Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 14: The Unexpectedly Exposed Video

Raina glared at him, her body bristling with tension.

Ethan Lancaster scoffed. "If you hadn’t been the only one there, do you really think I would’ve wanted you?"

’That’s not what happened,’ she thought. ’He was the one who tricked me into going.’

Ethan Lancaster went back to the bed, pulled back the covers, and lay down.

Raina’s expression eased slightly, but she didn’t dare lower her guard. After her shower, she dried her hair in the bathroom, dawdling for a long time before finally coming out.

The man was lying on his side of the bed, seemingly asleep. Raina tiptoed over, getting into bed without daring to make a sound.

Her sleep was fitful, terrified that Ethan Lancaster would suddenly wake up and torment her again.

In the early morning hours, the bedroom lights were off. Ethan Lancaster’s mouth was dry, so he reached for the glass of water on the nightstand.

But as he reached out, his hand was yanked back. Still groggy, Ethan tried again, only then realizing with a start that his wrist was bound tightly. He shot bolt upright and slapped the wall switch, flooding the room with light.

Lost in a sweet dream, Raina felt the light pierce her eyelids. She murmured softly and pulled the blanket over her head.

Ethan followed the length of his arm with his eyes and saw that his hand had been tied to the headboard with a necktie.

He gave it a hard tug, but the knot only pulled tighter. Livid, he kicked the person next to him.

"What are you doing!" Raina snapped.

"Get up!"

Raina opened her eyes and sat up, pulling back a corner of the blanket. Ethan Lancaster’s face was ashen as he stared at her. "Did you do this?"

She was so sleepy she could barely function. She rubbed her eyes. "Yeah. I was worried you’d have an episode in the middle of the night."

"It looks to me like you tied me up because you were planning something improper, hmm?"

"Right, right. I’m just overcome with lust for the Fourth Master’s handsome face. Now that you’ve found me out, I’m dying of shame. Happy now?" Raina glanced at the clock; it was almost six. There was no way she’d be able to fall back asleep now.

Raina threw back the covers to get up, but Ethan was quicker. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to him.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door, immediately followed by Jessica Jacobs’s voice. "Ethan, are you awake?"

"Mom?"

Raina scrambled to push Ethan away. "It’s your mom."

’So she does know what shame is.’ Ethan’s free arm hooked around Raina’s neck, refusing to give her any chance of escape.

"Mom, the door’s unlocked. Come on in."

Raina whispered urgently, "Let me go. I won’t do it again."

’Too late.’

Jessica Jacobs pushed the door open and was visibly startled by the scene before her. Her gaze fell on Ethan’s bound arm, and her expression flickered. "What is all this nonsense?"

"Mom, Raina likes this sort of thing. What can I do?"

Raina struggled, but Ethan clamped a hand on the back of her head, forcing her cheek to rub against his chest.

She was completely powerless to fight back. Ethan, surprised that Jessica had come over so early, asked, "Did you need something, Mom?"

"I brought some ingredients over. I’ve already asked the kitchen to start stewing them. Make sure you drink it on an empty stomach." Jessica couldn’t bear to watch and turned to leave. But after a moment, she looked at Raina. "Raina, that tonic soup isn’t for you, you understand?"

’After a comment like that, how could I not understand?’

She let out a knowing "Oh." "Of course, Mom. We’ll make sure Ethan drinks all of it. He needs to... build his strength."

Ethan’s arm tightened. "Shut up!"

’If she hadn’t spouted all that nonsense in front of Jessica, my mother wouldn’t be going to all this trouble to find tonics for me. She’d probably love to stew me in a pot of bull penis soup.’

Raina hadn’t slept well, but she forced herself to get up and go to work. She finally got through her morning appointments and took a moment to sip some water, about to stand up and wash her hands.

Suddenly, the computer screen flickered. The static desktop background was replaced by a playing video. Raina’s grip on her water glass tightened, her eyes glued to the screen.

That private suite... she had only been there once, but the memory was a nightmare she couldn’t shake.

It took all her strength just to swallow.

If not for this video, she might have forgotten just how forceful Ethan had been with her yesterday.

The camera angle was from behind Ethan, so Raina’s face was in full view. As she watched now, holding her glass with both hands, she could see it all on the screen: the angry struggle, followed by the dazed, passion-fueled haze of her surrender.

There were security cameras in the office. Panicked, Raina tried to shut down the computer, but it wouldn’t turn off.

Her phone rang from inside the drawer, the sound like a Death Sentence. Without a second thought, Raina yanked open the drawer and answered, not even glancing at the number. "Hello?"

"Five... four—" a man’s voice came through, counting down.

"Who are you!" Raina cut him off. "What do you want?"

"Care to be famous, Miss Reddington?"

Raina forced herself to stay calm. "I don’t."

"When I get to one, this video will play on every computer in Mercy Seas Hospital, including the display screens at the pharmacy and registration desks..."

A chill ran down Raina’s spine at the mere thought. "Let’s talk about this. The fact that you called me means we can negotiate, right?"

"Smart."

"You want money?"

"I want a video of Ethan Lancaster. You don’t have to be the leading lady, but I need a crystal-clear shot of his face."

Raina agreed without a moment’s hesitation. "Fine."

"You have one week. Don’t even think about asking Mr. Lancaster for help. No matter how fast he is, my finger is faster."

"Fine."

The caller hung up. Raina was drenched in a cold sweat, and the video on her screen vanished, replaced by the hospital’s default wallpaper.

Her mind was a tangled mess, but she managed to grasp one coherent thought. The day they left that place, Ethan had mentioned the surveillance footage. Cameron Fairchild had promised to wipe it clean. So how could this be happening?

Raina didn’t dare to imagine the consequences. A lifelong instinct for self-preservation kicked in, screaming at her not to breathe a word of this to anyone. If she actually asked Ethan for help and the video got out, it would barely affect him—his reputation was already one of debauchery. But her?

She would be ruined.

After work, they sat at the dinner table. Raina’s mind was consumed by thoughts of the video. She nibbled on the end of her chopstick, then pursed her lips and looked at the man, who seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood. "Do you have other places you stay at?"

The man raised an eyebrow, his gaze locking on her. "Why?"

"I just noticed you didn’t come home for a few days. Just curious."

"I have a place near the office. I stay there sometimes."

’So that’s it,’ Raina thought. ’That must be the place where Ethan keeps his mistress.’

After dinner, they went back to the bedroom. Ethan took off his jacket and headed in to shower.

Raina pretended to be absorbed in a book until she heard the sound of the shower. Only then did she get up, walk over to the nightstand, and pick up Ethan’s wallet.

She saw a key card tucked into one of the slots. The name of the apartment complex and the floor number were printed clearly on it.

’She wanted to take the key card, but then she thought better of it. He would notice it was missing too easily.’

Unwilling to give up, she flipped through the wallet’s compartments one by one. Tucked away in the deepest fold, she found another key card, identical to the first.

’It was obviously a spare. Ethan had probably just tossed it in there and forgotten all about it.’

Raina carefully slid it out. Just as she was about to put the wallet back, she heard a noise.

The sound of rushing water intensified as Ethan opened the bathroom door.

"What are you doing?"

A cold sweat broke out on her back. Raina clenched her fist around the key card, listening as his footsteps drew nearer and nearer.

Ethan walked over to Raina and saw her holding his wallet. He was only halfway through his shower, and water trickled down the lines of his muscles. "I’m talking to you. Feeling guilty about something?"