When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 50: Taken as an Apprentice

Hazel Hawthorne rushed to the office in a panic. Sharon Winters was standing right at the elevator entrance waiting for her. When she saw Hazel step out, she quickly went over and explained what had just happened.

"Didn’t you get the group message? Ten minutes after you left, Director Shaw announced in the group chat that there would be a meeting at eleven. I thought you’d be back before then, but you didn’t reply to my messages."

"What group? I’m not even in a group chat." Hazel Hawthorne’s mind was a mess. She had no idea what the meeting was about and hadn’t had time to prepare anything. Thankfully, Sharon Winters had prepared two copies of the meeting materials in advance and handed one to her.

"How could you not be in the group chat?"

"Never mind, we can talk about this later. Let’s go in first. By the way, why are you here?"

Sharon Winters led Hazel Hawthorne toward the conference room. "Director Shaw told me to wait for you here. And here are the meeting materials. Just sit with me in the back later. Hopefully, we won’t attract too much attention."

Sharon Winters spoke quickly, and Hazel Hawthorne could only listen while trying to read the documents.

The two of them arrived outside the conference room. Hazel Hawthorne took a deep breath, trying to relax as much as possible.

Thankfully, everyone’s attention was on Holly Shaw. She and Sharon Winters hunched over and quickly slipped into the room. Only a few people sitting in the back saw them arrive.

Their relationship with Hazel Hawthorne had always been lukewarm, so they weren’t going to say anything since it had nothing to do with them. But just then, Holly Shaw’s secretary spotted Hazel and Sharon and glanced in their direction.

Holly Shaw glanced at her distracted secretary. "Where are the documents I asked you to prepare?"

The secretary placed the prepared documents in front of Holly Shaw, who then asked in a low voice, "What are you looking at?"

"Director Shaw, I thought I saw someone come in just now. Maybe I was mistaken." After saying this, the secretary shot Hazel Hawthorne a smile that was slightly provocative.

Holly Shaw’s gaze followed to where Hazel Hawthorne was trying to make herself invisible in the corner, then she impassively retracted her gaze. "Let’s continue the meeting."

Hazel Hawthorne noticed Holly Shaw’s glance. She breathed a sigh of relief when the director didn’t call her out in front of everyone. Throughout the meeting, she diligently took notes on everything, not daring to miss a single word, completely focused until it was over.

As Holly Shaw passed by Hazel Hawthorne, she said coldly, "Follow me."

Only after Holly Shaw left did Sharon Winters dare to approach Hazel Hawthorne. "Director Shaw is so intimidating. I didn’t even dare to talk to you with her looking like that just now. Did she reprimand you?"

Hazel Hawthorne’s heart leaped into her throat again. "I’m going to see Director Shaw in her office first. We’ll talk later."

"Well, if it isn’t our little Miss Hawthorne?" The secretary, with a few of her cronies, stopped in front of Hazel Hawthorne, deliberately provoking her. "Daring to be late for Director Shaw’s meeting? I see you don’t have much respect for her. And to think Director Shaw was planning on mentoring you."

"She’s already getting a big head before even fully earning Director Shaw’s favor. If she actually manages to get on the director’s good side, will there be any place left for us?"

"Isn’t that the truth? Who would’ve thought someone so young could be so arrogant and ambitious?"

Hazel Hawthorne listened to their back-and-forth and let out a cold laugh. She walked straight up to the secretary, lifted her chin, and stared at her with a chilling gaze. "You know better than anyone why I was late. And I’d also like to ask why I’m not in the group chat."

The secretary was unfazed, even flashing a flirtatious smile. "I told you how things work at this company on the day of your interview, but you didn’t take it to heart. What can I do? I can’t be expected to look after you and you alone."

"Besides, if you hadn’t suddenly left the office, would you have been late for the meeting?" The secretary sneered. "Hazel Hawthorne, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re pretty. This is the first time I’ve ever seen an intern take so many days off right after starting."

The secretary shot her a cold look, clearly dismissive of Hazel Hawthorne. Then, her eyes fell on the watch on Hazel’s wrist. She grabbed Hazel’s hand without a second thought, exposing the watch. "You’re just a lowly intern, yet you’re wearing a watch worth millions. Do you think anyone would believe you don’t have a sugar daddy?"

"Shut up, all of you! You don’t know anything about Hazel. She’s..." Seeing everyone humiliating Hazel Hawthorne, Sharon Winters couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward to defend her, but Hazel grabbed her at the last second.

She quickly shot Sharon Winters a look, pleading with her not to reveal that she was Aiden Xavier’s wife.

"She’s what?" The secretary roared with laughter. "Sharon Winters, don’t say I didn’t warn you. You might see Hazel Hawthorne as a friend, but that doesn’t mean she sees you as one."

"You’re talking nonsense," Sharon Winters said angrily.

Hazel Hawthorne raised a hand, pushed the secretary away, and backed her into a corner. She pressed her wrist—the one with the watch—against the secretary’s neck. A faint smile played on her lips as she deliberately showed off the watch. "Don’t push your luck. If you know I have a sugar daddy, then don’t come looking for trouble with me."

"You!" The secretary was furious and tried to push Hazel Hawthorne away, only to be met with Hazel’s mocking laughter.

Looking at Hazel Hawthorne’s watch filled her with jealousy. Seeing Hazel’s face, and then thinking about how Holly Shaw had taken a liking to her so soon after she joined the company, a surge of anger rushed to her head.

Hazel Hawthorne held her firmly against the wall. "My patience has its limits. I usually can’t be bothered to deal with your behind-the-back gossip, you know?"

With that, Hazel Hawthorne shoved her aside and pulled Sharon Winters straight out of the conference room.

Watching Hazel Hawthorne’s retreating figure, the secretary’s eyes filled with hatred and jealousy. Hazel had made her lose face in front of everyone, and she would make Hazel pay for it sooner or later.

「Director’s Office.」

Hazel Hawthorne stood cautiously in front of Holly Shaw and explained why she had been late for the meeting. But Holly Shaw just asked, "Do you think I called you to my office just to hear you explain why you were late?"

Holly Shaw’s long fingers tapped intermittently on the desk. She gave Hazel Hawthorne a faint glance. "I don’t care who you have backing you from above, but you work for me now. I expect you to follow my rules."

"How you deal with other people is your business; you don’t need to report it to me. The workplace is a battlefield, Hazel Hawthorne. I don’t need a brainless person as my apprentice."

Hazel Hawthorne was stunned for a moment. Holly Shaw was willing to take her on as an apprentice!

It felt like she was floating on a cloud. Hazel Hawthorne asked uncertainly, "Director Shaw, why do you want to take me as your apprentice?"

Holly Shaw looked at Hazel Hawthorne’s youthful face, as if reminded of her former self. She didn’t answer Hazel’s question. "I hope you won’t disappoint me."

"Director Shaw, don’t worry, I absolutely will not disappoint you. And I promise I will never make the same mistake twice."

"My apprentice does not fall in the same place twice."

Hazel Hawthorne was thrilled. Even though she’d been scolded, the fact that she was now Holly Shaw’s apprentice made her heart swell with delight.

When the others saw her emerge from the office unharmed, they all shot her curious glances. Hazel Hawthorne returned to her desk as if nothing had happened, though she couldn’t quite control the trembling in her hands, nor the smile that was uncontrollably spreading across her face.

*****