Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 23: Showing Weakness

Miles Hawthorne led Hannah Lynch out of the restaurant. He didn’t let go of her hand until they reached the parking lot.

Hannah Lynch clutched her reddened wrist, her voice full of grievance. "You really do know her, don’t you?"

"We were classmates."

"You two..."

"But we never had the kind of relationship you’re thinking of." Miles Hawthorne didn’t want Hannah Lynch digging around on her own. There were some things he was desperately trying to keep hidden, terrified that someone would unearth them.

Hannah Lynch clutched the overcoat in her arms, looking skeptical. "But there’s no faking this coat."

"Maybe someone intentionally sent it to Ethan Lancaster."

"I don’t believe you."

Miles Hawthorne had no patience to explain any further. "Believe what you want."

Seeing Miles Hawthorne walk away, Hannah Lynch hurried to catch up. "Miles, where are you going?"

"Home." He was a cold person, but as spoiled as Miss Lynch was, she was completely devoted to him. She knew when to quit while she was ahead, afraid of truly angering him.

When Ethan Lancaster got home, Raina Reddington had already showered and gone to sleep.

The man didn’t turn on the lights, but he could faintly make out a lump on the bed. He felt sullied and went to the bathroom to take a shower first.

Raina was in a deep sleep, utterly exhausted. The heating in the room was on full blast, yet something cool dripped onto her face. PLIP. PLOP. A drop hit her eyelid, and Raina startled awake, her eyes flying open.

She saw a dark figure looming over her, so close it was almost touching her face. She started to open her mouth, but a hand clamped over it.

The man slapped the switch on the bedside lamp, and Raina finally saw the face before her. She should have known it was him, but her brain was still foggy with sleep.

Raina pulled his hand away. She had no idea why he had this habit of not drying his hair, and now her face was wet.

"You’re back."

"Sleeping soundly, are we?"

"Not at all. I had a nightmare about you."

Ethan Lancaster scoffed. "A nightmare about me? What was it? I threw you in jail? Or you were being tortured in your cell?"

Raina tried to sit up, but with Ethan Lancaster positioned over her like this, she couldn’t move. "Didn’t you say the past was water under the bridge, Fourth Master? You set me up with the coat, but the driver’s license incident was a genuine mistake. A couple should stick together, but I can’t win against you. Please, cut me some slack and let me have some peace."

"So now you know how to play weak?"

"I do."

Ethan Lancaster had been filled with rage. That fury had peaked while he was in the shower, but Raina knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat, like she knew just where to strike a snake to hit its vital spot. This wasn’t the first time, but the feeling had been honed into something new and fresh, making Ethan’s heart itch with an unbearable craving.

He didn’t move to the other side of the bed. Instead, he lifted the covers and lay down next to Raina. She immediately tried to scoot away, but Ethan wrapped a long arm around her, pulling her into his embrace.

Raina was perched on the very edge of the bed; one wrong move and she’d fall off.

Water from the tips of Ethan’s hair dripped steadily onto her neck, cold and wet. His breath tickled the nape of her neck as his palm caressed her slender waist.

Raina’s entire body tensed. She wasn’t an idiot; how could she not understand Ethan’s intentions?

’This man really has endless energy,’ she thought. ’To still be in the mood after all that drama.’

Ethan Lancaster could not stand being at a disadvantage when it came to matters between men and women. Especially on this topic, he was one hundred percent confident that after getting a taste of the good stuff, Raina was already head over heels for him.

She wanted it, and he was going to make her say it.

Ethan Lancaster’s thin lips brushed against her earlobe. He could feel her ear burning up.

Raina clutched the blanket tightly and continued to feign sleep. Ethan buried his face in the crook of her neck, the fire he was trying to kindle threatening to consume him as well.

But a sudden snore reached Ethan Lancaster’s ears, like a bucket of cold water thrown in his face.

He lifted his head to look at the woman in front of him. She was deliberately snoring softly. She would rather sacrifice her image than have him.

Furious, Ethan Lancaster shoved her right out of the bed. Since Raina was already teetering on the edge, she tumbled straight onto the floor.

For the next few days, Raina was swamped with work. She headed straight back to The Verdant Garden after her shift, but before she could even have a sip of water, she got a call from Ethan Lancaster.

"Hello."

But the voice on the other end wasn’t Ethan Lancaster’s. "Sister-in-law, the Fourth Master’s had too much to drink at Aristor Hall. He wants you to come pick him up."

’In his dreams!’

Raina casually made up an excuse. "I’m working overtime. Just have the driver take him home."

Cameron Fairchild’s voice was practically dripping with amusement. "Fourth Master, your wife isn’t being very obedient. She refuses to come."

Ethan Lancaster was leaning against something. Hearing this, he snatched the phone. "If you don’t come, you’ll regret it."

"I’m not as idle as you are."

"What if I get the video back for you?"

Raina’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that video was in Miles Hawthorne’s possession. He probably wouldn’t actually release it, but people can change. What if?

"How would you get it back?"

Ethan Lancaster wasn’t about to tell her. "Come here, and you’ll find out."

Raina hung up, cursing him under her breath. ’What does he mean, get the video back for me?’ He was betting on the fact that she wasn’t as shameless as he was.

Arriving at the same private room as last time, Raina heard boisterous laughter from within as she pushed the door open. The lights flickered, and in the dimness, she saw a woman’s arm wrapped around Ethan Lancaster’s shoulders.

Cameron Fairchild cleared his throat theatrically. "Our sister-in-law is here. Everyone, try to behave."

The woman looked reluctant, but her grip on Ethan Lancaster loosened slightly. Seeing this, he reached out and patted the back of her hand. "It’s fine. My wife said she doesn’t mind. She’s very generous."

Raina walked cautiously to the coffee table and got straight to the point. "Where’s the video?"

"What video?" Ethan Lancaster feigned ignorance. "Whose video? Be more specific."

Looking at Ethan Lancaster’s punchable face, Raina’s hand, hanging by her side, twitched.

"What’s wrong? Want to throw another glass of water in my face?"

Raina knew this man always got his revenge, just like her. In fact, you could say he was utterly vindictive.

She turned to leave, but after only a few steps, she saw the door to the room get pushed open again.

The man who walked in wore a thin shirt and black trousers that hugged a pair of powerful legs. Raina froze, her expression turning complicated.

Ethan Lancaster clapped his hands twice. "Raina, look how important you are. You just got here, and Mr. Hawthorne shows up."

Miles Hawthorne didn’t look at Raina at all. He walked past her and over to the sofa area. "Didn’t the Fourth Master ask me to come?"

"Tell the truth, were you watching us on the security cameras? If you have that kind of hobby, Mr. Hawthorne, just say so. I can put on a live performance for you." As Ethan Lancaster spoke, he crossed his long legs. "Raina, come say hello to the owner of Aristor Hall. Say something nice, and maybe we can get that little sex tape of ours back."