When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 3: The Title of Mrs. Xavier Must Be Kept

Aiden Xavier glanced at the divorce papers, unmoved.

He walked over to the sofa in the study, sat down, and asked nonchalantly, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Hazel Hawthorne frowned. ’Is he just changing the subject from the divorce?’

Aiden Xavier always spoke to her with the air of a condescending boss, and no matter what she said, she felt like a subordinate reporting to him.

There was never anything resembling a married couple between them, not even for show.

Hazel Hawthorne pushed her thoughts aside and began to relay the information, her expression blank. "That Dylan Miller you went drinking with at the bar three months ago says she’s pregnant."

Hazel Hawthorne paused, then continued, "I gave her money to get an abortion. Remember to reimburse me."

Aiden Xavier’s handsome, indifferent brows furrowed slightly. "Is that all?"

A corner of Hazel Hawthorne’s mouth twitched into a smile. "This would be your 18th child, after all. A descendant of the Xavier Family."

But Aiden Xavier responded coolly, "I never touched her."

Hazel Hawthorne froze. ’Is he... explaining himself to me?’

But then she thought better of it. ’Impossible. He’s probably just annoyed that someone’s trying to frame him.’

When the scandal broke about Aiden Xavier and the so-called popular diva, Hazel Hawthorne had indeed seen the reports. Judging from the photos, Aiden Xavier was just drinking at a bar with Dylan Miller, surrounded by many of his hangers-on.

Hazel Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "But she’s been publicly declaring that the baby is yours and telling me to divorce you."

Aiden Xavier sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his dark, fitted shirt accentuating his noble and elegant aura.

"That will depend on your abilities, Mrs. Xavier."

He paused before adding coolly, "You should know very well that besides Raina, no one is worthy of bearing my child."

Hazel Hawthorne subconsciously clenched her fists. Then she found it laughable; after being married to Aiden Xavier for so many years, how could she have forgotten that?

Right. Besides Raina Lowell, who else could possibly bear Aiden Xavier a child?

Even she, the so-called Young Madam of the Xavier Group, had to step aside. What chance did those flings of his stand?

Everyone said Aiden Xavier was Auroville’s most famous playboy—a man who could walk through a field of flowers without a single petal sticking to him. But no one knew that Young Master Xavier, constantly embroiled in romantic scandals, was actually hiding someone in his heart. For this person, he had been at a stalemate with his family for years.

Unfortunately, the one woman qualified to bear his child was, ironically, infertile.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to maintain this sham of a marriage, playing house with Aiden Xavier.

Hazel Hawthorne took a breath and smiled. "Alright then. Second item on the agenda: let’s get a divorce."

Meeting Aiden Xavier’s cold, indifferent eyes, she continued, "When we got married, we made it perfectly clear. As soon as Raina Lowell returned, our marriage would end. Now that Raina is back from abroad, our contract should be terminated."

Faced with this, however, Aiden Xavier fell silent.

He studied the woman before him, his gaze cool. In all their years of marriage, this was the first time he had ever truly looked at his wife.

Everyone said Mrs. Xavier was uncommonly beautiful and possessed an outstanding grace. Even his picky and difficult mother had been completely won over by Hazel Hawthorne. Over the years, it was also Hazel who had cleaned up after all his dalliances—precisely, quickly, steadily, and ruthlessly.

After a moment, Aiden Xavier spoke slowly. "The marriage will continue. Name your price."

Hazel Hawthorne’s expression was one of utter disbelief. "What do you mean?"

’Raina Lowell is cured and has recovered. Shouldn’t Aiden Xavier be impatient to marry her?’

"My mother still hasn’t been able to accept Raina. So, the position of Mrs. Xavier..."

He gave an elegant, unhurried smile. "I’ll have to trouble you, Ms. Hawthorne, to keep holding it for me." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Hazel Hawthorne frowned, her face hardening. "And if I say no?"

Aiden Xavier stood up, pulled a stack of documents from the bookshelf behind him, and placed them on the desk—

"A few days ago, your father-in-law asked me for a five-hundred-million-dollar investment in your name. Perhaps Mrs. Xavier should consider whether or not you can afford to pay that back."

*****