Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 27: Love Rival

Ethan Lancaster let out a silent sneer, so frustrated he was dying to take a bite out of her.

He had drunk some aphrodisiac wine that day, which was why he had been especially wild—unbearably so. It had left Raina Reddington in a sorry state, so much so that her voice went hoarse.

’I must have been out of my mind,’ she thought, ’to agree to his ridiculous request to watch the video together.’

Ethan Lancaster grumbled beside her, "Listen to that caterwauling. How unseemly."

"You think you can do better? Be my guest."

"Wasn’t I on top?"

Raina’s face flushed crimson. She tugged at the blanket. "That’s enough, isn’t it? I want to sleep."

Ethan Lancaster propped his hand on the blanket, tracing his index finger across the surface. He was already restless and aroused, and he lost all control the moment he heard his own voice at the end.

"Ah—" As Raina saw a dark shadow lunge toward her, she scrambled to roll off the bed, but Ethan Lancaster grabbed her by the calf.

"Fourth Master, I was hoping you’d show me that self-control of yours."

Ethan Lancaster couldn’t be bothered with any of that. "Forget that. How about you experience my explosive power instead?"

In the dead of night, every inch of Raina’s body felt like it had been twisted and pulled by a pair of giant hands, yet she still forced herself to sit up and delete the video.

Propping his head up with his right hand, Ethan Lancaster chuckled at her for making a big deal out of nothing. "You have it back in your hands now. What are you still afraid of?"

"Isn’t it better to delete it for good?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The man patted the space beside him, motioning for her to lie down. The moment Raina lay back down, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "That second story you told today—was it about Miles Hawthorne?"

"No. It was just a story I heard from my grandmother. I didn’t know what else to say, so I borrowed it."

Ethan Lancaster’s fingertips traced circles on her waist as he asked pensively, "And what about your sister’s situation? Why did you bring that up?"

"You didn’t stop your friend when he made that suggestion." Raina’s back was to Ethan Lancaster, her voice hollow. "You knew they meant me harm. Why didn’t you protect me?"

’Protect her?’

Ethan Lancaster almost scoffed. ’Is this a joke?’

He and Cameron Fairchild had been thick as thieves since they were kids. Who was Raina in comparison? It wasn’t even certain if she’d be staying with the Lancaster Family long-term. The thought of protecting her had never once crossed his mind. Raina took one of his hands in hers. His fingertips were cool to the touch as she squeezed it tightly.

An indescribable flutter stirred in Ethan Lancaster’s chest. Flustered, he yanked his hand back. "Go to sleep. You have work tomorrow."

「The next day.」

Raina was in her consultation room, head down as she wrote in a patient’s chart, when someone knocked and entered.

Without looking up, she asked, "What seems to be the problem?"

Miranda Cameron pushed a patient file toward Raina. She flipped it open and saw it was brand new; not a single word had been written in it.

"How can I help you?"

"I’d like to get my system regulated. My periods are irregular, and I’m worried it will affect my ability to get pregnant."

Raina glanced at the age on the patient card, then looked up at the woman. She had a classic oval-shaped face and wore light makeup. Her features weren’t exquisitely refined, but they were pleasant and easy on the eyes.

Her phone, tucked away in a drawer, began to ring. Raina murmured an apology and glanced at the caller ID. To her surprise, it was a call from Ethan Lancaster.

She answered the call and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello."

"Come pick me up when you get off work."

"Don’t you have a driver?"

Ethan Lancaster paid that no mind. "My driver is busy, and I can’t drive. I’ll even treat you to dinner, how about that?"

"Thanks, Fourth Master, but I’m with a patient. Goodbye."

Hearing the title ’Fourth Master,’ Miranda Cameron’s brow twitched, and a complex expression flashed in her eyes. Ethan Lancaster’s voice came through the phone, laced with an undeniable dominance, "Come get me. I’ll be waiting."

"Alright, alright, I get it." ’Seriously,’ she thought, ’what a waste of my time.’

Raina hung up and asked the woman a few more questions. "Alright, let’s have you run some tests first."

"Okay."

When her shift ended, Raina finished up her work, grabbed her bag, and headed to the parking garage.

As she got into the car, she noticed the front passenger window was halfway down. ’Did I forget to close it this morning?’

’But it’s winter. Would I have even opened it?’

Raina was confused, but she didn’t keep any valuables in her car, so it was unlikely she’d been targeted by a thief. She didn’t have time to dwell on it; a certain pampered prince was waiting for his ride.

A young master like Ethan Lancaster was truly high-maintenance. Raina had originally planned to just park on the street and make him walk out, but he whined that it was cold and there was no heat, forcing her to circle the commercial complex until she finally, with great difficulty, found the entrance to the underground garage.

He slid into the passenger seat and shut the door. Raina started the engine. "Don’t you usually prefer the back seat?"

"What’s the matter? Is this seat reserved for someone else?"

"How childish."

As the car pulled out, Raina, not wanting to waste too much time on dinner, said, "Let’s just grab a quick bite somewhere nearby."

Ethan Lancaster glanced at the storage compartment on the inside of the door. There was an unopened bottle of water and a few books.

He casually picked up one of the books. "You read this kind of stuff while you’re driving?"

"A colleague asked to borrow it, but I forgot to give it to her."

Ethan Lancaster flipped through a few pages, but the text was incomprehensible to him. He put the book back, but then he noticed a file folder tucked in the same spot.

Raina kept her eyes focused on the road, while Ethan Lancaster began to unwind the string tie on the folder.

He pulled out a thick stack of papers and began flipping through them. It was a complete dossier on Miranda Cameron; her entire life had been dug up, right down to the university she graduated from and the malls she frequented.

Ethan Lancaster’s expression grew progressively colder. Near the back, he found photos of himself and Miranda Cameron together—dining at restaurants, and even coming and going from her apartment.

Raina asked him a question, but he didn’t answer. She glanced over at him.

"What is this?"

Ethan Lancaster held up the file. "I should be the one asking you that."

Raina slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. She took the folder, and the first thing she saw was a photo of Ethan Lancaster with the other woman.

The woman’s face looked familiar, and after a moment, she realized it was the patient she had just seen that day.

"You had me investigated?"

Raina felt completely wronged. "No! I have no idea where this came from."

"And yet, here it is, found in your car."

As she flipped through the pages, the gravity of the situation dawned on her. She claimed not to care about Ethan Lancaster’s messy affairs, but to have him investigated behind his back? This was a blatant slap in his face.

Raina couldn’t argue her way out of it; Ethan Lancaster had found the evidence himself. Her gaze landed on one photo in particular: Miranda Cameron, beaming with a captivating smile, walking out of the Hilton Hotel on Ethan Lancaster’s arm.

"Is this your mistress?"

Ethan Lancaster met her gaze with a lazy look. "She is. What of it?"

He answered with utter shamelessness, eager to see her reaction.

Raina flicked the photo twice with her finger. "She’s not even as pretty as the one you brought to the hospital. Is this supposed to be my rival? Please. I don’t even consider her competition."