Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 241

Westmont, Eldoria.

Nico had finished his meeting with James, and their people were escorting him to the airport.

"Mr. Smith, we're looking forward to working with you." The speaker was a Black African man, though his nationality was Eldorian—not uncommon here, and his features even showed subtle signs of Westernization.

He spoke with a perfect Eldorian accent, with barely a trace of any ethnic inflection.

"Same here. Please give my regards to Mr. Williams." Nico was a somewhat short Southern man, standing only five-foot-seven, looking positively petite next to these hulking figures.

"Of course." The Black man nodded gracefully, then added the obligatory pleasantries. "Please send my regards to Mr. Wright as well. Such a shame we didn't get to meet him this time."

Nico's smile remained perfectly calibrated, his tone unchanged despite the comment. "Mr. Wright's schedule is absolutely packed, but I'm sure we'll arrange a meeting next time."

"I hope so."

After the small talk wrapped up, both parties said their goodbyes.

Nico had only brought one assistant to Eldoria, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange.

Once they'd cleared security, the real conversation finally began.

"So? What's your take?"

Nico settled into a chair in the departure lounge, his voice dropping slightly.

His assistant adjusted his glasses. "How do I put this? Wolves in sheep's clothing."

The description made Nico chuckle. He glanced at his assistant. "There's no one else around. Why are you being so diplomatic?"

The assistant didn't respond immediately, just raised an eyebrow slightly. "They're going to be in trouble. I'll brief Mr. Howard when we get back—tell him not to waste any more energy on this."

"You really think he'll back off once you tell him?" Nico twisted open his water bottle, but paused just as his lips touched the rim, as if remembering something. "Don't forget what you heard about that other matter. It involves..."

He didn't finish the thought, taking a sip of water instead and shifting topics.

"I think this is getting messy. My boss should pull out of this whole operation. As for yours... I doubt he'll back down easily. You'd better start thinking about resignation."

The man masquerading as an assistant let out a soft laugh, turning to look at him. "Resignation? I'm a family guard."

"What kind of family guard does modern Lumaria even have?" Nico didn't spare his feelings, continuing his well-meaning lecture. "Look, leaving them doesn't mean you can't find work elsewhere. Why risk your life for this?"

The advice came from genuine concern.

But the man still shook his head. "Don't worry. Mr. Howard will make the call on this."

"Even if his uncle used to be Seraphim's black market boss, that's ancient history. What could he possibly do to help you now?"

Nico's question went unanswered.

The two men soon boarded their flight one after the other, heading back to Lumaria.

...

Eldoria, Rottenisa Wellness Center.

Adeline had been here for almost three days now.

During that time, she'd persistently tried to contact the outside world, and the series of betrayals had left her somewhat mentally unstable.

Seeing this, the facility had restricted her phone access, but to keep her emotions stable, they allowed her one supervised call each afternoon.

For the first three days, Adeline had tried calling Sebastian every time.

Only on the first day had he actually answered.

"Sebi!"

Her excitement was met with Sebastian's eerily calm tone, as if they were complete strangers.

"Ms. Morgan, are you settling in well there?"

"You lied to me! You promised you'd come here and we'd live together! Why am I stuck in some wellness center?" Adeline's voice cracked as she demanded answers, her tone so anguished it would move anyone to tears.

But such pleas couldn't awaken even a shred of Sebastian's compassion.

"I gave you a chance," was all he said in response.

The words were completely flat, like ice water extinguishing all of Adeline's emotions. She froze for a moment, then asked helplessly, "What? What chance? What did I do?"

"That media storm back home—you orchestrated it, didn't you?"

Her feigned innocence couldn't fool Sebastian's keen eye. He tapped his fingers against his desk in a slow rhythm—a sign of his displeasure.

Each tap carried through the phone to Adeline's ears.

Her previously steady heartbeat grew faster and faster with each deliberate sound.

She took a deep breath, about to deny everything, but Sebastian cut her off before she could speak.

His voice remained level, as if her actions hadn't angered him at all—this was simply a statement of fact.

"I told you before—as long as you behaved yourself, I'd let you keep the Eaglecrest Hill villa." He paused. "I'd even provide you with an annual allowance to keep you comfortable for life."

At the mention of Eaglecrest Hill, Adeline took another deep breath, her erratic pulse and breathing briefly stabilizing.

"Sunset Lake Villa was where your mother lived when she was in Lumaria. Leaving it to me... doesn't that mean I'm different from you?" Her voice trembled as she asked.

Sebastian's soft chuckle after her words dragged her into an unforeseeable abyss.

"My mother did live in that villa, but only for a month. The villa my mother truly loved was a different one entirely."

Adeline opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself completely speechless.

"Using you—yes, I feel some guilt about that. But that's all." Sebastian made no attempt to hide his true feelings toward Adeline. Despite claiming guilt, his tone showed none.

After that statement, Sebastian didn't give her a chance to respond, immediately continuing.

"Stay there and make yourself comfortable. I'll ensure your financial security."

With that, he hung up.

The tall caregiver waiting nearby smiled sweetly. "Ms. Morgan, you can give me the phone now."

Her tone was gentle, but Adeline refused to cooperate.

Adeline clutched the phone, turning away defensively. "No!"

The moment she refused, the smiling caregiver's demeanor shifted. Two staff members moved in—one restraining her while the other seized the phone.

"Ms. Morgan, please cooperate. Due to your lack of compliance today, you won't be getting a phone tomorrow."

True to their word, Adeline received no phone call the next day.

She was confined to her room, left with only the TV and gaming console for entertainment.

To prevent escape attempts, all the windows were securely locked.

After this experience, Adeline's resistance pretty much crumbled.

On the second day, she had no phone.

On the third day, she chose to call Sebastian again, but he didn't pick up.

Since the call hadn't gone through, the caregivers allowed her to make one more attempt.