The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 77

77 Unmasking the Traitors

77 Unmasking the Traitors

## Liam’s POV 1

“The masquerade ball?” I felt my heart skip a beat at Margaret’s words. “What could that possibly have to do with all this?”.

Margaret dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “The detectives you hired to find the woman from the ball-they were reporting to Julian and Bianca the entire time.”

My blood ran cold. “What?”

“I overheard them discussing it. They’ve known about Miss Vance and your son for

months.”

The implications hit me like a physical blow. These people hadn’t just stumbled onto Hazel by accident. They had tracked her deliberately.

“So when they sent Isabella to approach me…” I trailed off, piecing it together.

“It was all calculated,” Damian finished, his expression grim.

I collapsed back into my chair. My phone vibrated in my pocket-Hazel’s name flashed on the screen. I needed to warn her, but not like this. Not while I was still processing everything.

“Excuse me,” I said, stepping out of the room.

“Liam? Is everything okay?” Hazel’s voice was warm, concerned.

“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing myself to sound normal. “Just caught up in some unexpected

business.”

“Oh. Will you be coming over tonight?”

I closed my eyes, wishing I could be with her and Leo instead of drowning in this nightmare. “Not tonight, sweetheart. This might take all night.”

“I understand,” she said, though disappointment tinged her voice. “Leo was asking about you. He wanted to show you his new dinosaur drawing.”

My heart squeezed painfully. “Tell him I’ll see it tomorrow, I promise.”

77 Unmasking the Traitors

After we hung up, I returned to find Margaret with a notepad in hand, listing names.

“I’ve categorized the staff,” she explained. “These are the people I know are loyal to you. This second list are those working with Bianca and Julian.”

The betrayal ran deeper than I’d imagined. Names I recognized-people I’d trusted- filled the second column.

“How did you gather all this?” Albert asked.

Margaret straightened her shoulders. “I’m a secretary, Mr. Allen. People forget I exist when they’re having conversations. I’ve been keeping notes for months, ever since I first suspected something wasn’t right.”

She slid the pad toward me. The first list of loyal employees was reassuringly long, but the second list made my stomach churn.

“Thomas from Accounting?” I couldn’t hide my surprise. “He’s been with us for twenty years.”

“Bianca has something on him,” Margaret explained. “Something about his son’s college

admission.”

Damian leaned over my shoulder. “Look at this. Three people from the IT department.”

“That explains how they accessed our systems,” Albert mused.

For hours, we dissected Margaret’s information. Every detail painted a clearer picture of the corruption that had infiltrated my company-my father’s legacy.

“Mr. Sterling,” Margaret said as she prepared to leave, “I know this is overwhelming. But you’re not alone.”

I clasped her hand. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Justice for your parents would be thanks enough.” She squeezed my hand and turned to go. “One more thing-watch Joseph in Legal. He hasn’t chosen sides yet, but Bianca’s been working on him.”

After Margaret left with promises of a generous retirement package, the three of us settled in for a long night.

“We need to move quickly,” Albert advised, spreading papers across Damian’s dining

77 Unmasking the Traitors

table. “Element of surprise is our best advantage.”

“Agreed,” Damian nodded. “We should gather the loyal team members first thing Monday.”

I shook my head. “No. Tomorrow. Saturday. I want everyone in place before the markets open Monday.”

We worked through the night, mapping out a strategy that would dismantle the conspiracy from within. By dawn, my eyes burned from exhaustion, but our plan was

solid.

“Get some sleep,” Damian insisted, showing Albert to a guest room. “We’ll pick this up

in a few hours.”

I collapsed onto the couch in Damian’s study, my mind racing despite my body’s exhaustion. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my parents’ faces-smiling, vibrant, alive -and then Julian Clairemont, raising a glass at his farewell party while I thanked him for his service.

The rage that coursed through me was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

When I finally drifted off, I dreamed of helicopters falling from the sky and a baby crying in the distance.

The ringing of my phone jolted me awake. Sunlight streamed through the windows, indicating I’d slept for several hours.

“Hello?” My voice was rough with sleep.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Adrian’s cheerful voice boomed through the speaker. “Where are you?”

I rubbed my eyes. “At Damian’s. What time is it?”

“Nearly two in the afternoon. Listen, I just got some intel you’re going to want to act

on.”

I sat up, instantly alert. “What is it?”

“Your lady love and her gaggle of girlfrionda ara honded to the Westwood Mall in about

<

77 Unmasking the Traitors

thirty minutes. Word is they’re shopping for party dresses-and not the conservative

kind.”

“And this is urgent because…?”

Adrian’s laugh was mischievous. “Because they’re shopping for your fundraiser next week, and according to my sources-”

“Your sources being my son’s nanny,” I interrupted dryly.

“-the ladies are specifically looking for dresses that will, and I quote, ‘make certain men lose their minds.’ I thought you might want to see this shopping expedition firsthand.”

Despite everything, I found myself smiling. “You’re suggesting we crash their shopping trip?”

“Not crash-enhance. Consider it reconnaissance. Plus, I haven’t properly met your Hazel yet, and I’m dying to.”

The idea of something normal-even something as ridiculous as spying on Hazel while she shopped for a dress-was suddenly appealing. A break from the darkness of conspiracy and murder.

“Give me twenty minutes.”

I found Damian in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee while reviewing our notes from the night before.

“Adrian called,” I said. “Apparently Hazel and her friends are going dress shopping at

Westwood Mall.”

Damian raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And Adrian thinks we should go meet them there.”

“Spy on them, you mean.” A grin spread across his face. “Chloe mentioned something about dress shopping. Said Hazel needed to ‘knock your socks off at the fundraiser.”

“So you’re in?”

“Of course I’m in. We can’t work twenty-four seven, and I could use the

entertainment.” He glanced at my rumpled clothes. “Though you might want to showe

first.”

77 Unmasking the Traitors

Thirty minutes later, freshly showered and changed into clothes Damian had lent me, we pulled into the mall parking lot. Adrian was waiting by the entrance, looking far too pleased with himself.

“There they are,” he announced, pointing toward a group of women entering the mall. Even from a distance, I immediately recognized Hazel’s graceful figure and shining

black hair.

“You realize they’re going to kill us when they find out we followed them,” Damian said.

Adrian shrugged. “Worth it. Besides, I brought reinforcements.”

He gestured toward the entrance where Carter and Ethan were walking toward us, both looking amused.

“What are you two doing here?” I asked.

“Adrian said there would be entertainment,” Carter replied with a shrug. “After the week we’ve had, we could use some.”

As we walked into the mall, I felt something I hadn’t expected-a spark of normality, of life continuing despite the chaos surrounding us. For a few hours, I could pretend to be just a man following his girlfriend while she shopped, not someone who had just discovered his parents were murdered.

“They’re headed to Luxe,” Adrian announced, peering through the crowd. “Second floor, west wing.”

“How do you know these things?” I asked.

Adrian tapped his phone. “Sophia’s been texting me their location. She thinks this is hilarious.”

We made our way toward the escalator, and I caught sight of Hazel again. She was laughing at something Chloe said, her head thrown back, completely unaware of our presence. The sight of her joy sent warmth flooding through me, cutting through the ice of betrayal and grief that had encased my heart since Margaret’s revelations.

“Ready?” Adrian asked as we approached the store.

I nodded, watching Hazel disappear into the boutique with her friends. Whatever

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darkness awaited me in the coming days, right now I needed this moment of light.

“Let’s go surprise them,” I said, leading our group forward.