The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Hazel's POV

I took yesterday off to clear my head. Today, I was ready to face whatever came next. I had rested, processed my emotions, and organized the chaos in my mind. Most importantly, I was prepared to confront Liam and demand answers. The silence from him felt unsettling. Not a single call or text since that scene at the reception desk.

Doubt crept in, making my chest tight with insecurity. Had he already moved on? That woman who pressed her lips against his in full view of everyone, could she be the mysterious woman he had been searching for all this time? If that were true, then Scarlett and Damian had been feeding me lies. Maybe Liam had already forgotten I existed.

The thought made my heart ache in ways I did not want to acknowledge. I needed the truth, no matter how much it might hurt.

When Owen walked through the office doors, I intercepted him immediately. He would have the answers I desperately needed.

"Looking good today, beautiful. How are you holding up?" Owen asked, his sharp eyes scanning my face for signs of distress.

"I am managing, Owen. Thank you for getting me home safely yesterday. I apologize for losing consciousness before we even arrived."

"Forget about it, Hazel. That is what friends do for each other. Besides, I enjoyed tucking you into bed," he said with that trademark smirk that always made me roll my eyes.

"I appreciate it regardless. But I need you to answer something for me."

"Shoot. What do you want to know?"

"Who is that woman?" Owen froze mid-motion, the sugar packet suspended over his coffee cup. His expression shifted to something guarded. "You should really discuss this with Liam directly."

"I know that. And I will. But right now, I am asking my friend."

"Playing dirty, are we? Fine, let us sit down." Owen guided me to the table in the middle of the break room. "That piece of work is Victoria. She was Liam's college girlfriend who cheated on him with half the campus until Damian and I forced him to see what she really was. She made Liam look like a complete fool, turned him into someone reckless and irresponsible. Caused him nothing but headaches."

"Is she the woman he has been searching for?"

"Hell no, Hazel. The woman he is looking for is completely different. Someone he met right after he dumped Victoria. Victoria is just a manipulative snake. When Liam finally caught her in the act, they broke up and she ran off to Florence with some artist she was screwing. She showed up in Fresh Foster last week out of nowhere."

"What happened in Fresh Foster?"

"Hazel, remember that you two are not together and you have been seeing Levi. I do not approve of what Liam did, and I despise that woman. But he spent one night with her. You can breathe easy though, he used protection and she is not carrying his child."

The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. Even though Owen was right about our relationship status, the betrayal cut deep.

"I am not sure that information makes me feel any better, Owen," I managed to say. "If she is here now, there has to be more to this story."

"I think you are right." Owen's expression darkened. "Liam wants nothing to do with her, but she is like a parasite that will not let go. I suspect running into us was not the coincidence she claimed it was. We are looking into it."

"Does he have feelings for her?"

"He regrets that night completely. It was one of those idiotic things men do when their ego gets bruised. And no, he does not like her. But Victoria is dangerous, and she is not some innocent like Clairemont. We need to be extremely careful when it comes to protecting you."

After chatting with Owen a bit longer, I started heading back to my office but made an impulsive decision to take a detour.

"Owen, is he in his office?" I gestured toward Liam's door, and Owen nodded. "Can I have a few minutes alone with him?" Owen grinned knowingly, and I walked toward the office, ready to start untangling this mess.

I entered without bothering to knock and found Liam on the leather couch, surrounded by scattered documents. I approached him, but he had not yet looked up from his paperwork.

"Owen, you..." Liam began speaking, and I cut him off.

"I am not Owen." I stopped directly in front of him.

"My angel!" He lifted his head from the papers, and his face lit up with that brilliant smile that always made my knees weak.

I moved closer, leaned down, and pressed my lips to his. God, how I had missed this connection! I sighed softly when I pulled back and gazed into those mesmerizing eyes.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" The question was more for myself than him. Inside me, a war raged between surrendering to his embrace and maintaining my emotional distance.

"You know I belong to you completely. And you know you belong to me. How much longer are we going to torture ourselves like this? The choice is yours, my love. But I will never stop fighting for you," he whispered against my ear before placing a soft kiss behind my earlobe, sending shivers throughout my entire body. "I will get down on my knees and beg. I will crawl across broken glass if that is what it takes to make you understand how sorry I am for being such an idiot and how deeply I regret hurting you. I love you, Hazel. I destroyed everything between us, but I want you back, and I refuse to give up."

I settled onto the coffee table, scattering his documents, and locked eyes with him. Resistance was futile. He was genuinely remorseful and suffering just as much as I was. I cupped his face in my hands and drew him closer, closing my eyes to breathe in that intoxicating scent that was uniquely his. It was magnetic, warm, and utterly seductive. Liam remained perfectly still, refusing to pressure me, letting me control every moment. That restraint was more powerful than any kiss could have been.

I pressed my lips to his, savoring their warmth and softness as our mouths connected. I traced his lips with my tongue as if tasting something exquisite. He gasped, and I took advantage of his parted lips to gently explore his mouth with my tongue. I tangled my fingers in the hair at the base of his neck and intensified our kiss. He responded with matching passion but kept his hands to himself, giving me the freedom to pull away if I chose to. But the longer I kissed him, the more certain I became that I belonged in his arms. Our tongues moved together in perfect synchronization, creating an intensely sensual rhythm. Our kiss was consuming, pouring out every emotion we felt for each other.

My body burned with desire and craved his touch, but he maintained his restraint. So while I continued kissing him, I shifted to sit sideways across his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, silently communicating that I was his and could no longer bear our separation. Only then did he finally embrace me, one hand sliding to the back of my neck as he deepened our kiss even further.

When we finally broke apart, we were both gasping for air, but I could not stop staring into his eyes. They sparkled like two violet flames. I could not survive without him anymore.

"I assume this means you have forgiven me," he said with that dazzling smile that never failed to captivate me.

"This means I cannot live without you, that I am willing to forgive you, but you still have some serious groveling ahead of you. And while I have decided to face whatever comes and return to you, you still owe me a lot of explanations."

"You are coming back to me?"

"Yes, after you properly explain everything that has been happening and end this ridiculous marriage charade. I refuse to have any more women trying to steal what belongs to me. But you are not completely forgiven yet."

"The marriage charade is finished. I will do whatever you ask," he smiled like an excited child. "What I cannot do is exist without you. I cannot bear it. I love you, Hazel!"

"I should not, but I love you too, Liam."

His phone buzzed, and he groaned in frustration. It was Allen insisting he needed to speak with him immediately and in person. While he handled the call, I slipped off his lap and returned to my desk.

I was considering texting Liam about having lunch together when Allen appeared in my office doorway.

"Allen? Is something wrong?" I studied him carefully. He looked anxious and disoriented.

"Sweetheart..." he met my eyes as if he wanted to confess something important, but then briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. "Is Damian available? I need to speak with him immediately."

"One moment, Allen. Would you like some water? You seem upset."

"No, I just need Damian."

I called Damian's extension to announce the visitor, and he instructed me to send Allen in. Allen rushed past me and shut the door firmly. Something was definitely wrong. I picked up my phone to text Liam, but Stella interrupted with paperwork that demanded my attention.

Shortly after Stella returned to her desk, Damian and Allen emerged from the office, both looking extremely troubled. They offered no explanation for their obvious distress. I found their behavior very concerning. Whatever they had discussed was clearly serious.

When I went to Stella's desk to return some documents, I spotted Liam, Owen, Allen, and Damian waiting by the elevators. Damian was giving specific instructions to security about monitoring me closely. What could possibly be happening?

"Where are they headed, Stella?" I asked as I watched them disappear into the elevator.

"No idea. They only mentioned they would not be returning today," Stella replied, sounding equally puzzled.

"How odd!" I left the papers with her and walked back to my office, my mind racing with questions that had no answers.