Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 197

The forced sedation's effects on the human body didn't need a doctor's explanation—Shane knew them all too well.

Sebastian's eyes merely darkened slightly, showing no obvious anger. He sat quietly, maintaining the same position for a full minute. Finally, he raised an eyebrow, took a deep breath, and asked in a slightly raspy voice, "When will she wake up?"

"We're still clearing the medication from her system. It might take a few more minutes."

Sebastian's fingertips tapped lightly on his knee—the rhythm slow but noticeable enough for everyone around him to see. Imperceptibly, the tension in the air thickened.

He said nothing more, his gaze returning to the hospital bed where Scarlett lay quietly, completely unaware of what was happening around her. Sebastian's gaze moved downward to her still-flat stomach. His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly as he frowned briefly before his expression smoothed out again, disguised by a deep breath.

He stood up. "Understood."

Sebastian quickly left the room, leaving everyone inside exchanging uncertain glances. Only Shane hunched over, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, muttering hoarsely, "We're screwed..."

No one else understood Shane's reaction. Only Shane, who had spent enough time with Sebastian, knew the truth. That series of movements Sebastian just displayed were the precursors to an emotional breakdown. 

Right now... Sebastian had probably found a wall somewhere to quietly shed tears! This alone spoke volumes about Scarlett's importance to him—and the thunderous storm that Shane, who had failed in his duty, would soon face.

"Fuck!" Shane couldn't hold back the curse.

Finn didn't know what his boss was going through at the moment, but he had impeccable timing. The tall man slowly approached Shane and reported in a low voice, "Mr. Wright, we recently apprehended someone who was outside the hospital room..."

Before Finn could finish, Shane grabbed his arm. "What? Where? Where is this person?" His eyes lit up with the desperate hope of a drowning man spotting a life raft.

Finn blinked and pointed to the room across the hallway. "He's locked in there—"

Once again, he couldn't complete his sentence. After receiving this information, Shane immediately left Finn behind and rushed out of the room. With this perfect escape plan forming in his mind—throw a scapegoat in front of Sebastian and save himself—Shane quickened his pace.

"Sebastian..." He spotted Sebastian's figure at the corner of the hallway and immediately raised his arm as he approached. As he rounded the corner, he realized Sebastian wasn't alone.

Standing beside the already-imposing Sebastian was a middle-aged foreigner of similar height. This foreigner had golden hair, a long face, and the same light amber eyes as Sebastian. Hearing Shane's voice, both men turned to look.

When Sebastian turned, despite his contained demeanor, his presence remained undeniably sharp. Only the slight redness at the corners of his eyes suggested he'd been crying, though it did nothing to diminish his commanding presence—rather, it made him seem even more unapproachable, as if merely glimpsing this vulnerability was forbidden.

The middle-aged foreigner beside him carried a similar aura, yet distinctly different. His golden hair was meticulously combed back, revealing all his features. The lines on his long face carried the cold severity of years of experience. His light amber eyes, identical in color to Sebastian's, held clear vigilance, much like an old lion king protecting his cubs.

As the two turned, several men in black suits gathered behind them. Their gazes matched the sharpness and wariness of the two men in front, carrying an equally intimidating presence.

Shane's voice died in his throat. Though they had never met, he immediately recognized that the long-faced foreigner must be Sebastian's uncle—the shadow hand of Virella Island, Marco Russo.

Sebastian's gaze lingered on Shane for a moment before turning to say something to Marco. Marco lightly patted his shoulder, then watched as Sebastian approached Shane.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked coldly. If not for the redness around his eyes, one would never guess he'd been crying.

Shane stared for a moment, only looking away when Sebastian glared at him. He got to the point: "Finn's team caught a foreigner outside the hospital room earlier."

Hearing this, Sebastian gave him a cold look. "Where are they?"

Shane smiled, his posture immediately relaxing. "Right this way."

After failing to escape from the hospital room, the red-haired middle-aged foreigner finally remembered to use his phone to contact his people. After waiting about ten minutes, there was finally movement at the door.

He looked up immediately, thinking his people had arrived, but was startled to see two Lumarian men entering instead.

"That's him," one of them said, pointing at him in a language he couldn't understand.

The other man then walked toward him. The red-haired man watched warily and began backing away, but before he could retreat far, the cold-faced Lumarian man curled his lips into a slight smile and said, "Benjamin Cooper."

At these words, the red-haired man was first surprised, then even more vigilant. He shouted, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Shane frowned and looked at Sebastian, who was slowly approaching the red-haired man. "You know him?"

Sebastian didn't answer. Without turning around, he said, "This doesn't concern you."

Recognizing the dismissal, Shane's frown deepened. "What's going on that I can't hear?"

Sebastian finally looked back at him, his expression threatening. "Perhaps I should ask my uncle to escort you out?"

"No need for that." Shane's expression changed instantly as he waved his hand and left.

Only Sebastian and the man he had called Benjamin Cooper remained in the room.

"Alright." Sebastian pulled up a chair and sat down. His tone was calm, looking at the red-haired man as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time. But this supposed old friend remained vigilant, unmoved by Sebastian's reassuring manner.

"I know who you came for," Sebastian said with certainty. "Wesley Seymour, or perhaps I should call him Atticus when speaking to you."

Benjamin raised an eyebrow. Though still wary, he seemed to relax slightly seeing Sebastian's composed demeanor.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sebastian Howard. I'm her lover."

Benjamin immediately looked toward the hospital room across the hall. After just a moment of thought, he asked directly, "Does she know?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No, and I hope you won't reveal anything to her either."

Realizing what Sebastian meant, Benjamin's face darkened. "That's information about her lineage. Why shouldn't she know? Are you really her lover?"

Sebastian's face hardened at the final question, but he let out a cold laugh. "Why?" He countered, then looked Benjamin up and down with piercing eyes that seemed to strip away all pretense. "Look at yourself. You haven't been living well all these years, have you? Tell her, and then let her live the same life of constant fear as you?"