When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 18: Staying Behind to Take Care of the Dog

"Mr. Sterling, isn’t that Mr. Xavier’s wife?"

Julian Sterling lifted his head slightly, glancing out the window at Hazel Hawthorne, who was punching and kicking a car. "Mm."

"She’s quite a character, punching and kicking a car like that. I wonder who made her so angry. If Mr. Xavier found out, he’d definitely get even for her."

Julian Sterling withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes. ’Aiden Xavier loves Raina Lowell. After Raina went abroad all those years ago, he immediately married Hazel Hawthorne. To say he loves Hazel... that’s probably impossible.’

"Let’s go."

A black Bentley drove past Hazel Hawthorne. She continued cursing for a while longer before driving home.

Hazel Hawthorne was actually still a little worried. She feared that Aiden Xavier would really use his status to pressure her boss, cancel her business trip, and force her to take care of Raina Lowell.

Sure enough, while Hazel Hawthorne was still at home packing for her trip, she suddenly got a call from her director. "What? I don’t have to go on the business trip tomorrow?" She took a deep breath. ’It has to be Aiden Xavier pulling strings behind the scenes.’ Still, she couldn’t help but ask, "Why?"

"This was a decision from upper management. They said your experience is too limited, so you should wait for the next opportunity."

Hazel Hawthorne argued, "Isn’t that exactly why I need to go? To gain experience? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Hazel, this is a decision from the top. As a company employee, you just need to follow orders. Stop asking so many questions."

Furious, Hazel Hawthorne gritted her teeth and pulled everything she had just packed back out of her suitcase. Her face flushed red as she called Aiden Xavier.

"Aiden Xavier! Are you sick in the head? Why are you interfering with my work? Why are you forcing me to take care of Raina Lowell? Is she going to die if I’m not there to look after her? And another thing, when we agreed not to divorce, you promised me three things, one of which was letting me get a job."

"You did let me get a job, but I’ve barely started and you’re already using your power to interfere. What’s the difference between this and me just staying at home? You’re really overreaching."

Aiden Xavier listened to Hazel Hawthorne’s furious tirade with a calm and composed expression, which didn’t waver in the slightest. When she fell silent, he slowly said, "I don’t trust anyone else with it."

"What do you mean you don’t trust anyone else? So you trust me? Believe it or not, I’ll poison Raina Lowell while you’re gone. If it comes to it, we can all go down together."

’Aiden Xavier has to be seriously sick in the head. Making her take care of Raina Lowell—wasn’t he deliberately trying to disgust her, and Raina too?’

’Raina Lowell always wanted to be Mrs. Xavier, but I ended up taking her place without even trying. I can’t believe Raina would be willing to face me, let alone be alone with me for three days.’

"You won’t," Aiden Xavier said with certainty. "You haven’t accomplished what you set out to do yet. Would you really throw it all away to die with Raina Lowell?"

"Aiden Xavier, you’re not even human," Hazel Hawthorne said angrily. "Even a dog is more likable than you."

"A dog isn’t as handsome or as rich as I am."

Hazel was speechless.

Her business trip for the next day was mercilessly crushed by Aiden Xavier, and now she was being forced to take care of Raina Lowell. Just thinking about Raina’s face made Hazel want to poison her.

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Sharon Winters was shocked to see Hazel Hawthorne walk into the office with dark circles under her eyes. "Shouldn’t you be at the airport right now? What are you doing at the office?"

"Don’t ask. My dog suddenly got sick, and I have to stay behind to take care of her."

"You... have a dog?" Sharon Winters asked, confused. "I heard the boss is also going on this trip. You could have learned so much by going with them. If your puppy is sick, you can just take it to the vet. Why stay behind specifically to take care of it?"

Hazel Hawthorne forced a smile. "I have no choice. My dog is just very particular about people. She doesn’t want anyone but me."

Sharon Winters couldn’t understand Hazel’s reasoning and just sighed. "That’s a real shame. Every woman in this company would kill for a chance to go on a business trip with the boss, and you missed out."

She had missed this opportunity, and it was all thanks to Aiden Xavier. What could she do about it?

He was so powerful he could easily interfere with her life and her work.

"Still, I never would have guessed you like puppies. With an owner like you, your dog must be very happy."

"It was a stray."

Sharon Winters admired Hazel Hawthorne even more. "You’re such a kind person."

Hazel Hawthorne managed a strained smile. With the director away on the trip with the boss, her workload lightened considerably. The only task her director had left her was to organize all the previous design drafts.

Hazel Hawthorne was seething with anger toward Aiden Xavier. Before boarding his flight, he didn’t forget to call and remind her to go to the house tonight to stay with Raina Lowell. For the next three days of his trip, she was to stay by Raina’s side at all times, outside of work hours.

"Want to get hot pot after work today? My treat." Not wanting to go back and face Raina Lowell, Hazel Hawthorne decided to ask Sharon Winters out to eat.

"Sure! My boyfriend doesn’t like hot pot, so we rarely eat it, but I love it."

Thrilled at the thought of not having to go back and face Raina Lowell so early, Hazel Hawthorne happily pulled out her phone to make a reservation.

Just as the two of them arrived at the hot pot restaurant, Raina Lowell’s call came through.

"Ms. Hawthorne, Aiden told me you get off work at six. It’s almost seven now, why aren’t you back yet? I’m waiting for you to come home so we can eat."

Hazel Hawthorne glanced at Sharon Winters, then covered the phone and stepped aside. "I have something to do, I’ll be back late. Are you waiting for me to eat with you, or are you waiting for me to cook for you? Those are two different things, Raina. You should be clear."

"Ms. Hawthorne, since Aiden asked you to take care of me, then of course I’m waiting for you to come back and cook for me," Raina Lowell said. She was sitting on the sofa watching a variety show, a mountain of snacks beside her, feeling very displeased that Hazel Hawthorne was so late.

But displeasure was all it was. Hazel Hawthorne wasn’t someone who would come running at Raina Lowell’s beck and call.

"I’ll order you some takeout then. I’m busy."

Hazel Hawthorne hung up without another word. ’I’m here to "take care of" Raina Lowell, and she’s not going to use this opportunity to torment me? I’ll eat my hat.’

Unconcerned, Hazel Hawthorne turned around and went back into the restaurant. She even put her phone on silent to avoid being disturbed by Raina Lowell. She knew Raina would definitely tattle to Aiden Xavier, so she decided to just reject his calls as well.

"Who called you? You look upset." Not knowing what Hazel liked to eat, Sharon Winters had gone ahead and ordered some of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

"My dog..." Hazel Hawthorne paused, realizing a dog couldn’t make a phone call, and quickly changed her story. "A telemarketer."

The hot pot restaurant was booming with business and filled with the roar of conversation. Sharon Winters didn’t hear her clearly, and Hazel Hawthorne had no intention of repeating herself. The two of them ate until they were completely absorbed. Hazel patted her full stomach; a good hot pot meal was the perfect cure for a bad mood.

But then she remembered she still had to face Raina Lowell later, and her expression fell again.

"Let’s go. My boyfriend is on his way to pick me up."

Hazel Hawthorne nodded, got up to pay the bill, and saw more than ten missed calls from Aiden Xavier on her phone. She pretended not to see them. When she and Sharon Winters walked outside, she realized it was pouring rain.

*****