Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 77: He is Worthy of My Trust

Raina’s heart jumped. "How did he find her?"

"Do you think Cameron Fairchild is a pushover? When he wants to find someone, who can stop him?"

’That’s true,’ Raina thought. After all, in Stoneworth, the Fairchild family behind Cameron Fairchild had immense power and influence. "So what do we do now?"

"I’ll have Seth Sinclair move her."

Raina hesitated for a moment. "Ethan..."

"What is it?"

"Can I trust you?"

The gash on Ethan Lancaster’s palm throbbed more intensely. "What do you think?"

"I don’t know."

She heard the man’s low chuckle. "If you don’t trust me, who else can you trust?"

"Can I make it in time if I rush over now?"

"If you really can’t bring yourself to trust me, I’ll stall Cameron Fairchild for you. You can find a new place for her on your own."

Raina paced anxiously by the elevators. She didn’t have many close friends to begin with, and she couldn’t drag others into her problems at such a critical time. Besides, if Ethan Lancaster were to help, the place he found would be far less likely to be discovered.

"I’m heading over now. Have Seth Sinclair come pick us up."

"Okay."

Raina called Minnie Hale on the way, telling her to pack her bags quickly. "Don’t leave your room before I get there. Don’t go anywhere."

Minnie Hale didn’t have much to pack. She pulled out her suitcase, stuffed her clothes and toiletries inside, and then waited quietly for Raina Reddington to arrive.

Before long, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door. "Minnie."

Minnie Hale dragged her suitcase to the door and opened it. Raina Reddington glanced both ways down the hallway. "Let’s go. Quick."

The two of them rushed to the elevators. They watched the display as the numbers climbed, quickly approaching the ninth floor.

A bad feeling washed over Raina. She tightened her grip on the suitcase and pulled Minnie Hale toward the nearby stairwell.

Just as the elevator doors opened with a DING, Raina ducked into the stairwell. She heard men’s voices.

"Mr. Fairchild, it’s just ahead."

Through the small glass window on the door, she saw Cameron Fairchild leading two men and a hotel attendant, striding toward the room they had just fled.

"Let’s go."

When Raina entered the parking garage, she immediately spotted Ethan Lancaster’s car. Seth Sinclair was waiting beside it. As soon as he saw her, he hurried forward and took the suitcase from her hand.

Raina yanked open the car door, only to find Ethan Lancaster inside. The moment Minnie Hale saw him, she turned to leave. With quick reflexes, Raina grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you’re going? Want to walk right into their trap?"

"How is this any different from delivering myself to his doorstep?"

"If it weren’t for him, you’d already be in Cameron Fairchild’s hands." As she spoke, Raina got into the car first, then pulled Minnie Hale in after her.

As the car sped off, Raina finally had a moment to explain to Minnie Hale, "He’s the one who tipped me off. He also stalled Cameron Fairchild; otherwise, I never would have made it in time."

"Raina, do you trust him?"

Hearing this, Ethan Lancaster, who had been lounging lazily, shot upright. "What’s that supposed to mean? She’s my wife. Of course she should trust me, shouldn’t she?"

"They’re all in it together."

Ethan Lancaster sneered. "You stabbed me, and out of the goodness of my heart, I didn’t hold it against you. Now you’re turning around and accusing me?"

"You rich people are all cut from the same cloth. Not a single one of you is a good person."

Ethan Lancaster slapped the driver’s seat, wanting to have him pull over and kick her out. Raina, sitting between them, understood Minnie’s reservations. She reached out and gently squeezed her hand. "Minnie, you can trust him, just like you trust me."

Minnie Hale looked at Raina uncertainly. "But... he was there that night, too..."

"But he left early, didn’t he? I’m not saying he’s a good person, but we’re adults. We can’t put all the blame on other people for certain things."

Minnie Hale pressed her lips together, silent. Raina gently patted the back of her hand twice. "Right now, he’s the only one who can help us evade Cameron Fairchild."

"You trust him."

"Yes, I do."

Minnie Hale nodded. "Okay. I’ll listen to you."

Ethan Lancaster gazed out the window. The sky was a hazy gray, threatening rain. He really hated days like this.

The car turned into a residential complex. The driver navigated the streets with a familiarity that showed he had been here before.

Raina Reddington and Minnie Hale followed him into the elevator. When she saw Seth Sinclair pull out a key card, Raina tugged on Ethan Lancaster’s sleeve. "Where are we?"

"My apartment. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe here."

"Yours?" Raina yanked his sleeve. "Then Cameron Fairchild will find it the second he runs a check!"

"What do you know? The most dangerous place is the safest place. When he starts looking, he’ll check every hotel, big and small, then he’ll look into your network. He and I have been thick as thieves since we were kids; why would he ever suspect me?"

His reasoning seemed to make sense. Besides, it wasn’t like Minnie Hale had anywhere else to go.

Seth Sinclair brought her suitcase inside. Ethan Lancaster sat down on the sofa as if he owned the place. "I can hire a housekeeper. Ordering takeout would mean too many strangers coming and going, which wouldn’t be safe."

"Okay."

"So what’s your plan now?"

Raina watched as Minnie Hale took her luggage and disappeared into a room. "We’ll gather evidence, one step at a time. I’ve already contacted two lawyers. If it looks like we don’t have a chance in court, we’ll have to turn to public opinion. The Fairchild Family is prominent and values its reputation. If this scandal is truly exposed, they’ll have to be investigated thoroughly, won’t they?"

"And what about her?" Ethan Lancaster glanced toward the master bedroom. "Once you mobilize public opinion, every detail of her life will be dug up and exposed."

"That’s what she wants, too. She’s crystal clear about what she’s after and the sacrifices she’ll have to make."

Ethan Lancaster nodded, lost in thought.

"I’m going to go check on her."

The man stared at Raina’s retreating back, then glanced down at his injured hand. A shadow fell over the light in his heart.

Raina went into the room and helped Minnie Hale unpack. "You can relax. You’ll be safe staying here."

"Raina, thank you so much. I’m so sorry for all the trouble..."

"There’s no need for such formalities between us."

Ethan Lancaster walked up to the bedroom door but didn’t enter. The door had been left ajar, and he could faintly hear their conversation.

"Minnie, are you really sure about this?"

"Yes," Minnie Hale answered, her voice firm.

"Alright then. Do you still have that bedsheet you hid?"

"I do."

Raina sat on the edge of the bed. "I’ll arrange things with the hospital. If there are no surprises, we’ll send it for testing within the next two days."

"Can they really detect anything from it?"

"They can," Raina said with conviction. "That... stuff doesn’t survive for long outside the body, but they can still get a DNA match. And you kept some of his hair, didn’t you? It’ll be fine."

Leaning against the doorframe, Ethan Lancaster heard every single word of their conversation.