Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 86: An Encounter with a ’Thug

Back at The Verdant Garden, Raina Reddington went straight upstairs without saying much to Ethan Lancaster.

After her shower, she walked into the bedroom and grabbed a pillow from the bed, clearly intending to sleep elsewhere. Ethan Lancaster took off his watch and placed it on the nightstand. "Butler Cameron is watching, you know. If you make a scene about sleeping in separate beds, Grandpa and my parents will be over tomorrow."

Raina Reddington tossed the pillow she was holding back onto the bed, lifted the covers, and got in.

As they lay in bed, neither said a word. Raina Reddington hugged the blanket and turned to the other side. Ethan Lancaster grabbed a corner of the blanket and gave it a hard tug.

They fought over the blanket for a while until Raina Reddington finally let go. Ethan Lancaster rolled over, wrapping the entire thing around himself.

Even with the heat on, a chill still lingered in the air. Raina Reddington curled into a ball, hugging her arms tightly.

Ethan Lancaster glanced back at her. He sat up and tossed the blanket back over her.

Raina Reddington didn’t hesitate, immediately hugging the blanket tightly.

The next day, Raina Reddington called Minnie Hale to tell her the photo incident had been resolved and that she could stop worrying.

As she was leaving, Raina Reddington remembered her car was still at Vexler Tower. It was too late to go get it now, so she figured she’d take a taxi to the hospital first.

Ethan Lancaster came out of the house and stopped beside Raina Reddington. "Take my car."

Raina Reddington glanced at the car key in his hand. Ethan Lancaster pointed to the nearby garage. "Second one on the left. I have an urgent meeting soon, so I can’t drive you."

She took the key from him and walked toward the garage.

Ethan Lancaster sat in his car, but he didn’t start the engine right away. He watched as Raina Reddington quickly drove a white BMW out of the garage.

Seth Sinclair let out a surprised "Huh?" "Fourth Master, isn’t this the car you bought for the Young Madam? Does this mean you’ve given it to her?"

"You talk too much." Ethan Lancaster watched Raina Reddington speed off, clearly in a rush. "What a shame. I never even got to ride in it."

"Don’t worry. The Young Madam won’t be giving anyone else a ride. You can just have her drive you to the office tomorrow."

Ethan Lancaster brushed a hand over his trousers. "If she’s doing your job, then you can get ready to start begging on the street."

Seth Sinclair chuckled and signaled the driver to go. If they didn’t hurry, they really were going to be late.

Raina Reddington drove out of The Verdant Garden, heading in a different direction from Ethan Lancaster. Along the way, she received a call from Annabelle Spencer, who was back from a business trip and wanted to schedule a time to get a meal together.

Raina knew of a shortcut nearby. It weaved through residential buildings, but its advantage was that it had no traffic lights, so she didn’t have to worry about getting stuck in a major jam.

The street was lined with numerous breakfast stalls, their delicious smells wafting through the air. Freshly fried dough sticks, with their golden-brown hue, looked especially appetizing.

Raina hadn’t eaten yet and figured she’d just buy a couple of steamed buns on the way. She pulled over, pushed the door open, and got out.

The vendor handed her two mushroom and vegetable buns. As Raina pulled out a small bill to pay, the vendor’s expression suddenly grew tense. "Miss, someone just got in your car."

"What?" Raina took the buns and glanced back over her shoulder.

"I hope it’s not a thief. You’d better go check, quick."

"Okay, thank you." Raina hurried to the car and saw that the doors were shut tight. But on the ground were drops of bright red blood, still wet and shockingly conspicuous.

She reached for the handle, took a step back, and gave the door a powerful tug, trying to pull it open.

But the person inside was stronger. Raina saw the window start to roll down, revealing half of a face. The moment their eyes met hers, she instinctively pulled her hand back.

"Raina, get in the car. Quickly."

"What are you doing here?"

"Get in," Miles Hawthorne repeated, then rolled the window back up.

Raina returned to the driver’s seat and fastened her seatbelt. She glanced back at the man in the rear; his leg was injured. Blood stained his black trousers, and he was pressing one hand tightly to the wound. "Hurry, drive."

Raina started the car, pulling the door shut with one hand while her other steered them forward.

She watched the man in the backseat through the rearview mirror. Her gaze followed his arm down to a dagger resting on the seat beside him. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"What did you get yourself into?"

Miles Hawthorne ripped his pant leg open. Raina saw his leg was covered in blood, and she could vaguely make out a gaping, bloody wound.

"I’m taking you to a hospital."

"No, don’t. Just drop me at the convention center."

Raina didn’t look back, her eyes fixed on the road. "Are you planning to die in my car? Miles Hawthorne, if you’re going to die, do it far away from me."

The man let out a low chuckle. "Raina, when did you become so heartless? I thought seeing me like this would at least make you feel a little sorry for me."

"How can you go to the convention center looking like this?"

"There’s a pharmacy up ahead. You can help me buy some supplies to patch it up. That’ll be enough."

The metallic smell of blood was already filling the car. "You can’t even go to a hospital, can you?" Raina asked.

"Correct. I can’t let anyone know I’m injured."

Raina said no more. She simply pulled over when they passed a pharmacy.

Miles Hawthorne noticed a men’s clothing store next to the pharmacy. "And buy me a new pair of pants."

’I’m definitely going to be late for work now.’ Still, Raina couldn’t just abandon Miles Hawthorne. She went into the pharmacy, then to the men’s clothing store. An employee was just opening up, so she grabbed a pair of pants, paid, and left immediately.

Raina opened the back door and got in. Miles Hawthorne had already used the dagger to slice open his pant leg. Raina wasted no time and began treating the wound.

"Did you see me before you got into the car?" she asked.

"No. I was desperate for a place to hide and just happened to see your car."

After cleaning the wound, Raina saw that it fortunately wasn’t too serious. It was just a deep scrape on his lean leg, though it was still oozing blood. She applied ointment and wrapped it tightly with a bandage. "You still need to go to a hospital later."

"Alright."

The car’s interior was a mess now, with bloodstains all over the seat cushion. ’Ethan Lancaster would absolutely lose his mind if he saw this.’

Raina handed Miles Hawthorne a pack of wet wipes. "Wipe the blood off your hands, too."

"I need to change my pants."

"Okay. Let me know when you’re done."

Raina got out of the backseat and gently closed the door. A moment later, Miles Hawthorne tapped on the window.

Raina got back into the driver’s seat. "Still the convention center?"

"Yes."

She turned the steering wheel with her left hand. "Who did this to you?"

"Raina, I’m so tired."

"Then lean back and get some rest."

Miles Hawthorne raised a hand to his forehead. Although he had wiped his hands clean, the thick, coppery smell of blood refused to fade. "I can’t afford to be a step behind the Lynch Family. If I slack off for even a second, things like today will happen. If I hadn’t found you, I would have been exposed."

"What was so important that you had to show up in person?"

"I’ve obtained the evidence of the Lynch Family’s bribery from when they took on the Hemlock Village demolition project. If I hadn’t gone in person, do you think they would have just handed it over?"