Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 11: Standing Up For Her

During the meal, Zoe Scott kept using the serving chopsticks to put food on everyone’s plates.

Mia Reddington felt full after just a few bites and put down her chopsticks.

"Brother-in-law, how did you and my sister meet?"

Ethan Lancaster lifted his gaze slightly. ’How did we meet?’ He couldn’t really say. By the time he even knew the name Raina Reddington, their wedding date was already set.

Zoe Scott interjected from the side, "They met on a blind date."

"Brother-in-law, do you even know my sister, then?"

The words caught in Raina Reddington’s throat. Beside her, Zoe Scott gently pinched Mia Reddington’s leg.

Mia shot a mocking look at Zoe Scott. "Mom, why are you pinching me? Did you forget my legs are numb?"

"Mia, your sister and brother-in-law rarely visit. Can’t we just have a nice meal..."

Mia Reddington picked up the soup bowl next to her, but instead of taking a sip, she threw it directly onto the floor.

To Raina Reddington, the sharp sound of shattering was something she had long grown accustomed to. Mia Reddington sneered and continued, "Have you told my brother-in-law how my legs got injured?"

Silence fell over the dinner table. Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan Lancaster glanced at Raina Reddington beside him. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and she seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud.

"My sister pushed me down the stairs! That’s why I’m a cripple!"

Ethan Lancaster was taken aback, his gaze turning profound.

"Mia!"

"Why won’t you let me talk?" Mia Reddington tried to stand but couldn’t. "Dad, Mom, you took her side and refused to call the police, but you’re making me suffer for the rest of my life..."

Raina Reddington’s lips moved slightly. "With which one of your eyes did you see me push you..."

"Shut your mouth!" Zoe Scott’s angry shout cut off whatever Raina Reddington was about to say next.

’Regardless of whether Raina is right or wrong, what gives the Reddington Family the right to treat her like this? Is it because they know I neglect her? Is that why even her closest relatives feel they can bully her as they please?’

Still furious, Mia Reddington grabbed a soup spoon and threw it hard at Raina Reddington. Raina didn’t dodge. The ceramic spoon hit her on the shoulder before clattering to the floor.

Zoe Scott was still trying to placate Mia Reddington, telling her to calm down and talk things through, but Ethan Lancaster’s brows had already knitted together tightly.

’Logically, seeing Raina like this should be satisfying. I should be on the Reddington Family’s side, enjoying the sight of her looking so pathetic.’

Mia Reddington snatched up the rice bowl beside her and hurled it at Raina Reddington. The bowl hit the edge of the table, spattering rice all over Raina.

"Mia!" Ronan Reddington finally spoke up.

But it was too late. Ethan Lancaster grabbed his chopsticks and slammed them down. He acted with such ferocity that one of the chopsticks flew across and struck Mia Reddington squarely in the face. A red welt, as if she had been slapped hard, appeared on her left cheek.

Mia Reddington clapped a hand to her face. Zoe Scott quickly pulled it away and saw the red mark stretching to the corner of her mouth. Even her lip was swollen from the impact.

Ethan Lancaster forcefully pushed his chair back and stood up. He glanced at Raina Reddington, his anger flaring. "What are you still sitting there for? What’s the point of coming back to a home like this? Let’s go!"

Raina Reddington finally snapped out of her daze and stood up with him. She brushed the mess off her clothes, not forgetting to grab a few of her professional textbooks from the table.

"Ethan, why don’t you stay and finish dinner before you go," Ronan Reddington said, standing up to try and smooth things over.

Ethan Lancaster’s gaze went past him and landed on Mia Reddington’s face. "Since Miss Reddington’s legs are already crippled, she should focus more on cultivating her character. It would be a shame to lose the Reddington Family’s good breeding as well."

Mia Reddington’s face burned with pain. Seeing this, Zoe Scott couldn’t bear it. "Ethan, you can’t blame Mia for this. After all, her legs..."

"She was pushed down the stairs by Raina Reddington, I heard." After saying this, Ethan Lancaster leaned forward, planting his hands on the edge of the table. A chilling light swirled in the depths of his dark eyes. "So, what you’re saying is, Raina Reddington deliberately tried to murder her own sister, is that right? And the Reddington Family, knowing full well what kind of person she is, still sent her to the Lancaster Family. Who were you trying to harm? Me?"

"No, that’s not it..."

Ethan Lancaster kicked his chair away and stalked out. Seeing this, Raina Reddington grabbed her bag and followed.

When she got outside, Ethan Lancaster was leaning against the car door, lighting a cigarette. Raina Reddington reached for the rear door handle, but he stopped her with an outstretched arm.

"So that’s the kind of person you are. Can I return you?"

"You can," Raina Reddington said, turning to go back inside.

Ethan Lancaster lifted his right leg, blocking her path. "What kind of hatred runs so deep that you’d do something like that to your own sister?"

Raina Reddington glanced at the villa in the distance, swallowed by the night, and said nothing.

The man took a deep drag from his cigarette. White smoke curled from the corners of his thin lips, blurring his expression. Raina Reddington heard his voice pierce straight through her defenses and stab into her heart.

"Someone who studies medicine... I don’t believe you could do something like that."

Her brow twitched. She was quite surprised to hear him say that.

Raina Reddington pressed her lips together. "But no one else believes what I say."

"So what if they don’t believe you?" Ethan Lancaster flicked his ash, his tone nonchalant. "If I were you, I would have hit back."

"But I don’t want to have no home to go back to."

Ethan Lancaster felt the smoke burn his throat. Through the faint, swirling white mist, Raina Reddington’s expression looked hazy. He hooked a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him. Her forehead bumped lightly against his, and the scent of tobacco filled her nose.

"From now on, you do as I say and serve me well, and I’ll give you a place in the Lancaster Family. How about it?"

"Is Fourth Master no longer thinking about divorce?"

Ethan Lancaster’s eyes fell on her lips as they opened and closed, and he felt the urge to kiss them. "Even if I divorce you, I’m not going to stay single forever. Rather than finding someone who doesn’t know their place, I might as well keep someone as sensible as you."

After all, Raina Reddington had even said she would raise his child for him.

"Then I must thank you for your mercy, Fourth Master."

Ethan Lancaster applied gentle pressure with his hand, and Raina Reddington’s body leaned forward, her lips pressing against his.

On the way back, Raina Reddington tried to sit as close to her car door as possible. Ethan Lancaster’s presence aggressively filled every corner of the space. She wiped her mouth, then, thinking it wasn’t enough, wiped it again.

"We’re husband and wife. Why such a big reaction to a single kiss?"

"It’s not that."

"Then what is it?"

Raina Reddington waved a hand in front of her face. "There’s a mosquito."

Ethan Lancaster had long arms and legs. Even though she had shrunk into the corner, he reached out and precisely pinched her chin. He turned her face toward him, and Raina Reddington saw him move closer.

"What are your plans for tonight?" the man asked.

Raina Reddington’s heart skipped a beat. "Read... a book."

"And then?"

"It’ll be late. After reading for a bit, I should go to sleep."

Ethan Lancaster’s near-flawless face moved closer to Raina Reddington’s again. "Have you ever heard a rumor?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She held her breath. "What rumor?"

"A young lady from the Walker Family once said that if I agreed to let her spend one night with me, she would be willing to pay this much." As he spoke, Ethan Lancaster held up a hand in front of Raina Reddington.

’How much is that? Five hundred thousand? Five million?’

Raina Reddington believed this rumor. Setting aside his entire background and status, this man’s face alone was enough to make women flock to him.

By saying this now, he was sending Raina Reddington a clear message: he wanted her tonight, and she should be grateful for it.

Raina Reddington responded quickly. "In that case, I’ll let her have the night. Can she give the money to me?"