### Chapter 76: The Highest Form of Loneliness
Hazel Hawthorne learned a lot during her five days in Freyburg. Following Holly Shaw in particular, she finally understood why Sharon Winters idolized her.
Now, even Hazel herself found herself idolizing Holly Shaw, especially when watching her interact with clients. Holly could pinpoint exactly what they wanted and provide incisive suggestions for even their most demanding requests.
When Hazel Hawthorne ntioned Holly Shaw to Sharon Winters on WeChat, Sharon got incredibly excited, sending a flurry of ssages frantically praising her idol.
"I told you! You can learn so much just by being around Director Shaw. Hazel, I’m seriously so envious you get to go on a trip and learn from her."
"You’ll get your chance soday."
"That sounds so formal! Are you trying to show off to ?"
"Not at all! I’m just sharing my excitent with you. I really get what you were saying before."
They were heading back to Kenport tomorrow, and all their work was done. Holly Shaw had personal plans for the evening, so Hazel Hawthorne was free to spend her ti as she pleased.
She had visited Freyburg as a tourist back in her student days and vaguely recalled a delicious hot pot restaurant on Southcross Road. She had planned on inviting Holly, but since Holly was busy, she would have to go alone.
She tidied up a bit, then followed the route from mory to the hot pot place. It was just as packed as ever, with a long line of people waiting outside.
The mont Hazel appeared in the doorway, the restaurant’s owner spotted her. He eyed her with a puzzled expression for a few monts. Just as Hazel was about to turn and leave, he suddenly called out, "Miss, you look awfully familiar. Aren’t you...?"
"Hazel Hawthorne," Hazel said with a slight smile.
The owner clapped his hands in excitent. "That’s right! I knew you looked familiar. I still have to thank you for what happened back then. If it wasn’t for you, my restaurant probably would have gone out of business."
"It’s no problem. It was the least I could do."
"Are you here for hot pot? Just a mont, I’ll get you a table." The owner said enthusiastically, pulling Hazel inside.
Hazel felt a little taken aback. All she had done was a small favor for the owner; she never expected him to rember her.
Years ago, she had been eating at this very restaurant while visiting Freyburg and had witnessed a group at the next table trying to run a scam. They were trying to fra the owner by claiming there were sanitation issues. She had personally seen one of them pull a cockroach from a bag and toss it into their pot.
It was because she spoke up with the truth that the owner’s restaurant was able to stay in business.
It was a small thing, and Hazel hadn’t given it a second thought. The owner, however, had never forgotten.
The owner found her a seat by the window. "Are you in Freyburg for a vacation or for work?"
"For work. I’m leaving tomorrow, though."
"Oh, I thought you were here on vacation with your boyfriend."
"..." Hazel paused. ’I don’t have a boyfriend... and Aiden Xavier is technically my husband in the eyes of the law.’ She just smiled. The owner had other things to attend to, so she settled in to eat her hot pot alone by the window.
Of all the hot pot places she’d ever been to, this one was still the best.
Hazel stared at the steaming pot and was suddenly reminded of that saying she’d seen online: the highest form of loneliness is eating hot pot by yourself. She never thought she’d be experiencing it firsthand.
The people coming and going kept glancing her way, making Hazel feel a little self-conscious. She instinctively pulled out her phone to ssage Sharon, but when Sharon didn’t reply, she had no choice but to put it down.
Just then, Aiden Xavier’s profile picture popped up at the top of her chat list. She tapped on it. The ssage was just three simple words: "What are you doing?"
’I’m bored anyway,’ she thought. ’Chatting with Aiden Xavier isn’t a bad idea. Soone to help pass the ti... I can’t exactly say no, can I?’
"Eating hot pot," Hazel replied just as simply.
"With who?"
Staring at the two words from Aiden, Hazel could practically picture his expression. It had to be the sa look he’d given her that night he’d caught her and Nathan Miller at the hot pot restaurant—the look of a husband catching his wife cheating.
"None of your business." Hazel had no intention of answering truthfully. She didn’t want Aiden to know she was actually eating hot pot by herself.
She didn’t want him to laugh at her for not having any friends.
"With who?"
Hazel picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and dropped it into her bowl, her eyes wide as she stared at Aiden’s repeated ssage. Why was he so obsessed with who she was with? She ate a slice of potato and typed out a reply with one hand.
"Can’t I be alone?"
When he received Hazel’s reply, Aiden’s expression softened. He asked again, "Why are you eating hot pot alone? Not with Holly Shaw?"
"Holly Shaw is busy." After replying, Hazel rembered what had happened outside her room last night. She couldn’t resist adding, "Aren’t you having followed? Don’t you know my every move? How could you not know I’m eating hot pot by myself?"
Aiden Xavier didn’t reply to Hazel right away. Instead, he called Finn Quinn. The first thing out of his mouth was a sharp question, "Did the n you assigned get spotted by Hazel?"
Finn Quinn, who had been about to fall asleep, was jolted wide awake. "Mr. Xavier, there’s no way Young Madam could know." He clutched his phone nervously. When a long silence followed from Aiden’s end, he ventured quietly, "Could it be that Young Madam is just bluffing you, Mr. Xavier?"
Young Madam was smarter than people gave her credit for. It was just that Hazel always had such a placid, desireless air about her that made people overlook her.
’Is she?’ Aiden’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Then, Finn Quinn tentatively added, "Or... could it be that you, Mr. Xavier, let sothing slip in front of Young Madam that made her suspicious?"
After all, in Finn Quinn’s opinion, Mr. Xavier acted differently around Hazel. He might have given sothing away without even realizing it.
"You think I’d do sothing so stupid?" Aiden Xavier hung up angrily.
’, give sothing away in front of Hazel? What a joke.’
’Even if I did, she probably wouldn’t even notice.’
Aiden never replied to Hazel’s last ssage, and she couldn’t be bothered to care. She contentedly ate her favorite hot pot, planning to head back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, she would be back in Kenport.
Still, she had to admit that while Freyburg and Kenport weren’t far from each other, the two cities were vastly different. Freyburg was an ancient city, and many places still preserved their historic architecture. Here on Southcross Lane, the end of the alley opened up onto a completely different kind of street.
The end of the lane had long since beco a tourist spot. Hazel strolled leisurely through the quaint, historic alleyways, surrounded by people from all over. They were in groups or by themselves, occasionally speaking in dialects she couldn’t understand...
Hazel stopped abruptly and glanced back over her shoulder. She kept getting the feeling that soone was following her, but every ti she looked, she saw no one out of the ordinary. ’I’m just being paranoid,’ she told herself. ’This is a civilized place. Even if soone had bad intentions, they wouldn’t dare try anything in such a crowded area.’
Hazel kept walking, a new thought occurring to her. ’Then again, it could be Aiden’s n...’*****
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