The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 132

132 Past Sins and Future Shocks

I stood up, my mind racing. “Isabella was Julian’s safety net. His connection to Sterling Group through me. With her married to someone else…”

“He’s got nothing left to lose,” Damian finished, understanding dawning on his face.

Albert pulled out another file. “There’s more. The investigation into Hazel’s parents‘ deaths–we’ve identified a police officer who was paid to classify it as an accident despite evidence suggesting otherwise.”

“I need some air,” she said. “I’ll call a cab.”

“Isabella got married yesterday,” Owen explained, looking surprised at

“Small ceremony in Monaco. I thought you knew.”

Hazel gasped. Her face went even paler, if that was possible.

The betrayal cut deep. “I’ll destroy them.”

my

reaction.

Hazel’s hands trembled as she reached for her water glass. I wanted to go to her, to

hold her, but I knew we both needed to hear everything first.

Her question threw me. I struggled to find the right words.

“What the hell is this?” I demanded, snatching the phone for a closer look.

I took a deep breath. “Continue, Albert.”

Before I could respond, she had gathered her things and was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the weight of Albert’s revelations.

“How?” Noah asked.

Later that evening, I sat around my poker table with Damian, Noah, and our friend Owen. The regular game was a tradition, but tonight it felt forced. My mind kept drifting to Hazel, to my parents, to the swirl of revelations that had upended my world in a single day.

“I do.” Her voice was firm despite its softness. “I’m not feeling well. Please understand.” A strange expression crossed her face. She looked like she wanted to say something,

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but instead she just nodded and moved past me.

Why indeed? I wasn’t in love with Isabella. Hadn’t been for years, even before we broke up. So why did this news feel like a punch to the gut?

She stood up abruptly. “Excuse me,” she whispered, then hurried from the room.

Albert’s expression hardened. “They were frauds. Paid twice–once by you, once by Julian to feed you false information.”

It was Isabella. My ex–fiancée. Isabella Clairemont, Julian’s sister. She was wearing a wedding dress, looking radiant, her smile wide and perfect. The caption read: “The most beautiful bride in the world.”

My hands clenched into fists. “Tampering?”

She didn’t turn around. “It’s a lot to process.”

I shook my head, finally tearing my eyes away from the screen. “No. It was over for good.”

“Earth to Liam,” Damian called, waving a hand in front of my face. “Your bet.”

“Shut up and play,” I muttered, though without real heat.

Liam’s POV

From across the table, I heard a soft clatter. Hazel had set down her glass with shaking hands. Her face was deathly pale now!

The offer hung in the air. Three years I’d been searching. Three years wondering if that night had consequences beyond my memories.

“It’s not about Isabella,” I realized aloud. “It’s about Julian. This changes things.”

“The private investigators I hired after my parents died,” I said suddenly. “They found nothing suspicious.”

The second image showed Isabella kissing a tall, distinguished man with silver at his temples. Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

The meeting concluded shortly after. I found Hazel in the kitchen, staring out the

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window, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

“Julian,” I finished for him, the name tasting like poison.

“Actually, we should use them,” Albert suggested. “If we sue them for fraud, we can depose them under oath about who paid them. Build our case against Julian.”

Albert hesitated before continuing. “There’s one more thing. The woman you’ve been searching for all these years–the woman from the masquerade ball.”

“Speaking of women,” Owen said, pulling out his phone, “did you see this? It’s all over

social media.”

My eyes instinctively flicked to Hazel. She had gone completely still, her knuckles white as she gripped her water glass.

“Exactly.” I pulled out my phone to call security. “We need to increase protection for everyone immediately. Julian’s just become even more dangerous.”

Owen scrolled to another photo. “Some European aristocrat. Count something–or–other.”

“Yes.”

“The maintenance records were altered,” Albert explained. “And there were large cash payments to the mechanic who last worked on the helicopter.”

“Because I need to know the truth,” I said finally. “If I fathered a child that night, I have responsibilities. A child who might need me.”

“I’ve submitted all evidence to the authorities,” Albert continued. “Both cases are being reopened.”

“My team can find her,” Albert said quietly. “If you want us to.”

Damian cursed under his breath. Noah looked sick.

I moved closer but didn’t touch her. “I know. For both of us.”

Albert nodded. “Enough to reopen the investigation. The mechanic in question died of an apparent overdose three days after your parents‘ crash. But I’ve traced the money back to a shell company linked to-”

“Hazel,” I said softly, approaching her. “Are you okay?”

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I pushed some chips forward absently.

“The officer received regular payments through an offshore account. We’ve traced those payments back to Julian Clairemont as well.”

“Hazel,” I began, concerned.

I stood up abruptly, unable to sit still. The room spun slightly as rage and grief crashed over me in waves. Three years. Three years I’d believed it was a tragic accident. Three years I’d worked alongside the man who might have murdered my parents.

“He’s hopeless,” Noah commented, shaking his head. “Woman trouble.”

“I need to know,” I said finally. “I need to know if I have a child out there.”

Albert adjusted his glasses, his expression grim. “While investigating the fraud, I found irregularities that pointed to tampering with the helicopter before the crash.”

“Nothing changes between us,” I assured her. “This is about making things right. About not repeating my father’s mistakes.”

“Didn’t you two have an agreement?” Noah asked carefully. “About getting back together?”

“Then why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Damian asked bluntly.

As I made the call, one thought kept circling in my mind: Hazel. I needed to warn Hazel. Julian with nothing left to lose was a threat I couldn’t ignore.

“My God,” Evelyn whispered.

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