When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

Chapter 26: Blessed by the Heavens

Hazel Hawthorne silently thanked Aiden Xavier a million times over. Once she had seen Fiona Forrest out, she shot a dark look at the infuriatingly present Aiden Xavier. "Aiden Xavier, what kind of game are you playing? You know damn well our marriage is fake."

The only thing she didn’t say out loud was, ’How could I possibly have a child for you?’

Aiden Xavier looked at Hazel Hawthorne indifferently, his expression blank as he explained, "I told you, the talk about having a baby was just a stopgap measure. Don’t take it to heart. Besides, if I really wanted a child, it wouldn’t be with you."

His gaze swept up and down her body, as if to say, ’Your figure does absolutely nothing for me. Even if you were standing naked in front of me, I wouldn’t feel a thing. You can rest easy.’

’What a blatant insult.’ Her stunning figure was one of Hazel Hawthorne’s best assets. A body like hers would turn heads on a runway, yet to Aiden Xavier, she was something to be cast aside like an old shoe.

"Fine, fine, fine. I hope it’s just like you said—a stopgap measure. Don’t come back in six months and actually ask me to have your baby. That would be the death of me." Hazel Hawthorne didn’t hold back. Since Aiden Xavier clearly looked down on her, why should she bother being polite?

There was no need to spare the feelings of a man like him.

The corner of Aiden Xavier’s mouth lifted into a sneer. "There are plenty of women lining up to have my children."

And it was true. If Aiden Xavier ever wanted a child, countless women would be lining up for the opportunity. Even if they couldn’t have the man himself, just bearing his child was a winning ticket. Given his immense wealth, he would never shortchange the mother of his child.

"Great. In any case, I’m not having your child, and Raina Lowell can’t give you one either. So go find some other woman to bear it, then bring the baby back for Raina to raise. I think it’s a fantastic plan—kills three birds with one stone. Plus, I can finally divorce you."

Aiden Xavier knew Hazel Hawthorne had always wanted to divorce him. If it weren’t for the Hawthorne Family, Fiona Forrest, and the marriage contract arranged by their elders, she would never have agreed to marry him in the first place.

The air seemed to freeze. Aiden Xavier fell silent, and Hazel Hawthorne realized she might have gone too far. Her lips parted, wanting to say something to ease the tension, but she couldn’t find the words.

so thick-skinned. There’s no way my words could actually hurt him. If I

that badly?" Aiden Xavier’s gaze locked onto Hazel Hawthorne. ’He was handsome and rich, a man women adored. Among women, he was practically a legend. Why was it that after three years together, she still felt nothing

is a blessing from

could finish, Hazel Hawthorne cut him off. "I’ve met narcissists, but never one on your level. Do you think every woman in the world is just waiting to

was some great prize she’d

weren’t for Aiden Xavier, she might have met her true

and they’d all

of this—cleaning up his tabloid scandals and putting on this charade for

just wish that in the future, if you’re going to make

was a tyrant. When had he ever

assume you won’t be staying here tonight. If you’re going to leave, wait half an hour so you don’t run into Mom on your way out. I don’t want to cover for you again." Hazel Hawthorne

She held her back ramrod straight, and he could feel the stubbornness radiating

stubborn person. Once she made up her mind, she would see it through to the bitter end. It was a trait that could be seen as both a

servant hovering nearby, he ordered coolly, "I’m not leaving

a wedding gift from Fiona Forrest. He rarely came here, usually staying at his apartment near the office. He only

the house stocked with his personal belongings,

spilling from the crack underneath. Suddenly recalling the stubbornness in her posture as she had

indifference. He glanced at the warm milk in the servant’s hand, gave a slight nod, and then pushed open the door to his own

balcony for a cigarette. His balcony was connected to Hazel’s, but she had installed a sliding glass door between them to carve out her

night

had been surfacing in his mind, unbidden. When he was with Raina Lowell, her delicate, almost fragile, demeanor seemed to make him think of