When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

Chapter 32: Who Do You Think You Are?

The waiter pushed the door open. Before Hazel Hawthorne even stepped inside, she was hit by the thick, pungent scent of perfume. The private room was dimly lit and filled with the boisterous laughter of men and women. Unused to the dim light, she squinted, her eyes scanning the room for Aiden Xavier.

By her estimate, there were at least ten women in the room, but she could only see a few men.

She saw a large group of women huddled together and instinctively assumed Aiden was in the middle of them. Just as she was about to step forward and rescue him, a flicker of movement in a distinctly quieter corner caught her eye. There was someone there.

She frowned slightly. Her intuition told her Aiden would be in the quieter spot.

So she ignored the noisy crowd and walked toward the quiet area, only to see a woman sitting on a man’s lap. The sight made her think she had walked into the wrong room, and she quickly pulled out her phone to check the message Aiden had sent.

She hadn’t.

’So this man couldn’t possibly be the Aiden I know, could he? Playing such a daring game with a woman in a bar?’

Driven by curiosity, she slowly approached. Just as she was about to tentatively call out Aiden’s name, the woman, whose back was to her, suddenly turned her head. Their eyes met. Upon seeing who it was, Hazel instantly felt that coming here was a complete joke.

"Ms. Hawthorne?" Raina Lowell’s soft voice only served to annoy Hazel more. She quickly composed herself, her expression returning to normal. Raina hadn’t expected to see Hazel here either. "Why are you here?"

Without even needing to ask, Hazel knew Raina must be sitting on Aiden’s lap. Without a second thought, she pointed a finger at the man sitting on the sofa with his eyes half-closed. "I definitely wouldn’t have come here alone. Naturally, Aiden called and begged me to come."

in disbelief, as if she had just told a massive joke. "How is that possible? Ms. Hawthorne, isn’t it more likely that you wanted to see Aiden, so

quick. A wry smile touched her lips. "Honestly, do you really

conveniently concealed the three of them. On the other side of the room, Julian Sterling, surrounded by women and having the time of his life, was completely oblivious

she remained nonchalantly seated on Aiden’s lap,

her here, she was determined not to let the trip be for nothing. So, she walked right up to Aiden, raised her hand, and delivered a

grab at Hazel’s clothes as she demanded, "Hazel Hawthorne,

going to wake him up right now and ask him whether he called me here, or if I came on my own." Hazel was not one to back

She had only come to the bar to pick Aiden up

Seeing Raina on his lap, he immediately pushed her away and staggered to

arms over her chest with an

Spotting Raina, who shouldn’t have been there, sobered him up instantly. He wasn’t entirely clear

forward and take Aiden’s arm, wanting to show Hazel how close they were. But Aiden’s

hand and the "you-shouldn’t-be-here" expression on Aiden’s face, feeling deeply

tell you to

like a spectator at a play. Raina looked utterly pitiful, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with wronged tears, as if Hazel had

and said bluntly, "Since Raina is here to pick you up, why did you have to call and insist that I come to

a double-edged sword.

the phone now seemed laughable to her. Thinking of the scene

what’s with

didn’t hold back. "Raina thought I was desperate to come find you. I explained to her that I only came because you insisted. She didn’t believe me and even questioned who I was to you. So