The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 101

101 Sabotage, Secrets, and a Lover’s Ghost

Hazel’s POV

My office door burst open without warning. I jumped, nearly spilling coffee all over my keyboard.

“Mommy!”

Leo’s excited voice made me spin around. There he was, my beautiful boy, running toward me with outstretched arms. Behind him stood Liam and Damian, both grinning like they’d pulled off the perfect surprise.

“Leo!” I swept him up, covering his chubby cheeks with kisses. “What are you doing here, baby?”

“Uncle Damian and Daddy brought me!” Leo announced proudly.

I froze. Daddy? My eyes shot to Liam, who had the decency to look slightly guilty. But there was something else in his expression-satisfaction, maybe even pride.

“We thought we’d surprise you for lunch,” Liam said casually, as if bringing my son to my workplace and teaching him to call him ‘Daddy’ was perfectly normal.

“Leo was asking about where Mommy works,” Damian added with his usual charm. “So we figured, why not show him?”

I set Leo down, trying to gather my thoughts. “That’s… thoughtful.”

Morris appeared in the doorway, eyes wide with curiosity. “Hazel, I didn’t know you had visitors coming.”

“Neither did I,” I muttered.

Morris knelt down to Leo’s level. “And who’s this handsome young man?”

“I’m Leo!” My son puffed out his chest importantly.

Morris glanced between Leo and Liam, his eyes lingering on Liam’s distinctive

violet-blue eyes before looking at my son’s matching pair. His expression shifted to understanding.

100 Sabotage Secrets, and a Lovers Ghost

“It’s nice to meet you. Lea. You look just like your dad

Liam didn’t correct him. My stomach clenched. This was moving too fast.

“Morris, could you give us a minute?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

Once he left. I turned to Liam. “What are you doing?

“Having lunch with my family, he replied smoothly. “Is that a problem?”

The possessiveness in his tone should have angered me. Instead, it sent an unwelcome thrill down my spine.

“We’re not—” I stopped, looking at Leo, who was happily exploring my office. “We can talk about this later!

Damian cleared his throat. “How about I take the little man to see the vending machines? I heard they have chocolate.”

Leo’s eyes lit up. “Can I, Mommy?”

I nodded, grateful for Damian’s tact. Once they were out of earshot, I rounded on Liam.

“You can’t just show up here and confuse Leo like that.”

“I’m not confusing him” Liam stepped closer, his scent enveloping me. “I am his father:

“Biologically, yes. But there’s more to being a father than DNA.”

“I’m aware.” His voice softened. “That’s why I’m here, Hazel. I’m trying

I sighed, deflating slightly. “You can’t teach him to call you ‘Daddy without discussing it with me first.”

“I didn’t teach him anything. He asked what to call me, and I answered honestly.” Liam ran a hand through his hair. “Would you prefer he call me ‘the man who shares my genetic material but has no other claim to me”?”

Despite myself, I laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Liam’s eyes darkened. “I want to be in his life. In your life. Permanently.”

The intensity of his gaze made my knees weak. I looked away.

“You know my answer about returning to Sterling Group. It’s no.

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101 Sabotage, Secrets, and a Lover’s Ghost

“Reconsider.” He wasn’t asking.

“Liam-”

“Please.” That single word, spoken without his usual commanding tone, caught me off guard.

Before I could respond, Leo and Damian returned, my son clutching a chocolate bar triumphantly.

“Uncle Damian says you used to work with Daddy in a really big building!” Leo

announced.

I shot Damian a look. He shrugged apologetically.

“Kid’s curious. Reminds me of someone else I know.” He winked at me.

The rest of lunch passed in a blur of Leo’s excited chatter and meaningful glances from Liam. When it was time for them to leave, Leo hugged me tightly.

“Daddy says I can see his office too someday!”

“Does he now?” I kissed the top of my son’s head, avoiding Liam’s gaze.

“We’ll talk tonight,” Liam whispered in my ear as he kissed my cheek goodbye. It wasn’t

a request.

Hours later, my apartment doorbell rang precisely at seven. I opened the door to find Liam holding takeout bags from my favorite Thai restaurant.

“Peace offering,” he said, holding up the food.

I let him in, watching as he moved confidently through my space, setting out containers on the kitchen counter like he belonged there.

“Leo’s asleep?”

I nodded. “Exhausted from his adventure today.”

Liam handed me a plate. “We need to talk, Hazel.”

“About why you’re so determined to get me back at Sterling Group?”

He set his plate down, his expression suddenly serious. “It’s not just about having you close. Though I won’t deny that’s part of it.”

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101 Sabotage, Secrets, and a Lover’s Ghost

Something in his tone made me pause. “What’s going on, Liam?”

“The recent audit turned up some troubling information.” His jaw tightened. “About my parents’ accident.”

My heart skipped. “What kind of information?”

“Evidence of tampering. With the helicopter.” His voice was controlled, but I could see the rage simmering beneath. “It wasn’t an accident, Hazel. It was murder.”

I sank onto a barstool. “Oh my God. Do you know who-”

“Julian Clairemont.” The name came out like a curse. “There’s no concrete proof yet, but all signs point to him.”

“That’s… that’s horrible.” I struggled to process this revelation. “But what does this have to do with me coming back to work for you?”

Liam paced the small kitchen. “Julian has people everywhere. Including Bianca.”

“Your ex?”

“She was never my girlfriend.” Liam’s laugh was bitter. “She was Julian’s mistress, planted to spy on me. She’s the one who engineered your firing.”

The pieces clicked together in my mind. “So that sexual harassment complaint…”

“Complete fabrication. Designed to get rid of you because you were too loyal to me.” He stopped pacing and faced me. “I need people I can trust, Hazel. That’s why I want you back.”

“So I’m just a trusted employee to you?” The words slipped out before I could stop

them.

Liam’s eyes softened. “You know you’re far more than that.”

He moved closer, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. But something still didn’t add

“There’s more you’re not telling me,” I said quietly.

Liam sighed, dropping his hand. “After my parents died, I was lost. The only bright spot was a woman I met at a masquerade ball, the same night of the accident.”

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Sabotage, Secrets, and a Lover’s Ghost

My blood ran cold. He couldn’t be talking about…

“I searched for her for months,” he continued, unaware of my inner turmoil. “But she had disappeared. Years later, I discovered Julian had deliberately sabotaged my search, destroying records, bribing event staff to lie about guest lists.”

“Why would he do that?” My voice sounded distant to my own ears.

“Because I was happy with her. Even for just one night.” Liam’s eyes turned distant. “She made me forget my pain. Julian couldn’t allow that.”

I felt sick. The masked man at the ball. My masked man. It had been Liam all along.

“This woman,” I forced myself to ask. “You loved her?”

Liam looked away. “I did. Ridiculous as it sounds, I fell in love with a stranger in one night.”

The floor seemed to sway beneath me. All this time, Liam had been carrying a torch for a woman from his past-for me, without knowing it was me. And now he was with me, but did he still long for her? Was I merely a replacement for the woman he truly

wanted?

“And now?” I whispered.

Liam pulled me against him. “Now I have you. And Leo. You’re all I need.”

But as his lips claimed mine in a possessive kiss, I couldn’t help wondering if I was just filling the void left by the ghost of a lover from his past-a ghost who was, ironically, me. Did he love me for who I was now, or for who he remembered from that one magical night?

As we fell into bed together, his hands reclaiming every inch of my body, the question haunted me even as pleasure overtook my senses. In the darkness, as Liam slept beside me, I stared at the ceiling, wondering if I would always be competing with a memory-

my own.

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