Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 1: The Occupied Bedroom

Raina Reddington stared at the ceiling. It was her first night at The Verdant Garden, and sounds from the room next door kept filtering in. She shut her eyes in frustration, but the escalating moans were like a cat’s claws scraping at her heart. Raina’s skin crawled. She shot upright, grabbed a glass, and took a drink of water.

"No, please, be gentle—"

Her grip on the glass tightened.

The room next door was the master bedroom. And right now, her fiancé was in there with his lover.

Raina felt her temples begin to throb. Even though she had zero desire for this arranged marriage, that didn’t mean she would let someone just walk all over her.

Raina got up and went to the bathroom, where she filled a basin with water. She’d never had much of a proper upbringing, which meant she was capable of anything.

She walked to the master bedroom door, holding the basin in one arm and knocking with her other hand.

"Piss off!" the man’s voice snarled, full of impatience.

Raina ignored him, pounding on the door so hard it seemed ready to come off its hinges.

Inside, Ethan Lancaster sat on the edge of the bed, his slender fingers moving to his collar, unfastening the buttons one by one. The woman beside him saw a sliver of his collarbone emerge and eagerly reached out to cover it with her hand.

Before her palm could even begin to caress him, Ethan Lancaster seized her by the wrist. He turned his head and shot her a cold glance before flinging her hand away.

Ethan Lancaster stood up, his broad chest and the muscles tapering down to his waistband on full display. "Who’s out there barking like a dog?" he said as he walked forward.

Reaching the door, he pulled off his white shirt and tossed it onto the floor. He yanked the door open. He knew who was standing outside, and he knew this would be the ultimate humiliation for her.

Ethan Lancaster’s gaze fell on Raina Reddington’s face. "You..."

A basin of cold water splashed onto his handsome face. Caught completely off guard, Ethan Lancaster instinctively shut his eyes. Most of the water sprayed into the master bedroom, completely soaking the Verawood floor. Droplets trickled from the tips of his hair, sliding over his heaving chest and abs before being absorbed by his dark trousers.

"What happened?" the woman from the room ran out, her clothes in disarray.

Ethan Lancaster wiped his face with his hand. When he opened his eyes, they were sharp and fierce. Raina felt a flutter of panic but stood her ground. "I was afraid Mr. Lancaster was getting overheated. I wouldn’t want you to burn yourself out."

The man took a step forward, ready to strike.

Butler Cameron had just come upstairs and saw the whole scene. She looked at Raina in confusion. "Young Madam, what is all this?"

Raina tossed aside the basin. "Is something wrong?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"The Master and Madam are here. They want to discuss tomorrow’s wedding banquet with you." Butler Cameron glanced at the woman behind Ethan Lancaster, and her expression changed.

The man’s brow furrowed. "Didn’t Dad and Mom just leave a little while ago? Why are they back again?"

"The Fourth Master’s wedding is a major event. Everything must be perfect."

Raina had also been splashed with a fair bit of water. She took a small step back. "I’ll go down now."

Ethan Lancaster’s expression grew even uglier. "If you dare run your mouth in front of Mom and Dad..."

He left the threat hanging, confident she wasn’t stupid enough to miss his meaning.

’Right, I almost forgot,’ Raina thought. The Lancaster family was known for its strict principles. Ethan must have brought this woman back secretly. His parents were probably completely in the dark.

’This should be a good show, then.’

Raina went downstairs without changing her clothes on purpose. When Jessica Jacobs saw her like this, a flash of displeasure crossed her well-maintained face. "Raina, you have no manners. Who meets their parents-in-law in their pajamas?"

Raina sat across from them, her eyes lowered demurely. "Mom, I had no choice. There were no clothes prepared for me in the guest room."

"What do you mean?" Zachary Lancaster seized on her words. "Why would you be staying in a guest room?"

Raina lowered her head, her gaze evasive. "Ethan brought a friend over, so he had me sleep in the guest room."

Jessica Jacobs was stunned. ’They’re getting married tomorrow, what kind of friend would he bring home now?’

Her expression changed abruptly. She saw Butler Cameron give her a meaningful look, and Jessica’s mouth twitched in anger. ’That scoundrel!’

Zachary Lancaster’s gaze fell on the top of the stairs, his voice already laced with anger. "Butler Cameron, go get Ethan and bring him down."

"Yes, sir."

About ten minutes later, Ethan Lancaster finally came downstairs.

He was fastening his cufflinks as he descended. His long legs were encased in suit trousers, the fabric hinting at the firm, sculpted muscles beneath. Raina’s gaze fell first on the sharp line of his jaw, then his glossy lips, and finally his straight, narrow nose.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and strode over. "Dad, Mom."

Jessica Jacobs pulled her son by the hand, making him sit beside her.

Zachary Lancaster’s expression was stern. "Do you have a friend here?"

"Who said that?" Ethan Lancaster’s gaze shifted to the woman across from him. Raina was wearing a set of baggy, uninteresting cotton pajamas, but the round collar sagged slightly, revealing a pair of exquisite, faintly visible collarbones.

Raina’s eyes met his. Her beautiful gaze was a perfect blend of dazzling allure and limpid purity.

"If no one is here, then why did it take you so long to come down?"

Ethan Lancaster began to spin a bald-faced lie. "We were in the middle of... business. We were only halfway through when Butler Cameron came up to get me. I had to take a shower, didn’t I? Raina came down first because she was worried you were getting impatient."

Jessica Jacobs’s expression didn’t change. "Butler Cameron, is that so?"

"Yes, Madam."

Ethan Lancaster crossed his long legs, bouncing his knee slightly. ’Trying to play games with me?’

’Doesn’t she know whose house The Verdant Garden is? Or who everyone here is loyal to?’

Zachary Lancaster didn’t press the matter further, instead asking about some trivial details for tomorrow’s banquet. Raina had said all she could. Although Ethan Lancaster’s story had little credibility, even Zachary pretended to believe it.

In this house, she was completely on her own.

After some more conversation, Zachary Lancaster rose to leave. Jessica Jacobs paused for a moment, her gaze flicking meaningfully toward the second floor before she lowered her voice. "Ethan, the banquet is tomorrow. Your grandfather adores Raina. When the time comes, neither of you is to say anything foolish in front of him."

The words were clearly meant for Raina to hear.

A flash of impatience crossed Ethan Lancaster’s face. "Alright, alright, just go home already."

After the two of them left, Raina stood up to go upstairs, but Ethan Lancaster suddenly grabbed her wrist. The man pulled her into his arms and said to the butler, "Butler Cameron, you may go rest."

"Yes, sir." Butler Cameron’s gaze swept over the two of them before she departed.

Raina struggled, but her pajama top unexpectedly slipped down one side, revealing a smooth, delicate shoulder. Ethan Lancaster leaned down and kissed it. "You smell amazing."

A flush spread across her neck. "Let go."

Ethan Lancaster held her tighter, trapping Raina face-to-face in his strong embrace. "We registered our marriage today. From now on, I can do whatever I want to you."

Raina stopped struggling. She hadn’t forgotten there was still someone else upstairs. "Fine. In that case, I want to move back into the master bedroom."

"Then you wouldn’t mind the three of us sharing a bed?"

’Shameless!’