When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 2: Sign the Papers. Let’s Get a Divorce.

When Hazel Hawthorne rushed back to the villa, she saw a car parked at the entrance, just as she’d expected. It was packed to the brim with luggage.

She raised an eyebrow. ’So, she’s back, and she plans on moving in for good?’

Clearwater Villa was Hazel Hawthorne and Aiden Xavier’s marital home. When they married, they hadn’t held a banquet. They registered their marriage in the morning, and that same afternoon, Hazel dragged her luggage and moved right into the villa, all under the watchful eyes of the media.

Over the years, Aiden Xavier had rarely returned, leaving her to live there all by herself.

Hazel Hawthorne stepped into the villa and, just as she’d thought, saw a familiar figure in the living room.

Raina Lowell. Aiden Xavier’s first love, the one he could never forget.

She had a congenital heart disease and couldn’t have children. For years, she’d been abroad for treatment.

’Now that she’s back, her illness must be more or less cured.’

Upon seeing Hazel return, Raina Lowell remained seated on the sofa and greeted her with a sweet smile. "Ah, Ms. Hawthorne, you’re back."

She turned to the housekeeper and ordered, "Ms. Hawthorne just got back, so she must be thirsty. Go make her a cup of coffee. I remember... Ms. Hawthorne likes her coffee iced, and freshly ground."

The way she carried herself, you’d think she was the true lady of the house.

Hazel remained standing at the doorway, watching her.

Raina seemed to finally realize something was off. Feigning unease, she asked, "Ms. Hawthorne, I just got back from abroad, and my health isn’t the best. Aiden was worried I couldn’t take care of myself, so he asked me to move in with you both. You don’t mind, do you?"

Hazel’s lips curved into a smile. "Not at all."

’Usually, when Raina puts on this innocent little bunny act, it can only mean one thing: Aiden is nearby. As much as I can’t stand Raina, there’s no need to pick a fight with him.’

She scanned the living room but saw no sign of Aiden Xavier.

But when she looked up, she saw Aiden descending the staircase from the second floor. He stopped and stood there, motionless.

’Aiden Xavier may be a total scumbag,’ Hazel thought, ’but in all of Auroville, his looks were second to none.’ His tall, slender figure, his refined features, and his air of a noble scion—even without his money or the Xavier family name, he could charm legions of women with his face alone.

Aiden Xavier’s voice, smooth as aged wine, drifted down. "Raina will be staying with us for a while."

Hazel raised an eyebrow, replying languidly, "Should I move out, then?"

"That won’t be necessary."

Aiden said coolly, "I’m busy with work. You’ll stay and look after her for a few days."

Hazel sneered inwardly. ’He wants me to live under the same roof as his ex-girlfriend, and on top of that, he expects me to wait on her hand and foot?’

But she couldn’t refuse Aiden’s demand, so she tacitly agreed.

Thinking of Dylan Miller, she curved her lips into a smile and asked, "Can we talk in private for a moment?"

’She was used to Aiden’s other women. What she worried about was his precious, innocent little lotus finding out and not being able to handle it. If something happened to Raina, Aiden would probably come after her with a vengeance.’

Raina glanced timidly at Aiden, then asked warily, "Ms. Hawthorne, what do you need to talk to Aiden about?"

’Does she really see herself as Aiden’s wife?’

Hazel scoffed internally but didn’t let a hint of it show on her face.

She tilted her head and said pointedly, "Today... I met someone at The Venus Banquet."

Aiden’s expression grew serious. He glanced at Raina, then said, "Let’s go to the study."

Raina’s expression immediately fell into a pout. She stood there, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt, looking for all the world like a delicate white lotus swaying in the breeze.

Hazel followed Aiden upstairs. She took a stack of documents from her bag and tossed them to him—

"Sign them. Let’s get a divorce."

*****