Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 25: Are You Heartbroken?

"It counts. Of course, it counts." The speaker was Miles Hawthorne. Though his heart was being twisted like a knife, his face remained as calm as still water, as if he were truly listening to someone else’s story.

Cameron Fairchild chimed in, "So what happened to that family in the end?"

"Do you all really believe that evil is always punished? After taking a massive settlement, they naturally started living a life of luxury."

Miles Hawthorne sat to one side, no longer feeling the ache in his heart. The pain had reached its peak and given way to complete numbness. He felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss; the phrase "a life of luxury" had cut him to the core. All this time, an unshakeable belief had kept him going, but at this very moment, Miles Hawthorne realized he couldn’t hold on any longer.

Ethan Lancaster reached out and covered Raina Reddington’s hand. "This family—do you know them?"

Her lips pressed into a tight line. "I’ve lived in Stoneworth my whole life. How would I know people like that?"

Miles Hawthorne remained silent, simply picking up a bottle and starting to drink. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he drank hastily. Raina felt no satisfaction at all. ’Have I made a mistake?’ she wondered.

After finishing his drink, the man set the bottle down on the table. "Let’s play something simpler. How about we spin the bottle? Whoever it points to has to drink."

Cameron Fairchild clapped his hands. "Great! That’s simple enough."

"Mrs. Lancaster’s luck hasn’t been so great today. Why don’t we let her spin the bottle?"

Raina couldn’t help but look up at Miles Hawthorne. ’He knows this is just giving me a chance to torture him, so why is he suggesting it? Does he want to drink himself under the table?’

Ethan Lancaster wrapped an arm around Raina Reddington’s shoulders. "You’d better not let me down this time."

She reached for the bottle and gave it a hard spin. It whirled rapidly on the tabletop before gradually slowing down. When it finally came to a stop, the neck was pointing directly at Miles Hawthorne.

Cameron Fairchild laughed, grabbing a bottle and handing it over. Miles took it and made a toasting gesture in Raina’s direction.

"Mrs. Lancaster certainly has a lucky hand."

Ethan Lancaster, however, sat beside her unable to crack a smile. The others hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but he knew Raina’s personality. She wouldn’t go out of her way to offend someone, especially not a man like Miles Hawthorne. Every word she’d spoken tonight had been laced with barbs, and she’d already made Miles drink three bottles. ’There has to be some history between them, or she wouldn’t be acting this way.’

Miles Hawthorne downed it in one go and tossed the empty bottle aside.

Raina spun the bottle again. Unsurprisingly, it landed on Miles Hawthorne once more.

This time, he said nothing, simply taking the bottle and drinking.

The people sitting around them exchanged bewildered glances. Ethan chimed in with a joke, "Don’t get Mr. Hawthorne so drunk that he passes out. We might not even be able to leave Aristor Hall if you do."

Miles Hawthorne leaned back into the sofa, his head starting to spin. In a daze, he thought he saw two figures snuggled up together.

One of their favorite pastimes back then had been sitting in a field and spinning bottles. Raina always won. Whenever they played this game, she decided the outcome.

"If I lose, you’re drinking for me. I’m not drinking," Raina said to Ethan Lancaster.

"Fine by me. It’s not like I’m scared to drink."

Raina flicked the bottle with her finger. "In that case, I’d rather make someone else drink."

With that, she gave the bottle a forceful spin. It sped up, and the neck finally came to rest pointing at Miles Hawthorne yet again.

He drank another bottle. Raina continued.

Ethan Lancaster chose that moment to grab Raina’s wrist. "All right, that’s enough fun. We’re going home."

"I’m not done yet. I finally got a chance to come out; how can I leave before I’ve had my fill of fun?" Raina pushed Ethan Lancaster’s hand away. "Besides, I still haven’t gotten what I came for."

Miles Hawthorne couldn’t hold his liquor. He took out his phone and made a call, asking his most trusted subordinate to bring him the item from his safe.

Raina knew he was a lightweight. They had snuck some beer once in high school, and he had been a complete mess after just one bottle, lying on the ground, a dead weight she couldn’t even drag.

Soon, a knock came at the door of their private room. A man entered holding a small box. He walked over to Miles Hawthorne and respectfully handed it to him.

Miles Hawthorne’s face was deathly pale. He motioned for the man to give the box to Raina.

She took the box and opened it, revealing a USB drive inside.

"Mr. Hawthorne, you’re drunk. Let me help you to a room to rest."

"No need." Miles Hawthorne tapped his forehead twice with his palm. Ethan Lancaster’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Aristor Hall is Mr. Hawthorne’s territory. Are you worried he’ll get into trouble here?"

"I wouldn’t dare," the man said before backing out of the room.

So many years had passed, but deep down, Raina still couldn’t get over how he had left without a word.

Tonight, she was using this as an opportunity to vent her anger.

Ethan Lancaster could tell she was skilled at the game. If it were just luck, she couldn’t possibly win every single time.

One was willing to dish out the punishment, and the other was willing to take it—all right under his nose.

His chest felt like it was stuffed with cotton—tight and suffocating. The discomfort was indescribable.

After a few more rounds, Miles Hawthorne couldn’t finish his last half bottle. His grip on the neck went slack, and the bottle fell to the floor, its remaining contents spilling out.

"Is Mr. Hawthorne drunk?" a young woman sitting next to Cameron Fairchild asked.

Ethan Lancaster’s gaze swept over to her. "It seems he is. You take good care of him, and Mr. Fairchild won’t treat you poorly."

Cameron Fairchild was startled for a moment but quickly caught on. He gave the woman’s shoulder a light push. "Go on."

The woman showed no hesitation. She got up, walked over to Miles Hawthorne, and leaned against him. Raina watched as her hand snaked around his neck. "Mr. Hawthorne, are you all right?"

Miles Hawthorne was practically dead drunk. His head lolled to one side, coming to rest on the woman’s shoulder.

"Let’s not be killjoys. Come on, let’s give them some space," Ethan Lancaster said, getting up to leave.

Raina hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. No matter how angry she was, she never intended to actually harm Miles Hawthorne. She sat frozen in her seat. As some of the others began to file out with their dates, she reached out and grabbed Ethan Lancaster’s sleeve.

"We’re just... leaving like this?"

"What, you want to stay and watch?" Ethan Lancaster glanced over as the woman’s hand caressed Miles Hawthorne’s face and neck. He was so drunk he was completely unresponsive.

Raina knew this crowd liked to play around, but this was playing with fire.

"No," she blurted out. "He’s with Miss Lynch. If the Lynch family finds out about this, they’ll definitely blame us. This isn’t something to joke about."

Hearing this, Ethan Lancaster let out a cold laugh. He raised his arm, shaking off Raina’s grip on his sleeve.

He leaned down, his gaze boring into hers as if trying to see into her very soul.

"Raina, how naive can you be? Do you really think the owner of Aristor Hall is some kind of saint? You think he’s never touched any of the women who work here?"

Every word from Ethan Lancaster was like a needle. "Does your heart ache for him?"