The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 144

144 The Vindicating Truth

144 The Vindicating Truth

“Explain what exactly? That Victoria’s been lying? That you didn’t sleep with her?” Damian raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any proof, or just your word against hers?”

My heart pounded as I hung up and immediately opened my email. The subject line read: “CONFIDENTIAL – Test Results – URGENT“.

I gestured toward my office. “Inside. Now.”

“She drugged me,” I said, my voice deathly quiet. “Victoria fucking drugged me.”

I clicked it open, aware of Owen shifting nervously by the door.

Once the door closed behind us, I fixed him with a hard stare. “What do you

about Hazel?”

know

Before he could answer, my phone rang. Dr. Evans’s office. I held up a finger to Owen.

“Don’t move.”

I ran a hand through my hair, knowing he was right. I probably looked as wrecked as I felt.

“Mr. Sterling,” the receptionist’s voice came through. “Dr. Evans asked me to call. There’s been an urgent development with your test results. He’s sent you an email with the details, marked confidential.”

“Whatever it is you’re hiding about Hazel… Is it serious? Should I be worried?”

“Liam, wait.” Damian appeared in the doorway, having overheard. “You can’t just storm over there. We need to handle this properly.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The thought of Hazel with another man made my blood boil. Had she moved on already? Was that why she took the day off?

“And you,” I rounded on him. “What do you know about Hazel that you’re not telling

me?”

The door closed behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the vindication I’d been desperately seeking. I was innocent. Victoria had drugged and framed me.

144 The Vindicating Truth

“Where is she?” I demanded, bursting through the doors of the executive floor.

“Damian, I’m not in the mood. Where’s Hazel?”

He paused in the doorway, looking back with an unexpected gleam in his eye. “Yes, it is. But you’ll fix this mess first… I won’t talk”

He startled, nearly dropping his files. “Mr. Sterling. Good morning”

He hesitated. “It’s… significant. But not something you can fix right now.”

“She’s not in danger,” he interrupted. “Just… complicated circumstances.

He looked at Damian, who nodded slightly.

Owen’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Nothing that will help with this immediate situation,” Owen said carefully. “Ms. Vance has her own… complications.”

As I turned to leave, I spotted Owen walking down the hallway, his head bent over a stack of papers. Something about his furtive expression caught my attention.

Damian put a hand on my shoulder. “He’s right, Liam. One fire at a time. First, we expose Victoria. We have the medical evidence now.”

“Tell me it’s not something I did to her,” I pleaded quietly.

I slammed my fist down on my desk. “Damn it, Owen! Is she in some kind of trouble? Is she seeing someone else?”

As he walked out, frustration built inside me. “This isn’t over, Owen!” I called aft him. After running additional tests on your samples from the night in question, we’ve detected an extremely high dose of morphine in your system. This level would have rendered you physically incapable of sexual activity for several hours. Additionally, we’ve confirmed that Ms. Victoria Dalton is not pregnant, nor has she been pregnant in the recent past.

A strange expression crossed his face–something like pity mixed with amusement. “In a manner of speaking, yes, it is.”

Whatever Owen was hiding, whatever “complications” Hazel was dealing with, I would get to the bottom of it. But first, I needed to destroy the lie that had torn us apart.

144 The Vindicating Truth

“Owen,” I called out. “A word?”

Damian looked up from his tablet, his expression carefully neutral. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.”

He nodded slowly.

The news hit me like a punch to the gut. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

The question made my stomach sink. Victoria’s lies had been so convincing, so calculated. Would Hazel even believe me without evidence?

“Tell me.” My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

“This is bullshit,” I muttered. “She’s my-” I stopped, realizing I had no claim to make. Hazel wasn’t mine anymore. I’d lost that right the moment Victoria’s lies took hold.

Please contact my office immediately.

“Mr. Sterling,

A flicker of something crossed his face. “Possibly.”

“Is this why you’ve been helping her? Running interference?”

But instead of feeling relief, I felt hollow. What good was clearing my name if Hazel was facing some unknown battle without me? What secret was Owen protecting?

Liam’s POV

As they started to leave my office, I called out to Owen. “Owen, wait.”

His face remained impressively blank. “Ms. Vance? She’s your executive assistant. Excellent work ethic, efficient-”

“She’s managing,” Owen replied carefully. “That’s all I can say.”

Owen cleared his throat. “Mr. Sterling-”

“That’s what I thought,” Damian sighed. “Look, go clean yourself up. We’ll figure this out.”

“I need to talk to her, Damian. I need to explain.”

“Fine,” I conceded. “But Owen, this isn’t over. If Hazel is in trouble—”

144 The Vindicating Truth

Dr. Gabriel Evans”

As he scanned the email, his face paled. “Jesus Christ.”

“It means fix this first,” he gestured to the email on my screen. “Clear your name. Then

we’ll deal with the rest.”

“I need to see Hazel,” I said, already grabbing my jacket. “Now.”

“I need to know if she’s okay,” I insisted.

“Consider it done,” Damian nodded.

My phone buzzed with a text from my lawyer, confirming he’d received the medical report and was preparing cease and desist orders against Victoria.

“Handle what properly?” I nearly shouted. “That psychopath drugged me, then lied about being pregnant to destroy my relationship! What exactly needs handling besides me telling Hazel the truth?”

I took several deep breaths, trying to calm the storm inside me. They were right, as much as I hated to admit it. I needed to be strategic.

Istormed into the office, my body practically vibrating with the need to see Hazel. After a sleepless night replaying our last encounter, I couldn’t wait another moment. I needed to explain everything, to make her understand.

I stared at my phone, my thumb hovering over Hazel’s contact. Would she even answer if I called?

Owen stood his ground. “With all due respect, sir, no. Your priority right now should be clearing your name with Ms. Vance.”

“We need to dismantle the lie completely,” Damian reasoned. “Get all our ducks in a row. Victoria needs to be exposed and dealt with legally. If you go half–cocked to Hazel now, Victoria could still twist this.”

I read the email twice, the words swimming before my eyes. Vindication washed over me, followed quickly by white–hot rage.

“Because you didn’t ask until now,” he replied simply. “And because you look like haven’t slept in days. What would you have done anyway? Shown up at her door looking like this?”

you

144 The Vindicating Truth

“You’re a terrible liar, Owen. Are you keeping secrets for her?”

“What complications?” I demanded.

“No, nothing like that,” Owen assured me quickly. “But she’s dealing with something significant.”

He turned, his expression guarded.

“We’re moving on this now,” I said decisively. “I want Victoria served with legal papers by the end of the day. And I want a restraining order.”

I paced my office, fury coursing through my veins. “I can’t believe this. All this time… she was never pregnant. Never carrying my child.” My voice caught on the last word.

I turned the screen toward him. “Read it.”

He set down his device, leaning back in his chair. “She took a personal day. Called in early this morning.”

“Cut the crap,” I snapped. “You’ve been acting strange ever since this mess with Victoria started. You know something.”

“It’s not my place to say.”

My heart sank. “What does that mean?”

I’ve attached the full report for your records. These findings suggest deliberate deception and potential criminal behavior.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Is this related to why she suddenly took a day off?”