Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 284

At nine in the morning, after a grueling twelve-hour flight, Adeline finally touched down in Calvessa, Vesperia.

With no direct flights available, she'd even had to make a connection.

"Sweetie, coming all this way?"

Ayana's voice came from behind, instantly dousing the fire of Adeline's enthusiasm.

She pressed her lips together, masking her impatience before turning to face Ayana, who'd reached her side. "You really didn't need to come with me."

Hearing this, Ayana's lip jutted out in a pout. "But I worry about you! Over ten hours on a plane, nobody with you—what if something happened?"

This was clearly a concern born from affection.

But Adeline found it suffocating. She gritted her teeth, though her expression betrayed nothing. "What about now? You've already seen me here. My family's picking me up any minute."

The meaning couldn't be clearer, but Ayana showed no intention of leaving. She pushed the luggage cart, continuing to follow Adeline.

"But I just got off the plane! I can't turn around and fly right back. Adeline, you can't be this heartless!"

Of course, Adeline knew she was being heartless. When the other woman said that, she had no rebuttal. She could only press her lips together and speak reluctantly. "Fine. Only until tomorrow. Tomorrow you go back!"

Ayana was unhappy with her girlfriend's resistance, but looking at that face—beautiful as a goddess in an oil painting—the anger building inside her instantly evaporated.

"Alright. I'll leave tomorrow."

She didn't continue pleading to stay. She knew it would be pointless.

The two followed the crowd out through arrivals.

From the moment she'd gotten off the plane, Adeline had been trying to contact the person who'd sent her that message. However, whether due to signal issues or something else, they still hadn't returned her calls.

"What the hell?" Frustration instantly made her want to curse, but she barely held back. Still, the irritation in her eyes grew increasingly obvious.

"What's wrong?" Ayana immediately pressed closer, like a dog who'd caught scent of a bone.

But where dogs had soft, fluffy fur, Ayana's dreadlocks weren't soft at all—rather stiff, actually. This only intensified the annoyance in Adeline's eyes.

Yet Ayana didn't notice Adeline's current mood at all. Her nose was filled entirely with Adeline's scent, her head buried deep in Adeline's neck—she couldn't even see Adeline's expression.

Currently irritated, Adeline had no energy to answer Ayana's questions. She made a sound of annoyance and pushed Ayana's head away. "I need to make a call. Give me some space."

Though rejected, Ayana still showed no signs of anger.

She'd discovered long ago that as long as she was with Adeline, her mania was well-controlled—she didn't even need medication.

Ayana had thought countless times that this must be the power of love.

Her family knew about this, too, which was why they were absolutely supportive of their relationship. If Adeline hadn't been making such a fuss about coming to Vesperia, Ayana would have already taken her home to meet the parents.

Adeline had already moved aside, her fingers gripping her phone tightly. From excessive force, her fingertips had gone pale. She paced back and forth in agitation, muttering under her breath, "What's going on? Answer the damn phone!"

Just as Ayana was considering whether to go comfort her, a voice suddenly called out from the roadside.

"Ms. Morgan!"

The voice was loud, practically piercing eardrums.

Adeline's head snapped toward it. Outside the airport perimeter, a blond man stood by the curb—refined-looking, raising his hand and waving in her direction.

Ayana saw him too, but her brow immediately furrowed.

Adeline had told her she was coming to Vesperia to see family. This blond, blue-eyed guy didn't look anything like Adeline's family!

Finally seeing her contact, Adeline didn't care whether her lie had been exposed. She strode quickly toward the man.

But Ayana moved fast too, catching up and successfully blocking Adeline while they were still some distance from the man. She frowned, her face tight, her voice dry and urgent. "Didn't you say you were meeting family?"

As she spoke, she glanced back at the man, her eyes full of wariness.

"Of course it's family." Adeline only paused briefly before immediately catching on, her voice self-righteous. "My sister's husband—is that not allowed?"

Ayana froze, then looked back at the man.

Though well-maintained, Ayana—despite not being white herself—had grown up in Eldoria and could tell the man's age at a glance.

The guy looked about fifty. Definitely unlikely to be Adeline's lover.

Understanding this, Ayana instantly relaxed. She wanted to say something more, but Adeline had no time to listen. She moved past her toward the man waiting by the curb.

"Neville?"

Adeline tentatively called out the name. The person who'd contacted her always signed off with that name.

The blond man smiled and nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Morgan. Smooth trip, I hope?"

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Ayana following behind Adeline. "And this is?"

Ayana hadn't heard the earlier exchange. Walking over, she caught only that last question. She didn't answer, instead looking at Adeline with bright, expectant eyes.

How could Adeline not know what response the other woman wanted?

She pressed her lips together, still reluctant. "She's my girlfriend, Ayana Lee."

Right now, she probably still needed Ayana's help. She couldn't give up the girlfriend status just yet.

Hearing this, Neville first frowned, then, seeing Adeline's unwilling expression, roughly understood the situation.

He raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't call her out on it. Instead, he smiled and shook Ayana's hand. "Hello, Ms. Lee."

Having just secured her title, Ayana was in high spirits. Her response came with an even more cheerful tone. "Hello!" Her words paused—clearly, she didn't know his name.

"Just call me Neville."

"Alright, Neville."

After brief introductions, everyone got in the car.

Neville's ride was a Toyota Alphard with a driver.

Just after getting in, Neville received a phone call.

He glanced at it and answered with an unchanged expression. "What's up, Benjamin?"

The phone volume was rather loud. Adeline heard a shout come through the receiver: "Kevin."

Neville immediately realized the volume issue and turned it down. After that, Adeline couldn't hear the rest of the conversation.

The call didn't last long.

But it clearly wasn't good news. The smile on Neville's face had gradually disappeared.