### Chapter 82: Private Investigator

Hazel Hawthorne went to great lengths to find a private investigator who seemed reliable enough for the time being. After meeting him, she didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point about what she needed investigated.

"Ms. Hawthorne, based on the information you’ve provided, finding this person in Freyburg will certainly take some time. But I have to ask, do you have any more specific details? Right now, I can only go by your description, which makes things rather difficult."

"If you can’t do it, just say so. I won’t force you." Hazel Hawthorne wore sunglasses, deliberately hiding her face.

"No matter how great the difficulty, I can handle it. Ms. Hawthorne, you have to trust me. In all of Kenport, if there’s something I can’t do, no one else can either. Don’t you worry. I’ve written down everything you said, and I’ll head to Freyburg right now. I’ll notify you the moment I have any news."

"Alright. I’ll pay you half the fee now. Once you find the person, I’ll transfer the rest. If you do a good job, I imagine we’ll have opportunities to work together again in the future."

"HA HA HA, I love doing business with straightforward people like you, Ms. Hawthorne. Rest assured, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

Her business concluded, Hazel Hawthorne left first.

The perfectly good weekend was turning out to be rather boring. After finishing all her chores, she felt even more aimless. Lately, Harrison Hawthorne had been calling her a lot, asking her to come home for a meal. She was supposed to go last time, but she had plans with Sharon Winters, so she never made it to the Hawthorne residence.

Hazel Hawthorne knew perfectly well why Harrison Hawthorne was looking for her. The only thing that could prompt him to display a sliver of fatherly concern was money.

As Hazel Hawthorne wandered aimlessly down the street, an idea suddenly struck her. ’Since I’m bored, I might as well find something to do. My last day in Freyburg was miserable, so now that I’m back, it’s time to make someone else even more miserable than I was.’

No sooner said than done.

Hazel Hawthorne knew where Raina Lowell lived. In fact, she knew every single one of Aiden Xavier’s residences in Kenport like the back of her hand. It wasn’t that she had the ability to investigate Aiden’s movements; this was all information she had gathered from her time spent cleaning up his tabloid scandals.

Nearly every woman Aiden Xavier had been with was housed in a different property. Some of these homes were given away as parting gifts, while Aiden kept the others for himself, though he rarely stayed in them.

Hazel Hawthorne mulled it over. ’Aiden probably wouldn’t put Raina in the same place he used before.’ That left The Atrium Villa as the most likely location to house Raina Lowell.

The Atrium Villa was one of Kenport’s high-end villa complexes. According to rumors, most of the women who lived there were mistresses kept by wealthy men. As a result, security was extremely tight, and the average person couldn’t get inside.

Hazel Hawthorne had once gone to The Atrium Villa to help Aiden Xavier drive away a woman who refused to leave him alone, so she had an access card.

When she drove up to The Atrium Villa, the security guard at the gate recognized her at a glance and hurried over to greet her.

Hazel Hawthorne was always smiling and never put on airs, unlike many of the other residents who acted high and mighty and treated the guards poorly. For that reason, they all remembered her well—that, and the fact she was stunningly beautiful.

"Ms. Hawthorne, it’s been a while. Were you out of the country?"

"No, I just had some free time today and thought I’d drop by."

The guard knew that Hazel Hawthorne was Aiden Xavier’s wife, but he also knew that she preferred to be called Ms. Hawthorne over Mrs. Xavier.

Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, a maid came out to take out the trash.

The maid was a new hire by Aiden Xavier and didn’t recognize Hazel, who in turn had never seen the maid before. ’Raina Lowell sure is lucky,’ Hazel thought. ’Aiden even hired a personal maid to look after her.’

"Miss, who are you looking for?" the maid asked, clutching the trash bag and looking timidly at Hazel.

Slightly puzzled by the maid’s demeanor, Hazel offered a smile. "I’m here to see Raina Lowell."

Upon hearing Raina Lowell’s name, an uneasy look flashed across the maid’s face. She hesitated for a moment before answering, "Ms. Lowell is still resting in her room. Miss, perhaps you should come back after she’s awake."

If she wasn’t mistaken, Hazel noticed that the maid seemed distinctly frightened when she mentioned Raina Lowell’s name. ’So what if Raina isn’t awake?’ she thought. ’I’ve come all this way. There’s no way I’m leaving empty-handed.’

"It’s fine. I’m a friend of hers. I’ll just go wake her up myself."

The maid quickly dropped the trash bag to block Hazel’s path. "Ms. Lowell hates being disturbed while she’s sleeping," she whispered. "Miss, I advise you not to go in, or you’ll make her very unhappy."

’Heh,’ Hazel thought. ’I came here precisely to make Raina miserable. Her unhappiness is my joy.’

So, ignoring the maid’s protests, Hazel pushed right past her and stormed into the living room. The decor was different from the last time she’d been here; it looked like changes had been made to suit Raina Lowell’s tastes.

Hazel scanned her surroundings, taking it all in as if for the first time.

The maid trailed after her as Hazel navigated the house with practiced ease. She could tell exactly which room Raina Lowell was staying in just from the maid’s expression and movements.

When Hazel stopped in front of a particular door, the maid’s expression turned to one of pure terror. She tried desperately to block her way. "Miss, Ms. Lowell really hates being woken up! If you must see her, why don’t you wait downstairs until she wakes up?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"No, I have urgent business with her. You can go back to your work," Hazel said coolly. "Don’t worry, I’m really her friend. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see me."

The words had barely left her mouth when a loud CRASH echoed from inside the room—the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. It was followed by Raina Lowell’s furious roar, "Was the lesson I gave you too light? Didn’t I tell you never to disturb me while I’m sleeping?!"

’A lesson?’

Hazel finally understood why the maid had looked so terrified at the mention of Raina’s name. ’She must take out her frustrations on the staff often.’

At that, Hazel didn’t hesitate. She threw the door open. Raina Lowell was already out of bed, her face dark and sullen. She spun around, ready to unleash her fury, but froze when she saw Hazel grinning at her. Raina’s face paled, then flushed with anger. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"

"Is there a single one of Aiden Xavier’s properties in Kenport that I don’t know about?" Hazel sauntered in, plopped down on the sofa, and casually crossed her legs. "Long time no see. Are you surprised to see me here? You didn’t actually think I was dead, did you?"

Raina turned her fury on the maid in the doorway. "Who told you to let her in?"

The maid trembled, glancing nervously from Raina to Hazel, and stammered, "This... this lady said she was your friend. I tried to stop her, I really did, but I couldn’t."

"You useless piece of trash, get out! I’ll have Aiden fire you sooner or later. The very sight of you offends me."

The maid stood frozen, her whole body trembling, not daring to move or speak. Raina screeched again, "Are you deaf? Get out!"

Watching the scene, Hazel clicked her tongue. "So vicious and spiteful. Does Aiden know you’re like this?"

"What’s it to you? Why are you here?"

*****