Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 56: Your Boyfriend?

"Miss Cameron, the car is here."

"I’m not leaving."

Seth Sinclair stood still in the cold wind, his patience wearing thin. "If the madam finds out about the phone call, do you think she’ll let you off the hook when she sees you?"

Miranda Cameron’s body stiffened. Now, not even Ethan Lancaster would step up to protect her. If Jessica Jacobs really decided to come after her, it would be a dead end.

The owner brought two large, full bowls of lamb noodles to the table. Raina Reddington’s fingers twitched. "Can you let go now? Are you trying to starve me to death?"

Ethan Lancaster’s grip loosened. Raina Reddington held the porcelain bowl with both hands. "I know you’re eager to send your sister back, but a C-section is not a minor surgery. She can’t be discharged until next Monday at the earliest."

"Fine." Ethan Lancaster didn’t say more, simply picking up his chopsticks and starting on the noodles.

Raina buried her head in her food. The owner had been generous, putting a good half-bowl’s worth of lamb in it. Seeing that she liked it, Ethan Lancaster picked out a few pieces and placed them in her bowl.

"You don’t have to give me any. I can’t finish it all."

"Next Monday, you’re coming back with me."

Raina shook her head. "I can’t. My work here isn’t finished yet."

"I’ll talk to the people at your hospital."

Raina lifted her gaze to him. "This is my job."

"The York family can’t get near my sister, so they’ll definitely come after you."

"Even if someone does want to give me a hard time, they wouldn’t dare do it so brazenly, right? Besides, I have you, don’t I?"

Ethan Lancaster disagreed in his heart, but what he said was, "Don’t flatter me."

Raina went back to eating her noodles. "You should focus on protecting your sister and getting her back safely. The York family won’t let this go."

"You think I’m afraid of them?"

"And don’t take what happened with the baby to heart..."

Although Ethan Lancaster didn’t say it, Raina could see he blamed himself. He lifted his noodles with his chopsticks. Every time he had asked how Zion Lancaster was doing with the York family, she had told him how well Jason York treated her. Now, it was clear that man was the pinnacle of hypocrisy and deserved to die.

"Raina..."

"Hm?"

Ethan Lancaster glanced at her profile. He wanted to tell her she looked beautiful today holding that scalpel, more radiant and captivating than any woman he had ever seen. But the words reached his lips and were swallowed back down.

He had never complimented anyone before, and he found he just couldn’t get the words out.

Once Zion Lancaster was able to get out of bed, Ethan Lancaster arranged for an RV to take her home. The York family was, as expected, relentless. They had waited for Zion to finally emerge, wanting to see the baby, but Ethan had Seth Sinclair turn them away from ten paces out.

Raina Reddington stood by the vehicle, watching the maternity nurse carry the baby inside before she turned back to carefully help Zion Lancaster.

Zion Lancaster walked with great difficulty. Because she had to climb into the vehicle, Ethan Lancaster didn’t dare carry her, afraid of pulling at her incision. He could only watch as she endured the pain and shuffled her legs forward, bit by bit.

The York family had probably all left by now. Raina watched the RV start up and drive away. She stood in place for a moment, planning to head back to the hospital’s outpatient department.

"Raina!"

Her scalp prickled at the sound of that voice. She turned to see Mrs. York striding toward her with a vicious expression.

"She’s already back in Stoneworth. If you want to see her, you can try your luck at the Lancaster estate."

Raina saw Jason York following dejectedly behind Mrs. York, who looked like a mother hen ready for a brawl. "At the end of the day, she is still a member of our York family..."

"Then go talk to Ethan Lancaster. Don’t come to me."

"You, stop right there!" Mrs. York lunged forward and grabbed at her. Raina couldn’t understand how the York family could produce such a shameless shrew.

A car came speeding toward them, aiming straight for Jason York. He stumbled back in fright, his heel catching on a brick at the edge of the road, and he fell right on his rear.

’Ethan Lancaster and his terrible temper!’

He pushed the car door open and strode over to Jason York, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him to his feet.

Jason York’s legs gave out. Ethan Lancaster snarled, "You’re a spineless coward!"

Mrs. York snapped out of it and started to move forward, but Ethan had already dragged Jason York to the car and kicked him inside.

He pointed a finger at Mrs. York. "I’m keeping your son as collateral. Don’t worry, I won’t let him starve or freeze. But if you dare give Raina a hard time, I’ll feed him a three-course meal of my fists and feet every single day!"

Ethan Lancaster still had to escort the RV back, so he didn’t linger or even say a word to Raina.

He got into his car, leaving a stunned and then furiously raging Mrs. York in his wake, and sped off.

Raina shrugged. ’Fourth Master Lancaster really has that "fight fire with fire" attitude down to a science.’

For the few days Raina Reddington remained at the county hospital, no one dared to bother her again.

In Mrs. York’s eyes, Ethan Lancaster was a reckless punk who feared nothing. Besides, her son was still in his hands; it was best not to provoke him.

On the day Raina was scheduled to return, she kept getting calls from Ethan Lancaster.

He asked if she had left yet. He asked where she was. He asked if she had stopped somewhere to eat along the way. He asked if the hospital car was taking her straight back to Mercy Seas or to her home.

Raina, drowsy in the car, answered a few of his questions before ignoring him. Staring at her phone was making her carsick, so she leaned back against the seat, intending to take a nap.

The car had just passed the last toll booth when a smaller car shot out and forced them to a stop.

The driver honked the horn, but the other car showed no sign of moving. Instead, a man got out.

Through the window, Ethan Lancaster saw Raina Reddington sitting on the left side, her head lolled to one side. She must have been asleep.

He knocked on the door. A nurse saw him and unlocked it. Ethan Lancaster pulled the door open and nudged Raina’s shoulder.

Raina, thinking they had arrived, startled awake and instinctively reached for her seatbelt. "Are we at the hospital?"

"I came to take you home."

She followed the sound of the voice and saw Ethan Lancaster standing outside the car. She let out a little, "Huh? What are you doing here?"

"Taking you home."

"Doctor Reddington, who’s this?"

"Her boyfriend, right? So Doctor Reddington isn’t single! And her boyfriend is so handsome..."

Raina quickly grabbed her bag from the seat. "Don’t talk nonsense. I’m leaving now."

"Doctor Reddington, bring your boyfriend out to dinner with us sometime!"

Raina quickly shut the car door. "My luggage is still in the trunk."

Ethan Lancaster went to the back of the car and pulled out her suitcase. Raina spotted his car and hurried over to it.

Her colleagues rolled down their windows, peering out curiously. As Ethan Lancaster walked by with the suitcase, he paused. "Have Raina set up a time. I’ll treat you all to dinner."

"Okay, okay!"

When Ethan Lancaster got back in the car, Raina, having napped, felt much more refreshed. "What were you saying to them?"

"What else? I said I’d treat them to dinner and introduce our relationship."

"Don’t be ridiculous."

God only knew what was up with Ethan Lancaster today. Knowing she was coming back, he had been unable to focus on work, constantly checking the time, wishing he could turn the clock forward a few hours.

That sense of urgency had lasted right up until this moment, only to be doused with cold water by Raina.

"What do you mean, ’ridiculous’?"

His tone was harsh, making Raina jump.

’What’s gotten into His Lordship now?’