When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 8: The Hypocritical Hawthornes

Harrison Hawthorne was a prodigal son, completely lacking in business acumen and sense.

Back when her mother was alive, she could still help out. But ever since her mother passed away and Jessica Clarke moved into the house with her illegitimate daughter, the Hawthorne Family had made one mistake after another in their business dealings. It was safe to say that if Aiden Xavier hadn’t been pouring money in to support them, the Hawthorne Group would have gone bankrupt long ago.

When he heard that Hazel Hawthorne wanted to divorce Aiden Xavier, Harrison Hawthorne froze on the spot.

’If Hazel really divorces Aiden Xavier, wouldn’t he lose Aiden Xavier as his backer?’

’Not only that, he’d borrowed so much money from Aiden Xavier over the years. Would he have to pay it all back now?’

Harrison Hawthorne instantly flew into a rage. "What nonsense are you talking about? A divorce isn’t something you can just decide on a whim!"

Hazel found it laughable. ’Years ago, when she and her mother left the Hawthorne Family, they were destitute, unable to even afford her mother’s medicine.’

’The Hawthorne Family hadn’t spared them a single glance. It was only after she married Aiden Xavier that Harrison Hawthorne suddenly remembered he had a daughter.’

’To put it bluntly, didn’t they just want to sell her to Aiden Xavier in exchange for the Xavier Family as a backer?’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Hazel coolly retorted, "My marriage is my own business. I’ll get a divorce if I want to. What right do you have to interfere?"

"When I left the Hawthorne Family, I made it perfectly clear that I was no longer one of them. You borrowed the money, so you’re the ones who have to pay it back. Whether Aiden Xavier wants to beat you or kill you, you’ll have to bear it yourselves. It has nothing to do with me."

With that, she turned to leave, but an affected, saccharine voice came from behind her—

"Sister."

Yvette Hawthorne, dressed in a snow-white gauze dress, emerged timidly from the villa.

"Mom and Dad asked you to come back today because they wanted our family to have a reunion. Why must you say such harsh things?"

She shot a flirtatious glance at Aiden Xavier, bit her lip, a shy blush coloring her cheeks. Then, in a soft voice, she said, "If it weren’t for our Hawthorne Family, how could you possibly have married Mr. Xavier? Mr. Xavier is so good to you, how can you divorce him?"

Seeing Yvette Hawthorne, Hazel Hawthorne found the situation even more ridiculous.

’In the years since she had married Aiden Xavier, she hadn’t been blind to how Yvette Hawthorne acted in front of him.’

’It was safe to say that if she hadn’t been the one with the marriage contract with Aiden Xavier, Yvette Hawthorne would have been scrambling to become Mrs. Xavier herself.’

’Who was this "innocent little flower" act for, anyway?’

Hazel’s face was cold. "You’d better get something straight. Who’s family with you? They’re your mom and dad, not mine."

"My mother only had one daughter. So that ’sister’ you just called me..."

Hazel narrowed her eyes and retorted, "I find it disgusting."

"You..."

Yvette Hawthorne’s expression changed. She walked over to Aiden Xavier, a wronged look on her face. "Brother-in-law, I just think it’s too much for Sister to suddenly cause a scene about divorcing you. I didn’t mean anything else by it... Brother-in-law, you work so hard. As his wife, Sister should be gentle, considerate, and take good care of you. If it were me, I would definitely put my whole heart into being good to you. I wouldn’t be so willful and throw a tantrum..."

Meanwhile, Harrison Hawthorne was bowing and scraping as he promised Aiden Xavier, "Mr. Xavier, don’t you worry. Hazel will absolutely not divorce you."

Faced with this performance put on by the Hawthornes, a flicker of amusement appeared in Aiden Xavier’s deep-set eyes.

After a moment, he gave a careless smile and said, "Father-in-law, you’ve misunderstood."

"It’s my fault. I made Hazel angry today, which is why she’s threatening to divorce me out of spite."

He walked over to Hazel Hawthorne’s side, deliberately wrapped an arm around her waist, and put on the act of a ’good husband’ as he sincerely admitted his mistake. "I’m sorry, honey. Please don’t be mad at me anymore. I promise I won’t make you angry again. From now on, you’ll always come first."

*****