Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 140: You Think I Care About You?

The man abruptly turned to look at Raina Reddington. "What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing."

Raina Reddington watched the man hurry toward the hospital room. The young nurse started chattering, "Don’t tell me his wife showed up to make a scene? Doctor Reddington, why did you give him directions?"

’In this tangled web of relationships, I’m the actual wife,’ Raina Reddington thought.

"He was just here to visit a patient and asked for directions. How could I not tell him?"

"He’s not here to cause trouble, is he?"

Raina Reddington handed her the chart she was holding. "Of course not. You’re overthinking things."

The man pushed the door open and entered the room. The moment Gwen Sharp saw him, the cup in her hand nearly fell onto the bed. "Xavier Zane, what are you doing here?"

"Wendy, where have you been for the last six months? Why did you just disappear?" Xavier Zane’s eyes fell on the person in the hospital bed. Despite his many suspicions, he stepped forward to introduce himself. "Hello, Ma’am. I’m Wendy’s boyfriend."

The door to Room 208 was yanked open. Gwen Sharp was pushing Xavier Zane, trying to get him to leave.

The two struggled in the doorway. "Are you seeing someone else? Who is it?"

"Just go—"

"Gwen Sharp, look at the way you’re dressed! You found yourself a sugar daddy, didn’t you?"

Raina Reddington clipped the pen she’d just used back into her pocket. She had too much to do to stand around and watch the drama unfold.

Ethan Lancaster was sitting in his office with a stack of files beside him when Seth Sinclair knocked and entered. "Fourth Master, Miss Sharp is here to see you."

The man said nothing, his eyes continuing to scan the document at a rapid pace.

Gwen Sharp was indecisive. Whenever she ran into a thorny issue, the first person she thought of was always Ethan Lancaster.

By the time Ethan Lancaster’s mood had improved enough for him to take her call, she was an incoherent, crying mess on the other end of the line. Xavier Zane wasn’t easy to shake. He was young and prideful, and discovering that the girlfriend he’d finally tracked down had found a wealthy patron? It was a massive slap in the face. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Naturally, Ethan Lancaster considered such matters beneath him and wouldn’t deal with them personally. He simply sent Seth Sinclair to handle it.

Seth Sinclair was always thorough and handled things properly, but not wanting to waste too much energy on this, he opted for the simplest, most brutish solution: he had a few men throw Xavier Zane out of the hospital.

However, the commotion had significant fallout. Gwen Sharp felt the nurses’ gazes on her had changed, and patients from neighboring rooms would occasionally peek out their doors to gawk at the spectacle. What she found hardest to bear were her mother’s accusations. Her only defense was to insist that she and Xavier Zane had broken up long ago and that Ethan Lancaster was her new boyfriend.

Gwen Sharp couldn’t stand the whispers and stares. She wanted to get Mrs. Sharp discharged as soon as possible, but she didn’t dare initiate the discharge procedures herself. Her only option was to find Raina Reddington.

During her lunch break, Raina Reddington skipped the cafeteria. She had a container of cold noodles beside her but felt full after just a few bites.

Gwen Sharp knocked on the office door. Raina Reddington didn’t even raise her head. "Come in."

She pushed the door open and walked in. "Doctor Reddington."

Raina was still slumped over her desk, too lethargic to sit up. "What is it?"

"I’d like to arrange for my mother’s discharge."

"She had surgery yesterday and you want her discharged today? What, you think your mother has lived too long and feel like tormenting her for a bit?"

Gwen Sharp wrung her hands at the doctor’s words. "Then when can she be discharged?"

"It’ll be at least four or five days."

Gwen Sharp stood frozen, hesitant and unsure of what to say. The office door, which had been left ajar, was pushed open again.

Ethan Lancaster walked in. Hearing them talking, he strode directly to Gwen Sharp’s side. "I was looking all over for you. Why did you run off to here?"

Gwen Sharp couldn’t hide her delight. "I was talking to the doctor about my mom’s discharge."

"Didn’t she just have surgery? Why the rush to leave?"

Gwen Sharp hung her head and mumbled, "I’ve been hearing a lot of nasty rumors... and my mom isn’t happy here either..."

Raina Reddington rubbed her temples. ’Are they treating my office like their personal lounge?’ "You two should take this outside. I have consultations starting soon."

"How did he manage to find you at the hospital?"

Gwen Sharp looked down, her voice low and frightened. "I don’t know. Someone must have told him. Otherwise, there’s no way he could have found his way here."

’There’s something off about what she just said,’ Raina thought. And just as she expected, Ethan Lancaster’s gaze shifted to her. "Did you arrange for him to come here?"

Raina shot back without hesitation, "Do you really think I’m that idle? How does making a scene like this benefit me? Ethan Lancaster, do you think I care about any of that? That I care about you enough to make your precious little darling miserable just to make myself feel better? Is that what you think?"

Her rapid-fire questions left Ethan Lancaster seething. ’Right. Her mind is completely focused on Miles Hawthorne these days. Why would she waste her time on something so pointless?’

Ethan Lancaster wrapped an arm gently around Gwen Sharp. "Don’t listen to what other people say if you don’t like it. Besides, I’m here. What is there to be afraid of?"

Gwen Sharp looked immensely comforted, her watery eyes fixed on Ethan Lancaster. Raina picked up her mug, got up to get some water, and paused as she passed Gwen. "It really is tragic, being harassed by a deadbeat ex-boyfriend. But how on earth did he find the hospital? That part is a real mystery. A guy from his background must have a few tricks up his sleeve. Still, considering I’m the one who operated on your mother, you’d best not try to pin this fire on me. The Fourth Master doesn’t like drama in his own house, you know. All you have to do is be a good, obedient girl. Otherwise, if you piss me off, I’ll go straight to the Lancaster Family and tell them everything. Believe me, they’ll have you swept out so fast you won’t know what hit you."

Gwen Sharp flinched, clearly terrified. "I didn’t. I really didn’t."

"You can save that story for them."

Terrified that Ethan Lancaster had believed Raina’s words, Gwen tilted her face up to look at him and whispered timidly, "I would never do something like that."

The man’s gaze swept over Gwen’s face before he shot a cold, emotionless glare at Raina. "Don’t project your own scheming mind onto others. You’re manipulative, that’s your business. She’s not like you."

Raina let out a sarcastic little laugh. "Right. She’s pure and flawless. You should probably hide her away somewhere safe, then. Don’t let her out to wreak havoc on the world."

She walked over and filled a mug with hot water. "Still here, Fourth Master? The air in my office is contaminated. Wouldn’t want your little treasure to get sick."

Ethan Lancaster’s hand rubbed Gwen’s shoulder, his fingers seeming to press down with a subtle force. Raina took a sip from her mug. "If you’re so insistent on being discharged, fine. Just sign the AMA form. The hospital won’t be responsible for any consequences. The Fourth Master is rich and well-connected. I’m sure he can find someone to prescribe medication and set up a home IV drip."

Gwen didn’t dare take that risk, especially with Mrs. Sharp’s age. "Then... let’s have her stay a few more days."

A corner of Raina’s mouth twitched into a barely-there, disdainful smirk. "It’s a rare treat to have the Fourth Master in the mood to play along with your act. Feel free to keep it up a little longer."