When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 84: Just Dropping By

Aiden Xavier knew Hazel Hawthorne had arrived, so he returned to his office as soon as his meeting ended. Hazel was sitting in his chair, twirling a fountain pen in one hand while the other rested casually on the desk. Her index and middle fingers tapped lightly on the surface, making a crisp sound.

An exquisitely packaged cake sat on the desk, baffling Aiden Xavier. "What are you doing here?"

"I was passing by this cake shop and remembered you have a sweet tooth, so I picked this up. I didn’t know if you’d be coming back to the villa tonight, so I figured I’d just bring it to the office. What’s wrong? Don’t like cake anymore?" Hazel Hawthorne watched Aiden Xavier, a faint smile playing on her lips. ’I’m not going to tell him I bought this especially for him.’

’Aiden’s a sharp man. If I’m too direct, he’ll guess what I’m up to. It’s better to keep him in suspense.’

"You picked it up on a whim, and then just happened to be in the neighborhood to drop it off?"

"Mhm. You said you’d be busy this weekend, and it’s not like I have anything better to do. If you don’t want it, I’ll just take it back." With that, Hazel made to stand up and leave, but Aiden’s next words stopped her.

Aiden looked at Hazel, his deep eyes still holding a profoundness she couldn’t quite decipher. Her expression remained unchanged; no matter what he said, she was confident she could handle it.

"The cake shop isn’t close to the office. Even if you bought the cake and then came here, it wouldn’t have been ’on your way,’" Aiden said coolly. "So, spill. People don’t go out of their way to be nice unless they’re up to no good."

Hazel burst out laughing. "You’re the one who overthinks everything. You assume anyone who’s even slightly nice to you must have an ulterior motive. Well, think what you will. A big reason I brought this cake was to thank you for coming all the way to Freyburg to find me."

Hazel sounded so sincere that Aiden almost believed her.

’It’s true we haven’t spent much time together under normal circumstances, but that doesn’t mean we both don’t have a few tricks up our sleeves. Hazel’s not this nice. And now that she’s certain Raina Lowell had something to do with her incident in Freyburg, she should be taking her anger out on me, if her past behavior is any indication.’

Aiden didn’t press the issue. He glanced at the cake. "Well, since you brought it all this way, we might as well eat it together."

’Perfect,’ Hazel thought. This was exactly what she wanted. The more time she spent with Aiden, the easier it would be to make him fall for her.

A sweet smile bloomed on her face as she cheerfully carried the cake to the nearby coffee table. "You know, I’ve always been curious about something. I can’t believe a guy like you actually likes desserts."

Aiden shot her a sidelong glance. ’Is there a problem with me liking desserts? Who says men can’t have a sweet tooth?’

"Of all the men I’ve met, you’re the only one who seems to love sweets," Hazel said as she handed a piece of cake to Aiden, completely oblivious to how that might sound like an insult. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

As she passed the cake to Aiden, she "accidentally" got a bit of frosting on her finger. Though there were napkins right beside her, she acted as if she hadn’t seen them. Instead, she brought the tip of her finger to her lips and licked it clean. Then she looked up, her eyes crinkling in a smile. "This cake is delicious."

Aiden stared blankly at Hazel’s unusual series of actions, then looked down at the cake in his hand and pondered for a moment. "Mm, it is pretty good," he agreed.

Aiden was sitting beside Hazel, only about half a meter away. She subtly edged closer, holding out her cake. "I got you strawberry, and I have mango. Want to try some of mine?"

Aiden turned his head, giving the cake she’d already eaten from a look of disgust. "No."

"Oh, right. I forgot you’re a germaphobe." Hazel stared longingly at the cake in Aiden’s hand. "But I think strawberry tastes way better than mango."

The implication was clear: she wanted his cake.

Aiden stared at the odd woman before him as if she were an alien. He promptly finished his strawberry cake in one bite, then asked, "What is it you want? The cake’s finished. Are you going to leave, or are you staying?"

Hazel’s smile remained radiant. "You may have finished, but I haven’t. What’s the rush? Besides, why are you always so suspicious of my motives?" She ate her cake with a nonchalant, leisurely air. "If you want me to leave, I’ll leave. But if you don’t want me to leave, then I’ll..."

Aiden’s expression flickered, a hint of unease crossing his face. "Then just leave."

"Oh? So by that logic, I can also stay if I want to?" Hazel arched an eyebrow, her eyes turning sultry. She was a strange mix of innocent and bewitching, her voice syrupy sweet—a clear sign she was not acting normally.

Aiden wasn’t so easily swayed by a pretty face. He reverted to his usual impassive expression. "Then stay."

"Great! In that case, let’s go visit Mom together later."

The moment the words were out, Aiden’s head snapped up. He had no idea what game she was playing, but he decided he would play along. "Fine. Wait for me to finish my work."

Hazel’s presence didn’t affect Aiden’s work pace in the slightest. He had always been efficient, and his expression was especially serious when he was focused.

’A man is most handsome when he’s serious.’ Hazel had always found that saying to be true.

’Aiden was already handsome, but he was even more captivating when he was focused on his work.’

She found herself unconsciously staring at Aiden in a daze. In front of him was a floor-to-ceiling window, and sunlight streamed in, unobstructed. On his desk were two potted plants that happened to block the harshest of the rays.

The light could only filter through the leaves and petals, casting dappled shadows across his face.

In that moment, Aiden looked like a gentle, refined nobleman. He had an aristocratic air that was impossible to conceal.

Some people just exude nobility, and Aiden was one of them. It wouldn’t have mattered if he were wearing ordinary clothes or even rags; nothing could diminish his charm and innate grace.

People would just say he was a nobleman fallen on hard times.

The only sounds in the quiet office were the soft RUSTLE of Aiden flipping through documents and the occasional scratch of his pen on paper. Hazel propped her chin on one hand, her gaze fixed on his face.

’A man like Aiden,’ she thought, ’is truly one of a kind.’

"Had your fill?" Aiden’s deep voice shattered Hazel’s reverie. "You’re about to start drooling."

Hearing that, Hazel subconsciously touched her chin. ’Drool? What drool?’

’He tricked me!’

But Hazel wasn’t annoyed. She just shrugged. "Well, it’s your fault for being so handsome. And you’re even more so when you’re serious. You can’t blame me for staring."

’Is she... complimenting me?’

’That’s completely unbelievable.’

Aiden put the final strokes on the document. His handwriting was strong and powerful, his signature a fluid motion. Even without looking, Hazel knew his penmanship was superb.

He closed the file, picked up his jacket and draped it over his forearm, then grabbed his phone. He rose and walked over to Hazel. "Let’s go."

Hazel immediately jumped to her feet and walked out shoulder-to-shoulder with Aiden. As the two of them left the office, a single phrase popped into Finn Quinn’s mind: ’A match made in heaven. The perfect couple.’

"You can head home for the day."

’It’s rare for me to get off work this early,’ Finn Quinn thought. ’I guess I have Hazel to thank for that.’

*****