If you don't drink this, you'll never see Avery again." Josephine was stunned. She turned toward Lewis and asked, "Why?"

Lewis answered sharply, "Because you are being disobedient and not behaving like a good girl should. Avery won't play with naughty girls."

Josephine pouted, looking like she was ready to cry. "I'm not a naughty girl."

"You're a good girl if you drink this."

Josephine stared at the concoction hesitantly and looked at Lewis. Extending two fingers, she tried to bargain, "I want two ice creams."

Lewis' lips twitched as he said, "Sure."

Josephine beamed and finished the concoction in one gulp. Then, she gagged toward the trash can as she lay on the bed, throwing up half of the concoction she had just drunk. Mrs. Larson quickly handed her the ice cream.

Josephine vomited for a long time before she looked up, her face an expression of agony and streaked with tears.

"Here." Lewis put the ice cream in her hand.

Josephine munched on it, but it failed to dispel the bitterness on her tongue. She wept as she ate the ice cream, looking pitiful yet funny at the same time.

"You may leave."

Mrs. Larson nodded and tidied up before she left the room.

Josephine finally felt better after finishing two ice creams. She felt a bit sleepy after playing the entire day. Lewis carried her to take her bath, and she fell asleep in the bathtub halfway through. Lewis was bothered at how unwary she was. He finished bathing her in a jiffy, carried her back to the bedroom, and put her on the bed.

In the following days, Avery would come and play with Josephine. With someone to accompany her, Josephine slept less. Lewis was getting more occupied at work too.

However, Seth no longer had access to the mansion; either Mrs. Larson or Phineas would stop him from entering whenever he appeared at the door. Lewis was clearly forbidding him from seeing Josephine. Seth snorted with laughter. He knew it was because Lewis had discovered his true identity and refused to let him in. Besides, Lewis assigned various miscellaneous tasks to him, including inspecting the company's fire protection system, checking the vehicle inventory, and verifying the fixed assets inventory. These were not half as bad compared to some of the other tasks he was assigned-settling petty agreements and terminating contracts with several smaller, more difficult companies.

Even Kiran noticed Lewis was intentionally going against Seth.

The position of the Head of the Finance Department was still vacant after Mr. Hall went to jail. Thus, Seth also had to take over his duties. Lewis threw multiple financial statements at him for a cross-check, and almost every one of them had a disagreement of a dollar or two-some even had a few pennies missing. Consequently, Seth and the entire Finance Department had to work overtime. He even had to sleep at the office.

"Mr. Fairchild, did you get on the wrong side of Chairman Alvarez?" a female employee asked miserably.