Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 151: Tearing Open the Wound

"What do you think this place is? We paid good money. We’re just asking you to do a little something, and you think you can refuse?" a man said menacingly, standing in the center of the private room.

Raina Reddington, shielded by Miles Hawthorne, couldn’t help but peek out. "You still have to ask if he’s willing."

The man heard this and scoffed. "Looks like this kid’s got some charm. Even a proper-looking girl like you is completely taken with him. Running over here this late at night... does your family know where you are? Got a husband?"

Miles Hawthorne nudged Raina Reddington with his arm, trying to get her to leave.

The man pointed a finger at them. "I saw him first tonight. Even if you want a piece of him, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow."

Raina Reddington wanted to say that she had already paid the staff here a hefty sum, but when she looked up at Miles Hawthorne’s profile, the words died on her lips.

"Please, don’t give him any trouble. Let’s talk about this calmly. If money can solve this..."

"So, any amount of money will do?"

Raina Reddington sized up their clothes. ’If they were really from wealthy, powerful families, they wouldn’t be in a place like this.’ "There are plenty of better places to have fun out there. Stoneworth is full of high-end clubs. You can take the party somewhere else. It’s on me."

"HA HA HA—" The man laughed, hands on his hips. "Sweetheart, it’s *him* I want. You can’t find a face like this in even the fanciest clubs. If you’re that desperate, you can wait outside. I’ll be sure to leave a little time for you."

A grim expression fell over Raina Reddington’s face. The words were vile enough to her ears; she couldn’t imagine how they must have felt to Miles Hawthorne, like daggers to the heart.

Ethan Lancaster stood outside, watching. He didn’t leave, nor did he show any intention of stepping inside.

The owner cowered by the door. It was true he’d taken Raina Reddington’s money, but he’d never seen these men before today. They had stormed in looking for Miles Hawthorne, and he had been powerless to stop them.

Pleading with them hadn’t worked, and they couldn’t possibly win a fight. Raina Reddington knew they were in deep trouble.

’Maybe this sort of thing is nothing to Miles Hawthorne anymore,’ she thought. ’He’s been through it all before.’

Only now did Raina Reddington realize how naive she had been. The man crunched over scattered glass shards as he approached them. "This girl seems genuinely worried about you. How about this: you get her to leave, and I won’t give her any trouble."

Miles Hawthorne turned, placing a hand gently on Raina Reddington’s shoulder. "Listen to me. Get out of here."

"Watch out—"

Raina Reddington hadn’t noticed the man grabbing a bottle. She frantically tried to push Miles away, but as soon as he heard her cry, he knew what was coming. Without a second thought, he pushed her head down, pulling her into his chest to shield her.

Her face was pressed against Miles Hawthorne’s chest, her eyes squeezed shut. But she clearly heard a muffled, pained grunt, followed by the sickening thud of a heavy object striking flesh.

Raina Reddington pushed against his chest with both hands. "Miles Hawthorne?"

He’d been struck on the back of the head. His vision swam with black spots and his legs gave out. His full weight collapsed against Raina Reddington, making her buckle and nearly fall to her knees.

Raina Reddington scrambled to hold him up. "Are you okay?"

Miles Hawthorne took a moment to recover, barely managing to stand steady. "I’m fine."

Outside the private room, Ethan Lancaster stared at their two figures, practically glued together, and seethed with a burning rage.

The thug grabbed Miles Hawthorne’s shirt, trying to pull him away. Miles used the momentum to stumble back two steps. The man saw the blood on Miles’s head and his unsteady stance, not expecting for a second that he would suddenly pivot and land a vicious punch.

The blow was savage, landing squarely on the thug’s nose. He cried out and crumpled, the sickening CRACK of breaking bone audible in the room.

Miles Hawthorne shoved Raina Reddington. "Run!"

But the men weren’t about to give them a chance. One of them near the entrance rushed to shut the door, just as Ethan Lancaster walked in.

"And who the hell are you?" As low-level street thugs, they naturally didn’t recognize Ethan Lancaster.

Without a word, he walked straight to Raina Reddington, grabbing her wrist to pull her out.

The man with the broken nose staggered to his feet, his face a mask of blood and his expression twisted with fury. "No one is leaving tonight!"

Miles Hawthorne looked at Ethan Lancaster, a smirk playing on his lips. "Fourth Master, this place is filthy. It would be a shame for you to get dirty."

"This was you, wasn’t it?" Raina Reddington immediately demanded. "You sent these men here, didn’t you?"

She yanked her wrist from his grasp. "Make them stop."

After taking a hit like that, the thug opposite them wasn’t about to let Miles Hawthorne go. Several of his underlings rushed forward to pin him down.

The room descended into chaos again. One of the men spotted Raina Reddington and decided to grab her to use as leverage, but just as he got close, Ethan Lancaster sent him flying with a kick.

The man clutched his stomach, doubling over. His eyes fell on an ashtray on the floor. He snatched it, got back up, and lunged at Ethan Lancaster, ready to smash it against his head.

"Stop!" the man with the broken nose shrieked. "Stop!"

Clearly, he wasn’t afraid of making trouble—after all, he’d shown no mercy toward Miles Hawthorne. He just didn’t dare to lay a finger on Ethan Lancaster.

The only explanation was that these men recognized their master.

Raina Reddington’s gaze was fixed on Ethan Lancaster. The man holding the ashtray backed away, his face ashen. No one in the entire room dared to lay a hand on Ethan Lancaster.

’Why would Ethan Lancaster choose today, of all days, to make things so difficult for me?’ Raina couldn’t understand. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

’Or was his birthday so boring that he needed to stir up some drama for entertainment?’

"Fourth Master, you’ve heaped enough insult and torment on him. He’s been beaten and humiliated. Isn’t it time you stopped?"

"You think this has something to do with me?"

’Isn’t it obvious?’

Miles Hawthorne was no match for the group and was shoved down onto a nearby sofa. The thug with the broken nose came forward and pressed a knee into his back.

He grabbed a fistful of Miles Hawthorne’s hair, but his fingers came away wet. The man looked at his palm—it was covered in blood.

"Tough one, aren’t you? No wonder you attract so many admirers."

He began tearing at Miles’s clothes. The scene unfolded right in front of Raina Reddington, and the violation felt as if it were happening to her.

She rushed forward to pull the man off, but he shoved her aside. "Can’t bear to watch? Maybe seeing this up close will cure you of your fascination. The man by your side now is top-tier. Why waste your time on something so filthy and unclean?"

Miles Hawthorne struggled to get up, but he was pinned down, unable to move.

’So this was Ethan Lancaster’s goal all along. It wasn’t enough to inflict one wound after another on Miles Hawthorne; he had to rip open his old scars and pour salt on them.’

’Some things, you had to endure, even if they were unbearable.’

But all his past suffering and humiliation had never been laid so bare in front of Raina Reddington. Now, seeing that mob pinning him to the sofa, Raina felt as if her own chest would explode from the agonizing pain.