The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Liam's POV

When Hazel and I finally collapsed onto the bed, dawn was already breaking through the windows. We had spent hours lost in each other - I worshipped every curve of her body, kissed every inch of her skin, made her mine in ways that left us both breathless. We surrendered completely to the fire that burned between us, because now I knew with absolute certainty that the same desperate love consuming me was burning in her too.

I drifted off to sleep with Hazel curled against my chest, both of us exhausted from the intensity of our connection and the pure joy of being together again. But my happiness was so overwhelming that sleep couldn't claim me for long.

When I stirred awake, however, cold reality crashed over me like ice water. My brief moment of bliss shattered instantly. I jolted upright to find the bed empty beside me, frantically scanning the room and praying she might be in the bathroom or making coffee in the kitchen. Instead, I found a folded piece of paper on my nightstand.

My hands shook as I reached for the note - she was gone again.

"Liam,

You set my soul on fire in ways I never imagined possible. Last night will be burned into my memory forever, but it was our final goodbye. I will always love you, but I cannot forgive you.

Hazel"

Stubborn woman! Hot tears stung my eyes before I could stop them. She had abandoned me once more, rejected me despite everything we had shared. The words she left behind cut through me like a blade and momentarily crushed every ounce of hope I had of earning her back.

I studied that note obsessively, reading it over and over until I was ready to surrender to complete despair. Then my gaze landed on those precious words where she admitted she would always love me. That single sentence became my lifeline. I would never stop fighting for her - I couldn't, I wouldn't know how to exist without trying, it was beyond my capability.

If she loved me, she would eventually find it in her heart to forgive me, regardless of how long it took or what torture I had to endure. I climbed out of bed and searched for my phone, finding it in the living room tossed carelessly on top of our discarded clothes by the front door.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Damian. He picked up after three rings.

"Hey there, brother. How did everything go last night?" His voice was cheerful and relaxed.

"It was absolutely perfect and she walked out without forgiving me. I need to assemble the crew, I need backup."

"Got it, you want me to round them up?"

"Yes. Gather Adrian, Owen, and Noah and meet me at the Community Guild in an hour. Can you make that happen?"

"Absolutely, brother. See you there."

I ended the call and headed for the shower to get ready for this emergency meeting with my friends. I was about to launch an all-out campaign to win Hazel's forgiveness, and they would be my army.

An hour later, I walked into the Community Guild where my friends were already seated around our usual table, waiting for me.

"I hope I didn't ruin anyone's morning plans," I said as I joined them.

"Don't worry about it, Hazel already took care of that," Noah said with an amused grin.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"She called Chl at the crack of dawn saying she needed an emergency girls' meeting. According to Chl, they were planning some lunch somewhere to rally around Hazel. I'm lost though - you two left the bar together last night," Noah said, looking puzzled.

"Chl contacted Thea too. She gave me the same story and bolted out the door. Right when I was about to break out the handcuffs..." Owen said with a distant, dreamy expression.

"We definitely don't need the intimate details of your kinky domestic life, Owen," Damian interrupted, making everyone erupt in laughter. "And you, Adrian, aren't you going to whine that Stella ditched you too?"

"Oh, I should be so fortunate," Adrian groaned. "What about you and Scarlett?"

"I managed to get her number and that's about it."

"You guys have gotten yourselves mixed up with some seriously complicated women!" Noah teased. "Let me tell you something - Liam better earn Hazel's forgiveness fast, or before we know it, even our stable relationships will be in jeopardy, Owen. These women operate like a pack, trust me!"

"That's precisely why I called this meeting - I need to develop a battle plan! Chloe is supposedly on my side, but I need more reinforcements." I spoke with the gravity of someone leading a crucial business negotiation.

"My God, Liam, you're completely clueless!" Noah said, slapping his palm against his forehead.

"What do you mean by that?" I couldn't follow his reasoning.

"You actually believe Chl is helping you?" Noah asked as if my stupidity was beyond comprehension. "She's making you dance like a puppet! And she's been reporting everything back to Hazel. Haven't you realized that everything she's had you do involves sending messages and presents to Hazel? She hasn't arranged a single face-to-face meeting between you two. Yesterday, I was the one who told Adrian our location. She's not trying to convince Hazel to forgive you - she's encouraging Hazel to make you suffer!"

"Are you kidding me! She's been manipulating me?" I was stunned.

"You better believe it! I adore my girlfriend, but she's absolutely ruthless and completely calculating when someone crosses her! And she would never betray Hazel's trust." Noah said with a knowing smile while the others were practically falling off their chairs laughing. Fantastic, I had become their entertainment. "After we left the restaurant that day, she was practically glowing, said she was going to teach you an unforgettable lesson. The first thing she did was tell Hazel everything."

"And here I thought I had someone in my corner!" I couldn't believe a girl barely out of college had outsmarted me so completely.

"You have no clue what she and Hazel put me through when she suspected I had been unfaithful. But at least she recognized that you genuinely care about Leo - that's progress." Noah shared this insight, and it truly was encouraging news.

"So what's my next move?" I asked, uncertain whether to continue playing along with Chloe's games.

"You're going to follow every single instruction she gives you, because you desperately need to grovel and because if you cross her or let her discover that you're onto her scheme, she'll tear out my tongue and eyeballs and deep-fry them in scalding oil." Noah said with complete seriousness. "But you won't limit yourself to just her assignments. I'll provide backup support, but she cannot find out about it."

"Well, then it's time to create a secondary strategy," Adrian concluded.

"I think we need to organize more group activities," Damian suggested. "That way, Liam, while you're crawling back to Hazel for forgiveness, Adrian and I might have better opportunities with our targets, and Noah and Owen can keep their women happy."

"That's brilliant," Owen agreed. "Especially since none of them will make any moves without consulting the others for advice and approval."

"Are you being serious?" Adrian stared at him in disbelief. "You're telling me we now have to deal with some kind of girlfriend committee where they'll only date us if the group gives their blessing?"

"I have a girlfriend, and Owen has a wife. You guys just have women making you lose your minds," Noah mocked us. "But that's exactly how it works. Chloe calls it female solidarity. Women protect each other. And it's going to get much worse than that."

"How could it possibly get worse?" Damian was genuinely curious.

"If one of them gets angry at one of us, all the others get furious too and will punish every single one of us," Owen explained, and seeing our bewildered expressions, he elaborated, "For example, Hazel is hurt by Liam, so all of them are mad at Liam and will punish each of us simply because we're Liam's friends."

"You two," Noah pointed at Adrian and Damian, "won't get anywhere with your pursuits until Hazel forgives this moron here," he said, gesturing toward me. "Chl and Thea will blackmail us into reporting everything you do and say, and support Hazel in whatever she wants, including kicking your teeth in, and if we don't cooperate, they'll cut us off completely, gentlemen."

"So you two are basically their informants?" Adrian couldn't believe the sophisticated network these women had established.

"Right now it's us. Next time someone messes up, it could be any of you or us," Owen confirmed. "The key is that we'll have to feed them information carefully. We don't need to reveal everything, but we need to coordinate our stories because they'll interrogate us relentlessly to get what they want, and they'll verify information with each other."

"I think I'm starting to understand," Damian rubbed his temples. "Man, running a multinational corporation is simpler than navigating female psychology."

"Yeah, my friend, this week I discovered that women are definitely a high-maintenance investment!" Adrian said with raised eyebrows.

We all burst into laughter at the shell-shocked expressions on everyone's faces. At least I was building a solid brotherhood of allies who would stand by me. That knowledge helped ease some of the weight on my chest.