The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Liam's POV

When I stepped off the terrace, my mind had finally cleared. Those forty minutes alone under the open sky, wrestling with my thoughts and begging whatever higher power existed to keep my son safe, had given me the steel I needed. Walking back into my office, I immediately barked at the first person I saw.

"Any updates?"

"Nothing yet, boss," came the reply.

I needed to check on Hazel. After everything that had happened, she deserved my attention. I strode toward Damian's office, expecting to find her curled up in a chair, but the room was empty.

"Where the hell is Hazel?" My voice cut through the office chatter like a blade.

Chloe looked up from her desk, confusion creasing her features. "What do you mean? She told me she was going to spend time with you."

"Well, she's not with me. She's not in my office, and she sure as hell isn't at reception." The growl in my voice made everyone freeze. "So where is she?"

"Easy, Liam," Thea said, rising from her chair. "Maybe she went to grab coffee or hit the break room."

Within seconds, the entire office transformed into a search party. People scattered in every direction, calling Hazel's name, checking every corner and crevice of the building.

I stormed back to reception, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Stella, have you seen Hazel?"

Stella shook her head, worry etching lines around her eyes. "I'm sorry, Liam. It's been absolutely insane here today. What's happening?"

"I can't find her anywhere." The words tasted like ash in my mouth.

That's when Thea appeared, her face pale as death. "The emergency exit door is wide open."

"Fuck. No, no, no." If Hazel had gone through that exit, we were dealing with something far worse than a simple misunderstanding. I sprinted to my office, adrenaline flooding my system. "Tobias Victor, get me the security footage from that emergency exit. Now."

The screens flickered to life, showing Hazel entering the stairwell. Tobias Victor's fingers flew across the keyboard, switching between camera feeds without me having to ask. We watched her step into the elevator, her phone pressed against her ear. Someone had called her out of that building.

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Hazel walked out and disappeared through the main entrance. The external cameras caught her for a few more seconds before she vanished completely from view.

Damn you, Hazel. What have you gotten yourself into?

My composure shattered like glass hitting concrete. I couldn't form words, couldn't think straight. Tobias Victor stepped into the void my panic had created.

"Hazel left the building approximately thirty minutes ago," he announced to the room. "Someone contacted her by phone first. We're going to find her, Liam. I'm already working on tracking her cell."

Thirty minutes felt like thirty hours before Tobias Victor delivered the news that made my blood run cold. Hazel's phone had been found smashed to pieces in a garbage can five blocks from our building. When the police officers tried to claim it as evidence, Tobias Victor shut them down with an authority that brooked no argument.

"I don't give a damn about your evidence protocols. That phone contains the key to finding her. I'm keeping it, and I'm going to recover every piece of data on it."

The officer didn't even attempt to argue.

While Tobias Victor worked his technological magic, time crawled forward and my desperation grew like a living thing inside my chest. The office had fallen into a strange paralysis. Hazel's father was trying to console her mother, whose quiet sobs filled the air. Noah had his arm around Chloe, who kept muttering about how this was all her fault for not watching Hazel more carefully.

I couldn't stand seeing Chloe tear herself apart. I walked over and dropped into the chair beside her.

"Chloe, look at me. This isn't you talking. Where's our favorite chaos-causing maniac?" I managed a smile despite the terror clawing at my insides.

"It's my fault, Liam. I should never have let her wander off alone."

"Bullshit. You gave her the space she needed, which is exactly what any rational person would do. You're not to blame here." I leaned forward, catching her eyes. "You're Hazel's guardian angel. You're my son's guardian angel. You always know what's best for them. Right now, I need you to be that for me too, because I'm about to lose my mind."

"What do you need me to do?" Chloe wiped her eyes and straightened in her chair.

"I need you to be the chaos-causing maniac. Stand up and take control of this room. Be the tyrant who barks orders and keeps everyone in line. Point fingers, assign tasks, make everyone move. Can you do that for me?"

Chloe took a deep breath that seemed to fill her with renewed purpose. She stood up, and I could practically see the transformation happening.

"Consider it done. These idiots are about to learn what real productivity looks like."

"Show them who runs this place."

Chloe marched into my office with Noah and me trailing behind her, watching her metamorphosis with something approaching awe.

"Listen up, you useless excuses for professionals. I'm running this operation now, and things are about to get very intense around here. Nobody sits idle for even one second." Her voice carried across the room like a whip crack. Within minutes, she had everyone moving with purpose, searching for Hazel and my son with renewed energy.

Adrian, Noah, and Chloe's father gathered around me, all wearing expressions of impressed surprise.

"That assistant of mine is absolutely incredible," Adrian said with obvious pride, bringing the first genuine smiles we'd seen all day.

"I think I'm genuinely terrified of that girl," Allen commented as he approached with another man I didn't recognize. "Liam, I hate to add to your problems, but there's something you need to know immediately. It's not about Hazel."

"Perfect. Because this day clearly wasn't complicated enough already." I sighed and walked to my desk, picking up the phone to call Damian. "Go ahead, Allen. Let's hear it."