When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 17: Your Business Trip Is That Important?

Ever since Aiden Xavier agreed to have a child with Fiona Forrest, Hazel Hawthorne had felt cursed. Although she knew it was just an expedient measure on Aiden’s part, her fear grew with each passing day.

As a newcomer to the company, Hazel Hawthorne was experiencing office life for the first time. Separated from Aiden Xavier’s world, it felt as though her own life was finally beginning.

Sharon Winters was the first person Hazel met when she started working at the Sterling Group. The two of them got along quite well. Sharon liked to gossip, but since she disliked Aiden Xavier, she never paid attention to any gossip about him. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

That was why Hazel Hawthorne and Sharon Winters had become friends.

Sharon Winters saw Hazel Hawthorne’s phone ringing nonstop on her desk. Since Hazel had been called to the director’s office and hadn’t returned for a while, Sharon figured it might be important and took the liberty of answering it for her.

The deep, pleasant voice on the other end of the line instantly made Sharon Winters picture a tall, powerful, and handsome man. But when he abruptly shouted Hazel Hawthorne’s name with anger, it shattered Sharon’s fantasy.

"Hazel Hawthorne, you’re getting bolder. You won’t even answer my calls anymore."

Aiden Xavier’s furious voice came clearly through the receiver. Sharon jumped in fright and quickly explained, "Hazel was called away by the director. I’ll tell her you called when she gets back."

Aiden Xavier was stunned for a moment. He had been calling for ages, and it wasn’t even Hazel who had answered.

After a moment, Aiden Xavier hung up without another word. Confused and speechless, Sharon Winters glanced at the contact name—"Do Not Approach."

’Do Not Approach? Doesn’t that just mean The Grim Reaper?’

Still shaken, Sharon put the phone back in its place, deciding to tell Hazel the moment she returned.

"That ’Do Not Approach’ guy just called you a bunch of times. From the sound of his voice, he seemed really angry. Maybe he needed you for something urgent."

Hazel calmly sat down and took a sip of water. She gave Sharon a composed glance. "I’ll call him back later."

The director had called her into the office. After asking about her experience over the first few days of her internship, she had arranged for Hazel to accompany her on a business trip to Freyburg tomorrow.

Being a newcomer, Hazel was surprised to be taken on a business trip by the director so soon. Unsure of what to expect or what to pack, she kept asking Sharon for advice.

By the time she finished up and was ready to leave work, it was already six in the evening.

As she was packing her things, she saw her phone and suddenly remembered Sharon saying that Aiden Xavier had called.

Aiden Xavier had called at three in the afternoon; three hours had already passed.

’Aiden Xavier never calls about anything good anyway,’ she thought. ’Besides, it’s been so long, he’s probably forgotten about it. I might as well not bother calling back.’

’If it were really that urgent, Aiden Xavier would have definitely called again.’

"Hazel, where do you live? Are you heading my way?" Sharon asked, grabbing her bag with one hand and her phone with the other. "My boyfriend’s about to pick me up. We could give you a lift if it’s on the way."

Hazel quickly waved her hand, dismissing the offer. The area she lived in was too high-end; mentioning it would reveal that her background wasn’t so simple.

"I live out in the suburbs, so it’s probably not on your way." Hazel finished packing and went downstairs with Sharon.

"Then how do you usually get to work? Living so far away, do you have a car? If not, does that mean you have to squeeze onto the subway?"

"It’s okay. I have a car to get around in."

"Oh, that’s good. Otherwise, the subway during rush hour is a killer. Usually, my boyfriend drives me whenever he has time."

Hazel smiled. "Your boyfriend is really good to you."

"Don’t you have a boyfriend?" Sharon linked her arm through Hazel’s. "You’re so pretty," she said with envy, "I’m sure tons of guys are after you."

Hazel pursed her lips into a smile. "I don’t have a boyfriend."

’It was true she didn’t have a boyfriend. But she did have a husband. Not that it made much of a difference whether she had this husband or not.’

’He was just a decoration, anyway.’

"That’s a shame. The guys at my boyfriend’s company are all pretty decent. I’ll have him introduce you to one of them sometime."

’She had never even experienced what it felt like to be in a relationship before Aiden Xavier found her and shoved her straight into the grave of marriage.’

Sharon spotted her boyfriend from a distance and immediately let go of Hazel’s arm. "I see my boyfriend! I’m gonna go. Drive safe, okay?"

Hazel nodded and watched Sharon leave. After a moment, she turned and walked toward a different parking lot. She stared at the "car to get around in" she’d mentioned and frowned.

The car she was currently driving belonged to Aiden Xavier. He didn’t own anything cheap. Hazel didn’t know the exact value of this car, but one look at the emblem told her it was definitely not cheap.

’After all, when is a Porsche ever cheap?’

’Looks like I’ll have to buy a cheap car to use for work.’

At that thought, for some reason, Hazel lifted her leg and kicked the front of the car, cursing under her breath. If she hadn’t married Aiden Xavier, she wouldn’t have to hide herself like this.

Hazel kicked the car, as if to vent her frustration. Just as she was about to get in and drive home, the phone in her bag began to ring like a death summons.

’At this hour, who else would be calling her besides "Do Not Approach"?’

"What were you doing all afternoon, not answering your phone? You knew I called, but you didn’t even bother to call back?" Aiden Xavier’s deep, husky voice did not sound pleasant at that moment.

Hazel moved the phone away from her ear, her lips twitching as she made a face. She waited until Aiden Xavier finished his tirade before speaking. "I was at work. We’re not allowed to take personal calls during work hours."

"What kind of company forbids personal calls during work hours? Is that your boss’s rule? Do I need to have a word with your boss?" Aiden Xavier gave Hazel no chance to make up excuses.

’After Raina Lowell’s return, Hazel had become a different person. She’d never called him proactively before, but she’d also never been this impatient on the phone.’

’Her tone was thick with disdain.’

"Aiden Xavier, if you have something to say, just get to the point. I don’t have time to chat and joke around like friends."

Aiden Xavier snorted coldly. "I have a business trip tomorrow. I need you to come over and take care of Raina Lowell for three days."

Why?

Hazel dug at her ear, wondering if she had misheard.

’Aiden Xavier was going on a business trip, so he wanted her to take care of Raina Lowell for three days?!’

"I have a business trip tomorrow, too." Hazel took a deep breath, internally cursing up a storm. ’Am I Aiden Xavier’s on-call maid?’

"Is your business trip more important than mine?" Aiden Xavier’s dismissive tone made Hazel so angry she was about to explode. "I’ll cover your salary for this month. Tell your company right now that you can’t go."

Hazel immediately refused. "No way!" After a pause, she said, "But I can give you a suggestion. You could choose not to go on your trip. Or you could choose to take Raina Lowell with you and look after her personally. Wouldn’t that give you more peace of mind?"

"I won’t be able to look after her on a business trip. She’d be exhausted if she came with me," Aiden Xavier said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

BANG! Hazel clenched her fist and slammed it hard against the car door. ’Stay calm,’ she told herself. ’He’s Aiden Xavier. We’re not divorced yet!’

"Aiden Xavier, I have a business trip too. As for taking care of Raina Lowell, you’ll have to find someone else."

Hazel furiously hung up on Aiden Xavier and immediately started cursing out loud. As she cursed, she kicked and punched Aiden Xavier’s car. The car was just as detestable to her as its owner.

*****