The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Liam's POV

"Time to start talking, Nathan. Where the hell is Clairemont hiding?" I demanded, my patience wearing dangerously thin after hours of this cat and mouse game.

Nathan leaned back in his chair with that infuriating smirk I wanted to wipe off his face. "I'm not an idiot, Liam. I want everything documented and signed first. Full immunity, no jail time, and my assets stay untouched."

The audacity of this man made my blood boil. "Nathan, let me make something crystal clear. First, you're in no position to make demands. Second, what assets? Everything you think belongs to you was stolen from me. And third, you don't set the terms here. You talk, and Inspector Aurora decides how much your cooperation is worth."

"Then figure it out yourselves," Nathan said, crossing his arms with that same insufferable smile.

Inspector Aurora's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Fine. Enjoy your twenty-year vacation in a concrete cell. That's assuming you get parole for good behavior. In case you missed it during your crime spree, we're talking fraud, murder, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy. You're going down for all of it, plus obstruction of justice. And I'm going to personally enjoy watching them lock you away."

He grabbed Nathan's arm and started pulling him toward the door.

"Wait! I never killed anyone or kidnapped anyone!" Nathan shouted, panic finally cracking his arrogant facade.

"But you knew about it and you're helping him escape," the detective shot back without slowing down.

"I'll talk! But I want sentence reduction," Nathan bargained desperately.

"You'll get what the law allows if you give us everything. Complete confession, Nathan. No half-truths, no games," Inspector Aurora warned.

Nathan's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Alright. Clairemont bought Joaquim Furtado's ranch about two weeks ago when he closed the deal. You probably know the place. Furtado went bankrupt and sold it to Clairemont for practically nothing."

From the corner where he'd been brooding since this interrogation started, Adrian suddenly straightened. "I know exactly where that is. Isabela and I were there last week. I had no idea it had been sold."

The moment Adrian finished speaking, Stella appeared in the doorway. Their eyes met across the room, and I watched her expression harden before she handed me a document and walked out without a word.

"Damn it," Adrian muttered, jumping up to follow her.

Damian's firm voice stopped him cold. "You already screwed up everything. This isn't the time for damage control. We need everything you know about the Furtado property right now."

"Damian, I need to explain—"

"You think she's going to listen to explanations now?" I interrupted. "Or that you'll have any chance at all if she finds out you've been holding back information? Right now, all these women care about is getting Hazel back safely and seeing Clairemont behind bars. So focus on that first, and then we'll help you fix your mess."

Adrian ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Fine. I just want to make things right with her, but you're right. What I know is straightforward. Joaquim was a high-level executive at Concisa Concretos before the company collapsed. He lost everything and never got his severance pay. Now he's selling off his assets to stay afloat and keep his wife and daughters in the lifestyle they're accustomed to. But I didn't know about the ranch sale. It's a massive property with incredible security potential."

Inspector Aurora leaned forward intently. "I need you to write down everything you remember about that place. Layout, staff, building entrances, security measures. If you can sketch a map of the grounds, even better."

"Absolutely," Adrian agreed, moving to the table where Owen had already set up paper and pens.

The anti-fraud detective stood up, clearly ready to wrap this up. "Unless our suited criminal here has more gems to share, I need to get him to the station for his official statement."

Nathan raised his hand quickly. "One more thing about Clairemont. He's got multiple fake passports. I connected him with the forger."

"Names on those passports?" the detective demanded impatiently.

"I don't know the names, just who made them," Nathan said quickly. "The guy calls himself Johnny Cool Head. He operates out of apartment 1503 in the Galileu Complex downtown. He's always there, but he's smarter than he looks."

Inspector Aurora looked skeptical. "Johnny Cool Head? Seriously?"

"He responds to everything with 'stay cool,'" Nathan explained. "Weird little guy. Average height, round glasses, curly blonde hair to his shoulders. Maybe thirty years old, always high on something. I have no idea how he produces such quality documents."

"I'll send a team there immediately," Inspector Aurora said, then turned to his colleague. "Can you put out alerts to all airports, ports, bus stations, and border crossings?"

"Already done. We're going to corner this bastard," the internal affairs detective replied with quiet efficiency.

"Perfect. Time to get our well-dressed criminal to make his official statement. If he remembers anything else useful, I'll contact you immediately," the anti-fraud detective said, snapping handcuffs on Nathan before pushing him out the door.

Inspector Aurora immediately gathered his team and began coordinating the ranch raid. When Adrian finished his detailed notes and sketches, he handed everything over to the detective, who already had officers standing by. The internal affairs detective would join the operation along with Inspector Carlos and his specialized unit.

"Liam, this is where we part ways for now. The moment I have updates, you'll know," Inspector Aurora said, shaking my hand firmly before leaving with his team to hunt down Clairemont.

As soon as the room emptied of law enforcement, I collapsed onto the sofa, completely drained. Tobias Victor said goodbye to Allen but promised to return if needed. Only Damian, Noah, Owen, Adrian, and I remained.

"I'm thinking about recruiting Thea, Chl, Felix, and Scarlett permanently," I said, deliberately needling Adrian. "Those women are an unstoppable force. Absolutely impressive."

Adrian looked up from his brooding. "Are you seriously trying to poach my best employees, Sterling?"

"Don't worry, I'll send Owen over to even things out," Damian joked.

"Hey, that hurts, boss," Owen protested with mock offense.

"You're hired too, Noah," I said, giving him a light punch on the arm.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. Working with Chloe is my personal nightmare. When she goes into boss mode, she's terrifying," Noah said with an exaggerated shudder that made us all laugh despite everything.

"Time to check on our wonderful, unstoppable, and terrifying women," Damian said, standing up. We all followed him out, ready to face whatever came next.