The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Hazel's POV

Chloe, Scarlett, and I made our way to the boutique at the upscale shopping center where Thea and Stella were waiting for us. Stella had called earlier, practically breathless with excitement about some gorgeous new dresses that had just arrived at her store. The plan was simple: try on clothes, pick out something stunning, and grab dinner together.

"Ladies! Thank God you made it!" Stella rushed toward us, her face glowing with anticipation.

"Girl, I've been counting down the minutes since you called. Those outfits you all wore last Saturday were absolutely divine!" Scarlett's voice carried that familiar spark of enthusiasm that made everything sound like an adventure.

"Stella, we're on a mission here. We need something that'll make our guys lose their minds," Thea announced with a wicked grin, sending us all into fits of laughter.

"Already ahead of you. I've pulled the most gorgeous pieces, complete with matching heels," Stella practically bounced on her toes.

A sharp voice cut through our excitement from behind the counter. "You know, Stella, it wouldn't kill you to let the rest of us help some customers too."

"Not happening, Diana," Stella's tone turned ice cold. This was the woman who'd been caught tangled up with Stella's ex-boyfriend, and the tension between them could cut glass.

"We specifically requested Stella's help, and that's exactly what we're getting," Chloe's voice carried a warning that made Diana take a step back.

We settled into the plush seating area as Stella wheeled over a rack bursting with incredible dresses and a cart loaded with shoe boxes. She'd already sorted everything by our sizes and personal styles. The girl had an uncanny ability to pick the perfect look for each person.

We each grabbed our selections and disappeared into the fitting rooms. But when we emerged, ready to show off our choices, we found five very familiar male figures lounging in the chairs like they owned the place.

The girls and I exchanged confused glances. What were they doing here? We were about to march over and demand answers when I noticed Diana practically draping herself over Adrian, while the other sales associates circled the guys like predators.

Stella's eyes blazed with fury, but her employee status kept her hands tied. Chloe, however, had no such restrictions. She strutted straight to Noah and settled onto his lap with theatrical grace.

"Well hello there, gorgeous. Did you come here just to surprise me?" Her voice dripped honey, and Noah's face lit up like Christmas morning.

Scarlett, Thea, and I quickly followed suit, claiming our respective men who seemed more than pleased with the attention. The sales associates shot us looks of pure venom before retreating, and I had to resist the urge to march over and give them a piece of my mind. But Diana wasn't giving up so easily, still pawing at Adrian.

"Looks like you're the only available one here, handsome. Maybe we could grab a drink later and see where things go." Her voice had that whiny, desperate quality that made my skin crawl.

"What gave you the impression I was available?" Adrian stood up smoothly, crossing to Stella and pulling her against him. The kiss he gave her was slow, deliberate, and left no room for interpretation.

"Now why don't you go find someone else to bother, you pathetic excuse for a woman," Chloe snarled at Diana, who stormed off with murder in her eyes. "And you five. Start talking. What's this little surprise visit about?"

"Looks like Adrian's thinking about opening a location here at the mall. He's been showing up here every single day," Stella explained, though her smile suggested she didn't mind the attention.

"My beautiful goddess, that's actually not a terrible idea. Then I could spend every moment admiring you," Adrian's grin was absolutely shameless.

"You still haven't answered our question. Why are you here?" Thea pressed, clearly not buying their innocent act.

"Adrian mentioned this fantastic restaurant in the mall, so we figured we'd meet up and discuss some business," Liam offered, though his explanation sounded rehearsed.

"Speak for yourself, brother. I came here for one reason, and that's to see my gorgeous redhead," Damian tightened his arms around Scarlett.

"I keep telling you, I'm not yours, sweetheart," Scarlett protested, but there was no real conviction behind it.

"Just admit you belong to me, Copper. Put me out of this misery," Damian's voice carried that pleading tone that never failed to amuse us.

"Doesn't matter why we're here now, ladies. Get up and model those incredible dresses my goddess picked out for you," Adrian commanded with absolutely no shame whatsoever.

We spent the next hour and a half in an extended fashion show, trying on dress after dress with matching shoes. When we finished our selections, we deliberately kept our final choices secret. Stella gathered everything and headed for the register, but Adrian pulled us aside before we could follow.

"Pick out some dresses and shoes for my goddess. I know you each chose three pieces, so select three for her as well. You know her taste better than anyone, and I trust your judgment completely," Adrian's voice carried an urgency that was oddly endearing.

"You're in luck. She already set aside her favorites earlier. I'll grab them for you," Chloe told him before disappearing to retrieve the hidden selections.

At the register, we discovered the store owner deep in animated conversation with our guys. She was a warm, grandmotherly type who clearly approved of what she was seeing. To our shock, they'd already paid for every single item and stood holding multiple shopping bags.

We protested loudly, but they shut down our objections immediately. Adrian handed Stella's dresses to the store owner, who gave him a knowing wink before wrapping them in elegant tissue paper. The other sales associates watched with barely concealed jealousy burning in their eyes.

"Stella, darling, you've made an absolutely wonderful sale today. Why don't you take the rest of your shift off? Go enjoy dinner with your boyfriend and these lovely friends of yours," the store owner said warmly, practically beaming at the young couple.