Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42: You Have Friends Too?
### Chapter 42: You Have Friends, Too?
Hazel Hawthorne was jolted awake by a phone call early in the morning. She answered, her eyes still squinted shut. Suddenly, they flew wide open. She sat bolt upright and asked in surprise, "You’re saying you’re coming to see me?"
"Yeah. You’ve been taking a lot of time off lately. I heard from Director Shaw that you called in sick again. Since you live alone, I’m sure you aren’t taking good care of yourself. My boyfriend happens to be away on business this weekend, so I thought I’d come over and keep you company."
Hazel Hawthorne was troubled. She didn’t really want Sharon Winters to visit, but she was also incredibly grateful for Sharon’s friendliness and concern. Through her, Hazel was learning what it felt like to have a friend.
After a long silence, Sharon Winters couldn’t help but ask again, "Hazel, is it a bad time for me to come over?"
"No, it’s not inconvenient. It’s just that I live really far away, so it’ll be a huge hassle for you." Hazel Hawthorne rubbed her eyes, hesitating. ’She lives in a luxury villa. If Sharon comes, how am I going to explain this?’
"Well, if it’s no trouble, just send me your address. I made some chicken soup for you. You’re so thin, and now you’re sick—you definitely haven’t been eating properly. I need to help you build your strength back up."
After much hesitation, Hazel Hawthorne sent the address to Sharon Winters. "Call me when you arrive. I’ll come out to meet you."
Sharon Winters was confused when she looked at the address Hazel had sent over. ’This is clearly the address of a luxury villa,’ she thought. ’Why would she be living in a place like this?’
She quickly sent a message, "Hazel, did you send the wrong location?"
"I didn’t send the wrong one. Just follow the directions from the pin. I’ll come get you when you’re here."
Taxis weren’t allowed inside, so Sharon Winters had to get out at the main gate. Hazel Hawthorne lingered in bed for a while longer before casually getting up to tidy up. To prevent Sharon from running into Aiden Xavier when she arrived, Hazel thought for a moment and decided to call him first to tell him not to come home for the next couple of days.
She absolutely did not want Sharon Winters to find out she was Aiden Xavier’s wife.
Sure enough, Hazel Hawthorne’s words only made Aiden Xavier angrier. He was already unhappy about what Raina Lowell had said the previous night. His temper hadn’t cooled, and now here was Hazel telling him not to come home. He couldn’t help but sneer. "That’s my house. I’ll come home as I please. Do I need your permission for that?"
Right now, Hazel Hawthorne needed a favor from Aiden Xavier, so even though his attitude was awful, she had to endure it. "You’re not wrong," she said. "It’s just that my friend is coming to visit me today, and I don’t want her to know that we’re married."
"If you show up unexpectedly, it’ll be really awkward for her." ’After all, Sharon really dislikes Aiden Xavier. She wouldn’t want to see him, either.’
"You have friends, too?" Aiden Xavier said coldly.
"If even someone like you can have friends, why wouldn’t I?" Hazel Hawthorne was already angry, but she was terrified Aiden Xavier would deliberately antagonize her by coming home. So, she had to try and placate him first. "Please, just do this as a favor for me."
"Why should I do you a favor? Didn’t you tell Raina Lowell you could divorce me anytime?" Aiden Xavier sneered.
Hazel Hawthorne replied without a second thought, "That was just a stalling tactic, wasn’t it? You know the power to go through with a divorce isn’t in my hands. I can’t let Raina Lowell keep pestering me. And since this is an issue between you and Raina, it’s best if you’re the one to solve it."
It must be said, Hazel Hawthorne was quick-witted. She had instantly deduced that when Raina Lowell called Aiden Xavier over last night, it must have been to discuss the divorce.
"Don’t worry, I will absolutely stay out of your business with Raina Lowell. And I already promised you that I wouldn’t divorce you anytime soon, a promise I absolutely intend to keep. So please, just do me this one favor and don’t contact me at all for the next two days."
Aiden Xavier snorted coldly. "We’ll see."
With that, Aiden Xavier hung up the phone.
A moment after hanging up on Hazel Hawthorne, Aiden Xavier’s dark expression suddenly brightened. His secretary watched, dumbfounded.
’Who knew a few simple words from Hazel Hawthorne were all it took to get Aiden Xavier back to normal?’ frёeωebɳovel.com
However, a moment later, it dawned on Aiden Xavier. He suddenly realized something: Why was Hazel Hawthorne so adamant about not letting her friend know he existed?
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「An hour later.」
When Hazel Hawthorne saw Sharon Winters get out of the car, she immediately walked over. She wasn’t used to physical intimacy, so she just offered Sharon a smile. "Sharon, you really didn’t have to come all this way to see me." freёwebnovel.com
Sharon Winters stared at the villa before them, blinking with curiosity. "You live here all by yourself?"
Hazel Hawthorne nodded. Sharon Winters stopped abruptly and stared at her, asking doubtfully, "If you live here, your family must be loaded. So why are you working as a junior employee at the Sterling Group?"
"Let’s go inside first."
Hazel Hawthorne didn’t know how to answer and decided to change the subject, knowing Sharon was easily distracted.
Once inside, Sharon Winters had a real Grandma Kettle moment, exclaiming in amazement, "Hazel, your house is so luxurious!"
"It’s alright." ’She’d lived here for three years and had gotten used to it. It no longer felt luxurious—to her, it was just a place to live.’
"Hazel, I thought you were just like me, a struggling office worker. I never imagined you were this rich!" Sharon Winters said as she looked around curiously. "I’ve only ever seen houses this luxurious on TV."
"That’s not it." Hazel Hawthorne didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "This isn’t really my home; I’m just staying here. And I’m not rich."
’Maybe I was once, but not anymore.’
’In recent years, if it weren’t for Aiden Xavier propping up the Hawthorne Family from behind the scenes, Harrison Hawthorne would have squandered the entire family fortune by now.’
"Really? To be honest, from the first time I saw you, I thought you were beautiful and had such a great aura. I was sure your family had to be rich."
"You misjudged," Hazel Hawthorne said, pouring Sharon a glass of water. "I’m actually quite poor."
"Is that so?" Looking at the extravagant villa, Sharon Winters rolled her eyes at Hazel. She leaned in close and whispered, "Just admit it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone."
"I almost forgot! I made you chicken soup. You have to drink it while it’s hot."
The chicken soup smelled wonderful. Hazel Hawthorne had tasted countless delicacies in her life, but nothing had ever tasted as delicious as this soup. She drank every last drop from the thermos.
’Ever since her mother passed away, no one had personally cooked a meal for her.’
Since Hazel had been out of the office yesterday, she casually asked about what was going on. Sharon’s mouth opened like a floodgate, words spilling out in a torrent.
"I finally figured out why Director Shaw’s secretary has been targeting you. It’s because she’s envious and jealous that you just arrived and Director Shaw already took notice of you."
Hazel Hawthorne had already suspected as much. Seeing how worked up Sharon was in her defense, Hazel didn’t interrupt and just let her continue. "She even claims you’re incompetent! Has she ever looked in a mirror? If she’s so capable, why didn’t Director Shaw take notice of *her*?!"
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