Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 87

"You're going to cover for her?" Scarlett's lips trembled, her eyes filled with disbelief. 

Though there was no direct evidence proving Edith had orchestrated this, the incident certainly couldn't be unrelated to her.

Sebastian's brow remained deeply furrowed at her accusation. "I will investigate the matter."

"And then what?" Scarlett pressed.

The hospital room fell terrifyingly silent. Outside, darkness had completely fallen. The mountain forest was quiet in the deep night, with only faint insect sounds filtering through the window cracks. 

The room was lit only by the bedside lamp. Half of Sebastian's face remained hidden in the dim yellow light, while the illuminated half remained expressionless, his eyes clear.

The longer Scarlett stared at him, the more her vision seemed to blur.

Sebastian took out a cigarette case and lighter from his inner pocket. The metal case made a clicking sound as it opened. 

Scarlett watched silently as the flame flickered, making his face even more obscure. He didn't speak for a long time.

Seeing this, Scarlett understood his meaning. She smiled self-mockingly, but as soon as her lips parted, he raised his eyes to look at her.

"Get some rest."

He reached out to tap his cigarette ash, his gaze meaningful as he looked at her. He was going to downplay the whole thing.

Scarlett gritted her teeth, clutching the bed sheet in frustration. "If they had taken me today..."

"That will never happen," Sebastian stated with certainty, taking a drag of his cigarette. Smoke curled around him as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't overthink it."

Scarlett fell silent, pulling the covers over herself and turning her back to Sebastian. The hospital room lapsed into silence once more.

Sebastian stood up not long after. He pushed the window open slightly, and the evening mountain breeze, carrying the summer heat, gently swept in, taking away the tobacco scent. 

He stood with both hands on the windowsill, his tall, slender figure appearing even more elongated in that moment.

Scarlett stared at this scene until she drifted off to sleep.

A car with high beams approached along the mountain road. It was a silver Mercedes.

Sebastian turned, glanced at the now-sleeping Scarlett, and hesitated by the bedside. He reached out to touch her cheek, then picked up his jacket from the nearby chair and left the room.

Outside, several bodyguards stood at the entrance. Mark was talking to Teddy, who had just arrived. Sebastian's exit was quiet, but it immediately caught everyone's attention.

"Mr. Howard," Mark and Teddy immediately approached, addressing him in unison.

Sebastian acknowledged them with a sound, shifting his jacket to his other hand. "How did it go?"

"It's been handled," Mark replied promptly.

"And Adele?"

"Also taken care of," Teddy answered.

The group walked toward the elevator. "Keep an eye on the Howard Manor. Don't let any news reach there."

Sebastian's voice was calm. At the elevator, he lit another cigarette, taking only two drags before the elevator arrived. 

The barely-smoked cigarette was extinguished in the ashtray on top of the trash can.

---

Scarlett stayed at Evercrest Memorial Hospital for two days. She had wanted to leave the next morning but was refused by the doctor, who even scolded her severely. 

After that, Scarlett abandoned any thoughts of an early discharge.

During those two days, Sebastian hardly appeared, though Libbie came by daily with food.

Two days later, Scarlett was discharged, but instead of returning to Windchime Villa, she was driven to the Seymour Villa. 

This wasn't her choice, however. Scarlett had intended to go to work, but as soon as she appeared outside the company building, she was forcibly taken away by people from the Seymour family who had been waiting for her.

When Scarlett arrived at the Seymour Villa, almost everyone was there. It had been several years since she'd seen members from other branches of the Seymour family. 

As she entered, she immediately noticed people from the Third Branch with red, swollen eyes from crying. Adele was the Third Branch's daughter. Had something happened to her?

"You bringer of disaster! How dare you show your face here!" Irene Bowen, the Third Branch's matron, charged at Scarlett the moment she saw her and slapped her hard across the face.

Having just been discharged and bedridden for days, Scarlett was already physically weak. The force of Irene's slap immediately made her cheek swell. 

Her head spun momentarily as she held her cheek, coldly regarding the satisfied-looking Irene.

"Aunt Irene, what is the meaning of this?"

"What's the meaning? Stop playing dumb! What happened to Adele? How did she go insane after just one meal with you?"

Hearing this, Scarlett was stunned. "Insane?"

Seeing Scarlett's apparent confusion, Irene grew even more furious. She grabbed Scarlett's hair and slapped her several more times. 

The successive sound of slaps echoed throughout the front hall.

Scarlett tried to struggle, but her physical condition was poor, and Irene was a robust middle-aged woman weighing 160 pounds who was now in a rage. 

Scarlett couldn't resist and could only endure the beating.

After several more slaps, Scarlett's lip was split and bleeding, and even her nose began to bleed. 

Her disheveled appearance made everyone present cover their mouths and noses, though their eyes showed no sympathy, only schadenfreude.

Irene momentarily released her grip, preparing to use both hands with greater force. 

Without Irene holding her hair, the dazed and beaten Scarlett couldn't stand steady and immediately collapsed to the floor. Her fragile, weakened state only fueled Irene's anger further.

"Pah! You slut!" She narrowed her eyes and spat directly onto the corner of Scarlett's clothes.

Scarlett's consciousness was hazy. She raised her hand to cover her bleeding nose, but couldn't stop the flow. 

The action only caused blood to flow back into her throat, making her gag at the metallic taste.

"What's going on here?" At that moment, Edith's voice came from the doorway.

Scarlett shifted her gaze to see Edith and Sebastian entering side by side, with Mark following behind. 

Seeing the situation, Mark faltered in his steps. When he caught sight of the disheveled, blood-covered Scarlett, he was visibly shocked and immediately looked toward Sebastian.

Sebastian had stopped at the entrance. He stared at the gagging Scarlett—her hair in disarray, face obscured by loose strands, red marks visible on her cheeks, blood dripping continuously. She looked like a dying small animal.

For some reason, everyone in the front hall suddenly felt a chill and shivered, murmuring about whether autumn winds had arrived early.

Edith, standing closest to Sebastian, noticed his body instantly tense. She glanced over at him, but his expression hadn't changed at all, and even his tensed body had already relaxed.

Edith couldn't help but wonder if what Adele had told her was true or false. 

She glanced at Scarlett, who was shakily getting to her feet, her eyes cold. Regardless of the truth, Scarlett couldn't stay. Sebastian could only belong to her alone.

"What's happening here?" When no one answered Edith's earlier question, Sebastian asked again, his voice cold.

Irene had been afraid at first—after all, this was a family disgrace. Although the Seymour and Howard families were to be joined in marriage, Sebastian and Edith hadn't yet taken that final step. 

If witnessing this private punishment gave Sebastian a negative impression of the Seymour family, she would become the scapegoat.