When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 72: Answering a Call for You

From the looks of it, Aiden Xavier was still treating Hazel Hawthorne like his personal driver. But before he could even say a word, Hazel ruthlessly shook him off. Drive him to Raina Lowell? What about her pride as his actual wife?

Even though she and Aiden Xavier were just a couple in name, she refused to let Raina Lowell get too smug. It was her own repeated compromises that had allowed Raina to become so audacious.

When Raina Lowell first came back, she was just playing innocent, but now she’d escalated to being an outright manipulator. And Hazel was no pushover.

Did they really think she was a harmless kitten just because she hadn’t shown her claws?

Hazel Hawthorne’s expression darkened as she looked at Aiden Xavier, who had grabbed her again and refused to let go. This was a public place, and she didn’t want to get into a struggle with him here. With so many diners around, regardless of whether paparazzi were present, all it would take was a couple of photos posted online to cause a massive uproar.

They had been trending online far too often lately, and Hazel Hawthorne wasn’t used to it. Paparazzi followed her everywhere she went, which had severely impacted her personal life. As far as she was concerned, she had no privacy left to speak of.

Aiden Xavier’s stubborn gaze made Hazel even more desperate to break free. "There are a lot of people here," she said. "You don’t want to cause a scene and end up trending online again tomorrow, or for Raina Lowell to find out, do you?"

Aiden Xavier remained silent, and Hazel couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

"You’re drunk and can’t drive. I can call a designated driver for you," Hazel said, trying to speak to Aiden Xavier in a calm, gentle tone.

After three years with Aiden Xavier, she knew he was the type who responded to persuasion, not pressure. If she insisted on confronting him head-on while he was drunk, the situation would only grow more tense.

As it turned out, she was right.

As Hazel’s voice softened, Aiden silently released her hand. "I don’t trust anyone else," he said in a low voice. "I’m not going to Raina Lowell’s place tonight."

Hearing this, Hazel couldn’t help but laugh. "Aiden Xavier, do you really think you’re some ancient emperor? Three wives and four concubines, visiting whichever consort you feel like gracing with your presence tonight?"

Hazel didn’t realize what was wrong with her words until after she’d said them. She just saw Aiden staring at her with an unreadable half-smile. Thinking she had something on her face, she wiped at it a few times, but his expression didn’t change.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Hazel, I don’t live at Raina Lowell’s place. I just go over to see her occasionally."

Hazel was baffled by Aiden’s smile and didn’t stop to consider the meaning behind his words. "I couldn’t care less if you live at Raina Lowell’s house or not. I’m just telling you, we aren’t heading the same way. Stop blocking me in."

Aiden chuckled but didn’t release Hazel’s hand. His message was clear: she was going home with him tonight.

"If you’re not coming with me, then who are you going with? Who are you heading the same way as?"

Hazel found Aiden’s words pointless, sarcastic, and completely bizarre. "When did I ever say I was going with someone else? I’ve been saying this whole time that I’m going home by myself!"

Aiden had been away from the private room for a while, and someone had come out to look for him. Seeing Aiden tangled up with a woman, the man assumed he’d taken a liking to her and was refusing to let her leave.

"Mr. Xavier, so this is where you were."

Aiden glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to Hazel. "Hazel, come inside and sit with me for a bit."

Hazel was utterly shocked. ’What is wrong with him?’ Not only was he refusing to let her leave, but he now wanted her to go inside, sit for a while, and then leave together.

Aware that someone else was watching, Hazel leaned close to Aiden’s ear and whispered, "What exactly are you trying to do? Just tell me."

"You’re my wife. There’s nothing wrong with me wanting you by my side."

Aiden’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was just loud enough for the man behind them to hear. The man instantly understood—Aiden had run into his wife. He decided to head back to the room. "Mr. Xavier, we’ll be waiting for you inside."

Aiden nodded and, ignoring whether Hazel was willing or not, led her into the private room.

The room was filled with a table of people. Not wanting to embarrass Aiden, Hazel had no choice but to obediently sit down beside him.

Many of the people there recognized Hazel. Since she didn’t have to entertain anyone, she acted quite naturally. If someone spoke to her, she would smile and exchange a few pleasantries. When no one was talking to her, she sat beside Aiden, looking perfectly docile.

In short, she made no effort to speak to Aiden.

Aiden didn’t seem to mind. He maintained his usual air of being in complete control. This wasn’t the first time Hazel had attended a dinner with him, and she was always quiet on such occasions.

She didn’t want to say the wrong thing; the business world was rife with intrigue, and a single misspoken word could ruin a deal.

You could say Hazel was just being cautious.

After the dinner concluded, she ended up being the one to drive Aiden away, back to their villa.

As soon as Aiden got in the car, the cabin filled with the reek of alcohol. While driving, Hazel kept subconsciously glancing at him. His eyes were closed, and she couldn’t tell if he was asleep.

In the moonlight, Aiden’s eyelashes looked exceptionally long and thick—the kind countless women would kill for. And yet, they belonged to him. Hazel found herself feeling envious, though she would never admit it.

His face truly seemed blessed by the heavens, crafted to stunning perfection. You couldn’t find a single flaw on it.

Hazel silently pulled her gaze away and focused on driving. She had only one thought now: get home as quickly as possible. She had an early flight to catch the next morning. If she hadn’t run into Aiden, she’d probably be home and in bed by now.

At that thought, she suddenly found his perfect face incredibly annoying.

Fortunately, it was late, and the roads were quiet, so Hazel was able to drive fast, speeding along the whole way. Aiden seemed to be fast asleep; his phone rang several times, but he didn’t stir.

Aiden’s phone was sitting right next to her. Each time it rang, her eyes were involuntarily drawn to it. She knew it was Raina Lowell calling.

But she had no intention of waking him.

Hazel even considered answering it for him. If Raina Lowell found out that Aiden was with her right now, she’d probably have a heart attack from pure rage.

She really, truly wanted to do it. ’Maybe being a little manipulative myself once in a while wouldn’t be so bad,’ she thought.

Having made up her mind, she decided that if Raina Lowell called one more time, she would answer without a second thought.

But a long time passed, so long that Hazel had given up on the idea, when suddenly, Raina’s call came through again.

Hazel slowed the car, steering with one hand. With the other, she picked up Aiden’s phone and toyed with it. The contact name was nothing special, just "Raina Lowell." Not even an intimate nickname. ’Looks like he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body,’ she mused.

Hazel glanced at Aiden. Seeing no signs of him waking up, she answered the call.

"Aiden, why haven’t you answered my calls all night?"

Raina’s aggrieved voice came from the other end, sounding as if Aiden had abandoned her. It made Hazel’s skin crawl. She replied nonchalantly, "Your dear Aiden is asleep. I’ll let him know you called when he wakes up."

*****