Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 34

No one had expected this turn of events. The triumphant smile Edith had been about to display vanished instantly, replaced by astonishment. 

The two staff members raised their eyebrows slightly, clearly enjoying the unexpected drama.

Scarlett frowned at Sebastian's impassive face. She couldn't figure out why he was deliberately dragging her into this situation. With Edith's temperament, accepting this cake would surely lead to more trouble later.

Sebastian remained calm, leaning forward slightly to place the cake on the small coffee table in front of her. "I don't eat this sort of thing anyway," he said evenly.

The shock on Edith's face vanished almost instantly. She glanced at Scarlett, silently cursing her luck. 

Even with Sebastian's explanation, Edith's mood remained sour, her gaze toward Scarlett filled with irritation and jealousy.

"I see. I should have considered that," Edith said with a forced smile that fooled no one. 

She picked up the cake Sebastian had placed on the table and walked toward Scarlett. "This works out perfectly then. Here, Scarlett, this one's for you."

Scarlett looked at the cake being offered to her, keeping her composure. "I don't like cake."

A blatant rejection.

Hearing this, Edith's eyes lit up. She turned her head and squeezed out a few tears. "Scarlett, are you still upset with me? I was thoughtless earlier. Please don't be angry."

With those words, she had effectively painted Scarlett as the moody, petty, and capricious younger sister. 

Seeing the label Edith was forcing on her, Scarlett couldn't help but scoff coldly, a sound that only served to validate Edith's characterization.

Sebastian assumed Scarlett was just being difficult. To him, Edith's earlier behavior had been childish and petty, so Scarlett's attitude seemed justified. 

He genuinely disliked cake, so using it as an excuse to ease the tension seemed reasonable. Plus, he'd heard that sweet things could improve a woman's mood.

What Sebastian hadn't anticipated was that Scarlett would completely ignore his peace offering—or rather, stomp all over it. 

His expression immediately darkened, his tone becoming much more serious. "Scarlett Seymour, stop being difficult. Edie is trying her best."

One name spoken with utter formality, the other with obvious affection.

Edith couldn't help but shoot Scarlett a smug look, the message in her eyes crystal clear. 

Scarlett glanced up at Sebastian to find his eyes filled with warning, dark and intense enough to make her heart skip a beat.

Was he really willing to do something potentially harmful to her just to please Edith? She bit her lip, her beautiful eyes misting over, looking both stunning and broken.

Edith was close enough to see this clearly, which only intensified her jealousy. But mindful of Sebastian behind her, she could only smile sweetly as she offered the cake again. "That's right, we're still in public after all."

Scarlett knew she had no choice but to accept the cake today. She reluctantly reached out her hand. 

However, just as her fingers barely touched the edge of the paper plate beneath the cake, Edith let go!

Another dramatic exclamation followed. Scarlett could barely keep herself from rolling her eyes.

"Scarlett, even if you're upset, you shouldn't waste food! My friend worked so hard to make this." Edith pressed her lips together, her lower lip trembling slightly, looking utterly wronged.

Sebastian had now moved to stand behind Edith. He didn't look at Edith with her trembling shoulders, but instead fixed his gaze on Scarlett. His expression was neutral, making it impossible to tell if he was angry or not.

But his position clearly indicated he was backing Edith, and Scarlett immediately glared at him. "She deliberately let go! Are you going to show favoritism?" She stepped back in disgust, as if avoiding something unpleasant.

Sebastian still didn't look at Edith, keeping his eyes on Scarlett as he gave her a once-over. "Of course not."

Hearing this, Edith immediately turned and threw herself into Sebastian's arms, her voice choked with feigned distress. "Why would I do something like that? If I hadn't known how much Scarlett loves cake, would I have thought to use it as an apology?"

Sebastian's brow furrowed slightly, his lips pressed tightly together, unusually displaying his disgust openly. Seeing Sebastian's expression, Scarlett's heart sank further.

Having witnessed Sebastian's bias toward Edith many times before, and to avoid falling into Edith's trap, Scarlett let out a cold laugh. "Edith, stop pretending to be the caring big sister."

Wiping away nonexistent tears from Sebastian's embrace, Edith looked up. "Scarlett, what do you mean by that?"

"You say I like cake? I haven't eaten cake in ten years." Scarlett's voice was ice cold as she crossed her arms over her chest again. "After Michael left our lives, when have you ever seen me eat cake?"

At Scarlett's mention of Michael, Edith's eyes immediately widened. Even Sebastian turned to look at her.

Having known Scarlett since childhood, Sebastian was well aware of who Michael was. 

Michael Seymour, the eldest son of the main Seymour family branch, had once been a golden boy rivaling Sebastian himself. He had been Scarlett's only safe harbor within the Seymour family. 

Yet an accident ten years ago had left the then twenty-year-old young man in a vegetative state.

Edith hadn't expected Scarlett to bring up Michael at all. Michael and Sebastian had been close—only three years apart, their similar talents had drawn them together, to the point where rumors about their sexuality had circulated.

She immediately looked at Sebastian, whose expression, though subtle in its change, had clearly softened compared to moments before. 

Seeing this, alarm bells went off in Edith's mind. Scarlett was already beautiful. If she kept mentioning Michael in front of Sebastian, it might further evoke his sympathy, and sympathy could easily evolve into other feelings.

"Seb!" Edith called out immediately.

Sebastian turned toward her voice. "What is it?"

Edith had only wanted to recapture his attention. Hearing his question, she smiled awkwardly while her mind raced, quickly finding a flaw in Scarlett's words.

"Scarlett, Michael is only in a vegetative state. Why are you talking as if he died? Be careful—what if your uncle hears you speaking like this..."

Scarlett looked at her calmly, showing no intention of responding. Sebastian frowned at these words, his voice deepening. "Enough."

Edith immediately fell silent, her eyes gleaming with triumph as she looked at Scarlett. 

Meeting that gaze, Scarlett took a deep breath. If Sebastian could be swayed by such callous words, his level of concern was clearly unusual.

"Edith, you're the last person who should mention Michael." Her voice was cold as she glanced at the cake on the floor. "As for this friend of yours, they're just another poor soul you're using."

With those words, Scarlett turned and walked away, giving the two behind her no chance to respond.