Chapter 5

Lorraine faintly smiled. "Everyone has always been very kind to me. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given me such a great opportunity to marry Mr. Mercer. I am truly grateful."

Lorraine's response was perfect, yet it was also a slap in the Gregory family's face.

After all, everyone knew that the only reason Lorraine was marrying Dawson was that Sienna had outright refused.

When Sienna first heard about Dawson's accident and blindness, she threw a fit, even running off to seduce Peter, the son of a real estate tycoon. She had a one-night stand with him and even had someone secretly photograph it and release the news. It all happened as fast as a blink of an eye.

Since Sienna despised Dawson, Lorraine had become the next choice.

But on the surface, they still had to maintain the peace, and they couldn't quite figure out whether Lorraine's words were sincere or sarcastic.

Dawson smiled, "I should thank you all as well. If it weren't for Raine coming into my life, my eyesight wouldn't have recovered."

"Dawson..." The more she thought about it, the angrier Sienna grew. She had let such a great opportunity slip away.

If she had known Dawson's eyesight would recover so quickly, she would never have married that scumbag, Peter!

"Sienna, it's inappropriate for you to address me like that," Dawson said coldly, sweeping his gaze over her.

"Come on, let's eat. Everyone, let's eat," John quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over.

John hurriedly tried to cover up his daughter's thoughts.

"Raine, why don't you stay overnight with Mr. Mercer? We've prepared a room for you two," Eleanor said warmly, clearly with an ulterior motive.

"Mrs. Gregory, I..." Lorraine had just begun to refuse.

"Sure, no problem. We'll stay," Dawson unexpectedly agreed without hesitation.

Lorraine shot him a look of disbelief, but his expression remained unreadable.

Truthfully, she would have preferred to stay at the Mercer's estate rather than return to this place.

But since Dawson had already made the decision, she had no way to change it.

After dinner, Eleanor had the housekeeper prepare a guest room, changing the bed linens to high-end ones before letting them in. Dawson entered and glanced around briefly.

"This wasn't your room, was it?"

"No."

"I figured. They wouldn't have given you such a nice room."

"I'm used to it. It doesn't matter where I stay," Lorraine said calmly.

Dawson sat on the large bed, staring at Lorraine's delicate face. "You're so sharp-tongued when you argue with me, yet you act so obedient in front of the Gregory family. You don't seem like someone who would quietly endure humiliation. So, Ms. Turner, do you have a side of you I don't know about? Or perhaps a secret you're hiding?"

"Dawson, stop talking in riddles. If you have something to say, just say it."

"Haha, you act like a sweet little rabbit in front of the Gregory family, but with me, you turn into a little wildcat. And I must say, I prefer the wildcat."

His teasing words made Lorraine blush.

"I don't have time to waste on you. Do you need the bathroom or not? I'm going to take a shower."

Dawson said nothing but made a gesture for her to go ahead.

Lorraine turned and entered the bathroom, starting to remove her makeup. She really wasn't used to dressing up so extravagantly.

Sitting in front of the vanity connected to the bathroom, she removed her earrings, lost in thought.

In her four years at the Gregory's house, she had never been able to find the missing pearl.

"Would Dawson help me?" she wondered.

After all, she had saved his eyesight, which surely could be counted as a life-saving favor, right?

But this man was terrifyingly suspicious. Compared to Caleb, Dawson was far more difficult to deal with.

How could she bring it up in a way that wouldn't make him suspicious or reject her?

After her shower, Lorraine suddenly realized with embarrassment that she didn't have any clothes here.

She had no choice but to cautiously return to her old room in a bathrobe to look for some.

But just as she reached the door, she was blocked by Caleb.

"What are you doing?" A familiar voice sounded from behind.

"I... I'm looking for some of my clothes," she said, pointing at the room she used to stay in.

Caleb remained silent, scrutinizing Lorraine from head to toe.

Wearing a bathrobe and with her makeup removed, she looked even more stunning.

She had lived under his nose for four years in the Gregory family.

But today was the first time he truly noticed just how beautiful she was. It was strange.

She was even more dazzling than all the women he had been with in recent years.

Especially now, she stood in front of him in a white bathrobe, with damp hair cascading down her shoulders.

Her fresh, makeup-free face made it even harder to look away.

In that moment, Caleb came to a realization.

Lorraine had deliberately kept a low profile all these four years, avoiding him and even guarding herself against him.

Testing his theory, he took two steps closer.

Sure enough, Lorraine immediately took a step back, alert.

"Raine, are you afraid of me?" Caleb's voice was laced with a seductive edge.

His tone had a deep, magnetic quality. It was completely different from how he had spoken to her before.

In fact, in all these years, he had never once called her "Raine".

"Not at all. You're overthinking it."

"Then why are you backing away?"

"I just believe men and women should maintain proper boundaries. Besides, I'm already Dawson's wife. Mr. Gregory, I suggest you respect that boundary."

"Raine, I'm the one who was supposed to be engaged to you," he murmured, leaning in closer.

"So what?" Lorraine almost laughed.

"I never agreed to you marrying Dawson. Our Gregory family could have called off the engagement. But as you know, my parents were afraid to offend the Mercer family, so my hands were tied."

"I understand completely," Lorraine said with a smirk, watching him put on his ridiculous act.

"I never wanted you to marry someone else. And now that I see you again, it just hurts even more... Raine, you were meant to be my fiancée. I just want to protect you."

"Mr. Gregory, let's not say things that are completely inappropriate. Where were you three days ago?"

Hearing Lorraine's sharp response, Caleb narrowed his eyes.

So, all those years of being timid and obedient in their house were fake.

"Do you really think that just because Dawson married you, you suddenly have someone to rely on?"

"You're just a nobody with no status, no education, and no connections. Do you think Dawson cares about you? Or that the Mercer family does? Do you really think marrying him makes you special?"

"Funny. Whether my husband cares about me or not has nothing to do with you! Mr. Gregory, if you suffer from delusions, you should see a doctor," Lorraine retorted. "Putting on a show here is pointless. I don't enjoy theater."

"Oh?" Caleb wasn't offended. In fact, he seemed even more intrigued.

"Let's be real. If I wanted to do something to you right now, Dawson wouldn't even care. To him, you're worthless.

As he spoke, Caleb reached out for Lorraine's shoulder.

Lorraine was hesitating whether to fight back when suddenly a cold voice came from behind them.

"Is that so? Who said I wouldn't step in?"

In the next second, Caleb was grabbed by a pair of large hands. As he turned around, a punch landed hard on his handsome face.

Lorraine was shocked. It was Dawson!

When did he stand behind her and how long did he listen to the conversation between her and Caleb?