Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain
Chapter 156: A PATTERN THAT HAZEL CREATED

Chapter 156: A PATTERN THAT HAZEL CREATED

Hazel opened her palm, playfully demanding, "Where is my wedding gift?"

"I gave you one, right? The draft for your father?"

"That’s a favor, not a gift."

"My generous favor is your wedding gift. It’s not every day I am being generous, you know."

Hazel could hardly conceal her amusement as she replied, "I didn’t realize you were so cheap, Lucian."

Hazel was in Ranon’s office, waiting for him as he was occupied with a meeting. Lucian had been waiting for her in the hope of joining their lunch so he could get a taste of her home-cooked lunch too.

Their banter continued until Valerie entered, carrying a few documents. She greeted Hazel cheerfully, but she couldn’t stay because she needed to do a few correspondences.

An unfamiliar tension filled the room as Hazel sensed a formality between Lucian and Valerie; they exchanged no words or glances.

As soon as Valerie left the room, Hazel turned to Lucian, curious. "Is there something going on between you two? I can feel the decline in the temperature."

"You are too dramatic." Lucian was deflecting her question.

Hazel decided not to pry further; after all, whatever stirred between Lucian and Valerie was not her concern.

***

Arthur had begun to grasp Hazel’s patterns and was ready to set his plan into motion. He had observed her routine of visiting Leighton Company every afternoon to bring lunch for her husband.

From the outside, it appeared that the two were enjoying a harmonious marriage, and the rumors suggesting their marriage was purely business seemed unfounded.

"I want you to pay close attention to her," Arthur instructed Lyle, entrusting him with the execution of this plan.

The familiar routine of Hazel’s visits was, in fact, a deliberate scheme on Hazel’s part, knowing full well that her father would confront her regarding River and the attack on the Leighton family.

This routine was her opening for her father to reach her.

Meanwhile, Arthur had been gathering intel on Jack Barlowe’s recent activities. He called a meeting, inviting only those he could trust completely.

Lyle, along with his brother, was one of his confidants.

"Sir, are you really going through with this?" Lyle asked, concern furrowing his brow. "I doubt Olivia will agree to this plan."

Arthur rose from his chair, fixing Lyle with a stern gaze. "You don’t need to divulge everything to her. You are smart enough to find a way to present this without revealing the whole truth."

Lying by omission was what Arthur wanted Lyle to do.

Lyle didn’t feel good about contacting Olivia, especially after their last encounter.

When Arthur ended the meeting with the people he could trust, he happened to catch a news segment reporting that Hazel had been pregnant for about five months.

This revelation implied that she was conceiving on her wedding day. The news quickly became a headline across various channels, particularly among gossip networks.

Speculation was rampant, with claims that Ranon Leighton had married Hazel Rose solely because of her pregnancy. It was irresistibly juicy gossip, prompting countless conclusions from those who were eager to find fault with Hazel.

What other reason could there be for Ranon to marry someone like Hazel if not for this? The answer seemed crystal clear, leaving no room for dispute.

Arthur felt a wave of frustration wash over him. He had never been one for gossip, but this kind of rumor threatened to derail his careful plans.

"What does this even mean?!" He growled unhappily. "I don’t need unnecessary attention on her!"

Arthur was agitated. He didn’t have time for this!

Lyle and three other men were still in the room watching the news with Arthur. Just moments before, they had finalized their plan to kidnap Hazel, but this latest development meant she would now be under the public’s scrutiny, creating more complications for them.

A spotlight for Hazel and unnecessary attention were not a good combination for their plan.

"What are you going to do now?" Lyle asked carefully, recognizing the tension in the room and knowing just how furious Arthur was.

But the latter remained silent, his eyes locked on the television screen, before reaching for his phone to make a few calls. Lyle and the others exchanged glances, hesitating to speak, fully aware that Arthur was livid.

"Tell me, who leaked the news about Hazel Leighton’s pregnancy?!" he barked.

Deep down, Arthur had a nagging feeling he knew the culprit. As the conversation progressed, his assumptions seemed to solidify.

After a few moments on the phone, he received the name he had expected. "It was Miss Aubrey, sir," the voice on the other end confirmed.

Arthur’s expression didn’t falter; he was not surprised. It had to be his daughter. Aubrey had been seething ever since Arlo attended the wedding between Hazel and Ranon, leaving her behind in the hospital.

Arthur understood her well enough to know how well she was holding grudges, despite her sweet temper.

Once Arthur confirmed the truth about the person who had leaked the information regarding Hazel’s pregnancy, he went away to confront his daughter.

Aubrey had recently become a source of constant trouble, and this kind of behavior could not be allowed to continue.

He headed to her bedroom and found her alone.

Surprised to see her father, Aubrey stood up, arms wide open to greet him. "Father, you are here! It’s been a while since you visited me. You are very busy! Seriously, I missed you!"

She was sweet, like usual, but at that moment, all Arthur could focus on was the chaos Aubrey had unleashed.

"Aubrey," he started, his voice steady yet firm, "are you the one who leaked the information about Hazel Leighton’s pregnancy?"

Aubrey blinked her eyes, a look of confusion on her face. After a moment, she admitted readily, "Yes."

She explained that ever since Hazel married into the Leighton family, people had been talking about her, speculating on her motives.

"Now, everyone will know the truth," she added, seemingly unfazed by the implications of her actions. "They were right when they said that she was pregnant before the wedding."

Arthur felt indignation swell within him. He tried to rein in his fury but struggled to keep his composure in the face of Aubrey’s innocent demeanor. "Do you have any idea what kind of mistake you have made here?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"What do you mean? I didn’t do anything wrong!" Aubrey retorted, a hint of defiance in her tone.

Filled with rage, Arthur raised his voice, which caused Aubrey to step back in surprise. "You didn’t do anything wrong!?" He shouted, his frustration boiling over.

Her actions were to spite Hazel, but Aubrey failed to know that they implicated Arthur too.

Attempting to temper his anger, Arthur lowered his voice. "Aubrey, you need to understand that this kind of behavior is not acceptable. You created a trouble."

"What do you mean I created trouble? I didn’t do anything wrong, Father. Why are you mad at me?" Aubrey’s voice trembled, nearly choking on her sobs. She hated the look on Arthur’s face right now.

He thought she was stupid and was only a burden. At least, that was how Aubrey saw it.

At that moment, Arlo entered the room, surprise flashing across his face when he saw Arthur, especially when he noticed how distraught Aubrey appeared.

Her teary eyes were a familiar sight to Arlo lately, but instead of feeling concerned for her, he remained callous.

"What happened here?" Arlo asked, and without missing a beat, Aubrey rushed towards him, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace, burying her face in his chest as she cried.

Arthur stood watching, fuming with disbelief. How could he have overlooked how foolish Aubrey was?

She was well aware of Hazel’s connections to River, which made her behavior all the more outrageous. They had been trying to navigate the situation regarding River, and now she was stirring trouble with Hazel.

What was this all for? A petty act of revenge? The very thought sent waves of anger through Arthur.

"I don’t understand. Father blames me for something that was not my mistake," Aubrey cried against Arlo. He, however, didn’t have any idea what was going on.

"Stop causing trouble!" Arthur yelled angrily. "You need to stay away from this. Don’t you dare make a move like that again! I will not be nice to you the next time you create this kind of trouble!"

Arthur had never expressed such anger toward Aubrey before. Currently, all he wanted was to find River and make things right.

His main focus was River.

Arthur’s focus had narrowed entirely onto his first daughter, while Aubrey felt crushed by the weight of his disappointment, which only deepened her distress.

On the other hand, Arlo stood by, silently offering no support as Arthur’s reprimand continued.

"Stay away from this; I don’t want to hear you meddle in this matter," Arthur said through his gritted teeth and turned his gaze to Arlo. "Keep an eye on her," he instructed, his tone sharp.

Arthur was furious with Aubrey for causing unnecessary attention to Hazel; he didn’t need that distraction at this critical moment in his plans.

Then, without another word, he left the room.

"What have you done?" His tone was even; there was no comfort or warmth. It almost felt like he asked out of curiosity.

However, Aubrey was still a wreck of emotions. She was shocked because Arthur would berate her harshly like that.

Once Aubrey calmed down enough, she told Arlo what had happened and explained how she had leaked the information to the media.