Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 8: Little Sister-in-law, Spare Me

That was a tremendous insult, and Ethan Lancaster wasn’t about to tolerate it.

"Say that again?"

Jessica Jacobs kicked him hard under the table, signaling for him to shut up.

Raina Reddington was full after just a few bites and was eager to escape the battlefield. "Mom, I’m finished. I have to get to the hospital early today, so I’ll be going now."

"Alright." Jessica didn’t want Raina to overhear the conversation that was about to follow.

Ethan’s expression was still dark. The moment Raina was out the door, Jessica slammed her chopsticks down on the table. "You’re out there wasting your body away with wine and women, and now when it actually matters, you’re useless!"

"Mom, do you really think I’m that kind of person?" Being slandered for no reason felt far worse to Ethan than being called a beast, a hooligan, or shameless.

Jessica sneered. "Look how weak you are. Your own wife confirmed it. If word of this gets out, you’ll really make the family proud, won’t you!"

It was incredibly awkward for the two of them to be discussing this. Ethan snapped, "Can’t you tell she’s doing it on purpose?"

"Enough." Jessica glanced sternly at the calendar. "Zane should be in his clinic tomorrow. I’ll make an appointment with him. The sooner this is treated, the better."

"You actually believe her?"

Jessica’s expression hardened. "I’ve had my concerns about this for a while. In any case, I’m dragging you there tomorrow, one way or another."

’If Raina were here right now,’ Ethan thought, fuming, ’I’d crush her.’

At the hospital, patients came one after another. Raina Reddington was so busy she didn’t even have time for a sip of water.

After reviewing the last test report, she stood up and washed her hands. Her stomach was already growling with hunger. Raina pulled open a drawer, took out a pack of crackers, and began to eat.

The phone on her desk started vibrating incessantly. Raina glanced at the caller ID; it was Annabelle Spencer.

She stuffed a cracker into her mouth and mumbled, "Annabelle..."

"Raina, help me!"

Raina heard a loud SPLASHING sound and jumped in fright. "Annabelle, what’s wrong? Where are you?"

"I’m at your house... The Verdant Garden! Raina, save me..."

The voice on the other end became muffled, as if the phone had fallen into water. Raina called Annabelle’s name several times but got no response.

She grabbed her bag and hurried out, her mind a complete mess. She tried calling Ethan Lancaster on the way, but no one answered.

Her car sped into The Verdant Garden. Raina rushed into the house and saw the maids busy preparing dinner.

She was frantic, her voice strained. "Have you seen my friend?"

"Welcome back, Young Madam."

"Where is Ethan Lancaster?"

The maid paused, then pointed in a direction. Seeing this, Raina took off at a run.

The Verdant Garden had its own private gym and swimming pool. Raina’s pace quickened, her heart pounding faster the closer she got.

Annabelle Spencer’s shouts faintly reached her ears. Raina sprinted to the entrance, yanked open the glass door, and the sounds from inside flooded out, even more brazenly.

"I’ve got her hooked! I’ve got her hooked! Watch me..."

"Don’t let her get away! Are you fucking useless?"

Raina looked out and saw several men and women gathered around the edge of the pool. A few of them held fishing rods, casting their lines into the water.

Annabelle was in a revealing bikini, a fishing line snagged on her shoulder strap. She was frantically trying to pull it off when she looked up and saw Raina, screaming as if she’d found her lifeline. "Raina—"

"What are you doing?" Raina saw a man reeling in his fishing rod. The strap on Annabelle’s right shoulder slipped, nearly exposing her breast. Raina charged forward and kicked the man squarely in the back, sending him into the pool.

Roars of laughter erupted from the onlookers. Cameron Fairchild, lounging on a deck chair nearby, called out, "Al, looks like you’ve got the home-field advantage now." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The man who had been kicked in resurfaced, soaked from head to toe. He turned to look at Annabelle. "After all that time fishing, I didn’t catch a thing. It would’ve been faster to just use my hands."

Annabelle scrambled to pull her strap back up. Seeing the man swim right up to her, she crossed her arms over her chest in terror. "I’m really going to call the police if you keep this up."

"Go ahead. Does your phone even work anymore?"

Raina’s eyes swept across the crowd, finally landing on Ethan Lancaster, who was lounging leisurely opposite Cameron. He had his long legs propped up on the lap of a beautiful young woman, who was giving him a lazy massage. He looked utterly content.

Raina strode over to the deck chair. "Ethan Lancaster, are you insane!"

"Well, well, if it isn’t Doctor Reddington, off work for the day." Ethan crossed his legs and sat up, glancing at the "battle" in the pool. "Are you all useless? You can’t even handle one woman after all this time."

"Make them leave! All of them!" Raina was burning with anxiety and couldn’t stop herself from grabbing Ethan’s arm.

"But this game is so much fun. We just don’t have enough mermaids. Why don’t you join in?"

Raina clenched her jaw. "Ethan Lancaster, aren’t you afraid I’ll call Grandpa?"

"Go ahead, call him." Ethan stood up provocatively, then bent down, grabbed something from a nearby table, and threw it at Raina’s chest. A stack of photos fluttered to the ground, scattering everywhere. Raina looked down and saw the same images that had appeared at her wedding. "Even if you get through, by the time he gets here, your friend will be ruined! Raina Reddington, you can try and see what’s faster—your phone call, or all of my people."

She stepped on one of the photos. "This has nothing to do with Annabelle. She wasn’t the one who gave me the photos from the wedding."

"Right, keep pretending. As if I’d believe a word you say."

A scream came from behind her. The man had swum right in front of Annabelle and was reaching out to pull her into his arms.

Cameron Fairchild watched with great interest, while the circle of people around them took out their phones, some taking pictures, others recording videos.

Raina kicked off her shoes right where she stood, shrugged off her jacket, and tossed it aside. She turned and charged toward the pool.

Back in Hemlock Village, the one thing they never lacked was water. Raina had spent every summer of her childhood soaking in the river.

She dove in and stayed under the surface. Ethan watched as her figure moved like a nimble fish. She quickly got behind the man. Annabelle was too busy trying to cover herself to break free from Al’s grasp.

Raina burst from the water and, without a word, wrapped her arm around Al’s neck. "Let her go!"

Al refused to let go. His grip tightened as he made a move to yank on Annabelle’s bikini.

That was the last straw for Raina. She hooked one arm around his neck, grabbed his hair with her other hand, and began forcing his head under the water with all her might.

Al hadn’t expected her to get serious. He also hadn’t expected Raina to be so strong. He choked on several mouthfuls of water.

"Holy shit! Fourth Master..."

"Fourth Master, this isn’t how you play! Fuck! I’m drowning! Young Madam, have mercy—"

Seeing he could still talk, Raina smacked him hard on the back of the head twice. Just as he was about to be knocked dizzy, she shoved him back under the water.