When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 91: A Fight Breaks Out

Chloe Lee, sitting next to them, saw them but continued speaking anyway. "So what if Hazel Hawthorne married Aiden Xavier? What does that make her? She’s just the young lady of a down-and-out family. Besides, what does the Hawthorne Family even amount to in Kenport? Can they compare to the Sterling Family?"

"What’s so great about marrying Aiden Xavier? She still has to put up with him fooling around outside. I heard he and Raina Lowell are still together. I bet Hazel Hawthorne and Aiden Xavier will be getting a divorce soon."

"I think so too. I’ve heard about Aiden Xavier and Raina Lowell before. Now that Raina is back, what is Hazel Hawthorne even supposed to be? Aiden probably wanted to divorce her ages ago. It must be Hazel who’s refusing, clinging for dear life."

"Who would be willing to let go of a meal ticket like Aiden Xavier?"

Nathan Miller held Hazel Hawthorne back again. "Don’t get into it with them. They’re just trying to suck up to Chloe Lee. You know how she throws her weight around the company. A lot of people in our department have to walk on eggshells around her."

Hazel Hawthorne had never felt so aggrieved. Nathan Miller also never expected that he would still fail to hold her back. Hazel shoved his hand away, stood up, walked directly to the next table, and dumped the rest of the food from her bowl into Chloe Lee’s.

Chloe Lee shot up in anger and tried to grab Hazel Hawthorne’s hair, but Hazel grabbed hers instead. With a sharp pull backward, Chloe winced in pain and yelled at the others, "What are you all standing around for?"

At her words, the other women instantly went for Hazel Hawthorne. It was Hazel against four of them. Nathan Miller and Aaron Shaw rushed forward to intervene but got slapped a couple of times for their trouble. A crowd of onlookers had formed a circle, but no one stepped in to help.

Fortunately, with Nathan Miller and Aaron Shaw stepping in, while Hazel Hawthorne didn’t come out ahead, Chloe Lee and her three cronies didn’t get off easy either. Chloe, in particular, had several scratches on her face from Hazel, but the women next to her didn’t dare say a word.

They only stopped when a cold, sharp voice suddenly rang out.

Even so, the moment Chloe Lee stopped, Hazel Hawthorne seized the opportunity to land a quick slap across her face, catching Chloe completely off guard.

The crowd quickly parted, clearing a path.

Julian Sterling’s expression was dark. Chloe Lee glanced at him, not daring to even breathe, because standing next to Julian was an even more formidable figure—Aiden Xavier.

Hazel Hawthorne’s hair was a mess from being pulled. She watched Aiden Xavier approach, yet she still held her head high and faced him directly. "What are you doing here?"

Aiden Xavier looked at Hazel Hawthorne’s slightly disheveled state and couldn’t help but sneer, "If I hadn’t come to see, how would I have witnessed this scene? You’ve really outdone yourself, getting into such a state."

Aiden Xavier looked at her with a hint of disdain. "You’re my wife, Aiden Xavier’s wife. Is this all you’ve got?"

’Is he here to blame me for embarrassing him?’

Just as Hazel Hawthorne was about to retort, she heard Aiden Xavier slowly ask, "Who were the ones who laid a hand on you?"

Chloe Lee was already standing behind Julian Sterling. When she suddenly heard Aiden Xavier speak, her heart leaped into her throat. She looked at Julian pleadingly. Aiden’s methods were notoriously cruel; she did not want to end up in his hands.

The fighting spirit Chloe Lee had when brawling with Hazel was gone, replaced by a little lamb hiding behind Julian Sterling.

The women who had helped Chloe Lee earlier were now scared out of their wits. They didn’t dare say a word, looking cautiously at Chloe. They had been counting on her to speak up for them, but to their surprise, Chloe remained silent.

"Who laid a hand on you just now?"

It was only then that Hazel Hawthorne gradually understood. Aiden Xavier was here to back her up. ’Well, I’ll be damned!’

Without a second thought, she pointed at Chloe Lee and the women beside her.

"Whatever they did to you, you give it right back to them now," Aiden Xavier said, looking at Hazel. "Go on. I’m right here. Let’s see who dares to help them."

That last line was just devastatingly cool.

Without another word, Hazel Hawthorne charged forward and gave each of them a beating. She felt completely and utterly satisfied.

Rubbing her knuckles, she returned to Aiden Xavier’s side. ’Aiden is so ridiculously cool when he’s got my back!’ she thought.

"Julian Sterling, don’t you think it’s time to do something about the work environment in your company?"

Everyone present recognized him as Aiden Xavier, and no one dared to speak. Julian Sterling walked up, casually draped an arm over Aiden’s shoulder, and chuckled. "Big bro, that sounds like you’re ordering me around. That’s not very nice, is it?"

"And I’m not?" Aiden Xavier was just that arrogant.

But Julian Sterling just roared with laughter. "I’ve only been abroad for a few years, and your temper hasn’t changed one bit. Still so protective, and still love ordering people around."

Julian Sterling’s way of speaking to Aiden Xavier left everyone dumbfounded.

They had expected Julian Sterling to get angry with Aiden Xavier, but instead, he was all smiles, not seeming the least bit upset.

"Ai, I can’t believe inviting you to tour the company would lead to you seeing something like this. It’s definitely our company’s fault, and I’ll be sure to sort it out. But for now, why don’t you come to my office for a bit? We can grab a meal together later."

Like a good buddy, Julian Sterling kept his arm around Aiden Xavier’s shoulder. He didn’t forget to turn and say to Hazel Hawthorne, "You should come too. It just so happens I haven’t had a proper meal with you yet. It’s all Aiden’s fault, always hiding you away and never even letting his brother here have a look."

"Cousin..." Chloe Lee called out softly to Julian Sterling.

Julian Sterling shot Chloe Lee a glare over his shoulder, and she immediately shut her mouth.

After that, Hazel Hawthorne left the cafeteria with Aiden Xavier.

She wanted to ask Julian Sterling what had happened with Sharon Winters’s firing anyway.

During the meal, Julian Sterling kept staring at Hazel Hawthorne. "So you’re Aiden Xavier’s wife. Why are you working at my company instead of his?"

Aiden Xavier placed a piece of food on Hazel Hawthorne’s plate with his chopsticks and said lightly, "I’m letting her get some experience."

"Not very friendly of you, not telling me earlier that Hazel was at my company. If you had, I would’ve arranged another position for her."

"There’s no need. I like my current job very much," Hazel Hawthorne said, giving Julian Sterling an indifferent glance.

She and Julian Sterling had met once on the second-floor rooftop of the company. At the time, she hadn’t known he was Julian Sterling, nor did she know he was on such good terms with Aiden Xavier—close enough to call each other brothers.

She also never would have guessed that Julian was the friend Aiden was always talking about.

’One seemed so sunny, the other so dark. How could two completely different people be friends?’

Hazel Hawthorne didn’t dare underestimate Julian Sterling. ’Anyone who could be friends with Aiden Xavier was definitely not a simple person.’

She ate silently off to the side. Julian Sterling talked nonstop as if he never got tired. Aiden Xavier would chime in now and then, while Hazel only spoke when she was addressed. Otherwise, she remained silent.

"By the way, how did you end up fighting with Chloe Lee and the others in the cafeteria?" Julian Sterling asked, puzzled. "My cousin is a bit spoiled, I admit, but I didn’t think she was the type to get into a public brawl."

Hazel Hawthorne put down her chopsticks, picked up a napkin, and wiped her mouth. "I started it."

She said it so matter-of-factly that Julian Sterling couldn’t help but laugh. "It seems Chloe must have really provoked you. Tell me, what started this feud between you two?"