The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 148

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148 Two Reports, One Devastating Truth

148 Two Reports, One Devastating Truth.

My throat tightened. “Just come to my house. I’ll explain everything.”

“But there’s something else,” Flavian continued, his tone shifting. “Something quite significant.”

“Now for the hard part,” I muttered, dialing Liam’s number.

“Let me guess,” I said, already knowing. “It’s about the investigation Mr. Sterling commissioned. The woman from the masquerade ball.”

I hung up before he could question me further. The next hour would change his life forever.

“Fuck,” I breathed. “Hazel is the woman Liam’s been searching for.”

The call from Flavian came just as I was settling into my morning routine. Three of coffee in and still not feeling human yet. My phone’s vibration startled me.

“Is Liam’s son,” I finished. “Leo is Liam’s child.”

cups

“Jesus Christ,” I whispered, my free hand gripping the edge of my desk. “I need the full report. Now.”

The doorbell rang. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Albert watched me, his usual military composure faltering. “He loves. I’ve never seen him like this with anyone.”

-I led him into the living room where the two reports waited. In just moments, he would discover that the woman he’d been searching for all these years and the woman he was falling in love with were one and the same. That the child he’d never known existed had been within his reach all along.

“Knight here,” I answered, balancing the phone between my ear and shoulder while sorting through files.

My office door burst open. Albert Allen stood in the doorway, his normally stoic face flushed with urgency.

A pause. “What’s happened? Is it Hazel?”

148 Two Reports, One Devastating Truth

“What’s your plan?” Albert asked.

With shaking hands, I opened the envelope while simultaneously clicking on Flavian’s email. Two reports, both containing what I suspected was the same devastating truth.

The coffee mug slipped from my hand, shattering on my office floor. “What did you just say?”

“And she has no idea he’s the father,” Albert added. “How is that even possible?”

My mind raced, connecting impossible dots. “Are you absolutely certain?”

“One hundred percent. I have dates, medical records, birth certificate – everything. The timing lines up perfectly. She was at the Haven Harbor Valentine’s Masquerade Charity Ball, got pregnant that night.”

I rubbed my temples. “Masks. Darkness. Assumed names. The perfect storm of anonymity.”

“She’s clean as a whistle. Born and raised in Oakwood. Straight–A student through college. Worked at Thompson Industries for two years with excellent

recommendations.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “That’s why this is so complicated. He’s been searching for the mother of his child for years, and she’s been right under his nose.”

“Sending it to your secure email as we speak.”

Then he saw the grave expressions on everyone’s faces. His body tensed. “Someone better start talking. Now.”

My security system announced Liam’s arrival. I watched through the window as he strode up my walkway, face set in hard lines of concern. He had no idea his entire world was about to implode.

“Get everyone to my place. Owen, Evelyn, Victoria, you – everyone Liam trusts. He’s going to need support. Then we tell him everything.”

“Does anyone know why we’re here?” Owen asked.

Albert nodded and started making calls while I composed a text to our inner circle. Within minutes, everyone had confirmed. The stage was set.

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148 Two Reports, One Devastating Truth

I relaxed slightly. “Good. That’s good.”

I scanned both documents side by side. The evidence was overwhelming. Photos of Hazel entering the masquerade ball in a red dress. Medical records confirming her pregnancy timing. Birth certificate of Leonardo Vance. And most damning – a photo of the child with those unmistakable violet–blue eyes. Eyes I had known since childhood.

Liam’s eyes.

“Twenty minutes. And Liam? Don’t bring Hazel.”

I hung up without another word, my heart pounding. It couldn’t be. The coincidence was too staggering.

He nodded stiffly. “It’s my job to know everything that might affect Mr. Sterling’s security.”

“And her son…” Albert began.

“Liam, it’s Damian. I need you at my house. Now.”

“Did you read this?” I asked Albert.

“I just got off the phone with my own investigator.” I gestured to the chair across from me. “Sit down, Albert. We need to compare notes.”

By the time we reached my house, everyone had arrived. Owen paced nervously in my living room. Evelyn sat perfectly composed, though her fingers betrayed her anxiety as

… is crossed. they drummed against her knee. Victoria stood by the window,

“Mr. Knight, we have a situation.”

-“Liam,” I said gently, “you need to sit down. We found her.”

“A masquerade ball. Three years ago. Valentine’s Day.”

“You’re scaring me, Damian.”

Albert’s eyes widened slightly. “How did you-”

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