The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Hazel's POV

The karaoke bar buzzed with electric energy when we arrived. Bodies pressed together in the packed space, voices rising in harmony and discord alike. Levi smoothly handled our reservation, and soon we found ourselves at a prime table near the stage, watching a couple massacre a classic Brazilian love song while the crowd cheered them on anyway.

The atmosphere was intoxicating. Dim lighting cast shadows across laughing faces, the live band keeping perfect rhythm despite the amateur performances. Everyone seemed caught up in the magic of the moment, clapping and singing along as if witnessing the performance of a lifetime.

Scarlett immediately signed herself up to sing, then turned her commanding gaze on the rest of us. When she reached me, I felt my stomach clench.

"Hazel, don't you dare try to weasel out of this. You're getting on that stage tonight," she declared, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at me.

"Fine, Vi, but let me think about what song to choose," I replied, hoping to buy time.

The evening flowed beautifully. Levi's attention never wavered from me, his flirtation growing bolder with each drink. One by one, my friends took the stage, their inhibitions melting away under the warm lights. Even the guys in our group stepped up, earning cheers from the crowd. Levi waited, claiming he wanted to go up with me.

I was lost in the moment, laughing at Scarlett's fearless performance, when a voice cut through the noise. Women throughout the bar began shouting appreciatively, calling out phrases like "gorgeous" and "sing at our table." The voice that had captured their attention was rich, slightly rough around the edges, and devastatingly familiar.

"No quiero separarme de ti, Ni siquiera un momento, No quiero perder el tiempo, Tu sabes que te quiero a morir..."

My blood turned to ice as I turned toward the stage. Liam stood there, commanding attention like he owned the place, his voice wrapping around the Spanish lyrics with perfect precision. The question of whether he'd noticed us was answered immediately when he stepped down from the stage mid-song, his eyes locked on mine.

Before I could process what was happening, his arm circled my waist, pulling me against him as he continued singing. The crowd erupted in approval, voices calling out "lucky girl" and "beautiful couple" as he led me in an impromptu dance.

My mind went completely blank. Nothing existed beyond the warmth of his body, the rumble of his voice against my ear, the familiar scent that always made me feel safe and terrified simultaneously. My arms found their way around his neck without conscious thought, and we moved together as if we'd never been apart.

His voice was pure seduction, each note a promise I desperately wanted to believe. I closed my eyes, letting myself drift into a fantasy where we could have everything we'd once dreamed of. When the song ended, reality should have crashed back, but Liam only held me tighter.

"Let's get out of here. Come with me, my love," he whispered against my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine.

For one dangerous moment, I almost said yes. Almost let him lead me away from everything complicated and into whatever he was offering. But Levi's face flashed in my mind, along with the memory of why I was here in the first place.

"No, I can't just abandon everyone," I said, pulling back from his embrace with more force than necessary.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I returned to our table, barely registering that Liam was following me. When I reached our group, I stopped short. Owen, Adrian, Noah, and Damian sat around our table as if they'd been there all night.

This couldn't be coincidence. Not in a city this size, not when none of these men had ever shown interest in karaoke before.

Levi stood to pull out my chair, his movements carefully controlled. "Sterling, are you following me now?" he asked with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself, Levi. You're not worth the effort. But you are trying to take what belongs to me," Liam shot back, his arrogance on full display.

"I wouldn't be so confident about that ownership claim," Levi replied smoothly.

"Ladies, care to explain why we keep finding you with these particular gentlemen?" Adrian asked, crossing his arms as he stared down Stella.

"Sweetheart, I don't owe you explanations for anything," Stella replied with a brilliant smile.

"Actually, you have plenty of explaining to do, wife," Owen said, his anger barely contained as he focused on Thea.

"Honey, I told you I was going out with the girls for fun. I didn't lie," Thea responded, her smile turning mischievous.

"You said dinner with girlfriends. Female friends. All women. Then I find you here batting your eyelashes at Levi and his crew," Owen's frustration was evident.

"Chloe, seems like you're in the same boat as Thea. Want to share?" Noah jumped in, clearly thinking he'd found an ally.

"Jasper, stop right there. I went out with friends to have a good time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that," Chloe shut him down immediately. "But I'm very curious how you gentlemen ended up at a karaoke bar. Start talking, because I know none of you would choose this for entertainment."

Noah deflated under her stare, stammering incoherently. Adrian remained stubbornly silent while Damian scratched his head like he was trying to invent a believable story.

"Thompson, explain this right now. I hope this doesn't involve chasing other women, and don't insult my intelligence by claiming coincidence. Talk," Thea demanded.

"Thea, you're my wife. Did you think you could just disappear without me knowing where you went?" Owen deflected, clearly trying to avoid the real explanation.

"Not talking?" Scarlett asked, fixing Damian with a stare that could melt steel. "Fine then, girls. Maybe we should go somewhere else. Cameron, your place available?"

"Absolutely, gorgeous. We could finish the night there," Cameron agreed, lifting Scarlett's hand to his lips.

"Stop, Copper, please. It was Owen's idea. He tracked Thea's phone," Damian blurted out, completely caving under Scarlett's attention.

"Damn it, Damian, you idiot," Owen groaned.

"You tracked my phone, Thompson? Seriously? After everything you promised me?" Thea's voice rose dangerously.

"It was desperate circumstances, Thea. You know I'm not usually jealous, but you five have been giving these guys way too much attention. I protect what's mine. And Liam was losing his mind over Hazel. I felt sorry for him," Owen tried to explain.

"Oh, so I was the only one going crazy? We were all equally desperate," Liam confirmed, crouching beside my chair. "Hazel, I go insane thinking you might not come back to me. Please, we have to talk."

"You're out of line, Liam. You mess with our heads and then stalk us everywhere we go. I hate this. We have the right to go out, have fun, and make friends," I snapped.

"Here's a thought: we've already had the pleasure of a wonderful dinner with these lovely ladies, and we're all having fun here. Why don't you join us and try to enjoy yourselves? We're all adults, civilized people who can behave appropriately, right?" Vera suggested as if there wasn't a territorial war happening around us.

"I suppose we can tolerate these pains for a while longer," Chloe spoke for all of us. "But Noah, you'll be apologizing extensively."

"And you, Owen, will be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future," Thea declared, finally breaking the tension as everyone laughed.

The rest of the evening passed surprisingly well once Liam and his friends joined us. The men spent their time trying to one-up each other while we deliberately gave extra attention to Levi and his friends, which only frustrated them more. I ended up on stage with the girls, singing a provocative song that had all ten men crowding the front of the stage, applauding and blowing kisses.

By closing time, we were all exhausted, happy, and slightly drunk. The guys had even managed some friendly conversation among themselves. Sensing the peace might not last, Chloe quickly took charge.

"Gentlemen, you've given us a delightful evening. Thank you. But now we need to leave. I've already called our taxi."

"Absolutely not. You're coming home with us," Noah protested immediately.

"Not happening. They came out with us, so we're taking them home safely," Gavin countered.

"Everyone shut up," Chloe commanded with natural authority. "The night was wonderful. But my friends and I are going home by taxi. We're independent, capable women. Neither boyfriends nor husbands will restrict our freedom to come and go. And you're all sleeping over at Hazel's and my place."

"Beauty, you're even more stunning when you take control," Vera said with obvious admiration, making us all laugh.

Our taxi pulled up and we said goodbye to ten dumbfounded, gorgeous men who couldn't believe they were actually being dismissed. We headed home, already planning our sleepover and plotting revenge for the phone tracking incident.