What Separates Me and You

Chapter 273

Chapter 273 Lewis Must Have Gone Mad

Quintin’s knuckles whitened instantly. His grip on his phone was so strong that one would have thought he would break his phone on the spot.

Jack wasn’t just his friend; he was his younger brother as well. Quintin became friends with Jack when the latter was only ten years old, so naturally, he viewed him as his younger brother.

Meanwhile, Jack viewed Quintin as the person he trusted the most in his life. No matter the orders Quintin had given him, he would gladly carry them out without hesitation.

Their relationship had long since transcended the borders of friendship.

Quintin never expected that Lewis would choose to deal with him by using Jack as leverage instead of targeting the Fowler family. In a way, Jack was the easiest to apprehend, not to mention he was treasured by Quintin a lot.

After the screams died down, Jack shrieked into the speaker hysterically. “Just forget about me, Quintin! Hurry up and leave!”

Jack was sobbing hysterically because of the intense pain, yet he was screaming at Quintin to leave with all his might.

Lewis Alvarez was a devil. If Quintin were to return to the orphanage, he would definitely suffer from a fate worse than death.

The devilish man just sat on the chair lazily. He wasn’t angry at all after hearing Jack’s words. Instead, his lips curled into a devious smirk.

“You don’t have much time left, Quintin. You can leave, you know. In fact, it’s better if you travel to a place far, far away, but don’t regret your decision on your way there. Otherwise, you’ll realize that you don’t have anything to come back to.”

“You’re insane! Do you really think you’re the king of Elysium? You think the authorities can’t do anything to you?”

Lewis just chuckled even more. “Would you like me to call the cops for you?”

Quintin’s breath was lodged in his throat. Lewis’ arrogance knew no bounds.

Had that man chosen to kidnap Damian or someone else instead of Jack, calling the cops might work, but in this case…

Jack was just an orphan who didn’t have a family of his own.

Quintin ended the call immediately. He gripped the steering wheel tightly while his vein pulsed under his temple.

Josephine looked at him worriedly.

She tugged at his sleeve a moment later before gesturing, “I’m sorry.”

Quintin sighed upon spotting the guilt etched on her face. He shook his head, saying, “This has nothing to do with you. It’s all my fault. I was the one who acted rashly.”

Had he not agreed to marry Josephine hastily because of Robert’s influence, things wouldn’t have progressed to this stage.

He wouldn’t have dragged Jack into this mess if he didn’t leave with Josephine out of spite. This was all his fault.

Quintin’s overconfidence and underestimation of Lewis’ courage were the key elements leading to his downfall.

This was his first time witnessing Lewis’ true colors. It also overhauled his impression of that

man.

Josephine gestured, “We should go back quickly.”

Quintin hesitated for another moment before shooting Josephine a look. “What will you do once we go back?”

She pursed her lips for two seconds before moving her hands. “Let’s just return.”

Quintin decided not to say anything else as he started the car. If he wanted to take a U-turn ahead and get out of the highway, he would need at least 40 minutes to return to the orphanage.

Indeed, those 40 minutes felt like an eternity, an interminable passage of time.

Quintin finally realized how perverse Lewis actually was. His insanity knew no bounds, that was for sure. That man was capable of doing anything in this world.

He would definitely slice Jack’s fingers off one by one.

Quintin’s eyes started to redden at the thought of Jack’s torture. He slammed his foot on the gas pedal and accelerated down the highway with a relentless urgency.

At the same time, Josephine couldn’t help but feel nervous. She had no idea why Lewis would become so deranged. He wasn’t like this in the past.

Conrad felt that his boss had gone crazy as well.

He was inside the orphanage at the moment. Lewis had not given any command for Jack to be taken away.

There were so many children and staff members inside the orphanage as well.

At this hour, the children were taken back to their respective rooms by the person in charge. They hid there, not daring to come out at all.

Right now, Conrad and the others were inside a warehouse behind the orphanage. Piles of junk and clutter filled up the space, making the warehouse look quite messy.

Jack was pinned onto the floor, courtesy of one of Lewis’ bodyguards. He was currently missing his left thumb. Blood oozed out of the fresh wound and flowed across the floor, soon forming a crimson puddle.

Lewis remained seated on a chair with his legs crossed while smoking impassively. A dozen well-built bodyguards fanned around him, and they were all staring at Jack without any expressions.

Ellie, the person in charge, stood on Jack’s left. She was in her late 50s with a head full of gray hair. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched Jack suffer from the torture.

However, she didn’t dare to stem the blood flow because of what Lewis said to her earlier. He threatened her that Jack would lose more than just a finger if she were to move an inch.

So many children were trapped in the building in front of the warehouse. Ellie didn’t dare to take the risk, so she had no choice but to watch Jack suffer.

Lewis glanced at his watch before stating impassively, “Ten minutes are up.”

Conrad could feel chills traveling up his spine the moment he heard that statement, but he still shot a look at the bodyguard who was pinning Jack down.

Having received the hint, the bodyguard withdrew a dagger from his belt strap and crouched. in front of Jack. Then, he sliced the latter’s index finger off without a word.

Jack, who had already fainted by then, let out another blood-curdling scream. It echoed in the previously silent warehouse for a very long time.

Goosebumps crawled over the scalps of those who heard it.

At the same time, Quintin could feel a dull ache coming from his heart for no reason as he coursed through the road swiftly. He glanced at the time on the dashboard, feeling hot tears. prickling in his reddened eyes.

Josephine clenched her hands tightly together as the car sped along, constantly feeling as though a force was pushing against the back of her seat, threatening to fling her out of the vehicle.

She pressed a hand on top of her chest, still refusing to believe that the Lewis she knew could be so incredibly cruel.

An image of Lewis’ cold and distant expression surfaced in her mind, causing her to close her

eyes. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

It was clear that the current version of Lewis was no longer the person she once knew.

That man was just someone who looked exactly like Lewis.

The journey back to the orphanage was silent. Similarly, the warehouse was quiet as well.

Jack had fainted for the second time that night. He lay on the floor, and his complexion was deathly pale.

Even Conrad couldn’t help but worry about the dying man from his spot. Anxiety gripped his heart as he stared at the warehouse’s entrance, praying for Quintin to rush back as soon as possible.

The 30th minute was about to descend upon the world.

The steady rhythm of the minute hand was akin to a ticking time bomb that started the silent countdown to Jack’s death.

Lewis propped his head with one hand while tapping on the armrest with the other. His calmness greatly contrasted with the nervousness and anxiety of the other people in the warehouse.

“Has it been ten minutes yet, Conrad?” The man suddenly shattered the silence in the warehouse with that question.

Conrad quickly regained his senses before raising his wrist to look at his watch. He swallowed nervously before replying, “Y-Yes, sir.”

Lewis didn’t say anything else after that. However, the meaning was clear.

It was time to follow the game’s rules.

Conrad let out a silent sigh while feeling sorry for Jack. Then, he turned his head to nod at the bodyguard.

The latter nodded back in response while pulling out his blood-stained dagger. He was about to strike when a voice sounded.

“Wait!”

Ellie couldn’t bear to watch the torture any longer. She rushed forward before sinking to her knees in front of Lewis, trembling in fright.

The latter cast a glance in her way from his position above.

Tears streamed down Ellie’s face as she gazed up at Lewis pleadingly with her back hunched over. “Mr. Alvarez, Jack is still very young! Please spare his life! You can just take my finger! I’m an old woman, after all! Just take it!”

Lewis gazed at the old woman calmly, seemingly unmoved by her pleas.

“Why are you so anxious? It will be your turn soon.”

A cruel smile curled on his lips as he continued, “I don’t think he can last till Quintin’s return.”

There was so much blood on the ground to the point that Jack was covered in it.

Ellie collapsed to the ground after hearing Lewis’ statement. It was her first time meeting such a cruel and insane man in all her years of living.

Lewis then raised his head to stare at the bodyguard, who still looked surprised. “What are you still standing there for?”