Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 171

Scarlett had considered confessing her situation to Michael, but feared disappointing him. She couldn't bring herself to have that conversation, leaving them at an impasse.

Just after swiping her card through the security gate, Scarlett received a message from Sebastian:

[Take Teddy's car after work.]

She glanced at it briefly before putting her phone away. Today was scheduled for establishing her pregnancy medical file, but she felt resistant. Creating an official record might make her develop real expectations for this child.

Yet even if she did grow attached to the baby, it wouldn't change its likely fate of being taken by Adeline. 

If the child would ultimately be raised by Adeline, she'd rather it had never existed at all.

So Scarlett's response to Sebastian's message was simply to leave it on read.

Fortunately, work kept her busy enough that she barely thought about the upcoming medical appointment—until Teddy knocked on her door near the end of the day, bringing it all back to mind.

She pressed her hand against her forehead, attempting to postpone. "Mr. Parker, as you can see, I'm swamped today. Could we reschedule for tomorrow?"

Teddy crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching her silently.

His posture resembled Sebastian's so closely that for a moment, Scarlett thought she was facing Sebastian himself—though Sebastian's presence carried even more intimidation.

'Like master, like servant,' she couldn't help but complain inwardly.

"Ms. Seymour, Mr. Howard wouldn't mind coming to pick you up personally," Teddy stated calmly, his words carrying an unmistakable threat.

Scarlett pressed her lips together, gritting her teeth slightly. The last thing she wanted was for Sebastian to come in person. 

Teddy's daily presence already drew enough attention—if Sebastian showed up himself, she'd be thrown into a whirlwind of gossip. Even with her cover as his adopted sister, people would inevitably cause trouble.

"Fine, let's go, Mr. Parker," she sighed, rising to follow him out.

"Leaving for the day, Ms. Seymour?" Hatty asked cheerfully as they passed by.

Lily also stood from her desk—saying nothing, but following Scarlett with her gaze.

Scarlett nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries with Hatty, then left with Teddy.

Teddy's car was parked in the building's underground garage, but Scarlett hadn't expected to find Sebastian waiting there.

A silver-black Bentley was parked beside her car, its rear door open in anticipation of her arrival.

Mark stood by the vehicle and gave a slight bow when he saw her. "Ms. Seymour."

Scarlett returned the gesture. It had been so long since she'd seen Mark that he seemed almost like a stranger now.

As she approached the back seat, she could clearly see Sebastian inside without even having to bend down. 

His long legs were slightly bent, his dark suit pants pressed without a single wrinkle. A sliver of ankle showed beneath, covered by matching socks, while his gleaming black leather shoes remained spotless—everything about him conveyed a cold, untouchable precision.

Sebastian turned at the sound of her approach, his fingertips resting on his knee.

"Get in," he said. His voice wasn't cold, merely even, devoid of any particular warmth.

Scarlett pressed her lips together before entering. "Mr. Howard," she greeted formally, seemingly pushing their relationship further into distance.

Sebastian turned to look at her, reaching for her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze—his favorite gesture. "Tired?"

Scarlett leaned back against the seat, wrinkling her nose at the subtle scent in the car. "I don't like this smell," she said, covering her nose.

Without hesitation, Sebastian responded, "Then we'll switch cars."

Everyone promptly exited and moved to Scarlett's small vehicle instead.

Her car was indeed compact—purchased specifically for her commute and chosen for its cute styling. 

Sebastian could barely fit his long legs inside, forced to awkwardly curl them up with his knees nearly touching the back of the front seat.

His crisp, formal suit looked completely out of place against the car's cream-colored interior. The sight of him cramped and uncomfortable softened his usual icy demeanor, creating an oddly endearing contrast.

Scarlett couldn't contain herself at the sight. A laugh escaped before she quickly covered her mouth, but catching glimpse of Sebastian's tightened jawline in her peripheral vision only made her want to laugh more.

She lowered her head, trying to suppress her amusement, but each time she glanced up at him, more laughter spilled from the corners of her mouth.

"Still laughing?" Sebastian's voice surprisingly contained traces of amusement. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes showing gentle urging rather than genuine reproach.

Scarlett quickly pressed her lips together, swallowing her remaining laughter as she hurried into the car.

The vehicle itself was fine—it just severely constrained Sebastian's long legs.

Fortunately, the journey wasn't far. From MRK Building, taking West Alley Street to Bridge No.3, they could reach Evercrest Memorial Hospital in just forty minutes.

As soon as the car stopped, Scarlett was the first to step out, with Sebastian following. The moment he could finally stretch his legs, all traces of his earlier discomfort vanished.

By now, it was getting late, but the doctor assigned to them still waited at the reception desk.

"Mr. Howard, Ms. Seymour," the doctor greeted, immediately approaching them. His smile was gentle, his gaze lingering briefly on Scarlett before quickly shifting to Sebastian—so quickly it seemed almost deliberate.

He bowed slightly, his voice remaining soft as if afraid of startling someone. "Since it's quite late today, we can only enter some basic information. If Ms. Seymour doesn't mind staying overnight at the hospital, we could proceed with fasting blood work first thing tomorrow morning."

This being Scarlett's first prenatal visit, she hadn't known about the fasting requirement. She immediately turned to Sebastian, her eyes filled with clear reproach.

Sebastian had arranged this appointment, yet had failed to mention such an important detail.

But his expression remained unchanged. "Then we'll stay overnight and complete the tests in the morning."

This seemed to be exactly what he had anticipated all along.

Meanwhile, Teddy was driving toward Number 5 Skylake Road. Just as he was exiting onto the service road from Bridge No. 1, a truck suddenly swerved from the main road and barreled straight toward the rear of his car!

The massive impact sent the vehicle spinning out of control on the service road!

But that wasn't enough—the truck seemed to go berserk, accelerating forward to ram into the rear of the car again! 

Only after pinning the back of the car between its front end and the mountainside did those frenzied wheels finally stop turning.

Since the main impact was concentrated at the rear of the vehicle, and given Teddy's excellent physical condition, he escaped with mostly minor scrapes when everything settled—except for one more serious injury.

The outer edge of his left eyebrow had been badly cut, and blood now streamed down past his eye and cheek, creating a horrifying sight.

He shook his head to clear it, then kicked open the car door and stepped out.