When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

Chapter 90: Don’t Get Involved with the Hawthornes

"Are you happy you ruined tonight?"

On the way back, Aiden Xavier asked Hazel Hawthorne, his expression unreadable. Hazel didn’t even want to speak to him. She just closed her eyes and feigned sleep, treating whatever he said as utter nonsense. She hadn’t even settled the score with him yet for dragging her to the Hawthorne family home without her consent.

"Are you mad at me?" Aiden asked coolly. "Mad that I didn’t tell you beforehand we were coming here for dinner tonight?"

"As if you didn’t know," Hazel replied coldly.

"Your father called me. He said it’s been too long since you’ve been back to see them..."

Hazel’s eyes snapped open. She scoffed, "’See them’? Who are they to me? Why should I have to see them? They’ve taken over my home and they still expect me to visit? That’s the reasoning of a bully."

A sudden thought struck her, and Hazel turned to Aiden. "What did he say to you in the study? Was he asking for money again?"

Aiden remained silent, and that was all the confirmation Hazel needed. Of course, that was it. Why else would Harrison Hawthorne have summoned them over? It was always about money, and only money. In Harrison’s eyes, what did she, his own daughter, even count for? It seemed you were only his daughter if you were useful for getting money.

’She couldn’t understand how she’d ended up with a father like that, or why her mother had ever fallen in love with such a man. Her mother’s deep love had been utterly misplaced. In the end, it was as if she had prepared a dowry for another bride. Everything the two of them had worked so hard to earn was now in someone else’s hands.’

The more Hazel thought about it, the more resentful she became. She would never let Jessica Clarke and her daughter get their hands on a single penny of what belonged to her mother. As for Harrison Hawthorne, she wanted him thrown out with nothing to his name.

"I’ve told you before, if Harrison Hawthorne asks you for money, you need to tell me. Don’t give him anything behind my back. He’s a bottomless pit. No matter how much you give him, he’ll squander it all."

"Of course, if you’re so rich you don’t know what to do with your money, then I won’t say a word." With that, Hazel folded her arms and went back to feigning sleep. She ignored whatever else Aiden said, staying silent the rest of the way home.

The moment they got home, her eyes opened. Aiden knew she’d been faking sleep the whole time simply because she didn’t want to talk to him.

the house, clearly having

much more often lately. Hazel had originally planned on trying to win him over, but

her room,

childish pique. He turned and went to the guest room. From across the adjoining balcony, he could

was just debating whether to cross over via the balcony when he saw Hazel walk over and lock the sliding

whether to laugh or cry. ’Did she really need to be so defensive

shot him a pointed look, letting him figure it

that would be enough to

whole villa belonged to Aiden. If he wanted to get into Hazel’s room, he had his ways. He found the spare key

door swung open, Hazel’s eyes widened in utter

angry about? Is it just because I took you back there without your permission, or is it because

it. It’s that you

husband and wife. Harrison couldn’t reach you, so he came to me. Isn’t

think he couldn’t reach me?" Hazel stood up, but she was still dwarfed by Aiden’s height. It was tiring to tilt her head up to speak, so she sat back down. "I don’t want you getting involved in the Hawthorne family’s affairs. Especially not without my

now on, I won’t get involved in any of the Hawthorne family’s business without your permission," Aiden said in a

at Aiden in surprise. "Are

want me involved, I won’t

a moment.

Aiden’s reluctance to refuse Harrison had something to do with her. Realizing this, she didn’t feel it was

voice stopped

the key on the nearby table and left without

sank into

been transferring the Hawthorne family assets into their names for a long time, while she was treated as if she wasn’t

nothing, he