When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 77: One Thing After Another

The hazy moonlight spilled over the brilliantly lit city from the dim night sky. Shadows of trees swayed like phantoms, and a gentle breeze added an eerie touch to the scene.

That strange feeling still clung to Hazel Hawthorne. She couldn’t shake the premonition of danger lurking in the darkness. She didn’t dare walk where there were fewer people, but even so, she felt danger closing in from all sides.

Hazel couldn’t help but quicken her pace. She hailed an empty taxi that was driving by. ’Getting back to the hotel might make me feel a little safer,’ she thought.

"The Creston Hotel."

Sitting in the back seat, Hazel texted Sharon Winters on WeChat, describing what she was feeling. "I really think someone was following me. It didn’t feel like protection—it felt like danger."

"Hazel, you’re definitely overthinking it. The streets are packed with people, why would anyone be following you? I think you probably haven’t been resting well lately. Are you hallucinating?"

’Hallucinating?’

Hazel didn’t think it was a hallucination. When she had stopped, she’d vaguely seen a figure quickly duck to the side. Although she couldn’t be sure, she trusted her instincts. It was better to be careful. This wasn’t Kenport, after all.

She was a stranger in a strange land here. If something happened, no one could save her.

"Hazel, don’t worry about it. You’ll feel better once you get to the hotel, really. I still think what you’re saying sounds a bit out there, but it’s always good to be cautious. A girl shouldn’t be walking around outside alone at night anyway."

Hazel couldn’t help but sigh. ’Could it really be my imagination?’

’Whatever. I’ll be at the hotel soon anyway.’

She glanced at the buildings outside the window. They were very different from the route she was familiar with. She couldn’t help but ask the driver suspiciously, "Driver, what road is this? I’m going to The Creston Hotel."

"There was an accident on Corvo Road, so it’s all backed up. This is the only way." The driver’s voice was deep and low, making Hazel feel an inexplicable sense of panic. The fear she had felt earlier washed over her once again.

She glanced at the driver in the rearview mirror.

The driver was wearing glasses. Just as she was studying him, he happened to look up. Their eyes seemed to meet in the rearview mirror, and in that instant, goosebumps broke out on Hazel’s arms.

She suddenly said, "Sir, please pull over here. My friend is coming to pick me up."

The corners of the driver’s mouth lifted slightly. Seeing that eerie smile in the rearview mirror, the hairs on Hazel’s body stood on end. The driver didn’t stop; instead, he accelerated, and the surroundings became even more unfamiliar to Hazel.

She was terrified but forced herself to stay calm. She tried to speak to the driver evenly, "Sir, please just stop here. My friend is coming to get me. I’ll still pay you the full fare, so you won’t have made the trip for nothing."

The driver ignored her as if he hadn’t heard a word.

He just kept driving, heading toward a place that grew more and more unfamiliar to Hazel. She knew that wherever they were going, it definitely wasn’t her destination.

She tried to open the car door. ’I don’t know anyone in Freyburg, let alone have any enemies here.’ The door was locked. Just as she was about to roll down the window, the car screeched to a halt. Caught off guard, Hazel was thrown forward.

Her head slammed hard into the back of the passenger seat. A wave of dizziness made her consciousness fade. She gripped the armrests, fighting through a splitting headache. The car door beside her was flung open, and a person in a mask dragged her out. She wanted to struggle, but she had no strength.

"Who... who are you..."

The masked person said nothing. They produced a club from somewhere and struck Hazel hard on the head. Before she could finish her sentence, she plunged into darkness.

-------------------------------------

「Kenport.」

While Hazel Hawthorne was on her business trip in Freyburg, Aiden Xavier had neither gone to see Raina Lowell nor returned to his villa. Instead, he was staying at his apartment near the office. He was still thinking about how to reply to Hazel’s message when Raina’s call suddenly came in.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "What’s wrong?"

"It looks like there’s going to be a big storm tonight. I’m a little scared to be home alone. Can you come keep me company, please, Aiden?"

"I’m already at my apartment. Just be good and stay home. If you’re scared, sleep with the lights on."

"But I’ve been afraid of thunderstorms since I was a child. You know I can’t sleep at all when there’s thunder and lightning if no one is with me. Please come over and keep me company, Aiden," Raina whined coaxingly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Tonight..."

Before he could finish, Aiden Xavier pulled the phone away from his ear and saw a call coming in from Holly Shaw. "Raina, I need to take this call. I’ll call you back."

Aiden hung up on Raina without hesitation. Before he could even speak, Holly’s anxious voice came through the line. "Aiden Xavier, I think Hazel is missing."

"I’ve called Hazel many times, but I can’t get through."

Aiden shot up from his chair, his expression grim. He asked in a low, serious voice, "What do you mean, Hazel is missing?"

"Yeah, I got back a little after nine tonight, and Hazel wasn’t here. She still isn’t back, and her phone is unreachable."

"Does Hazel have any friends in Freyburg? If you know any, contact them and see if she’s with them."

"Hold on."

With Hazel suddenly unreachable, Aiden stared at the last message she had sent him: a single letter, "J." The timestamp was 9:15 PM. He had been in the shower at the time.

Just a moment ago, he had been wondering why Hazel would send him such a strange message.

Aiden knew Hazel had traveled to Freyburg before, but he’d never heard her mention having any friends there. Besides, given Hazel’s reserved personality, it was unlikely she would have made friends in Freyburg. He could completely rule out the possibility that she was with friends.

And even if she were with friends, her phone wouldn’t be unreachable.

’If not friends, then enemies?’

Hazel hadn’t made any enemies in Kenport, let alone in Freyburg, where she was a stranger. It was impossible for her to have made enemies there.

’Then could it be one of my business rivals making a move on Hazel in Freyburg?’

Aiden knew he had plenty of enemies in business. Many wanted to take him down but lacked the power to do so directly. It wasn’t out of the question that they would resort to targeting Hazel instead. On top of that, the people he’d assigned to protect her secretly had also lost track of her.

With this thought, Aiden couldn’t just sit in Kenport and wait for news.

Freyburg and Kenport weren’t far apart, but even by plane, the trip would take over an hour. Finn Quinn checked the recent flights; the earliest one was at 6:20 tomorrow morning.

"That won’t work."

Finn Quinn wiped the sweat from his forehead. ’Tonight is going to be a sleepless night,’ he thought. "Mr. Xavier, we’ve already dispatched people in Freyburg to search for the Young Madam’s whereabouts."

"Send out every man we have in Freyburg. If you can’t find Hazel, you’re all fired," Aiden Xavier said coldly. "Arrange a private plane for me right now. I need to get to Freyburg in the shortest time possible."

For some reason, the image of Hazel being led away at the bar that last time suddenly flashed in Aiden’s mind. His heart clenched. ’That woman is so foolish. Has she not learned her lesson? Did she trust a stranger again?’

*****