Raina Reddington couldn’t be bothered with him and drove out of the underground garage.
Her car wasn’t very spacious. Ethan Lancaster was tall, and his long legs were cramped, unable to stretch out. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Raina frowned. "Don’t smoke in the car."
"Why are you so controlling?"
"This is my car, and I don’t like the sll of smoke."
Ethan Lancaster glanced at her tightly gripped steering wheel. "This little piece of junk is an embarrassnt to . I’ll get you a better one."
Raina swerved to avoid an electric scooter. She yanked the wheel so hard that the seatbelt across Ethan Lancaster’s chest failed to restrain him, and his upper body slamd into the car door. It was a close call. "Let’s just forget it," Raina said, shaken. "With my driving skills, it’s a small bump every three days and a big crash every five. I’ve nearly polished the pillars in the hospital parking lot smooth."
"So, you and Miles Hawthorne dated for a long ti. And he was your first love."
He changed the subject abruptly, his gaze fixed on her. "If I ever find you eting with Miles Hawthorne alone again, I’ll break both your legs."
Raina didn’t respond. There was no point arguing with a man like him; she’d never win.
The pace of work at the hospital was frantic. Raina was constantly rotating between the operating room and the outpatient clinic. The mont she stepped into the hospital, her nerves were on edge.
She and Joanna Lloyd were close, but even so, Joanna couldn’t resist calling her a few days later to arrange a eting.
The chosen location was a hot spring hotel. Joanna worked in the tourism industry, so her daily life revolved around either scenic spots or hotels, and her company perks were naturally related to them.
Before starting the car, Raina subconsciously pulled out her phone to check the date.
’It’s the eighth today.’ If she hadn’t glanced at her phone, she would have completely forgotten it was her birthday.
She swiped her phone screen open. Although she was used to it, her heart still sank. No one in the Reddington Family rembered her birthday.
Raina took a deep breath. Just as she was about to toss her phone aside, a vibration buzzed in her palm.
It was a call from Ethan Lancaster. Raina answered while starting the engine. "Hello."
"Where are you?"
"At the hospital. Just got off work."
"Have dinner with tonight."
Raina’s refusal was just as blunt. "I can’t. A friend of mine asked out a few days ago, and I’m already on my way there."
"Is your friend more important, or am I?"
Raina couldn’t help but chuckle, her tone softening slightly. "But it’s first-co, first-served, right? Next ti, ask in advance."
"Who do you think you are..." Ethan Lancaster blurted out, but then decided today wasn’t a good day for a fight and suppressed his anger. "What ti will you be done?"
"Around nine, I think."
"Fine. Call then."
Raina drove on, feeling that sothing was off. "I’m definitely having dinner with my friend. You’re not going to make have another al with you after that, are you?"
"So what if I am? You’ll eat whether you want to or not."
"Alright, alright. I’ll be in touch."
’He’d actually conceded for once.’ On any other day, he would have definitely just ruined her plans.
Ethan Lancaster put down his phone. The cake he had ordered had already been delivered to the room. The presidential suite had been ticulously decorated. On the nightstand sat another keycard, bearing the logo of The Clearwater Hot Spring Hotel.
Raina turned on her GPS and finally found the place Joanna Lloyd had ntioned. As she drove into the hotel grounds, the blood-red afterglow of the setting sun swept over the back of her car and across the na "Clearwater" carved into the rockery at the entrance.
Raina parked the car and called Joanna Lloyd, but no one answered. She found the elevators, planning to head upstairs first.
A ssage ca from Joanna Lloyd, giving Raina the room number. She said she had just arrived too and told Raina to co straight to the room.
Raina entered the elevator, pressed the button for the tenth floor, and walked up to the room Joanna Lloyd had ntioned. She rang the doorbell.
"Coming, coming," Joanna Lloyd jogged to the door and pulled it open. "Wow, you were fast."
"I ca straight here after work."
"Did you bring a swimsuit?" Joanna Lloyd was already in her swimsuit with a bathrobe over it. She linked her arm with Raina’s and headed for the door. "Let’s go for a dip in the hot springs first, then we’ll have dinner."
"Wait," Raina said as Joanna closed the door. "I didn’t bring a swimsuit."
"They sell them at the hotel. Let’s just buy one."
Raina couldn’t talk her out of it and had to agree. The hot springs were divided into outdoor and indoor sections. Once outside the changing rooms, the pools were co-ed.
Joanna Lloyd leaned against the edge of the pool and began hesitantly, "Raina, what are you going to do about Ethan Lancaster’s affairs? Are you just going to let him carry on like this?"
"A lot of things are out of my control."
"I’ve talked to Miranda, too, but she..."
Raina saw Joanna’s troubled expression, how she hesitated to speak. She didn’t even need to guess what Miranda Caron must have said. "Joanna, what do you think of Ethan Lancaster’s looks?"
"Good," Joanna Lloyd had only seen him once, but won always rember a handso face. "He’s even better-looking than the most popular celebrities."
"Exactly. A face like that, plus the value of everything he represents... he’s practically invincible."
"But he’s your husband."
Raina shook her head slightly, not knowing how to respond, and could only manage a small smile.
Ethan Lancaster sat impatiently on the balcony sofa. He kept glancing at his phone. Ti seed to be passing especially slowly today. It was as if the minute and hour hands had gotten into a fight and were now sulking, neither willing to take another step.
’It’s just two won eting for dinner. Does it really have to take this long?’
Ethan Lancaster spun the phone in his palm. When a ssage ca in, the vibration sent a numb tingle through his hand.
He thought Raina was done, so he quickly swiped the screen open, only to see several photos.
The first photo showed a man entering a hotel room, number 1050.
The second photo was of Raina ringing the doorbell of room 1050.
Ethan Lancaster flipped back to look closely at the first photo. The man’s face was magnified and very clear. It was Miles Hawthorne.
The third and fourth photos showed Miles Hawthorne and Raina going to the hot springs separately. From the looks of it, the two of them had arranged to co together.
Ethan Lancaster’s expression flickered, a grim look settling on his face. He wanted to call Raina, but on second thought, he held back. He glanced at the cake still sitting in the room, then rose expressionlessly and strode out.
Joanna Lloyd brought the conversation to a halt at just the right mont, not wanting to make Raina uncomfortable. Her phone, which she had placed to the side, suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller ID and stood up. "Raina, I’m going to take this call."
"Okay."
Joanna Lloyd took her phone and walked away. Raina was feeling hot, so she draped a towel over her shoulders and sat down on a nearby bench for a mont.
She had just sat down when a cry for help reached her ears. "Help! Help—"
Hearing the cry for help, Raina stood up reflexively. "What’s wrong? What happened?"
"A guest over there fainted," a staff mber said, pointing nearby. "We’ve already called for an ambulance, but it looks really bad."
"I’m a doctor. I can go take a look."
"Oh, that’s wonderful..."
Raina followed the staff mber, hurrying toward the hot spring area. She stepped into the entrance of the bathhouse, only to hear the sound of a door closing behind her. By the ti Raina realized what was happening, the door had been locked from the outside.
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