Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 129

Ethan's lips trembled, words failing him as the scene before him shattered his resolve. He closed his eyes and turned away, his face etched with pain.

Sebastian's kiss carried the harsh scent of tobacco and cedar, yet Scarlett responded eagerly.

Even after their lips parted, she continued to squirm restlessly against him, her body instinctively seeking the hardness she felt against her lower abdomen. His hand firmly held her waist, keeping her pressed close.

Sebastian's Adam's apple tightened as he gently patted her back. "Stay still," he commanded, his voice deep yet carrying a barely perceptible gentleness absent from his exchange with Ethan.

Scarlett rose slightly on her toes, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her tears dampened his collar as she murmured incoherently about her discomfort.

When Ethan looked back, his fingers had whitened from clenching so hard. He quickly assessed Scarlett's dependent posture, suddenly remembering the last time she'd been drunk. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Mr. Howard, something's wrong with her. She needs a hospital."

Sebastian looked up, the coldness not yet gone from his eyes. "Your concern is unnecessary, Mr. Watson."

He lifted Scarlett into his arms and turned toward the silver-black Bentley waiting under a streetlight.

After a few steps, Sebastian paused and half-turned. "Mr. Watson, you should listen to Orion," he said, his voice cutting like ice.

Ethan's chest heaved with anger. He looked up sharply, about to speak when Sebastian's piercing gaze stopped him cold—a look containing no warmth whatsoever, like a guard staring down an intruder who didn't know the danger they faced.

He dared not speak, only watching as Sebastian adjusted his grip, lifting Scarlett higher in his arms.

The movement disturbed her, and she raised her arms to encircle Sebastian's neck. Her slender limbs draped softly across his back, the contrast between her pale pink skin and his dark suit creating a striking visual that Ethan couldn't tear his eyes from.

He swallowed hard as Mark opened the car door and Sebastian carried Scarlett inside. The car's engine hummed to life and pulled away.

Ethan stood there for a moment, shivering involuntarily when the evening breeze swept past. He exhaled heavily, returned to his car, and after brief contemplation, drove away from Howard Manor.

Even with limited insight, he understood this had been a trap set for both him and Scarlett. She wouldn't want her relationship with Sebastian exposed, so he would continue playing his role as bait.

His black Audi stopped at a crosswalk beside the silver-black Bentley in the left-turn lane. Through the tinted windows, he could see nothing of the interior. His hands tightened on the steering wheel, his gaze showing unprecedented calm and determination.

He would protect Scarlett with everything he had, no matter what it took!

---

Inside the Bentley, behind the raised privacy partition, Scarlett had reached the edge of desperation. She pulled Sebastian's hand downward, begging him for relief while he sat with his legs apart, his breathing heavy from restrained arousal.

Feeling the wetness against his fingers, Sebastian's eyes snapped open.

"Michael... I feel so awful..." Scarlett's mind had completely surrendered. Her vision blurred, unable to clearly see the man before her, she instinctively called out to the person closest in her subconscious.

Sebastian withdrew his hand and gripped her face, his voice low and raspy. "Look carefully. Who am I?"

Scarlett's red-rimmed eyes opened halfway, her mind foggy. "Michael..."

His expression darkened, his grip tightening. "Open your eyes!" He held down her restless form with his other hand.

Unable to move and feeling worse by the second, she obeyed. Her tear-filled eyes shimmered as they carefully traced his features. "Sebastian, Bash..."

She correctly identified him, but the added nickname still made Sebastian clench his jaw. He released her face, his hand moving downward while his eyes remained fixed on her beneath him.

The sound of a belt unbuckling made Scarlett's eyelashes tremble with instinctive fear. But there was nowhere to escape. Sebastian pressed down on her, the heat of their bodies colliding.

Her consciousness began to return, but before she could comprehend her situation, he dragged her into another abyss, her cries emerging only as brief moans.

In the early hours of morning, the Bentley finally stopped rocking.

Sebastian carried Scarlett out, her form completely wrapped in his deep gray coat with only a sliver of her moon-white dress hem visible—luxurious fabric shimmering with pearlescent glow in the moonlight, its embroidered hem revealing the extravagance of the craftsmanship.

Mark glanced once before lowering his gaze. "The Barnett family situation has been handled," he reported.

"Good," Sebastian replied, his voice low and cool in the night air.

---

In the bedroom, Scarlett had fallen into deep sleep, all her energy spent. Sebastian sat beside the bed, methodically removing her necklace and earrings, casually placing the emerald jewelry on the nightstand.

"So disobedient," he murmured, leaning down to place a light kiss on her lips before leaving the room.

---

When Scarlett awoke at three the next afternoon, her head throbbed painfully. As she tried to sit up, a sharp pain in her hand made her freeze. Looking down, she discovered an IV needle inserted there.

Glancing around, she realized she was in the master bedroom of Number Five, Skylake Road. Momentarily disoriented, she rubbed her forehead.

She remembered collapsing at the banquet, preceded by an unnatural heat spreading through her body—a clear sign something was wrong.

The realization turned her face pale as she recalled being with Ethan at the end!

With this thought, Scarlett yanked out the needle and stumbled into the bathroom. She pushed the door open forcefully and looked frantically at the mirror.

Her reflection showed her eyes still tinged with red. Interwoven red marks, like climbing vines, trailed along her collarbone and disappeared beneath her open collar.

Scarlett's breath caught, her already pale face turning ghostly white. She slowly raised her hand, watching blood trickle from the needle puncture down her wrist, which also showed faint pink marks.

She stared, momentarily dazed, before a wave of nausea rose from her stomach.