When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 59: Talk About What?

Sharon Winters didn’t dare show Hazel Hawthorne the online comments about Aiden Xavier and Raina Lowell. She couldn’t understand why netizens these days always felt the need to judge others from their moral high horse. Even if they were taking the high ground, shouldn’t they be condemning Raina Lowell, the one trying to wreck a family?

But instead, many netizens were blaming Hazel Hawthorne. They seemed to think she must have used some dirty trick to force Aiden Xavier and Raina Lowell apart before successfully marrying him and wedding into a life of luxury.

Even Sharon, an outsider, couldn’t stop herself from cursing when she saw those comments, let alone Hazel, the one at the center of it all. ’How suffocating must it feel?’ she thought. ’She’s the victim here, but she’s the one getting flamed by everyone online.’

Sharon Winters poured a cup of hot water, placed it in front of Hazel Hawthorne, and said softly, "Hazel, you’ve been busy all morning. Take a break. It hurts my heart to see you like this. Come on, it’s just a man. It’s not like we can’t live without them. We should just focus on our careers."

"Think about it, Director Shaw has taken a shine to you. She wants to mentor you. Isn’t that an incredible stroke of luck? Why torture yourself over a man? Besides, no matter how much you suffer, isn’t Aiden still by Raina Lowell’s side, protecting her?"

Sharon deliberately lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear.

Hazel Hawthorne forced a smile. "I know," she said faintly. "Thank you, Sharon."

"Good. I was worried you’d forget," Sharon said, squeezing Hazel’s hand. "When you’re dealing with a wannabe homewrecker like Raina Lowell, you need to pull out your ’rightful wife’ card. No matter what, you and Aiden are legally married. No matter how much trouble she stirs up, she’s still just the other woman trying to butt in."

Hazel was in agony. She kept trying to convince herself not to be affected by the drama with Aiden and Raina, but sometimes she just couldn’t control her feelings. The moment she thought about Aiden protecting Raina even after knowing the truth, any sense of calm she had shattered.

To her, this went far beyond a simple matter of principle.

"Hazel, you’re not going to do something drastic, are you?"

"Of course not. Do you really think I’m that fragile?"

Sharon nodded. "That’s true. Now, if it were Raina Lowell, I could totally see her pulling a stunt like that—threatening to kill herself just to ’prove’ to everyone how she’s been wronged."

During her lunch break, Hazel didn’t even bother to eat. She got straight in her car and drove to Evercrest Estates.

She knew Aiden owned property there, and she was certain he would have hidden Raina Lowell in one of his places.

"Hazel, wait for me! I’m coming with you." Seeing Hazel leaving in such a hurry, Sharon followed without a second thought. "Take me with you. I know I’m not much of a fighter and won’t be much help, but I still want to be there for you."

Sharon got into the car and looked at Hazel, confused. "I don’t even know where we’re going."

"Evercrest Estates."

Evercrest Estates was an exclusive, high-end residential area. The average person couldn’t just waltz in.

Hazel said in a low voice, "I’m going to find Raina Lowell."

"Can you even get in?"

"Mhm, I know the property manager at Evercrest Estates."

A thought suddenly struck Sharon. "You’re going to confront Raina?" Seeing Hazel nod, she added quickly, "If you go after her so rashly, aren’t you afraid Aiden will come after you? Besides, if you go and question Raina now, she’ll just deny everything."

Without a second thought, Hazel tossed her phone to Sharon. "The passcode is 191231. Open the photo gallery. I got an anonymous tip an hour ago."

Sharon immediately opened the gallery. Spotting a video saved right at the top, she tapped play and gasped, covering her mouth. "Isn’t this a video of Raina Lowell talking to Shawn Bennett?"

"Mhm. I want to have a little chat with Raina first."

"Isn’t that a bit impulsive? I feel like even with this video, Raina won’t admit anything. All it proves is that she talked to Shawn Bennett; it doesn’t prove she ordered him to hurt you."

Hazel had already thought through everything Sharon said. Her main goal was to see Raina’s reaction. She also wanted to make it clear to Raina that even with Aiden backing her up, Hazel wouldn’t tolerate being provoked again and again.

「Evercrest Estates.」

Raina Lowell sat leisurely, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched the uninvited Hazel Hawthorne. She never expected Hazel to find her here. "Well, I’m impressed. You actually managed to find your way here."

"As long as you’re not dead, I can find you anywhere," Hazel said coolly. Staring at Raina’s innocent-looking face, she found it hard to believe such a vicious heart could hide behind such a harmless facade.

Raina’s eyes curved into crescents. "If you’re not dead, why would I be?"

"Heh. I didn’t come here to waste time with pleasantries."

"I figured as much. You went to all this trouble to find me. What do you want to talk about?" With Aiden nowhere in sight, Raina dropped her facade completely, staring at Hazel with contempt. "I told you a long time ago, Aiden and I are in love. If you had any sense, you would have left him already."

"I’m not here to talk about Aiden," Hazel said, cutting to the chase. "I know you were the one who leaked your story with Aiden to the media. Don’t bother denying it. I wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t have proof."

The color drained from Raina’s face.

Hazel smiled and continued, "Your story of youthful love with Aiden is so enviable. It’s earned you so much sympathy online. You got what you wanted. You wanted to use public opinion to force me to divorce him."

Raina snorted but didn’t deny it.

Hazel glanced at Raina. "I have to admit, you did a very convincing job playing the victim. You’ve got everyone believing I was the one who forced Aiden to marry me."

At that, Raina smiled. "That’s just your speculation. I trust the public. Their eyes are sharp, and they can see the truth of the situation for themselves."

"There’s no one else here. It’s just the three of us. Why keep up the act?" Hazel sneered. "Of course, I didn’t come here today just to talk about this. There’s one other thing... something I’m sure you haven’t forgotten."

"What thing?"

Hazel enunciated every syllable. "Shawn. Bennett. That name must ring a bell, right?"

Raina’s eyes darted away for a fraction of a second, but Hazel caught it. She pulled out a photo of Shawn Bennett and placed it in front of Raina. "It’s alright if you don’t remember him. I have a picture. I just sent him to the police station last night."

Raina lowered her gaze, her eyes flicking over the photo before she smiled. "Ms. Hawthorne, this person you mentioned... Shawn who? I don’t know him at all. I have no idea why you’re bringing him up."

"What do you mean you don’t know him? You’re the one who ordered him to hurt Hazel!" Sharon burst out angrily.

Raina’s expression hardened as she shot a cold glare at Sharon. "You’d better watch your mouth. Making baseless accusations without proof... I could sue you for slander."

"Raina," Hazel said, staring her down. "I never make a move unless I’m absolutely certain."