The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 116

116 The Devil’s Demands

116 The Devil’s Demands

“Well, I’m changing the terms,” Isabella smiled sweetly, one hand resting on her still–flat stomach. “I’m carrying the next Sterling heir. I deserve a seat at the table.

“Not happening”

“Too late for that,” I muttered, marching out..

“She goes, or the deal’s off!” Isabella shrieked, her face contorting with ugly rage.

Isabella opened her door with a smug smile that made my skin crawl.

“Fine by me,” I said coldly.

I sprinted out, heart hammering against my ribs. “What happened?”

Isabella’s composure cracked. “How dare you threaten me! I’m carrying your child!”

And Isabella had just shown her true hand. This was never just about our child or a marriage of convenience.

I didn’t deny it. There was no point.

“Mr. Sterling, come quick!” Stella’s panicked voice cut through my office like a knife.

Her final words followed me out: “You’ll regret this, Liam Sterling! Nobody says no to a Clairemont!”

“Thanks for pointing that out,” I snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry. This is all

my fault.”

“The Sterling Group is mine,” I stated flatly. “Not yours, not your father’s. Mine. That was never part of our deal.”

Margaret from HR stepped forward, wringing her hands. “I may have given her something too strong. It was just herbal tea with valerian root to help her rest. Poor thing looked ready to collapse.”

“She’ll never have you,” Isabella warned. “Daddy will make sure of it.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said, turning toward the door. “Remember our deal, Isabella. Stay away from Hazel, or everything’s off.”

15:24

116 The Devil’s Demands

“Try me,” I challenged. “Because this is getting old fast.”

“Cancel everything,” I ordered. “Where’s that damn card from the funeral flowers?”

Isabella’s eyes narrowed. “We had a deal.”

“Liam, darling! What a-”

“It’s Hazel. She–she’s passed out at her desk. I can’t wake her!”

“Forced sedation by well–meaning colleagues,” I growled, gently laying Hazel down. I brushed hair from her face, my heart breaking at the dark circles under her eyes. Even in sleep, tension lined her features.

Her

eyes went wide with fury. “You think you have any power here? I want her gone from Sterling Group. Fired. Today!”

“Your meeting with-” Stella began.

“Or what?” she taunted. “You’ll break our deal? Go ahead. Daddy will destroy you and that pathetic woman faster than you can blink,”

“You’ll get an allowance and nothing more,” I informed her coldly. “And the only condition to this circus wedding is that you and your family stay the hell away from Hazel Vance. If I even suspect you’re behind another threat or message to her, the deal is off.”

“What the hell happened?” he demanded, rushing to clear space on his couch.

As I stepped into the elevator, I knew with absolute certainty that I was fighting a losing battle on multiple fronts. The Clairemonts wanted everything–my name, my company, and the complete destruction of the woman Lloved.

“She hasn’t slept in days,” Stella interjected. “We’ve all noticed. She’s been running on -coffee and stubbornness.”

I pulled the note from my pocket, my jaw clenching as I re–read the cruel words. “To make something very clear to my future wife.”

Damian nodded. “Where are you going?”

“Valerian?” I snapped. “That’s practically a sedative!”

That froze her. She hadn’t expected defiance. Her tactics had always worked before.

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116 The Devil’s Demands

“I want that whore fired,” Isabella demanded, her true colors showing, “Today. Now”

“Excuse me?” Her fake smile faltered.

Isabella’s silence was answer enough.

“A child that will have nothing to do with your toxic personality if I have anything to say about it,” I shot back.

“Send her one more threatening message, one more sick flower arrangement, and the flowers will be for your grave instead,” I snarled.

“I am not your fiancé yet,” I snapped. “And even when I am, it will be on paper only.”

Liam’s POV

Stella grabbed it from Hazel’s desk and handed it to me. I tucked it into my pocket, then carried Hazel toward Damian’s office. It had a comfortable couch, and I knew he

wouldn’t mind.

“Hazel!” I touched her shoulder, then her face. Her skin was warm, her breathing steady. Relief washed through me, but anxiety quickly followed. “What happened to

her?”

And there it was–her true motivation.

“Is that what your father promised you?” I asked quietly. “My entire life?”

Isabella stepped closer, her expensive perfume cloying and suffocating. “You will be mine in every way, Liam. Daddy made that very clear.”

“Listen carefully,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “You will get the Sterling name through marriage. You will get financial security for our child. But Hazel stays at Sterling Group as long as she chooses, and my company remains mine. Those are my

terms.”

“She looks terrible,” Damian said quietly.

Isabella glanced at the card, then shrugged delicately. “Just making sure your little secretary understands her place.”

I pushed past her into the lavish apartment. “Cut the crap, Isabella.”

“She’s sleeping with my fiancé!” Isabella’s voice rose to a shrill pitch.

116 The Devil’s Demands

“Your father’s threats only extend so far, I growled. “This arrangement is to protect Sterling Group’s interests and public image. Nothing more.”

I stroked Hazel’s cheek with my thumb. “Will you watch her? Make sure she sleeps it off comfortably?”

“I’m taking her somewhere she can rest properly. I slipped one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her against my chest. Her head lolled against my shoulder, her breath warm on my neck.

“You love her,” Isabella accused, venom dripping from every word.

“SHE GOES!” Isabella shrieked. “I want her gone from the company, gone from your

I want everything that’s yours! The Sterling name, the company, ALL OF IT!”

“It’s the Clairemonts‘ fault,” Damian corrected. “And you know it.”

My hand tightened into a fist. “Careful, Isabella. Very careful.”

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