The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Liam's POV

The week had drained me completely. Noah still couldn't arrange a meeting with his uncle, the physician, who remained stuck at some medical conference in Austin until next week.

Saturday arrived with our scheduled audit meeting. Allen promised he had news. Nearly everyone had gathered at my penthouse, including Hazel, though we were still waiting on Allen and Evelyn. Besides Hazel and myself, Damian and Owen were there, along with the hacker Tobias Victor and two additional specialists from Allen's investigative team.

"Hazel, I appreciate you being here." I moved toward her as she settled onto the leather couch. She wore a stunning floral maxi dress that flowed around her like water, but something seemed off. "I know you've been tracking the audit updates, but with everything coming to a head, we needed you present."

"Of course, Liam. I want to see these criminals finally exposed and destroyed." Her smile held no warmth, only determination tinged with something that looked like pain.

"Hazel, what's wrong? You look awful." The words came out harsher than I intended, but genuine concern drove them. Whatever was bothering her went beyond the stress of our situation. This looked physical.

"My stomach is killing me. I think I ate something that disagreed with me earlier." She pressed a hand to her abdomen, her face tightening with discomfort that made my chest clench with worry.

"George can make you some tea." I called out, and George appeared almost instantly, disappearing into the kitchen before returning with an elegant tray holding a delicate cup and matching teapot.

"Miss, this blend works wonders for stomach troubles," George said as he poured the steaming liquid. "You young people survive on processed garbage and never slow down. No wonder your bodies rebel."

"George, you're absolutely right." Hazel managed a genuine smile for the first time since arriving. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"My pleasure, miss." George retreated just as the doorbell chimed.

Evelyn and Allen entered together, their fingers intertwined in a way that made every conversation in the room halt. The grins on both their faces could have powered the entire building.

"What's the matter? Do I really look that good?" Allen's joke broke the silence.

"Allen, when Evelyn's with you, you definitely command attention," Damian observed with mock seriousness. "Maybe she should be your permanent accessory."

"That's exactly the plan, kid. Exactly the plan." Allen's response carried weight that suggested this wasn't casual banter.

After the usual round of greetings, curiosity got the better of me.

"Are you two going to announce what's obviously happening here?"

"Liam, mind your own business!" Hazel's elbow found my ribs, though her tone held more amusement than real irritation.

"He's just asking what we're all dying to know, Hazel, including you!" Owen jumped to my defense immediately.

"Who says I don't already know?" Hazel's smile held secrets that made her eyes sparkle despite her earlier discomfort.

"Now you both need to start talking. What does she know that we don't?" I pressed, shifting my attention between Evelyn and Allen.

"They know because they helped me prepare yesterday and gave me advice," Evelyn explained with obvious affection.

"They? The entire inner circle knows?" Damian's voice carried mock betrayal. "And here you claim to think of us as your children, Liam!"

"Stop being such a baby, Damian!" Evelyn's scolding held maternal warmth. "Allen and I had dinner last night and decided to stop wasting time. Yes, we're officially together now."

Applause and whistles erupted throughout the room. We all stood to offer congratulations, embracing them both. Allen had carried a torch for Evelyn for nearly three decades, but in their youth, his marriage to a woman who made Clairemont look reasonable had trapped him. The woman had refused divorce on principle. Emmanuel, I was walking the exact same path.

"Alright, now that the ladies have finished their romantic gossiping, can we actually accomplish something?" Allen rubbed his palms together, his teasing tone making everyone laugh.

When the meeting officially began, Allen unveiled the week's discoveries. They had identified five directors participating in the systematic fraud, including Clairemont and that snake Nathan from accounting. The commercial director, operations director, and administrative director were all involved. These positions represented the company's strategic core, held by employees with thirty-plus years of tenure. Beyond the directors, each department had three or four additional employees taking cuts of the diverted funds. One had made a critical error, giving us our opening. We would approach him as our weak link, offering a deal that kept him out of prison in exchange for cooperation.

The amount of money Allen's team had uncovered being stolen from the company staggered me. It represented a genuine fortune. Allen also provided a comprehensive list of clients being manipulated into leaving us for another company. This competing business was registered under fake names that Allen had traced back to Clairemont. He was still waiting for evidence from his hired investigators, but they had already confirmed these fake identities reported directly to Clairemont.

We spent the following hour dissecting the report, clarifying details, and strategizing our next moves to secure everything we needed.

"Fortunately, they ceased operations approximately two months ago," Allen informed me. "I still can't determine why they stopped, but they did. Nothing is currently being diverted. No suspicious operations are occurring."

"Thank God for that! At least something's going our way," I said, exhaustion making me drag both hands down my face.

"That concludes our audit discussion, but now I need to address your parents' accident," Allen said, his tone shifting to something darker that made me look up sharply.