Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 58: You Mess With Her, You Mess With Me
Ethan Lancaster turned his head, about to tell her it was too cold outside and she should stay in the car.
A car sped past, and the roar it kicked up made Raina Reddington whip her head around.
She was standing behind Ethan Lancaster’s car when his urgent, panicked voice reached her ears. "Raina—"
Raina dodged, nearly stumbling and falling. There was a violent CRUNCH next to her leg. She didn’t know if it was a headlight or something else that had shattered, but her leg was cut. She didn’t feel the pain; there wasn’t time for that.
The car reversed a meter or two, then cranked the steering wheel. Clearly, the driver wasn’t giving up and was going to ram them again.
Seth Sinclair pushed open the passenger door and got out. Ethan Lancaster ran to Raina Reddington’s side, the biting wind stinging his cold face. He was pale as he gripped her arm. "Are... are you hurt? Where?"
Raina Reddington shook her head. They were very close to the assailant’s car. Seth Sinclair glanced at the person in the driver’s seat before his gaze quickly returned to Ethan Lancaster.
The car’s wheels began to roll forward. At such a close distance, Raina Reddington didn’t even have time to get out of the way.
Her legs felt weak. Ethan Lancaster pulled her behind him. The woman in the car slammed on the brakes, then started laying on the horn.
Miranda Cameron pounded the steering wheel with both hands. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Seth Sinclair stepped forward anxiously. "Fourth Master!"
This woman was probably insane; who knew what she was capable of.
Raina Reddington gripped Ethan Lancaster’s waist tightly with both hands. He reached down, enveloping her small, clenched fists with his own. He felt her trembling—trembling violently.
"Don’t be afraid."
"E... Ethan Lancaster, what if she really hits us?"
Ethan Lancaster let out a cold laugh. "What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll be your human shield. You just turn and run."
"Don’t joke around." Raina was so anxious her palms began to sweat. Ethan pulled her over to a stone bollard on the side of the road. "Stay right here. Don’t move."
"What are you doing?"
Ethan’s gaze was locked on the car. He strode over to the driver’s side and reached for the door handle.
The door was locked. It wouldn’t open. The man slammed his fist into the window. "Get out!"
Miranda Cameron trembled with fear, her hands frozen on the steering wheel. Ethan walked to his own car, opened the trunk, and took out a collapsible baton.
With a sharp flick, he extended the baton. He returned to the car door and smashed the baton against the window.
Miranda Cameron covered her head with her hands. The window shattered. Ethan reached in, unlocked the door from the inside, and grabbed her arm. "Get out!"
"No, Ethan, I... I didn’t do it on purpose."
She cowered in the driver’s seat, refusing to get out. Ethan unbuckled her seatbelt and, with a slight effort, hauled her out of the car.
"Seth, call the police."
Hearing this, Miranda Cameron collapsed to the ground. She reached out to grab Ethan Lancaster’s clothes, but he coldly took a step back.
Seth Sinclair took out his phone. Just as he was about to dial, Miranda frantically tried to explain, "I really didn’t mean to, Ethan, don’t do this..."
"There are security cameras all over this road. Whether it was intentional or not isn’t for you or me to decide."
His every word was merciless, a stab to her heart. Miranda propped herself up on the ground with her hands. "Ethan, do you really have to be so ruthless?"
"When I showed you mercy, you didn’t cherish it. And now? Is it your turn to try and wipe me out, is that it?"
Raina Reddington shivered in the cold wind. A moment ago, if she hadn’t reacted so quickly, if there hadn’t been another car next to her to block Miranda Cameron’s impact, she would be dead or crippled right now.
"I would never hurt you! How could I? It’s her life I want!"
Raina looked up to see Miranda Cameron pointing a finger at her.
"If you touch her, you touch me!" Ethan Lancaster practically roared. His expression was savage as he bellowed at Seth Sinclair, "What are you standing there for? Call the police!"
Seth Sinclair already had the three digits typed on his phone’s screen. After hearing Ethan’s command, his finger tapped the call button.
Ethan Lancaster started to walk away. Miranda Cameron scrambled up to grab him, but he sidestepped, causing her to lunge at empty air.
He walked to Raina’s side and took her hand. There were taxis waiting at the mall entrance, and Ethan hailed one.
Seth Sinclair stayed behind to handle the scene. Ethan had just gotten back to The Verdant Garden when he received a call from him.
The police had arrived and taken over, and Miranda Cameron had been taken away.
Raina sat on the edge of the bed, carefully trying to pull up her pant leg. But the fabric tugged at her wound, causing a twinge of pain. Ethan quickly bent down and sat beside her. "What’s wrong?"
"I think something hit me. It hurts a little."
"Wait here." Ethan left for a moment and came back with a pair of scissors in his hand.
Raina quickly pressed her hands over her leg. "No, it’s okay, I can take them off carefully. These pants are expensive."
"I’ll buy you ten pairs tomorrow." Ethan pushed her hands away and cut open her pants. There was a large, swollen welt just above her knee. Thankfully, it wasn’t bleeding.
"Why didn’t you say anything earlier? We should have gone to the hospital."
"It’s just a scrape. It’s nothing."
Ethan lifted her leg and rested it on his own. Raina saw him staring at the wound without a word, probably thinking about what had just happened.
"Are you really going to go through with it?"
"Hmm?"
"Once you called the police, the nature of this whole thing changed. Barring any surprises, she’s going to jail."
A sharp glint appeared in the corner of Ethan’s eye, and his gaze shifted as he looked at her. "She’s only reaping what she sowed."
"Yes," Raina said, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. "Fourth Master, you see? This is what happens when you’re such a player. You’re this one-of-a-kind prize flower, and I’ve got you all to myself in a pot. When all those other bees and butterflies can’t get a taste, they come looking to sting me instead." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
"Then I’ll just have to chase them all away."
Raina leaned back on her hands, a smile spreading across her face. "You’re kidding, right? The big, wide world out there is so much fun. If it’s not a Miranda Cameron, it’ll be a Miranda Sullivan or a Miranda Miller."
"There won’t be," he said. She had been joking, but Ethan seemed completely serious about the topic. "There won’t be any more."
A ripple went through Raina’s heart. She tried to pull her leg back, but Ethan held her knee in place. "Is there something else you want to say?"
A sudden panic seized her for no reason. ’Why does Ethan seem so strange today?’
"Have... have you not been going out lately? When your friends ask you to hang out, you should go."
’Playful and a womanizer, that’s what Mr. Lancaster was supposed to be. The man before her felt more and more like a stranger.’
A slight smile touched Ethan’s lips. "So you don’t like me going out. Are you afraid I’ll be corrupted by bad influences?"
Raina almost laughed out loud at that. ’Wasn’t he the biggest bad influence of them all? As if he needed anyone else to lead him astray.’
"Then I’ll cut them all off."
"What?" Raina genuinely didn’t understand what he meant.
"You’re right. Rather than let other people’s delusions get you involved, it’s better to cut off their hopes entirely. I’ll make a clean break with everything on the outside."
