When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 81: Who’s Sleeping on the Sofa?

If Raina Lowell had arranged for my release before Aiden Xavier came to Freyburg, she wouldn’t have been exposed, and Aiden wouldn’t have known she was the one behind it. But what good would that have done her?

Hazel Hawthorne could never figure it out. She understood why Raina would desperately try to keep Aiden Xavier in Kenport, not wanting him to come looking for her. Hazel could sympathize with that; if the man she liked ran off late at night to find another woman so far away, she would have tried to stop him too.

Unless...

But that was completely impossible. Hazel Hawthorne subconsciously glanced at Aiden Xavier out of the corner of her eye. ’Is Raina Lowell trying to test something? Is she testing me, or is she testing Aiden?’

’Testing me makes even less sense. So she must be testing Aiden. But what is she testing him for?’ Hazel felt like her head was going to explode from overthinking it.

Hazel closed her eyes, once again trying to put herself in Raina Lowell’s shoes. ’If she was testing Aiden, what exactly was she hoping to find? A man worries about a woman because... he likes her.’

Hazel’s eyes flew open. ’Does Raina Lowell think Aiden Xavier likes me?’

’No, no, no. Why would Raina think that? There’s no reason. She knows better than anyone how well Aiden treats her. A suspicion like that is completely baseless. Besides, Aiden doesn’t even like me.’

’But... if Aiden doesn’t like me, then why did he rush all the way to Freyburg in such a panic when he heard I was in trouble? He didn’t even care about Raina.’

When she saw Aiden, she had hugged him excitedly and said he was worried about her. He hadn’t denied it. He didn’t deny it even when Holly Shaw said it, either.

Hazel felt if she kept thinking about it, her head really would explode.

Seeing Hazel lost in thought, Aiden Xavier got up and went into the bathroom. After a moment, the sound of running water pulled Hazel back to reality. She stared at the closed bathroom door and muttered, "Could it be... that Aiden Xavier really does like me?"

’Right now, the most important thing isn’t whether Aiden likes me or not. It’s the fact that he’s showering here. Does that mean he’s planning to stay here tonight?’

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already three in the morning. He had rushed over from Kenport and definitely hadn’t gotten any rest on the way. Then he’d been searching for her nonstop since arriving in Freyburg. He had to be exhausted.

’If I kick him out now, wouldn’t that be heartless?’

’After all, he came all the way to Freyburg just to find me.’

Hazel was completely torn. Her debate ended when Aiden Xavier walked out wrapped only in a bath towel. A few bright, transparent water droplets still clung to his shoulders, while others dripped from the tips of his wet hair onto his toned physique.

Under the bright hotel lights, Aiden, even with just a towel around his waist, was like a masterpiece. It was impossible to look away.

Aiden noticed Hazel staring at him the moment he came out. He casually dried his hair with a towel, then ran a hand through it, sweeping it back from his forehead.

It was such a casual movement, yet he made it look incredibly handsome—not at all cheesy.

Hazel was stunned. ’He’s unreal!’ she thought.

"Wipe your drool." Aiden tossed the towel he’d just used on his hair right onto Hazel’s face.

Snapping out of her daze, Hazel angrily threw the towel aside. "You’re not actually planning on staying here, are you?"

"If I get another room now, it’ll just let Holly Shaw know our marriage is fake." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Hazel pouted. ’Who was the one who proposed this fake marriage anyway? It was clearly for his benefit, and he was the one who came to me. But now, listening to him, it’s as if I’m the one who’s more worried about people finding out.’

’Shouldn’t he be the one who’s more concerned?’

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Fine. You can sleep on the sofa."

"I came all this way for you, spent the whole night dealing with this mess, and you want me to sleep on the sofa?" Aiden scoffed. "Absurd!"

Without giving Hazel another glance, Aiden lay down on the bed. He wouldn’t even sleep on the sofa at home; why would he do it somewhere else?

He was genuinely curious about how her brain worked.

If Aiden wasn’t sleeping on the sofa, then neither was Hazel.

So, after standing by the bed for only a few seconds, her exhaustion finally won out over her reluctance. She climbed into bed, lay on the very edge with her back to Aiden, and deliberately pulled half the blanket over herself.

Unlike at home, the hotel didn’t have a spare comforter.

Under the covers, Aiden’s body heat was intense. Hazel felt inexplicably hot and had to stick one leg out for some air.

Aiden turned off the lights. The moonlight filtering through the window cast a faint glow in the room. Hazel gazed at the bright moon, her thoughts once again drifting to why Aiden had come to Freyburg. ’Did he really come because he was worried about me?’

At the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking about Raina’s motives. Was it really what she suspected? Although there was no concrete evidence pointing to Raina, Aiden’s reaction made her feel completely certain.

The man beside her soon fell into a deep sleep, his breathing steady and even, but Hazel couldn’t fall asleep at all.

The price for her sleepless night was facing Aiden the next morning with terrifying dark circles under her eyes. She had barely slept, partly because the memory of him taking an unflattering picture of her sleeping before was still vivid in her mind.

The first thing Holly Shaw said when she saw Hazel was, "How wild were you two last night? Didn’t you get any sleep?"

Aiden looked refreshed and full of energy, while Hazel looked completely exhausted, as if she’d been through an ordeal.

Hazel missed Holly’s innuendo and just yawned. "I didn’t get any sleep last night."

She had already canceled her flight. Since Aiden had come on a private jet, they would all fly back with him.

No one mentioned what had happened the previous night. On the plane, Hazel sat next to Aiden and started to catch up on her sleep. The clouds outside the window were piled in layers, like towering mountain peaks. She watched them, her thoughts drifting, until she finally fell asleep.

When she woke up, she was already home.

It was the weekend, so she didn’t have to go to the office. She snuggled into her blanket, breathing in the familiar scent, and her mood instantly brightened. She had no idea how she had gotten home or even how she’d ended up in her bed.

’They didn’t even wake me.’

Hazel got out of bed, stretched, and ambled downstairs. The maids had already prepared a lavish lunch. When they saw her looking so disheveled, they all discreetly lowered their gazes and went back to their work.

Hazel took a seat, feeling completely at ease. Nothing beat the comfort of home. She would be happy to stay in all day.

However, she had important business to attend to. She had to find out who was behind her abduction in Freyburg—and whether or not it was Raina Lowell.

After quickly finishing her lunch, Hazel considered her options. She hadn’t built up her own network of contacts during her years in Kenport, nor did she have any true confidants. She knew Sharon Winters now, but she was absolutely unwilling to drag her into this mess. If she wanted to investigate this, the best way was to hire a private investigator.

*****