When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 85: A Suspicious Aiden Xavier

On the way, Hazel Hawthorne sat in the passenger seat, engrossed in her phone. The paparazzi had just exposed a new scandal about a popular actress, and she often read such news to kill time when she was bored. Just as she was getting to the good part, Aiden Xavier spoke.

"Hazel, this is the first time since we got married that we’ve gone to see Mother on our own initiative, isn’t it?"

Hearing this, Hazel calmly put down her phone. She felt like Aiden was testing her, but she had no proof. In the three years they’d been married, they had only ever visited the Hawthorne or Xavier families when their parents insisted.

Going back on their own like this was truly a first.

"Is it so strange? Even if we’re a fake couple, we still need to keep up appearances. We don’t want Mother to get suspicious." Hazel glanced at Aiden. "You know how smart she is."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Or did you think I have some other motive? Go on, tell me what you think. If you’re right, I promise I won’t deny it."

Aiden Xavier snorted. Hazel was acting too strange.

First, she brought him a cake on her own, and now she wanted to visit his mother at the family home. What was she up to? Aiden had never seen Hazel act like this. He decided not to dwell on it and focused on driving.

Aiden stopped talking to her, which Hazel was perfectly happy about. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The drive from the office to the family home took about an hour.

Fortunately, Hazel had contacted Fiona Forrest in advance. Delighted to hear they were coming, Fiona had the maids prepare a dinner with all their favorite dishes.

For Fiona Forrest, as long as she saw Aiden Xavier and Hazel Hawthorne appearing as a loving couple with a stable relationship, she could rest easy. As for Raina Lowell, she had already warned the woman. If Raina dared to make another move, Fiona would do as she promised.

And send Raina away again.

The car pulled up to the gate of the family home. Fiona Forrest, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately rushed over when she saw Hazel get out. Hazel, in turn, took Fiona’s arm, and the two chatted as they walked into the house. Left behind, a stunned Aiden Xavier stood there for a few seconds before silently following them.

Fiona Forrest genuinely liked Hazel, especially compared to Raina Lowell. Her attitude toward the two was like night and day.

Aiden Xavier sat on the side sofa, bored, flipping through a newspaper while Fiona Forrest chatted animatedly with Hazel.

The topics women discussed always gave men a headache.

Aiden’s expression only shifted slightly when Fiona mentioned Raina. "Has Aiden been seeing that Raina Lowell much lately?"

Without even glancing at Aiden, Hazel replied to Fiona, "Very rarely. Aiden’s been with me almost all the time recently."

"Hazel, don’t you go helping Aiden deceive his own mother. I know my son. That Raina woman is calculating. It won’t be easy for her to give up on Aiden so quickly, so you still need to be on your guard. Don’t let her latch onto him again."

Fiona shot a look at the silent Aiden. "Did you hear me? If you didn’t, I’ll say it again: I will absolutely not allow Raina Lowell to enter the Xavier family."

Aiden lifted his head slightly and replied in a low voice, "I know."

Only then did Fiona Forrest turn back to Hazel, satisfied. "Aren’t you two trying for a baby? How is that going? It’s been over half a month, and I haven’t heard any good news."

’Trying for a baby isn’t even on the agenda. We’ve been married for three years and haven’t even held hands. Our relationship is more chaste than a middle-school romance.’ Of course, Hazel could only complain about this internally.

Having a baby was difficult, and she and Aiden weren’t actually going to have one. But even with these thoughts, her verbal reply left Fiona very pleased. "Mom, we’ve been trying. But you can’t rush having a baby."

When Aiden Xavier heard Hazel’s words, he instantly looked up at her, only to find her looking right back at him.

In the past, Hazel had been extremely resistant whenever the topic of children came up, but today she was uncharacteristically compliant.

Hazel winked at Aiden, as if to say, ’No need to thank me for getting you out of that jam.’

"Alright, let’s not talk about that bitch anymore."

Every time Fiona Forrest mentioned Raina Lowell’s name, she described her as a "bitch." Hazel had to agree—Raina wasn’t just a bitch, she was also a master of playing the innocent victim. Hazel hated her too.

She just never said it in front of Aiden, because she knew how protective he was of Raina. Fiona was Aiden’s mother; she could curse Raina, and Aiden wouldn’t say a thing. If it were Hazel, however, Aiden would have already started an argument with her.

Looking at Aiden, who remained impassive and looked for all the world like a well-behaved little boy, Hazel couldn’t help but laugh internally.

In front of Fiona Forrest, even Aiden had no say.

After saying goodbye to Fiona Forrest, Aiden Xavier could no longer tolerate Hazel’s strange behavior all day. He was determined to find out the reason.

The atmosphere in the car was stifling. Kenport had been muggy lately; scorching sun in the morning gave way to overcast afternoons, but the rain never came. The oppressive heat made one feel irritable.

Hazel turned on the AC, which made it a little more bearable.

The phone Aiden had placed to the side had rung many times that evening, especially during dinner. Eventually, she had watched him switch it to silent mode so their cozy dinner would no longer be interrupted.

Hazel was a bit bored and wanted to start a conversation, so she spoke up. "Are you taking me home now, or are you going straight to see Raina Lowell?"

Aiden didn’t even glance at Hazel, retorting, "Who said I’m going to see Raina?"

"Didn’t Raina call you a bunch of times tonight? Isn’t she trying to get you to go see her?"

Aiden hadn’t even answered Raina’s calls. Hazel knew this but asked anyway. Aiden glanced at her. "She’s recovering from an injury right now and needs her rest. It’s not a good time to disturb her."

"Oh? I didn’t realize you were so considerate. I bet if you were there, Raina would get better even faster."

"Hazel."

Every time Aiden said her name so seriously, Hazel would freeze for a second.

"What?"

"Spit it out. What are you trying to do? If you really have nothing to say, then at least explain your bizarre behavior today." Aiden was direct, not beating around the bush at all.

Hazel immediately smiled. "Isn’t it obvious? It was to stop you from going to see Raina Lowell."

"Why?"

"How should I know why?" Hazel was all smiles, prepared to run circles around him. "You were going to keep asking until I gave you a reason, right? So, since you asked, I gave you one."

Just then, the light ahead turned red. Aiden stopped the car and stared intently at Hazel, asking, enunciating each word, "It’s that simple?"

"It is that simple." Hazel stared right back at him, meeting his gaze unflinchingly for a few seconds before pointing to the traffic light. "It’s green. Time to go."

Aiden didn’t believe her answer for a second. He knew perfectly well that even if he pressed her, Hazel wouldn’t tell him the truth.

Hazel was the kind of person who sometimes acted without rhyme or reason, purely on a whim. She was quick-witted and sharp-tongued; he couldn’t easily trick her into saying what he wanted to hear.