### Chapter 56: At Whose Bidding?

Hazel Hawthorne returned home with a heavy heart, clutching the item Fiona Forrest had given her. She debated whether to tell Aiden Xavier. If she did, however, she worried he might suspect she was the one who had orchestrated things, leading him to believe she was deliberately trying to frame Raina Lowell.

Given how frail and delicate Raina Lowell always acted around Aiden Xavier, Hazel couldn’t believe she was actually so calculating.

After much deliberation, Hazel Hawthorne decided to wait for a more suitable opportunity to tell Aiden Xavier. It wouldn’t be too late. Besides, she was confident that Aiden would find out who had pulled the strings to expose his relationship with Raina Lowell.

Hazel Hawthorne was vexed. Knowing too many secrets wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

That evening, she called Sharon Winters, planning to go for a few drinks to lift her spirits.

"I know a lounge with a great atmosphere. Why don’t we meet there? I’ll send you the address in a minute. I’m just going to change and then I’ll head out."

Hazel Hawthorne drove to the address Sharon Winters had sent. She found herself in front of a chic, tastefully decorated lounge.

The lounge wasn’t as wild and decadent as a typical nightclub. Walking in, she spotted Sharon Winters at a window seat. Hazel unwound the silk scarf from her neck and immediately drank a glass of cold water.

Sharon Winters had been staring out the window in a daze and only snapped out of it when Hazel arrived. "You’re here faster than I expected." After a pause, she added, "I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I just ordered a few things. Do you want to take a look at the menu?"

"No need. Anything alcoholic is fine." Hazel Hawthorne set down her water glass. The spot Sharon Winters had chosen was indeed a perfect place for enjoying the view.

However, she was in no mood to enjoy the scenery.

"Did you ask me out for drinks all of a sudden because you’re in a bad mood? Isn’t Aiden home with you?" When Sharon Winters saw Hazel pick up a drink and down it in one go, she was taken aback by her intensity and quickly stopped her. "Is the rumor about Aiden and Raina Lowell true?"

"Yeah." Hazel Hawthorne hesitated, her brow deeply furrowed as she looked at Sharon Winters. "Sharon, from an outsider’s perspective, who do you think would be the one to leak the news about Aiden and Raina?"

"You want my analysis?" Sharon Winters tilted her head, thinking hard for a few seconds. "Well, from a woman’s point of view, it could be either you or Raina. This whole thing getting exposed benefits both of you."

"How so?"

"If Raina leaked it herself, she’s definitely trying to use the ensuing public outcry to destroy your relationship with Aiden. She wants you two to divorce so she can be with him. But doing it that way would be bad for her own reputation."

Hazel Hawthorne finished Sharon’s thought for her. "And if I was the one who had their relationship exposed, then Raina would be branded the homewrecker. And everyone despises the ’other woman,’ so from that angle, it’s more advantageous for me."

"Pretty much. After all, not many people knew about Aiden and Raina, so it should be easy to narrow down the list of suspects." Sharon added suddenly while nibbling on some fruit, "Don’t tell me Aiden suspects you?"

Hazel Hawthorne shook her head. They hadn’t been in contact since Aiden had left the house that morning.

But it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Aiden was surely by Raina Lowell’s side. Hazel didn’t expect him to come looking for her anyway.

"If that’s the case, why bring all this up for analysis now?"

Hazel thought about what Fiona Forrest had shown her. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke slowly. "If I told you Raina orchestrated this whole thing herself, would you believe me?"

"Of course I believe you. It’s not like I’m close to Raina. Besides, I can’t stand her. The ones who look all soft and weak are always the most vicious. They’re full of nasty tricks," Sharon said fiercely. "And on top of that, I absolutely despise homewreckers who ruin other people’s relationships."

"The only good ex is one who stays gone for good. Raina knew Aiden was married, but she still came back looking for him. It’s obvious she’s up to no good."

Hazel managed a small smile. Sharon leaned in closer, glanced around, and then asked in a hushed voice, "So Raina really did leak this herself? Is she trying to make everyone think it was you? Is she trying to frame you?"

"I can’t be sure yet," Hazel sneered.

If that was the case, Hazel Hawthorne wasn’t going to take it lying down.

"Sigh, let’s not talk about such infuriating things tonight. If that Raina Lowell dares to frame you, I’ll be the first to stand up for you." Sharon declared with a wave of her hand, "Hazel, I’m absolutely on your side."

A smile finally touched Hazel’s lips. She hadn’t smiled once since the news about Aiden and Raina broke, especially not after learning the truth behind it.

"Hazel, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you someplace fun," Sharon said, getting up to pay the bill. Hazel followed her out.

They had both been drinking, so they stood by the entrance, planning to hail a cab. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Hazel caught sight of a very familiar figure in the distance. She froze for only a few seconds before immediately sprinting in that direction.

Sharon, not understanding what was happening, chased after Hazel, shouting her name repeatedly. It was as if Hazel’s legs were powered by motors; she ran like the wind.

She could barely keep up.

Panting, she leaned against a large tree for support. Ahead, she saw Hazel arguing with a disheveled-looking man and rushed forward to help.

"It’s you! I’ve been looking for you for so long. I finally found you!" Hazel grabbed him and shoved his greasy hair off his forehead. She got a clear look at the face that had haunted her dreams several times and gritted her teeth in pure hatred.

"It’s you!" he exclaimed. Clearly, he recognized Hazel as well.

He looked at Hazel as if he’d seen a ghost, struggling desperately. But Hazel held on with a death grip. "Sharon, help me hold him down!"

Sharon rushed forward and, ignoring the man’s foul stench, grabbed a handful of his hair. The man let out a pained groan.

Together, the two of them dragged the man into a nearby alley.

The alley was deserted and silent, lit only by dim, ambient light. There was a garbage processing station nearby, and the air was filled with a choking stench that wasn’t much different from the one coming off the man himself.

Hazel picked up a stick from the ground, as thick as her thumb, and used it to pin the man against the wall. "Do you remember me?" she questioned coldly.

The man’s hand was broken and his right calf was injured. Pinned against the wall, he shivered as he stared at Hazel. "That night... someone sold you to me. If I’d known you were Aiden Xavier’s wife, I wouldn’t have dared to touch you, not even if I had ten times the nerve."

"Acting on someone’s orders?" Hazel had only intended to teach a lesson to the man who had once assaulted her. She never in a million years expected to hear something like this. She immediately crouched down, pressing the stick against the man’s crotch. "Who put you up to it?"

"A woman. I didn’t get a good look at her face at the bar that night, but I know she was very beautiful. She’s the one who told me you were a prostitute. That’s why I..."

’A very beautiful woman?’

If Hazel recalled correctly, Aiden had said he would handle this. Later, when she’d asked him about it, he’d simply said it was taken care of and that this man would never appear before her again.

’It seems Aiden still hasn’t told me everything!’*****