Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 138: Snuffed-Out Hope

Raina stood rooted to the spot, her hands twitching at her sides.

Cameron Fairchild didn’t respond, nor did he deny it. His gaze rested on his wine glass. Ethan Lancaster was ruthless, but he always seemed to have a soft spot for Raina Reddington.

’That’s why I’m always helping him,’ Cameron thought. ’Why not make a clean break? Dragging it out like this is just torture. What’s so special about that woman, anyway?’

"That was a vicious move from the Fourth Master."

Raina wanted desperately to cover her ears, but they had mentioned Miles Hawthorne. ’Surely they’ll let something slip about him, right?’

"Mrs. Lancaster has nearly torn Stoneworth apart looking for him. At this rate, she’s bound to find him sooner or later."

Cameron Fairchild leaned forward and picked up a glass of wine. "Even if she finds him, she won’t be able to get him out. But... yes, at this rate, she’s getting close. If she finds her way here today, she’ll definitely find him by tomorrow."

Hearing this, a glimmer of light finally broke through her despair. ’By that logic,’ she thought, ’Miles Hawthorne must be in the next club!’

Her heart leaped. She spun around to leave, not realizing someone was standing right behind her. Unable to stop in time, Raina collided with them.

When she got a clear look at the person’s face, Raina’s expression changed instantly. She pressed her lips together, her face growing even paler than before. She tried to hurry past, but Ethan Lancaster yanked her back. "Where are you going?"

Raina didn’t dare speak, terrified of alerting the men in the room. ’My search is finally about to pay off,’ she thought. ’I can’t let it all fall apart now.’

She struggled to pull her arm free. She had no idea when Ethan Lancaster had appeared behind her or how much of the conversation he had overheard. All she wanted was to get away from this place as quickly as possible.

Ethan Lancaster kicked open the half-closed door and dragged Raina into the room.

The conversation inside came to a dead halt. The expressions of the men who had just been chatting changed, all except for Cameron Fairchild, who looked completely unfazed. "Fourth Master, what brings you here?"

Ethan Lancaster pulled Raina a few steps into the room before letting go. She immediately tried to walk past him, but he blocked her path.

"Let me pass."

"I’m asking you, where are you going?"

Raina felt like she was on pins and needles. "I’m going home."

She was being so docile now, answering his every question.

"Well, well, if it isn’t our dear sister-in-law. You’re already here, might as well say hello."

Raina ignored him completely. Cameron Fairchild walked over and shut the door.

Ethan Lancaster shot him a look. "You just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?"

"What’d I do?" Cameron Fairchild asked, feigning innocence.

Raina saw Ethan’s Adam’s apple bob and instinctively reached out to cover his mouth, but he grabbed her hand. "You think she just got here?"

Cameron Fairchild feigned a look of sudden realization, tapping his lips lightly. "My mistake. Look at this big mouth of mine."

With that, he took out his phone and waved it in front of Raina. "I’ll call them right now and have them move him."

"Don’t!" She lunged for Cameron Fairchild’s phone, but Ethan still had her by the wrist. He yanked her back hard. Cameron watched as the last glimmer of hope in her eyes shattered. He took another two steps back as Raina turned and started beating on Ethan’s arm. "Let go! Let go of me!"

Cameron Fairchild quickly made the call.

There wasn’t a trace of pity in Ethan’s eyes. He wrapped an arm around Raina’s shoulders, his grip so firm she couldn’t move an inch.

She bit down hard on his arm, her teeth sinking in without mercy. The pain made Ethan tighten his grip on her shoulder, but he still didn’t let go.

Raina left a clear, bloody ring of teeth marks on his arm. When she finally let go, her lips were stained with blood, and the bite mark immediately began to swell.

"Hello." Someone answered on the other end.

"Move Miles Hawthorne somewhere else immediately. Yes, right now..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Raina couldn’t move an inch. She glared at Cameron Fairchild, her eyes burning with a hatred so intense it felt like she could bore holes right through him.

Cameron Fairchild paid her no mind. He gave a few instructions over the phone, then hung up.

The woman in Ethan’s arms was trembling. If he hadn’t been holding her so tightly, she would have collapsed to the floor.

Cameron Fairchild leaned against the doorframe, his face sinister in the room’s dim, flickering light. His tone was dripping with false pity, but his eyes were dancing with amusement. "Raina, Raina, look what you’ve done. He was perfectly fine where he was. Now you’ve forced us to move him. The new place isn’t nearly as nice, and the clientele will be a major step down. Tsk, tsk. Such a pity. And it’s all your fault."

Another crime was pinned on her. The glimmer of hope she’d just seen had been snuffed out.

Not only were all her efforts for nothing, but she had also pushed Miles Hawthorne into an even deeper abyss.

Cameron Fairchild put his phone back in his pocket and walked over, his eyes landing on the bite mark on Ethan’s arm.

His gaze sharpened, and his brow furrowed. "Why are you still coddling her? A woman like this should be locked away for life. Take away her job, her friends, everything..."

Raina raised her leg and kicked out viciously. Cameron had only been focused on her upper body, pinned by Ethan, completely forgetting that her legs were free.

By the time he instinctively tried to dodge, it was too late. Raina’s foot slammed into Cameron Fairchild’s leg. He cried out in pain and staggered back, doubling over and clutching the spot.

"Mr. Fairchild!"

Cameron couldn’t straighten up for a long moment. Ethan grabbed Raina by her shirt and spun her around to face him. His eyes burned with fury and menace. But Raina simply mimicked Cameron’s earlier expression and said lightly, "What a shame. If my aim had been a little better, I could have crippled him. If the great Mr. Fairchild were a cripple, he wouldn’t be able to hurt so many people. I’d have been doing the world a favor."

’That was a close call,’ Cameron thought. This woman was terrifyingly vicious. ’She was aiming to end my family line.’

"Are you okay?" Ethan turned to ask him.

Cameron shook his head, but his face was grim.

Raina met Ethan’s gaze. "If you’re worried, Fourth Master, you can take him to the hospital for a check-up."

In their circle, who didn’t care about saving face? Besides, given Cameron Fairchild’s status, if it weren’t for his respect for Ethan Lancaster, he could have destroyed a hundred women like Raina without a second thought.

Ethan was an expert at twisting the knife. "Since you’re so eager to ’take care’ of people, let’s give some extra attention to the one you’re so worried about. You almost crippled him, so how about we go ahead and *actually* cripple Miles Hawthorne? What do you think?"

Cameron Fairchild let out a twisted laugh. "I think that’s an excellent idea. Raina, I can make that happen."

Raina’s lips trembled, but she didn’t scream hysterically or bristle with defiance. "Wouldn’t it be better to just kill him? For him to live on, neither human nor ghost... I’d feel sorry for him."

"I don’t want him dead."

Raina stared fixedly at Ethan. "I was the one who sent that evidence to the Lancaster family. You’re being far too kind to me, Fourth Master. Did you think parading other women in front of me would get a reaction? All I feel is... relief. It means I don’t have to put up with you anymore. I don’t even have to perform my duties as a wife. So why don’t you just get on with it? Use the same methods on me that you’re using on Miles Hawthorne."

In her eyes, his expression twisted into a terrifying snarl, but Raina felt not an ounce of fear.