Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 56

"Scarlett! This is all your fault!" Edith shrieked as she charged forward, fingers spread with long manicured nails aimed at Scarlett's face.

Scarlett let out a cold snort. Not waiting for either man beside her to react, she kicked Edith squarely in the chest. The blow carried enough force to make Edith's face turn pale as she spit out saliva.

"You think you've found protection? Do you have any idea what the Seymour family has lost because of your antics?" Brianna, who had been holding back, now pointed at Scarlett's face and started berating her.

Their accusations and threats couldn't touch Scarlett. She glanced coldly at the two women raging before her. "This is all your own doing."

Chris didn't bother listening to the Seymour family's tirade. He pulled Scarlett toward the exit. "Why talk to them? It'll only make you angry."

"Mr. Seymour, quite the show today, wasn't it?" Orion emerged leisurely from the living room. He looked at David, who had just returned after seeing George off, and smiled politely.

The Watson family was powerful in their own right. Even though David inwardly wanted to cut Orion into a thousand pieces, he could only smile and say, "Mr. Watson, sorry you had to witness such an embarrassing scene."

It was mere courtesy, but Orion showed none in return. "It was quite the comedy indeed. I should really thank whoever arranged for me to see such a grand performance." 

With that, he said nothing more and followed Chris and Scarlett outside.

By the time he reached the entrance, Scarlett was standing by the door while Chris was on the phone nearby, his brow furrowed with impatience.

"What's going on?" Orion asked Scarlett curiously.

But Scarlett wasn't sure either. Chris had moved aside as soon as he took the call. Just as they were about to eavesdrop, he returned, having ended the conversation.

He glanced at Scarlett, visibly irritated but resigned. 

"The club wants me to test drive a car. I can't take you back now." He scratched his head, his frustration evident.

For all his privileged upbringing, he certainly had quite the temper, Scarlett mused to herself.

"It's fine, I can take a taxi," she said with a dismissive wave, not particularly concerned.

"Why go through the trouble? I drove here—I can give you a ride." Orion chimed in, dangling his car keys in front of Scarlett.

Seeing the keys swinging from his fingertips, Scarlett immediately waved her hands in refusal.

"Do you hate me?" Orion looked wounded by her reaction.

"No, I just don't want to trouble you. You've already helped me so much today." Scarlett pressed her lips together, genuinely embarrassed.

"It's no trouble—you're my employee after all!" Orion ushered Scarlett into his car, tapping the door lightly as he closed it. "Relax, sweetheart. It's always a pleasure to serve you."

Another casually flirtatious remark.

Scarlett remained unaffected. If anything, her frown deepened, strengthening her resolve to repay Orion somehow. 

Once he got into the car, she seized the opportunity. "Mr. Watson, you've been a tremendous help today. How about I treat you to dinner sometime?"

Orion fastened his seatbelt, smiling. "Drop the 'Mr. Watson'—I told you to call me Orion."

He turned the steering wheel one-handed to make a U-turn, relaxed yet still exuding class. "As for the trouble, you've got it wrong. Taking money and solving problems—I'm more than willing."

Hearing this, Scarlett was taken aback. "What do you mean by 'taking money'?"

"Aren't you my employee? To me, you're my walking bank!" Orion glanced at her, his eyes shining with something she couldn't quite understand.

Scarlett couldn't make sense of his metaphor. After pondering it for a moment, she decided against asking for clarification, fearing an even more ambiguous answer. She lapsed into silence.

Orion dropped Scarlett off at her hotel and promptly left.

In her room, Scarlett carefully took out the gemstone fragments and laid them out on the table. After examining them for a while, she took out her phone to search for nearby jewelry repair shops.

As she concentrated on finding a reputable business, she heard a sound from the doorway. Scarlett looked up and met Sebastian's gaze as he walked in.

Their eyes locked briefly before she quickly looked away. "What are you doing here?"

Sebastian adjusted the watch on his left wrist, producing another sound—crisper and lighter than before. In the enclosed space, it sounded unusually clear.

Scarlett couldn't help but look up again. She saw him removing his watch and frowned, glancing at the darkening sky outside. "Going to bed?"

Having just recovered her mother's gemstone and disrupted the relationship between the Seymour and Howard families, Scarlett was in a good mood, rare enough that she engaged in casual conversation.

Sebastian loosened his tie with quick yet elegant movements. Hearing her question, he looked at her with a suggestive tone. "Are you going to bed?"

His gaze was so intense that Scarlett had to look away. "No." She was certain they weren't talking about the same kind of "going to bed."

Sebastian approached her, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair. He had removed his tie, his jacket was nowhere to be seen, and his collar was slightly open, giving him an air of dignified nonchalance.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett pressed her lips together and pushed at him, but couldn't move him. She felt helpless and annoyed.

Sebastian stared at her for a moment, his gaze lingering on her tightly pressed lips. His eyes darkened momentarily before he straightened up and leaned against the table behind him.

His hand brushed against the fragments. He glanced at them, then at the phone in Scarlett's hand.

As Sebastian backed away, Scarlett felt both relief and an inexplicable disappointment. She couldn't even understand what she was disappointed about. Wasn't this clean, uncomplicated relationship the best?

"Orion seems to value you highly," Sebastian suddenly said.

Scarlett looked at him. His expression was neutral, but his pressed lips betrayed some emotion.

"Not really, it was just a coincidence," she said carelessly, lowering her eyelids. "He knows Chris."

She wanted to attribute Orion's help to Chris, but suddenly remembered what Chris had said. This made her look up at Sebastian abruptly. "Did you ask Orion to come?"

Sebastian let out a light laugh. "Have you forgotten the relationship between our families?"

That was a denial.

Scarlett frowned, finding Orion's behavior increasingly strange. She also recalled him referring to her as "walking bank," which seemed even more peculiar.

"Stay away from him," Sebastian advised, noticing her furrowed brow.