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.

words could actually hurt him. If I say more, I’ll just put my foot in it. Better to

’He was handsome and rich, a man women adored. Among women, he was practically a legend. Why was it that after three years

Xavier is a

think every woman in the world

if marrying Aiden Xavier was some

Aiden Xavier, she might have met

might even have children, and they’d all be living

this—cleaning up his tabloid scandals and putting

and it’s not my place to question them. I just wish that in the future, if you’re going to make a decision that involves me, you could give me a heads-up instead of

ever

If you’re going to leave, wait half an hour so you don’t run into Mom on your way out. I don’t

Xavier stared at Hazel Hawthorne’s retreating figure. She held her back ramrod straight,

Once she made up her mind, she would see it through to the bitter end. It was a

a servant hovering nearby, he ordered coolly, "I’m not leaving tonight. Heat a glass of milk for Hazel Hawthorne and

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

his personal belongings, and

spilling from the crack underneath. Suddenly recalling the stubbornness in

its usual indifference. He glanced at the

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

crisp night air

the adjacent balcony again and again. For the past couple of days, images of Hazel Hawthorne had been surfacing in his mind, unbidden. When he was with Raina Lowell, her delicate, almost fragile, demeanor seemed to make him