Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 89: Don’t Be Afraid, I Won’t Eat You

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you."

Raina Reddington tried to walk past him, but Ethan Lancaster pulled her back, pinning her against the door.

"You said Miles Hawthorne was injured. Why did he get into your car?"

Raina Reddington met Ethan Lancaster’s gaze. "He didn’t know it was my car, either."

"That’s strange. Why would he show up there? Oh, right. The photo also caught a road sign. I should have Seth Sinclair look into it."

A flicker of nervousness appeared in Raina Reddington’s eyes. If Ethan Lancaster investigated, he would undoubtedly uncover Miles Hawthorne’s secrets. Miles was already standing on the edge of a cliff; if Ethan got involved, it would be like giving him a hard shove from behind.

"Let’s just stay out of his business."

"Raina..." Ethan Lancaster suddenly leaned in close, so near he could count every one of her eyelashes and see them trembling. "What are you so afraid of? Don’t be. I’m not going to eat you."

"Ethan Lancaster," Raina Reddington shoved his chest, and he used the momentum to step back. "Even if it hadn’t been Miles Hawthorne in the car today, I still would have helped."

Ethan Lancaster clapped slowly. "How noble."

She tried to move past him and go inside, but Ethan Lancaster grabbed her hand again and pulled her back. This time, he shoved Raina Reddington against the wall and bit down on her neck.

Raina Reddington let out a muffled groan of pain, and Ethan Lancaster quickly released her.

She clutched her neck. "Why do you always resort to biting people? Were you a dog in your past life?"

"Maybe I was," Ethan Lancaster said, shrugging off his suit jacket as he walked to the bed and tossed it down.

Raina Reddington’s eyes were filled with wariness. She knew Ethan Lancaster didn’t tolerate deceit, and this matter wouldn’t be dropped so easily.

The man sat on the edge of the bed. Raina Reddington walked cautiously to the nightstand and set down her bag and phone.

Seeing her tread as if she were walking through a minefield, Ethan Lancaster leaned back slightly and crossed his legs.

She went into the bathroom to shower, then dried her hair before finally getting into bed to rest.

Raina Reddington glanced at Ethan Lancaster, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed. She tugged at the covers. "Move, please."

"You go to sleep. Don’t mind me."

"You’re sitting on the blanket."

Ethan Lancaster stood up. Raina Reddington pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. The man stretched his arms lazily. "Good night."

Raina Reddington stared at the smiling tiger before her. He might be grinning now, but in the next second, he could pounce and rip out her throat. Her neck was still throbbing with pain.

Ethan Lancaster went downstairs and saw Seth Sinclair standing in the living room.

"Fourth Master."

He took out his phone and sent Seth Sinclair the pictures he’d taken of the camera’s display. "The surveillance footage for that road is probably a lost cause. Find a way to figure out why Miles Hawthorne was there."

"Yes, sir."

Ethan Lancaster glanced toward the stairs. "Put everything else on hold and prioritize this. I don’t want to wait any longer."

"Yes, sir."

Raina Reddington had expected Ethan Lancaster to make her pay for what happened, but over the next few days, he acted as if nothing was wrong, which was utterly baffling.

「The Lynch Residence.」

As Frederick Lynch was about to leave, a sharp pain shot through his chest. His health really wasn’t what it used to be. Mrs. Lynch hurried after him, holding out several pills. "Take your medicine before you go."

Frederick Lynch took the pills. He looked them over and counted them before putting them in his mouth, swallowing them with a gulp of water only after confirming they were correct.

A servant came in, holding a letter. "Mr. Lynch, a letter for you."

Frederick Lynch took the envelope and tore it open. Inside were a few sheets of paper and a stack of photos.

He saw one photo of Miles Hawthorne emerging from an alley, about to get into a car. The nearby road sign was perfectly clear. ’So it really was him that day!’

Frederick Lynch’s expression changed drastically. He hurried outside and got into his car, only then did he begin to flip through the photos one by one.

Miles Hawthorne had planned for every contingency, but he never would have imagined someone was tailing Raina Reddington. He certainly never expected that he would, by a complete fluke, end up getting into her car.

In addition, the file contained a photo of Raina Reddington and Miles Hawthorne together. Back then, Raina had been living in Hemlock Village.

’Hemlock Village?’

Those two words stabbed into Frederick Lynch’s mind. It wasn’t that he hadn’t investigated Miles Hawthorne before. But Miles had been prepared; his academic records, including his place of birth, were all falsified. Even Frederick Lynch had been deceived.

He flipped to the last page and saw a picture of the house in Hemlock Village that had once belonged to the Hawthorne family. It was now a ruin, just a pile of broken bricks.

Frederick Lynch’s hands began to tremble, and two photos fell to the floor. When Samuel Hawthorne died all those years ago, Frederick hadn’t shown his face, so he had never met anyone from the Hawthorne family. It would have been impossible for him to recognize Miles Hawthorne.

He’d never imagined that a venomous snake had been hiding in his midst all this time, and that his own daughter was now sleeping next to it.

"Mr. Lynch?" his trusted assistant in the passenger seat called out.

Frederick Lynch slowly stuffed the documents back into the envelope. "Miles Hawthorne... we can’t let him live."

"But what about Miss Lynch...?"

"Don’t say a word for now. We don’t want to tip him off. Just get it done, quickly."

The assistant nodded, his expression grim. "Yes, sir."

Felix Finch drove to Miles Hawthorne’s residence to pick him up. Hannah Lynch walked him to the door. "Come back early tonight."

"Okay," Miles Hawthorne replied absently and quickly got into the car.

Felix Finch rolled down the window and greeted Hannah Lynch with a playful grin. "You’d better get inside, Mrs. H! It’s cold out here. We can’t have the little one getting chilly."

"You’re such a charmer."

As the window slowly rolled up, Felix Finch’s playful expression vanished. He pulled the car forward. "Hawthorne, the maid over there said Frederick Lynch got a letter today. She was standing nearby but couldn’t see it clearly. Said it looked like photos. After he read it, his whole demeanor changed. Do you think he’s found something?"

"I’ve been living every single day as if I’ve already been found out—walking on eggshells, constantly on edge. I’m so close. Now it’s a race to see who’s faster. Until the very end, who knows who will come out on top?"

"Right."

Miles Hawthorne laced his fingers together. Even if it meant mutual destruction, he would drag every last one of them down with him.

When Raina Reddington returned to The Verdant Garden, she heard noises coming from the walk-in closet. She walked to the doorway and saw Ethan Lancaster grabbing clothes and tossing them into a suitcase.

"Are you going somewhere?"

Ethan Lancaster looked over his shoulder and beckoned to Raina Reddington. "Hurry up and pack my suitcase."

Raina Reddington walked in, casually took two shirts, and was about to place them in the suitcase when Ethan Lancaster grabbed her arm. "Are you even a woman? Clothes need to be folded neatly. How am I supposed to wear them like this?"

"You were just tossing them in a second ago."

Ethan Lancaster glanced at the half-packed suitcase he’d been working on, which was even messier than her attempt. "You’re you, and I’m me. I’m the one and only Mr. Lancaster. I wouldn’t wear a shirt with a single wrinkle."