Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 294

In the end, that maid still boarded the plane with Kevin and the others.

At three that afternoon, Teddy's group touched down on Virella Island.

"Mr. Cooper. Been a while."

When Sebastian met Benjamin's party, his gaze locked with Teddy's for a split second before sliding away to Benjamin, who stood beside Kevin.

Benjamin's attention skipped right over him, landing on Scarlett standing further back.

Scarlett met his eyes briefly and smiled, but didn't step forward right away.

"Mr. Howard. Good to see you." Benjamin clearly picked up on her hesitation and quickly refocused on Sebastian in front of him—though anyone could tell his heart wasn't in it.

Fortunately, no one seemed to care about his lack of enthusiasm.

Sebastian calmly withdrew his attention from Benjamin and shifted it to Kevin beside him. "Kevin. First time meeting. I've heard a lot about you."

Only then did Scarlett move forward to shake Benjamin's hand. "Mr. Cooper, welcome. I hope this isn't too much trouble."

Though they'd hit it off over the phone, this was their first face-to-face meeting. The formality was inevitable.

The Russo family had sent someone too—not Marco or Olivia, but Rosalia.

She'd recently handed her restaurant over to her manager, throwing herself completely into Sebastian's plan. When it came down to it, Marco had already tied himself to this operation. If things went sideways, the Russo family's legacy would crumble with it.

After exchanging pleasantries with Sebastian, Kevin finally had a moment to look at the tall woman standing in the back. He narrowed his eyes, as if trying to make out her features.

Before he could get far, Rosalia stepped forward. She greeted Benjamin first, then turned to Kevin.

"You must be Kevin. Hello." Her tone was flat, nearly identical to Sebastian's.

They really were family, weren't they?

Kevin grumbled internally but kept smiling as he extended his hand. "Hello, um... Ms. Russo."

Rosalia raised an eyebrow. "Kevin, you know who I am?"

Her tone shifted slightly—more playful now, completely different from a moment ago.

Kevin's expression didn't change. "Of course. The Russo family princess. You've got quite the reputation, don't you?"

"Naturally." Rosalia didn't argue.

After wrapping up his brief conversation with them, Kevin immediately turned to Scarlett. "Ms. Seymour, we finally meet. You're every bit as stunning as the rumors say."

Scarlett felt embarrassed but also amused. She suppressed a laugh as she responded. "Thank you, Kevin."

No one seemed to notice the maid standing behind Kevin. Her bangs were so thick you couldn't see her face at all.

She was like a ghost—a stark contrast to Scarlett, who was surrounded by people on all sides.

It wasn't until everyone headed toward the car convoy that Libbie found an opening to reach Scarlett's side.

"Ms. Seymour." They'd only been apart two days, but Libbie grabbed her and looked her up and down before frowning. "You've lost weight. Haven't you been eating properly?"

This was Scarlett's least favorite thing to hear from Libbie. Every time she said it, it meant Scarlett was about to be force-fed for the foreseeable future.

Actually, Scarlett's appetite wasn't small—but she'd probably been deprived so much as a child that her body just couldn't absorb much nutrition. No matter how much she ate, her weight barely budged.

"I have not. I've been eating just fine." She pouted like a daughter whining to her mother.

Libbie shot her a mock glare. "Don't even try it with me. Look at yourself—your whole face has thinned out!"

While that exchange was warm and cozy, the atmosphere around Sebastian was considerably heavier.

Teddy had somehow made his way to Sebastian's side. They were about the same height, and walking at the front of the group, they cut an intimidating figure.

"That maid who came with Kevin—something's off about her." Teddy's voice dropped low, his eyes flicking back. From his angle, he couldn't actually see her.

Hearing that, Sebastian didn't turn around. He didn't even slow his pace.

"Off how?"

"Kevin had no reason to bring her. But he insisted on it." Teddy's brow pressed down. "Said he needed a Seraphine translator."

At that, Sebastian let out a silent, cold laugh. "A translator? On Russo turf?"

"My thoughts exactly." Teddy immediately agreed.

Sebastian still didn't look back, just kept walking. "I'll have someone keep an eye on her."

For this visit from Benjamin and his group, the Russos had no intention of taking them to the vineyard estate. The convoy didn't climb the mountain where the winery sat. Instead, they followed the main road across the plains for about ten minutes before turning onto another mountain road.

The estate the Russos were using to host Benjamin's party sat atop this mountain—Morka Sonife Manor.

This estate didn't have the history of the old Russo compound, but it still boasted a solid four or five hundred years.

"What beautiful architecture."

The moment Kevin stepped out of the car, he looked up at the centuries-old building. His gaze traveled upward, his head tilting back bit by bit, his eyes practically glowing.

Anyone watching could see his genuine love for historic buildings.

"Thank you for the compliment." Rosalia accepted the praise gracefully.

In a gathering dominated by foreigners, drawn-out pleasantries were rare. So when they got out of the cars this time, there was no repeat performance.

However, as they entered through the double doors—heavy, solid wood—the space didn't seem wide enough for three people to walk through side by side.

The maid who'd come with Kevin slammed hard into Scarlett on her way in.

Caught completely off guard, Scarlett lurched violently to one side.

Fortunately, Sebastian had fallen a step behind. Hearing the commotion behind him, he immediately turned to grab Scarlett.

He didn't make it in time, though. Libbie, right beside Scarlett, caught her first.

"I'm sorry."

The maid quickly apologized in English.

But even that didn't earn Sebastian's forgiveness.

He reached out and pulled Scarlett into his arms, then fixed the maid with an icy stare. "Are you blind?"

The second those words left his mouth, Scarlett immediately raised her hand and pushed at Sebastian's chest.

But Sebastian was too solid. Her push seemed to dissolve completely on impact.

The maid's head dropped even lower, her voice trembling. "I didn't notice Ms. Seymour just now."

Scarlett shoved Sebastian hard again—still couldn't budge him—and could only resort to gentle persuasion instead. "Sebastian, you don't need to do this. I'm fine."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. He actually backed off because of what Scarlett said, dropping his pursuit of the maid.

Though he let it go, his gaze on the maid stayed ice-cold. Even when Rosalia—who'd heard the commotion up front and turned back—asked what happened, his tone came out frigid.

"Some blind fool. An eyesore."

He'd spoken in English. Halfway through his sentence, his peripheral vision caught the maid's fists suddenly clenching tight.

That discovery made Sebastian's gaze darken.