When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 63: Who Exactly is Hazel Hawthorne?

"Cousin, what did I do to make you so angry?" Chloe Lee mustered the courage to speak to Julian Sterling. Though she usually threw her weight around the office, she wouldn’t dare squeak in front of him.

Julian Sterling’s face was expressionless, his gaze fixed on Chloe Lee like the god of death himself. If it weren’t for his mother’s request, he would never have allowed a cousin like her in his company.

"Don’t think I don’t know what you’re usually up to. You run wild just because you’re my cousin. Chloe Lee, if you don’t want to be here, then get the hell out. I have no room for a ’great Buddha’ like you."

Julian Sterling’s words were harsh and blunt. Chloe Lee had been spoiled rotten at home. No matter how out of line she had been in the past, Julian had always turned a blind eye. He had never scolded her like this before.

Chloe Lee’s lip trembled, tears welling in her eyes. She put on a pitiful, wronged expression. "Cousin, how can you say that? I haven’t done anything out of line. I just think that for a new intern, Hazel Hawthorne takes too many days off. It shows a lack of dedication to her work."

Julian Sterling cut her off. "Stay out of Hazel Hawthorne’s business. Just manage your own affairs. If you want to keep working here, stop causing trouble for me. Otherwise, not even I will be able to protect you."

Chloe Lee was stunned by his words. ’Just what is Hazel’s background?’ she wondered. She had made things difficult for plenty of interns before, but she had never seen Julian Sterling stick up for any of them. Yet here he was, speaking up for Hazel, even seeming to want to protect her.

Chloe Lee was bewildered. ’Could it be? Has Julian actually taken a liking to Hazel?’

"Cousin, tell me the truth. Does Hazel Hawthorne have some kind of powerful background? From what I can see, she’s just some poor girl. You..."

Before Chloe Lee could finish, Julian Sterling cut her off again. He gave his cousin a cold stare and issued another warning, "Chloe Lee, you’d best learn to behave yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be the only one who suffers."

Chloe Lee pouted but didn’t dare say another word in the face of Julian’s demeanor. She could only retreat from the office resentfully, wondering all the way back just who Hazel Hawthorne was. Why would her cousin step in personally for her?

Julian had even specifically warned her not to cross Hazel Hawthorne!

Back in the office, Chloe Lee shot a meaningful glance at Hazel Hawthorne, who was busy at her desk. ’She’s gorgeous, and she has a great figure, but what makes her so different from everyone else?’

Sensing an unusual gaze, Hazel Hawthorne suddenly looked up and found a male colleague not far away staring at her intently. To be precise, he was watching her with an affectionate look in his eyes.

Hazel felt a headache coming on. She quickly lowered her head and focused on her work, right until the man came over to greet her.

Only then did Hazel have no choice but to look up and be polite.

"Hazel, are you free tonight? I’d like to take you to dinner." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Sorry, I’m not free tonight," Hazel replied without a second thought.

Sharon Winters, who was nearby, immediately threw an arm around Hazel’s shoulder and grinned at the male colleague who had come over to chat. "Nathan, don’t even think about it. Hazel has a boyfriend."

Nathan froze for a moment, seemingly in disbelief. His questioning gaze fell on Hazel, who simply nodded silently. "Yes, I have a boyfriend."

At that moment, Nathan looked rather embarrassed. Chloe Lee, who had witnessed the entire exchange, rushed out as if she were some kind of crusader for justice and sneered at Hazel, "Do you really think you’re that beautiful? That any man who asks you to dinner must be in love with you and trying to win you over?"

"I’ve never met anyone as narcissistic as you. Hazel, in your eyes, is every man who wants to treat you to a meal in love with you and trying to pursue you?"

Faced with Nathan Miller’s obvious embarrassment, Hazel Hawthorne frowned, truly at a loss for what to do.

Nathan Miller had always been very helpful to her at work, and she didn’t want to hurt his pride. That’s why she had refused him earlier. She never expected Sharon Winters to blurt out that she had a boyfriend. Honestly, she hadn’t really thought Nathan was trying to pursue her either.

Sharon Winters waved her hands helplessly, explaining in a panic, "Nathan, don’t get the wrong idea! Don’t listen to Chloe Lee’s nonsense. It was just a slip of the tongue. I never said you were trying to pursue Hazel..."

The more Sharon spoke, the worse she made it. She looked helplessly from the mortified Nathan Miller to Hazel, and then to Chloe Lee, who was deliberately stirring up trouble on the side. She was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.

Fortunately, after a moment of silence, Nathan Miller spoke up. "It’s fine."

Nathan looked at Hazel. "To be honest, I do like you and wanted to pursue you. But since Sharon said you have a boyfriend, let’s just be friends. I hope you and your boyfriend will be very happy."

Hazel was touched by Nathan’s grace and understanding. Before she could say anything, Nathan smiled, then turned to Chloe Lee. "Secretary Lee, I should actually thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might not have had the courage to tell Hazel that I like her."

This remark infuriated Chloe Lee, causing her expression to darken. Nathan, however, just smiled at her, and before turning to leave, he extended the dinner invitation to Hazel again. "Think of it as an invitation from a friend tonight. If you don’t want to come alone, you can bring a friend. If you really don’t want to come, that’s fine too."

Nathan’s gentlemanly conduct gave Hazel a very good impression of him. Even if they couldn’t be lovers, she thought it would be wonderful to be friends.

Having failed to gain any advantage, Chloe Lee stalked off with a dark look on her face.

Sharon Winters clutched her chest, leaned close to Hazel’s ear, and whispered, "Chloe Lee is like a ghost, she’s everywhere." After a moment, she asked, "So, Nathan invited you to dinner tonight. Are you going?"

"I’m going. Nathan was so cool about it, should I be all coy? Besides, we’re still colleagues. We’ll be seeing each other all the time. We can’t just stop interacting over something so small."

Sharon Winters nodded. "I think you’re being cool about it too."

Hazel smiled without saying a word. Sharon whispered again, "But Chloe Lee and the others will definitely think you’re a ’green tea bitch’ or a ’white lotus.’ You know, not liking the guy but not rejecting him either, like you’re just stringing him along."

Hazel rolled her eyes. ’Who cares what they think?’

"Come to dinner with me tonight," Hazel said with a smile.

Sharon thought for a moment. "Aren’t you fighting with Aiden Xavier right now? If the paparazzi take photos of you having dinner with Nathan, do you think Aiden will let you off the hook?"

Hearing Aiden Xavier’s name, Hazel looked disgusted. "What does it have to do with him? Can’t I have a normal social life?"

"That’s true, but the paparazzi..."

"It’s fine. We have a clear conscience. We’re all just colleagues. It’s perfectly normal to get together for a meal after work, isn’t it?"

Sharon was still worried. She had a bad feeling that something would happen tonight, but she couldn’t find a good reason to convince Hazel otherwise. At times, she also agreed with Hazel; it was just a normal dinner between colleagues. The more they tried to avoid it, the more it would make people overthink things.

Sharon scooted her chair back to her own desk and stayed busy until closing time. Only then did she stretch. Hazel was still hard at work beside her. Sharon tapped her on the shoulder, and Hazel looked up, puzzled.

"It’s quitting time. Nathan already sent me the location for dinner. We’ll head over as soon as you’re packed up."

*****