Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 35

Nightfall.

Scarlett was still staying at the hotel, but she made a trip back to the Seymour Villa around dinnertime. 

When she arrived, she ran into David, who had been riding high lately. Everyone knew about the impending marriage alliance between the Howard and Seymour families, and potential business partners had been flocking to him in droves.

When he saw Scarlett, his smile dimmed considerably. He adopted the posture of a stern elder. "Where were you last night? Don't you understand what a critical time this is? Must you create scandals for people to gossip about?"

Scarlett frowned at David, who was criticizing her without knowing any facts. "Mr. Seymour, what exactly have I done wrong?"

Scarlett had been on her best behavior these past few days, and David knew it. He could only harp on about her not coming home last night. 

His self-righteous face was just as nauseating as Edith's. Scarlett had come back for a specific purpose and had no time to play out some father-daughter melodrama with him.

"Aren't you all eager to get rid of me? This works out perfectly then," she said with a mocking smile, ripping away the veil of decency the Seymour family had collectively maintained.

David's eyes bulged. "You clearly haven't learned your place! Your mother's jewels—they really should be thrown in the trash where they belong!"

Seeing him use her mother's belongings as leverage, Scarlett's expression turned completely cold. "Is that so? If you're not afraid of me having a little chat with Mr. George Howard, then by all means, throw them away." 

Where he had his threats, she had her own leverage.

They remained at an impasse until David finally backed down. He had always known Scarlett had a powerful backer, though he wasn't sure who. 

But whenever Scarlett was mistreated, the Seymour family inevitably suffered consequences. Though these were minor incidents, they clearly demonstrated the influence of whoever was protecting her.

Thinking of what had happened with Lucas and Max recently, David didn't dare push Scarlett too hard. 

Still, unwilling to admit defeat, he merely grunted, maintaining his paternal superiority. "Fine. I see you're grown now. Your affairs are no longer my concern."

Scarlett responded with a cold smile, not bothering to expose his bravado, and simply turned to leave.

She went to the attic to collect a few simple belongings, including her mother's photograph. The pieces that Edith had torn had been carefully glued back together, and now she stored it safely in a box. 

These were all she had left of her mother now.

Scarlett closed the lid, thinking of the jewel fragments still in David's possession. Her brow furrowed—she would need to find a way to get them back. 

She no longer wanted any of her mother's belongings to remain at the Seymour Villa.

Scarlett quickly returned to her hotel. With some extra money on hand, she decided to book the room for a full month. Monthly hotel rates were much cheaper, saving her about ten dollars per day.

After showering, Scarlett began organizing the items she'd brought from the Seymour Villa. At the bottom of her suitcase was a photo album. Though it had been carefully stored, it had gathered dust from lack of use.

Scarlett took it out and froze as she randomly opened to a page. The album didn't contain many photos, but most were of Scarlett. 

Several showed a young Scarlett with a gentle-smiling teenage boy. In these photos, little Scarlett wore a pristine princess dress, clearly adored like a little princess.

"Michael," Scarlett whispered, looking at the young man, pressing her lips together.

This boy was a young Michael. All the photos in this album had been taken by him, who had carefully documented Scarlett's childhood. 

Although the Seymour family had never welcomed Scarlett—she represented the stain of illegitimacy—Michael had always been exceptionally kind to her, even kinder than to his other siblings.

As Scarlett was lost in thought looking at the photograph, a knock came at the door. 

The sound pulled her from her memories. She immediately closed the album, grabbed a metal ornament, and walked toward the door.

"Who is it?" Scarlett asked, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

"Open up." Sebastian's voice came from outside, followed by another knock.

Hearing Sebastian, Scarlett relaxed slightly, but still frowned. "Mr. Howard, please leave, or I'll call the police."

She hadn't moved out of the Seymour Villa to continue getting entangled with Sebastian. 

Emboldened by the door between them, Scarlett placed the metal ornament on the entry table and sauntered toward the rocking chair by the window. She needed to continue organizing her things and had no time to deal with Sebastian.

After her response, there was silence from the other side of the door. Scarlett assumed he had given up. She glanced at the door for a moment, then turned back to rummage through her suitcase.

Shortly after, she heard the sound of a key card at the door. Scarlett whipped her head around. 

Before she could react, Sebastian had opened the door and stepped inside, a key card in his hand.

"You—!" She never imagined he would have access to a key card. Fear instantly filled her heart, and she instinctively reached for her phone. "Get out! Or I'm calling the police."

Sebastian closed the door and tossed the key card onto the entry table, giving her a cold look. "Go ahead."

His fearless attitude successfully made Scarlett hesitate. 

She knew all too well the influence the Howard family wielded. Calling the police would only result in a perfunctory visit. They might even accuse her of filing a false report once they realized the "intruder" was Sebastian Howard.

Seeing her silence, Sebastian's expression softened slightly. His other hand, which had been hanging at his side, lifted to reveal a bag with a small cake inside.

"Eat it," he said, walking over and placing it on the low table in front of her.

Scarlett stared at it, momentarily stunned. She didn't even look at it closely before instinctively frowning and shaking her head. "I don't want it."

Hearing this, Sebastian paused in removing his coat. His eyes shifted to her, his gaze steady. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

There was exasperation in Sebastian's tone.

Scarlett looked at him and sneered. "Mr. Howard, you must be joking. How would I dare to be difficult with you?"

Sebastian frowned in frustration. "Can we talk normally?"

She was using formal address and still claiming she wasn't being difficult.

Scarlett pressed her lips together and simply stopped speaking. 

Sebastian took off his coat and sat down on the nearby sofa. "The wedding is next month. Keep a low profile for now. Whatever issues you have, we can address them later."

Hearing him mention the wedding date made everything feel even more absurd to Scarlett. "Mr. Howard, I have no intention of interfering in your marriage to Ms. Seymour. It's you who can't see things clearly. Why do you always think I'm the problem?"

Sebastian had been resting with his eyes closed, but at these words, he opened them to look at her. This Scarlett was becoming increasingly sharp-tongued.