When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 67: A Marriage Like a Joke

Hazel Hawthorne never expected that her meeting with the media at the coffee shop would cause so much trouble for her at work.

When Hazel dragged her exhausted body home, she washed up, collapsed onto her bed, and fell straight to sleep. Meanwhile, her work group chat had already exploded. Sharon Winters had sent her several messages and even made countless calls, but none of it was enough to wake Hazel up.

When Hazel woke up the next day and saw her phone nearly freezing from all the notifications, she was instantly wide awake.

She opened her work group chat and saw her colleagues were all discussing the fact that she was Aiden Xavier’s wife. Both Sharon Winters and Nathan Miller had also sent her private messages.

Hazel replied to Sharon first before getting back to Nathan. "Yes, Aiden Xavier is indeed my husband. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I wasn’t intentionally trying to hide it."

Nathan replied almost immediately, but Hazel didn’t have time to deal with him.

Going to the office today was bound to be a bloodbath. How could her well-hidden identity be exposed so suddenly? The media contacts who knew Hazel were all aware of her habits; for any interview, they would blur her face as much as possible.

But in these photos, her face was clearly and unmistakably exposed for all to see.

This was most likely Raina Lowell’s doing again.

Hazel gritted her teeth at the thought of Raina. That woman was dead set against her, hell-bent on causing trouble. Even with Aiden by Raina’s side every day, she still came after her. Simply giving in wouldn’t make Raina back off.

Although Hazel had realized this long ago, Raina’s attacks always caught her off guard.

No matter what happened at the company, Hazel still had to go to work. Her ability to handle pressure wasn’t as fragile as Raina’s. So what if everyone found out about her relationship with Aiden Xavier?

’It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of my flesh. Besides, I am me, and Aiden Xavier is Aiden Xavier.’

「Sterling Group.」

From the moment Hazel stepped through the company’s main entrance, she could feel the intense, burning stares from every corner fixed on her, sizing her up from head to toe.

Hazel held her head high. She was used to the envious looks from others. After marrying Aiden Xavier, she had attracted plenty of them. Whenever she attended an event with him, the looks from the other women in the room were sharp enough to kill.

Just like any other day, Hazel took out her work ID and clocked in.

"So that’s Aiden Xavier’s wife? She seems so ordinary to me. There’s nothing particularly special about her. I don’t know why Aiden Xavier would marry her. Isn’t that like putting a flower on a pile of cow dung?"

’A flower on a pile of cow dung?’

’In everyone else’s eyes, I’m the cow dung, and Aiden Xavier is the flower.’

Hazel couldn’t help but laugh mockingly in her head.

"Before I knew she was his wife, I always assumed Aiden Xavier’s wife would be some exceptional woman. But this... all I can say is, I’m sorely disappointed."

"Maybe for Aiden Xavier, being exceptional doesn’t matter. What’s important is that she’s sensible and obedient." The woman glanced at Hazel, secretly tugged on her friend’s sleeve, and whispered, "Aiden Xavier’s tabloid scandals haven’t stopped for a moment since he got married."

Hazel cleared her throat. The elevator was only so big. Unless the two of them were communicating via ventriloquism, their conversation was impossible to miss. Thankfully, there were only the three of them in the elevator, so the situation wasn’t too awkward yet.

They were discussing her and Aiden Xavier right in front of her, clearly intending for her to hear. They hadn’t considered for a moment whether she would feel awkward.

"Pfft, everyone knows that. Aiden Xavier doesn’t like her at all. He probably only married her to spite Raina Lowell. Now that Raina’s back, have you ever seen Aiden step up and say a word in Hazel’s defense? It’s always Hazel who has to stand up for herself."

"If I were stuck with a husband like that, one who had someone else in his heart, I would have divorced him long ago. What’s the point of a marriage like that? It’s complete torture."

"You? You’d get a divorce? Don’t give me that. Aiden Xavier is handsome and rich. Even if he had a whole harem, you’d never divorce him."

The two of them giggled and laughed right in front of Hazel, completely disregarding her.

Hazel coughed twice more, but the two women remained as brazen as ever, even giving her a provocative look.

"We’re all colleagues in the same building. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to see each other in the future, so why say these things to my face? If you want to gossip, do it in private, and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear. But insisting on doing it in front of me... aren’t you just trying to be disgusting?"

"What’s with your tone?"

"Don’t you point your finger at me. I hate it when people point at me while they’re talking." Hazel bluntly grabbed the woman’s finger and squeezed slightly. A pained shriek came from the frail-looking woman.

Just then, the elevator stopped, and the doors slowly slid open.

The people standing at the elevator entrance happened to see Hazel "bullying" a colleague, and the woman’s aggrieved expression seemed to confirm it.

A crowd of people stared at Hazel with strange looks. Unfazed, Hazel pulled the woman in front of her, leaned in, and whispered in her ear, "The prerequisite for you to divorce Aiden Xavier is getting the chance to marry him in the first place. But you?"

Hazel sneered, let the woman go, shot her a disdainful glance, and turned to walk out of the elevator. After she left, the previously quiet crowd suddenly erupted into a flurry of discussion, either showing concern for the "bullied" girl or curious about what gossip had just unfolded in the elevator.

Hazel returned to her desk. Just as she expected, everyone was looking at her differently. She sighed in resignation.

She was still Hazel Hawthorne. All that had changed was the addition of one more identity. Why did that make everyone look at her in a completely different light?

Sharon Winters rushed over in a flurry. Seeing that Hazel had already arrived, she was just about to pull her aside and ask about yesterday when a mocking voice cut in.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Aiden Xavier’s wife, here to experience life among us common folk. No wonder you get special treatment right after starting. All the company leaders are paying attention to you."

"What nonsense are you talking?" Sharon stood up and shot back at Chloe Lee.

Chloe Lee shoved Sharon, pushing her back down into her chair. Pointing a finger at her nose, she said viciously, "I wasn’t looking for trouble with you, so don’t butt in where you’re not wanted. What, now that you know Hazel is Aiden Xavier’s wife, you’re trying to latch onto her?"

"You’re full of it!" Sharon was furious. She looked at Hazel and quickly explained, "Hazel, I absolutely don’t think that way. Don’t believe a word Chloe says."

Hazel held Sharon back and gave her a gentle smile. "Of course I believe you."

After a moment, Hazel slowly stood up. She was about the same height as Chloe, but her sharp gaze made Chloe feel immense pressure. She found herself subconsciously taking a step back. "Don’t think I’m scared of you just because you’re Aiden Xavier’s wife."

"So what if you’re Aiden Xavier’s wife? Isn’t he still out there fooling around with other women? You probably don’t know how in love Raina Lowell and Aiden were back in the day. Now that Raina’s back, do you really think you can keep holding on to the title of Mrs. Xavier?"

*****