Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 216

"No need."

Scarlett was clearly determined to maintain her distance. She responded immediately as Sebastian finished speaking, pursing her lips and turning away—the very picture of someone who neither wanted to see nor hear anything.

This stubborn attitude was pushing Sebastian's limits.

But Sebastian remained patient. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his gaze settling on Scarlett's face. "Does it have to be this way?" he asked, his voice tinged with hurt.

The question sounded wounded. Hearing it, Scarlett's eyelashes fluttered as she involuntarily glanced in Sebastian's direction.

After the briefest glimpse, she immediately looked away. Though her tone remained hard, the tremor in her voice revealed her crumbling inner defenses. "Yes."

She felt both wronged and humiliated.

The situation was clearly Sebastian's fault, yet somehow he was the one acting wounded. It was infuriating.

"Just because of Adeline?" Sebastian asked in a heavy voice. He lowered his head, took a deep breath after asking the question, then looked back up at Scarlett, his eyes betraying his emotions.

He was visibly affected, only managing to contain his feelings through years of practiced restraint.

Scarlett finally turned to look at him.

But even seeing Sebastian in this state didn't change her mind.

Rather than admit her choice was influenced by Adeline, she argued logically, "You know the baby's condition. Its development has been affected. It simply shouldn't be born."

There was nothing wrong with this reasoning—it made perfect sense.

Yet her readiness to give up the child still troubled Sebastian. He could see through her forced stubbornness.

He felt his breathing slow, and his vision of Scarlett began to waver.

"There's nothing between Adeline and me," Sebastian said with a deep breath that did nothing to ease the tightness in his chest. His voice sounded constricted. "She's working with foreign agents. They're after the Howard family fortune."

Sebastian hadn't wanted to reveal this.

But if he didn't speak now, the barely-developing child would be gone forever.

These claims had no substantial evidence.

As Scarlett listened, her eyes flickered with emotion, and the fingers resting on her knee trembled slightly. She lowered her lashes, her voice soft but unmistakably firm. "So what? I don't want to have your child."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Sebastian's Adam's apple bobbed, but he said nothing more.

Outside, the wind lifted a corner of the curtain, letting cold air seep into the room.

Scarlett wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her skin. Though her face showed reluctance, it showed even more resolve.

After a moment of silence, Sebastian rose from the sofa and walked toward Scarlett.

His steps were steady and unhurried, seemingly unaffected by Scarlett's words as he silently approached.

Seeing him move, Scarlett shrank back, sinking deeper into the soft armchair.

But Sebastian wasn't heading for her.

He walked to the window and closed it.

The sharp click of the lock echoed in the silent room.

Scarlett jumped at the sudden noise and turned toward its source.

Sebastian stood by the window, his hand still on the latch.

Without turning, he gazed outside and said calmly, "If you don't want to have it, then you won't."

Surprisingly accommodating.

Scarlett was astonished. She stared at him, not understanding why Sebastian had suddenly changed his position.

Yet after learning she could terminate the pregnancy, Scarlett didn't feel the anticipated relief or happiness. Instead, she felt hollow, as if something was missing.

She felt disoriented, questioning whether her decision was really correct.

She lowered her head, her hand caressing her abdomen, her eyes flickering with reluctance and hesitation.

Sebastian had turned around and noticed her gesture. His gaze involuntarily fell to her abdomen, where a new life was growing.

The child he had been looking forward to.

But now, whether this child would even be born had become uncertain.

He knew that his words alone weren't enough to change Scarlett's mind.

She was stubborn that way.

"If you change your mind, that's fine too."

Sebastian's voice remained calm, his gaze toward Scarlett as placid as still water, as if merely glancing her way. "I won't force you to do anything. Whatever you decide, I'll agree to it."

Scarlett froze at his words and looked up at him.

Sebastian's face no longer held its usual cold pride, only tranquility. But the look he cast at her abdomen concealed unmistakable tenderness and hope.

Her hand on her abdomen tightened, and the emptiness in her heart filled with complex emotions—doubt, wavering, and a flicker of hope she herself hadn't even noticed.

The frozen atmosphere in the room began to flow again, swirling around them, entangled with endless testing and expectation.

"I..." Scarlett began, then stopped.

She thought of the man who had appeared at the door earlier. Though she hadn't seen his face, his words had made him unforgettable.

"I want to see someone."

This request came out of nowhere, but it was clearly based on Sebastian's recent promise.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow slightly, then nodded. "Who do you want to see?"

Scarlett's social circle was small and straightforward. Sebastian had background checks on every person in it, filed neatly on his desk.

So when Scarlett made her request, Sebastian wasn't concerned.

Everyone she knew posed no threat to her.

"Earlier, at the door, there was a foreign man who said he knew about my background," Scarlett said calmly, lifting her gaze to Sebastian's face. "He wanted to see me, but was stopped by the people outside."

Sebastian listened quietly, his expression unchanged.

But Scarlett persisted. Her eyes fixed on his as she enunciated each word clearly. "Finn at the door said you wouldn't let him see me."

She emphasized the last part of her statement.

Sebastian's eyes darkened slightly. His fingertips brushed against each other, and he didn't immediately deny it. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up to meet Scarlett's gaze, his voice lower than before. "Meeting him won't do you any good."

The implication couldn't be clearer.

Scarlett took a deep breath, straightening her spine, her voice challenging. "Whether it's good for me or not isn't for you to decide. This is my business!"

She paused, her tone softening slightly but her meaning becoming more pointed.

"Or are you afraid I'll learn something I shouldn't? What have you done that you're hiding?"