When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 78: Do You Really Have to Go?

When Finn Quinn arrived at the apartment to pick up Aiden Xavier, he saw Raina Lowell standing before him, sobbing. He was too far away to hear what she was saying to Aiden. Believing a subordinate shouldn’t meddle in his boss’s affairs, he simply stood under a tree and waited quietly.

With Raina Lowell showing up at a time like this, he wondered if they would still be able to go to Freyburg.

Raina Lowell held an extraordinary place in Aiden Xavier’s heart. Seeing her sobbing like that, Finn figured she was probably trying to keep Aiden in Kenport.

Finn Quinn thought he was pretty clever for figuring it out.

He thought Aiden hadn’t seen him, but in fact, Aiden had spotted him long ago. Even from a great distance, Finn could feel Aiden’s cold, terrifying gaze. He shivered and glanced timidly in Aiden’s direction.

Aiden stared at Raina Lowell, his face impassive. Each word he spoke cut deeper than the last. "I have to go to Freyburg. If you can’t sleep tonight, binge-watch a show."

"Binge-watch a show? You’re telling me to pull an all-nighter watching a show instead of sleeping? You’d rather I lose sleep than stay here with me?" Raina’s heart ached. She knew better than anyone why Aiden was so desperate to get to Freyburg.

She had thought it all through on her way over. If Aiden stayed in Kenport for her, then Hazel Hawthorne would be unharmed. But if she couldn’t make him stay... it would prove that Hazel’s place in his heart had already surpassed her own.

’How could she allow such a threat to persist?’

"Aiden, how could you say such hurtful things? What’s so important in Freyburg that you have to rush over in the middle of the night?" Raina gripped Aiden’s hand tightly.

"What are you trying to say?" Aiden keenly sensed the implication behind her words. He shot back with a chilling tone that left Raina momentarily stunned.

After a moment, Raina said slowly, "I know Hazel Hawthorne is in Freyburg on business. You’re in such a rush to get there... you’re going to see her." She paused, then added, "Don’t lie and say it’s about work. You already took care of all that."

Raina had cleverly cut off Aiden’s next excuse. She was forcing him to admit that he was rushing to Freyburg in the middle of the night just for Hazel.

She had assumed Aiden would spare her feelings—that even if he wouldn’t stay, he wouldn’t admit the truth so blatantly. But when she heard his answer, her mind went blank, her heart feeling as if it had been torn to shreds.

"So you’re abandoning me... just to go find Hazel."

Aiden’s patience wore thin, his expression turning to one of clear annoyance. "Something happened to Hazel in Freyburg."

"What could happen? She’s on a business trip. Maybe this so-called ’something happened’ is just a trick to lure you over there. She just wants me to know that she has a place in your heart too, that you would even drop me for her."

Aiden’s expression turned grave, his deep eyes holding a look Raina couldn’t decipher. His voice was so cold it sent a chill down her spine. "Why would you think that?"

"Because Hazel has never liked me. She says she wishes us well, but deep down, she can’t wait for us to break up."

"Hazel isn’t that kind of person," Aiden stated with certainty. "She wouldn’t do something so petty."

"You’re that sure?" Raina stared at the man before her, who suddenly felt like a stranger. It wasn’t the first time he’d put his faith in Hazel. "Aiden, if you go and discover this is all just a trick, will you still trust her so blindly?"

Having wasted enough time, Aiden yanked his hand from Raina’s grasp. Seeing this from afar, Finn immediately pulled the car up in front of him.

Aiden got into the car without a backward glance. Raina stood rooted to the spot, her figure forlorn as she watched his back, watched the car until it vanished from sight.

’The car’s speeding away. Are you really that desperate to get to her side?’

’Is Hazel really that important to you?’

’Hazel Hawthorne!’

Raina ground out Hazel’s name between clenched teeth. ’Her very existence is the biggest obstacle in my way!’

***

Aiden Xavier’s private jet was parked on the rooftop of The Creston Hotel. Holly Shaw emerged from a nearby stairwell, her expression frantic. She spoke in a rush, "I’ve already called the police, but there’s still no word on Hazel."

"I know." Aiden had already dispatched all his personnel in Freyburg to find Hazel. He refused to believe she could simply vanish in the city, and he vowed to unmask whoever had taken her.

At that moment, Hazel Hawthorne woke up in a daze. Her head throbbed, making it impossible to recall what had happened. She took a careful look at her surroundings. From the decor, it was clearly a hotel room.

It seemed to be a high-end hotel. Her limbs were free. ’What could be the motive of the person who brought me here?’ she wondered. She didn’t have any enemies in Freyburg. Who would play such a sick joke, going so far as to kidnap her?

She sensed this person meant her harm, yet so far, nothing had been done to her.

There wasn’t another soul in sight. She was completely alone. Rubbing her aching head, she walked to the door and tried the handle. It was locked.

’So they mean to keep me locked in here. But why?’

Since there was no way out, she decided to sit and wait. She had to bide her time and see what happened next.

The situation couldn’t help but remind Hazel of the incident with Shawn Bennett. Then too, she had woken up in a hotel room, only to be confronted by that predator. She had almost been assaulted... if Aiden hadn’t arrived just in time.

’But now... help is too far away. Aiden’s in Kenport. How could he possibly know I’m in trouble? How could he come to Freyburg? Even if something terrible happened to me, he’d never find out. He’s probably with Raina right now, the two of them whispering sweet nothings to each other.’

Suddenly, Hazel smacked her forehead. ’I’m in danger, and I still have the mind to think about Aiden and Raina? I really haven’t learned my lesson.’

Hazel sat on the edge of the bed and, heedless of everything else, started cursing Aiden in her mind. It felt like the only way to quell the storm of anxiety, anger, and fear brewing inside her.

Just then, a sound came from the doorway. Hazel held her breath, her body tensing as she stared fixedly at the door. She scanned the room, and the only thing she could find to use as a weapon was a nearby vase.

The door creaked open.

A strange man walked in. Hazel recognized those sinister eyes. Instantly on high alert, she raised the vase she was holding, pointing it at him. "Who are you?" she demanded coldly. "What do you want, bringing me here?"

"This is a hotel. What do you think people do in hotels?" The man with the sinister eyes broke into a lecherous grin and sauntered toward her.

"Stay back! I’m not afraid to use this." A glass vase could split a person’s head open. Hazel held it high, trying to sound threatening.

The man wasn’t scared. He kept walking. "Go on, then. Smash it. You really think that’s your ticket out of here?"

"I don’t even know you. We have no quarrel. Why are you doing this? Do you want money? Or something else? I can give you whatever you want, just let me go."

"Money? I’m not here for your money. You’re so beautiful... any man would want you."