Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 273

Teddy, who'd been standing at a distance in perfect stoic bodyguard mode, immediately came to life at those words, striding steadily toward Marco and the others.

"Mr. Howard. Mr. Russo." He greeted Sebastian and Marco first, then his gaze landed on Scarlett, his tone flat yet respectful. "Ms. Seymour."

He stood at some distance from everyone. Marco just grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, his tone light. "Skip the formalities, Teddy. We—"

Halfway through his sentence, Marco's peripheral vision caught the young protégé waiting by the door. His words died instantly.

The next second, everyone around Marco looked toward the entrance.

The atmosphere gradually solidified under everyone's gaze, like slowly flowing water meeting ice fog, slowing bit by bit before freezing completely.

The young protégé hadn't paid attention at first, but he was a bodyguard after all, and the atmosphere in the room was getting suffocating. So he quickly looked over, and when his eyes met everyone's, he nodded slightly. "What's wrong?"

No one spoke immediately. Their gazes fell on Marco.

Marco's tone was gentle, though his smile had faded considerably. He waved his hand dismissively. "We need to discuss some things. Wait outside."

The young protégé froze slightly, his gaze first going to Teddy, but only for an instant before immediately snapping to Sebastian—as quick as a guy getting caught checking out another woman by his girlfriend.

"Wait outside." Sebastian's tone had no particular inflection. He didn't even lift a hand.

But the young protégé didn't hesitate. After a quick bow, he left immediately.

The entry door opened and closed, the click of the unlock and lock like two sharp drumbeats—crisp and clean.

With the young protégé's departure, the atmosphere in the room began to flow again.

The suffocating tension instantly lifted from Scarlett's chest. She took a deep breath, then immediately looked at Marco.

The two men's warnings in the study still echoed in her ears. "This needs to stay under wraps until we land on Virella Island, understand?"

That was the first time Scarlett had heard Marco speak in such a serious tone.

She shrugged slightly, looking at Teddy again.

The guy stood there with that same flat expression, his rugged features making him look even more serious.

"Alright." Seeing the protégé gone, Marco's smile finally returned to his face. He looked at Teddy, clapping him on the shoulder like an old friend. "Teddy, we're leaving tonight, but Jacob and I need you to stay here."

Hearing this, Teddy's brow furrowed. The statement didn't contain any particularly specific information, but he could piece together the implications. His gaze swept over Scarlett before returning to Marco.

"Mr. Russo, what's my assignment?"

Teddy never handled desk work. For vague instructions like this, he didn't bother trying to read between the lines. In other words, with the minimal intel he had, even if he wanted to think deeper, he probably couldn't guess the real purpose behind the order.

"In two days, Benjamin and his friend will be invited to Virella Island. You'll handle receiving them."

Teddy heard that and looked at Sebastian.

"Before then, don't let anyone know she's left, too." Sebastian didn't object, just gestured toward Scarlett, then added, "Same goes for you and Libbie."

Hearing this, Teddy nodded. He understood the plan well enough.

The arrangement was quickly relayed to Libbie. Her first question was, "Has someone got eyes on Ms. Seymour?"

The worry in her voice seemed genuine.

Sebastian took a sip of tea. "No, she's safe. Just part of the plan."

Libbie nodded, her smile gentle as her gaze drifted upward toward the bedroom. "It'd be nice for Ms. Seymour to visit Virella Island. The scenery's beautiful there."

At the moment, only Sebastian and Libbie were in the living room.

Marco was busy arranging tonight's logistics. Since they needed to secretly extract someone, the arrangements had to be both conspicuous and discreet.

That evening, a black Lincoln emerged from the villa's underground garage. In front of it was a brown Lincoln Navigator, with two unremarkable Mercedes following behind.

Under the cover of night, at the villa district's exit, a black sedan sat quietly within the roadside parking lines.

As the convoy passed by, the man in the car dialed a number. On the inside of his right wrist—the one holding the phone—was a tattoo of a coiled snake inside a triangle.

His voice was deep, with a distinct rolled-r pronunciation, though he was speaking English.

"They've left."

"You're sure it's just Sebastian Howard and Marco Russo?"

"Should be. The convoy's from the Russo family. Sebastian's registered vehicles aren't with them." The man answered, ducking his head while his eyes still tracked the departing convoy.

"Good. Go confirm it again."

After hanging up, the man tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and smoothly drove into the villa district.

When Sebastian and the others left, Teddy wasn't in the villa.

This was his evening patrol time.

Teddy had just returned to the villa's back garden gate and was pushing it open when he heard the screech of brakes and the faint rumble of an engine idling from the nearby roadside.

He looked toward where the sound came from.

There was only one streetlight there, most of its glow blocked by tall tree shadows. Below, a car seemed to be parked, its paint gleaming, reflecting bits of light.

Like a predator lurking in the dark—you could only make out its glinting eyes.

Teddy's gaze lingered there briefly, then he turned back, lifting his eyes toward the rightmost third-floor window—curtains drawn but still leaking pinpoints of light.

Through those leaked points of light, you could faintly make out a woman's silhouette.

That was Scarlett's bedroom.

From this position, you could just see part of that bedroom.

Teddy pulled his gaze back and continued his movement, pushing the back door open and walking through without stopping, sliding open the glass door from the villa's garden.

"How'd it go?"

Libbie was cleaning up the dining room. Hearing the noise, she looked up. Seeing it was Teddy, she asked.

"Someone's watching." Teddy casually set his keys on the cabinet, his tone flat, glancing upward. "Where is she?"

"She's getting ready for bed." Libbie wiped the table, then paused, her brow furrowing. "They really won't figure it out?"

The woman upstairs was a decoy they'd brought in—her build was very similar to Scarlett's.

"It's fine. We just need to make it through tonight." Teddy rolled his neck, fatigue threading through his voice, though as he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the glass door he'd just entered through.

From here, he couldn't see that car—just the streetlight's warm yellow glow filtering faintly through the tree shadows.

Under the streetlight, inside the black sedan, the man watched that Lumarian walk into the villa. He let out a long breath and moved his palm away from his gun.

His phone rang.

"How's it looking, Duke?"