Chapter 145 You Broke His Heart
“You’re asking me?” Lewis’ expression was very unpleasant, as if he was on a killing spree.
Only then did Conrad look toward Seth and instantly regret his actions. A sense of unease consumed him as soon as his gaze fell upon Josephine embracing the other man.
What-what-what had he missed? It had just been two days.
How had Mrs. Alvarez moved on so quickly? Could Stockholm Syndrome strike this quickly?
Lewis eyed Josephine again. When he looked at her this time, his gaze was colder and more ruthless than it had ever been.
Finally, he got into the car and told Conrad before he left, “It’s up to you now.”
Having said that, Lewis drove out of the homestead, his car disappearing in the distance, as if he no longer wanted anything to do with Josephine.
Seth sneered, “See, he never would have chosen you.”
Josephine pushed him away and took a step back.
She knew it. Of course, she had known well before this. Seth’s words were nothing but another stab in her already wounded heart.
She supposed it was a mercy that it no longer hurt.
Conrad was at a loss. Lewis had said nothing more before he left. What was he supposed to do now?
Should he kill the two of them?
But if Lewis had wanted the two of them dead, he would have personally dealt with the matter himself before leaving. He never would have left it to Conrad.
Conrad thought about it for a long time before deciding to have someone tend to Seth’s wounds before bringing the two of them back down from the mountains.
Seth was sitting in the yard when Conrad had someone bandage his wounds. His injuries were not superficial, and it was troublesome to deal with. By the looks of it, Seth had a long road of recovery ahead of him.
Josephine stood by one side quietly. The resolute look on Lewis’ face replayed in her mind again and again as a sharp burst of pain built up behind her temples.
Maybe she was being delusional and greedy.
After all, she could have remained subservient and stayed in the mansion like a good pet. Lewis would have treated her well that way.
And yet, she insisted on rebelling and forcing him to make a choice like this.
She was indeed foolish beyond words.
But again, she was already dying. Was it really too much to hope for?
Josephine closed her eyes and felt the chilly mountain breeze on her face. The cold was so intense that it seeped into her pores. It was the kind of chill that reached her bones.
She hardly felt it, though. It was the coldness in her heart that weighed down on her heavily.
Somewhere in between, perhaps it had been the headache building up behind her temple, Josephine’s vision turned black, and she fell headfirst to the ground.
“Madam!”
Conrad wanted to take Josephine away, but Seth did not allow him.
Waving the remote control in his hands, he threatened, “Don’t you act recklessly, or we’ll all die here together.”
Conrad stared at the remote control in Seth’s hands, unsure how he should proceed.
Almost instantly, he also realized why the president had left. There was never any solution to this impasse.
Lewis’ orders to him were loud and clear-bring Josephine back.
Seth had no intentions of killing Josephine yet, but if he were forced to, he would.
He would choose to kill her if that was what it would take to push the tide in his favor.
Conrad dared not act rashly. Things remained in a stalemate after that.
Seth eyed the entrance of the homestead. In the distance, there were only mountains.
“That president of yours, why had he spent so much effort to come here only to leave empty- handed?”
Conrad shrugged. To be honest, he had no idea either.
The journey back was very far. If Lewis went through the woods, it would take half a day, but if he took the main roads, it would be even further.
If Lewis hadn’t left now, he would never make it back in time.
At the end of the day, he still chose to return to the meeting.
Only, as Lewis drove to the foot of the mountain, he stopped his car by the road and lit a cigarette.
Soft tendrils of smoke drifted out through the car window, mingling with the mountain breeze, only to dissipate moments later. It vanished, like wisps of a fleeting memory, carried
away by the passing wind.
The weight of unresolved sadness etched deep furrows in his brows, casting a pensive aura around Lewis. His gaze remained fixed through the windshield, drawn to a particular point in the distance.
Yet, all he could see was mountain after mountain, no matter how far he peered. There was only one single-lane road through the mountainous range. As soon as one turned the corner, they would no longer be in sight.
Meanwhile, in the homestead, Josephine lay on the bed. When she woke up again, night had already fallen.
Conrad was on guard in the yard. At that moment, the originally quiet courtyard had become somewhat abuzz with life.
She propped herself up from the bed and looked down at the countdown around her ankles. It was still there.
Fourteen hours left.
She went outside and saw Conrad squatting in the yard, smoking irritably.
Josephine reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.
Upon seeing her, Conrad turned around and extinguished his cigarette. “Madam, you’re awake.
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Josephine nodded. She had nothing to say to him, so she simply sat quietly.
Conrad, on the other hand, pondered everything that had happened. He couldn’t help but speak up. “Madam, did you willingly go with Seth or-”
Josephine pursed her lips and did not speak.
Conrad did not expect her to reply anyway. He continued to no one in particular. “This shareholders’ meeting is very important to President Alvarez. He has been preparing for this for a long time.”
Josephine listened in silence.
“Madam, have you ever thought about what would happen if the president had really given up everything for you? How would he protect you if he was reduced to nothing?”
His words took Josephine aback. She stared at her feet, speechless.
“When that happens, his enemies and competitors-let’s not speak of the distant ones. Just take Seth, for example. When that happens, whatever he wishes to do to the president, however he wishes to control him and you-it would’ve been too easy for him to do it.
“The president might even be imprisoned. If he ends up in jail, Madam, what would happen to
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you?
“I might not understand President Alvarez very well, but I can see that he cares a lot about you.
“These past two days, he hasn’t slept at all. He was in his study alone until dawn. Last night, he even drove the entire night up here to find you. If he really didn’t care about you at all, there would be no reason for him to come.
“And yet, you-you broke his heart.”
Josephine raised her head and looked into Conrad’s eyes.
He was being sincere. None of what he’d said had been a lie.
Josephine sat down beside him and gazed at the entrance of the homestead, a distant look in her eyes.
Conrad stared at her. After a while, he spoke again. “Madam, do you-do you still insist on staying here?”
Josephine turned and pointed to her ankles.
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