What Separates Me and You



Josephine was startled by his reply.

"Can't you just free me unconditionally? Why do you have to die for me to gain my freedom? What's the difference between the two?"

He rubbed his throbbing temple, but he wasn't angry at her. "You're getting more and more annoying now."

She ignored him and found the medicine on his study table. Then, she got him a new glass of water. Taking his hand, she placed the medicine in his palm. "Take your medicine."

He glanced at her before looking at the medicine. "Only if you take back what you said."

She smirked. "Are you a three-year-old?"

After a moment of silence, he lifted the glass of water on the table and took the pill as instructed. She finally left the study after he took his medicine. "It's time for breakfast."

He stared at her figure and smiled. Yes, she was indeed different from her past self. He placed the glass on the table and followed her downstairs. Mrs. Larson's eyes traveled between the two at the dining hall. She picked up on the shift in dynamics between the couple. From their behavior, she could tell that the tables had turned.

It might be her illusion, but she thought Lewis seemed like a demure housewife, judging from how he obediently walked behind Josephine.

In hindsight, she thought she could have misread the situation. She decided to wash her face and freshen up. Perhaps, her age had caught up to her. Her eyesight might have worsened.

Josephine had her breakfast and took her medicine like she had done many times. Suddenly, Lewis asked, "Have you been to Moss Corporation?" She paused and gave him a quizzical look. "What for?"

"It's your company now."

"It's not." She remembered that she had signed the equity transfer agreement.

"Do you really plan to work forever as an assistant to Sally McClure?"

His question took her aback. She had taken up the job to pass the time. It was never her intention to grow her career in that role.

On the other hand, she started to feel concerned about her future options if she continued living her life directionlessly. What if she decided to leave Elysium one day? What would she do for a living then?

Currently, she had access to freely available resources for upskilling, which was pretty enticing. Plus, Seth was abroad. She gave Lewis a look of mixed feelings.

He lowered his head and took mouthfuls of his soup, as though he had never suggested anything to her at all.

"So..." She paused. "When do I go in?"

He placed his utensils on the table and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Anytime you want."

"Can I start right away?" She was clueless about the formal procedure. She did not even know who to get in touch with when she arrived.

"Get Conrad to go with you."

After some thinking, she came to a decision and stood up. "I'm done with breakfast. I'll go to work now."

Lewis coughed and placed his napkin on the table. Later, he changed into a new outfit and drove himself to work.

Kiran's mother had arrived on the same day. After she retrieved Kiran's ashes from the police station, she ran into Conrad, who was waiting for her at the entrance.

"Ma'am Torres," Conrad greeted her. "Mr. Lewis wanted to see you."

Tanya glanced at him and caressed the urn in her hands. Then, she followed him into the car.

The woman was in her fifties, but she took care of herself well. Although the grieving had taken a toll on her, she looked no more than forty years old. She was a classic beauty who aged like a fine wine.

Tanya arrived at the meeting room at the same time as Lewis.

"Madam, nice to meet you." Smiling, he reached out for a handshake. She shook his hand and asked, "You're Lewis, aren't you?"

He gave her a curt nod and gestured. "Please come in."

She followed him into the room and took a seat after him. The urn rested on her knees, and she caressed it like how she had caressed her son's face when he was still alive.

"I'm sure you are more or less aware of the events that happened."

She nodded. "The police told me about it."

Kiran had killed an attorney, but he accidentally crashed his car over a cliff during his escape. When they found his body, he was badly mangled. When Tanya came for her son's body, the police only handed her an urn of his ashes. She had no way to tell if it was really her son. She only managed to identify Kiran from the cross pendant necklace she had given him.

Lewis let out a wistful sigh. "What a pity."

Tanya's eyes glistened with tears as she looked at him. "Mr. Alvarez, is that true? Why would Kiran kill that attorney?"

"The attorney helped to forge the will. He was killed to cover up the truth."

Tanya closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She seemed to have aged a lot at that moment.

"I told Kiran not to come here." She couldn't hold back the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

"It looks like you know what he was here for."

Tanya wiped away the brimming tears and explained, "Kiran was a competitive and vengeful kid from a young age. He would get back at anyone who bullied him."

She added, "He led his classmates into the mountains in first grade. It took the teachers and parents two full days to track them down."

"I had to move multiple times because of his behavior. I thought he'd settle down after I sent him abroad." Her expression grew sadder. "But Robert found us anyway."

"When was that?"

She thought about it and replied, "It was many years ago. He suddenly showed up to reunite with Kiran. That kid, though—he secretly wanted his dad to visit, but he refused to acknowledge his dad."

She shared bits and pieces of their past with Lewis. When Robert tracked down Tanya and Kiran, he stayed with them for an extensive period. During his stay, he was good to Kiran, which helped to repair their relationship. Still, Kiran refused to call him "dad."

Regardless, Robert was unconcerned and did his best to treat his son well. He taught Kiran everything from running a business to dealing with people. Not only that, he founded a company for Kiran and visited Kiran annually.

Despite his best efforts, he never heard Kiran calling him "dad," not even when he was on his deathbed.

Lewis smirked when he heard the details. Tanya said, "My greatest wish was for my son to grow up healthily and safely. He could live an ordinary life and start a family. I never wanted him to get involved in this mess."

Then, she started crying. "I didn't take care of him well enough. It was all my fault."

Lewis gave Conrad a look, and the latter handed Tanya a document.noveldrama

"Ma'am Torres, we cannot bring the dead back to life. I offer my condolences to you. These are the shares under President Kiran's name. Based on the regulations, you should inherit his shares because you're his only family."