When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 108: Finding a Way to Test Him

Even after Aiden Xavier had left, Raina Lowell remained frozen in place, unsure of what to do. She stared at the empty house, filled only with his lingering scent and the memory of his cold, departing figure. In her eyes, all their past sweet moments now seemed like a joke.

Meanwhile, after walking out of the villa, Aiden Xavier glanced back one last time before slowly departing.

Hazel Hawthorne couldn’t hide her arm injury from Sharon Winters. The moment she arrived at the office, Sharon was all over her, demanding to know what had happened. Hazel hadn’t planned on keeping it a secret anyway, so she told her the whole story.

Sharon Winters immediately gave Hazel Hawthorne a thumbs-up. "You’re really something else! If it were me, I wouldn’t have known what to do and would’ve ended up getting played by Raina Lowell."

Hazel Hawthorne could only manage a dry laugh. If Raina Lowell hadn’t suddenly appeared at the banquet and made it clear she was up to no good, Hazel wouldn’t have resorted to a tactic that hurt herself just to deal with her.

’Who would be that foolish?’ In that situation, however, Hazel Hawthorne had thought it was the best course of action. As long as she could ruin Raina Lowell’s plan by giving her a taste of her own medicine, Hazel felt it was worth it.

"So, Aiden Xavier was on your side, right? He didn’t embarrass you in front of everyone, did he?" Sharon Winters was more concerned about this. "I’ve seen with my own two eyes how much Aiden Xavier cares about Raina Lowell."

Speaking of which, Hazel Hawthorne found it puzzling too.

"He didn’t help Raina Lowell."

Sharon Winters immediately praised him. "It was right for Aiden Xavier not to help Raina Lowell! That proves you’re still more important to him than she is. But looking at your face, it seems like you’re not exactly happy that Aiden helped you."

Hazel Hawthorne frowned. It wasn’t that she couldn’t accept it. She was just perplexed. Knowing Aiden Xavier’s personality, if he truly cared about Raina Lowell, he wouldn’t have cared what the occasion was.

So, after what happened that day, Hazel Hawthorne suddenly sensed that maybe Aiden Xavier didn’t care about Raina Lowell as much as she thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Sharon Winters waved a hand in front of her face. "Stop overthinking it. Trust me, I think you’re more important to Aiden Xavier than Raina Lowell is. My judgment when it comes to men is always spot-on."

Hazel Hawthorne smiled but said nothing. She knew Sharon’s boyfriend did indeed treat her very well.

"Alright, alright, stop overthinking. Your relationship with Aiden Xavier isn’t something a mere Raina Lowell can destroy. I have a feeling Aiden actually likes you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t look like he wants to kill someone every time he sees us with Nathan Miller."

"Don’t be ridiculous. He wouldn’t."

Seeing that Hazel Hawthorne wasn’t convinced, Sharon Winters didn’t bother arguing. "Hurry up and get your things in order. We have a meeting soon. I heard Chloe Lee is back at the company, so whatever you do, don’t give her anything to use against you. That woman holds a serious grudge."

During the meeting, Hazel Hawthorne couldn’t stop her mind from wandering. The image of Aiden Xavier lifting her into his arms at the banquet suddenly flashed through her mind, and she even recalled how gently he had applied medicine to her wound.

These small gestures from Aiden Xavier always gave her the illusion that, just as Sharon Winters had said, maybe she wasn’t so dispensable to him after all.

Thankfully, no one noticed Hazel Hawthorne spacing out. After the meeting, Sharon Winters followed behind her, clutching a stack of documents. When calling Hazel’s name a few times got no response, she nudged her with an elbow. "You’re not still thinking about Aiden Xavier, are you?"

"No."

"Liar," Sharon Winters laughed. "If you want to know how Aiden Xavier really feels about you, I have an idea. It’s a little devious, though."

Hazel Hawthorne didn’t know what came over her, but on some strange impulse, she asked, "What idea?"

Sharon Winters glanced furtively at Nathan Miller, who was walking up behind them. "Get Nathan to help us test Aiden Xavier. A man who truly likes you won’t stand for you getting too close to other guys, especially someone like Aiden. His possessive streak must be a mile wide."

"You already said he’s possessive. Even if he saw us having dinner with Nathan Miller and got angry, it would just be because of his possessiveness toward me. After all, I’m his wife, aren’t I?"

Sharon Winters hesitated for a moment. "There’s a difference between possessiveness and genuine affection. If you want to test him, I can help you. Let’s not worry about the other stuff for now."

Hazel Hawthorne was still hesitant. The idea really was a bit devious, and it meant using Nathan Miller.

Seeing that Hazel Hawthorne didn’t immediately refuse, Sharon knew she was tempted. So, as Nathan Miller walked up, Sharon stepped forward to block his path. "The handsome Mr. Miller, are you free tonight? Want to have dinner with us?"

Nathan Miller glanced at Hazel Hawthorne and was about to refuse, but Aaron Shaw rushed over, slung an arm around his shoulder, and cheerfully accepted for him. "Yeah, let’s go! I won’t have to eat takeout tonight. But, uh, can I be included?"

Sharon Winters rolled her eyes. "Why are you always trying to freeload food and drinks?"

Aaron Shaw grinned. "You’re a real character, Sharon Winters. If you don’t invite me, I’ll just drag Nathan Miller out to eat myself."

Sharon Winters’ main goal was to invite Nathan Miller. Seeing Aaron Shaw’s antics, she said irritably, "Tch. One more person just means one more pair of chopsticks. I can still afford it."

Aaron Shaw and Sharon Winters immediately linked arms and started discussing what to eat that night. Walking beside Hazel Hawthorne, Nathan Miller noticed the gauze on her arm and asked with concern, "What happened to your arm?"

"It’s nothing. I just bumped it."

Chloe Lee, who was passing by, let out a cold snort as if to mock Hazel Hawthorne. Hazel ignored her. By the time the two of them got back to their desks, they could already hear Sharon Winters making a reservation.

"Hazel, I’m really bleeding money for you tonight!"

Sharon Winters had booked a high-end restaurant. She clutched her wallet in mock pain, but the thought of the night’s mission instantly energized her as if she’d had a shot of adrenaline. "Oh, right, you have to invite Aiden Xavier, too."

Hearing this, Hazel Hawthorne asked in confusion, "Why do I have to invite Aiden Xavier?"

"Just do it because I told you to. Don’t ask why."

"Forget it. I don’t want to cause a scene that’s impossible to clean up." Hazel Hawthorne suddenly remembered Aiden Xavier had warned her before to keep her distance from other men, and he had explicitly said he didn’t like Nathan Miller.

Even if she invited Aiden Xavier, he wouldn’t come.

"You call Aiden Xavier. If you don’t, I will. He called me last time, let me just find his number..."

"Fine, you win! I’ll call him." Hazel Hawthorne snatched Sharon Winters’s phone. "But I’m telling you now, even if I call Aiden Xavier, he’s probably not going to show up."

"How do you know if you don’t even try? Just tell him I’m treating you guys to dinner to thank you for helping me last time so I didn’t get fired from the company."

Sharon Winters leaned in close to Hazel Hawthorne. "See? I’ve even thought of the perfect excuse for you."

Utterly exasperated, Hazel Hawthorne had no choice but to bite the bullet and call Aiden Xavier. Before the call even connected, she held absolutely no hope that he would agree.

*****