When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

Chapter 84: Just Dropping By

Aiden Xavier knew Hazel Hawthorne had arrived, so he returned to his office as soon as his meeting ended. Hazel was sitting in his chair, twirling a fountain pen in one hand while the other rested casually on the desk. Her index and middle fingers tapped lightly on the surface, making a crisp sound.

An exquisitely packaged cake sat on the desk, baffling Aiden Xavier. "What are you doing here?"

"I was passing by this cake shop and remembered you have a sweet tooth, so I picked this up. I didn’t know if you’d be coming back to the villa tonight, so I figured I’d just bring it to the office. What’s wrong? Don’t like cake anymore?" Hazel Hawthorne watched Aiden Xavier, a faint smile playing on her lips. ’I’m not going to tell him I bought this especially for him.’

’Aiden’s a sharp man. If I’m too direct, he’ll guess what I’m up to. It’s better to keep him in suspense.’

"You picked it up on a whim, and then just happened to be in the neighborhood to drop it off?"

"Mhm. You said you’d be busy this weekend, and it’s not like I have anything better to do. If you don’t want it, I’ll just take it back." With that, Hazel made to stand up and leave, but Aiden’s next words stopped her.

Aiden looked at Hazel, his deep eyes still holding a profoundness she couldn’t quite decipher. Her expression remained unchanged; no matter what he said, she was confident she could handle it.

"The cake shop isn’t close to the office. Even if you bought the cake and then came here, it wouldn’t have been ’on your way,’" Aiden said coolly. "So, spill. People don’t go out of their way to be nice unless they’re up to no good."

Hazel burst out laughing. "You’re the one who overthinks everything. You assume anyone who’s even slightly nice to you must have an ulterior motive. Well, think what you will. A big reason I brought this cake was to thank you for coming all the way to Freyburg to find me."

Hazel sounded so sincere that Aiden almost believed her.

’It’s true we haven’t spent much time together under normal circumstances, but that doesn’t mean we both don’t have a few tricks up our sleeves. Hazel’s not this nice. And now that she’s certain Raina Lowell had something to do with her incident in Freyburg, she should be taking her anger out on me, if her past behavior is any indication.’

Aiden didn’t press the issue. He glanced at the cake. "Well, since you brought it all this way, we might as well eat it together."

more time she spent with Aiden, the easier it would

bloomed on her face as she cheerfully carried the cake to the nearby coffee table. "You know, I’ve always been curious about something. I can’t believe a guy like you actually likes

her a sidelong glance. ’Is there a problem with me liking desserts? Who says men can’t have

who seems to love sweets," Hazel said as she handed a piece of cake to

frosting on her finger. Though there were napkins right beside her, she acted as if she hadn’t seen them. Instead, she brought the tip of her finger to her lips and licked it clean. Then she looked up, her eyes crinkling

down at the cake in his hand and pondered for a moment. "Mm, it is

She subtly edged closer, holding out her cake. "I got you

cake she’d already eaten from a look

Hazel stared longingly at the cake in Aiden’s hand. "But I think strawberry tastes way better than

clear: she wanted

strawberry cake in one bite, then asked, "What is it

ate her cake with a nonchalant, leisurely air. "If you want me to leave, I’ll leave. But if you don’t want

a hint of unease crossing his face.

sultry.

face. He reverted to his

let’s go

she was playing, but he decided he would play along. "Fine. Wait for me to

had always been efficient,

when he’s serious.’ Hazel had always

handsome, but he was even more captivating when

herself unconsciously staring at Aiden in a daze. In front of him was a floor-to-ceiling window, and sunlight streamed in, unobstructed. On his desk were

filter through the leaves and petals, casting dappled shadows

nobleman. He had