The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 151

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151 A Vengeful Friend and a Liar’s Downfall

151 A Vengeful Friend and a Liar’s Downfall

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Victoria said quickly. Too quickly.

“Is it?” Chloe countered. “Because I remember breaking your nose when I caught you half–naked in my father’s office. How old were you then, Victoria? Twenty–two? And my father was what, fifty–five?”

Damian chuckled. “Remind me never to cross you,

Chloe.”

“Where is he? I know he’s here!” Victoria demanded, her voice shrill.

“Who?” I interrupted, my protective instincts flaring.

Victoria’s eyes widened in recognition. “You! What are you doing here?”

She waved off my gratitude. “Hazel is my sister in every way that matters. When that bitch Kelly and Claude betrayed her—”

Victoria backed away, stumbling against a side table. “Adrian, please-”

The doorbell rang, and Damian excused himself to answer it. I continued stroking Hazel’s hair, marveling at how much Leo looked like both of us. Those rare violet–blue eyes he’d inherited from me. Her delicate nose. My jawline. Her compassionate nature.

“Victoria, this isn’t the place,” I warned, keeping my voice low to avoid disturbing Hazel.

“No, I don’t think I do,” I said coldly. “How much money, Chloe?”

As they entered the living room, I carefully shifted Hazel’s head onto a pillow and stood, placing myself between her and Victoria.

Chloe nodded. “Her parents tried to force her to attend their wedding. Can you imagine? After finding them in her own bed?”

“So the rumors are true,” she spat. “You’re with your secretary now?”

“Her ex–boyfriend and cousin,” Damian explained. “They’re the reason she went to the ball that night.”

“Actually,” I interjected, “there is nothing between us anymore. I made that clear days

ago.”

151 A Vengeful Friend and a Liar’s Downfall

We clinked glasses, and I took a small sip, savoring the burn. The joy bubbling inside me was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

I frowned. “What money?”

Victoria paled. “This is between Liam and me.”

I accepted it with my free hand, careful not to disturb Hazel. “I feel like I have.”

“I’m protecting my best friend from trash like you,” Chloe replied coldly.

“I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” Damian asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“I saw you in Rome last year,” Adrian continued, looking at me rather than her. “At a gentleman’s club called Le Serpent Rouge. She was using a different name, of course, but it was definitely her.”

“Nearly seven million over the last three years,” Damian answered, holding up his

tablet. “I just checked the records myself. Consulting fees paid to shell companies that all trace back to Victoria.”

“I need to see Liam right now!”

Adrian Cole, my head of security, stood there with a thick folder in his hands.

“I’ve been gathering evidence for months,” he said, walking into the room. “But that’s not even the best part.”

“Always,” she promised. “That’s what family does.”

Victoria’s face contorted with rage. “You little bitch! You’ve been investigating me?”

The sound of raised voices from the foyer interrupted our conversation. I tensed, -instinctively placing a protective hand on Hazel’s shoulder.

“You’re making a mistake,” Victoria insisted, her voice softening in a calculated way I recognized all too well. “We built something special. Don’t throw it away over some fling with your assistant.”

“Victoria,” I said, my voice deadly calm, “you have ten seconds to get out of this house before I call the police.”

<

151 A Vengeful Friend and a Liar’s Downfall

The room fell silent. Victoria’s face had gone completely white.

“Get her out of here,” I ordered, my voice like ice.

Chloe smiled, but there was nothing warm about it. “Oh yes, Victoria and I go way back. Don’t we, Vicky?”

I watched Hazel’s chest rise and fall as she slept peacefully on the couch, her head resting in my lap. The sedative Dr. Evans had given her would keep her under for at least another hour. My fingers gently stroked her silky black hair, still unable to believe that this beautiful woman had given me a son.

Chloe stood up, her expression hardening. “I’ll handle her. You stay with Hazel.”

I gave her a weak smile. “Thank you for standing up for us.”

Victòria laughed bitterly. “Not the place? You humiliated me in front of the entire board! Three years together, and you throw it all away for–for this?”

“She was working as a stripper,” Adrian said bluntly. “And according to Marcello Giordano–you remember him from business school, right, Liam?—she was the worst hooker he’d ever paid for.”

I gazed down at Hazel, feeling a surge of protectiveness. Victoria was gone, her lies exposed. Nothing would threaten our family again.

My blood ran cold at the sound of Victoria’s voice. I exchanged alarmed glances with Chloe.

“You can’t just barge in here!” Damian’s voice carried down the hall.

Victoria froze when she saw me, her eyes darting from my face to Hazel’s sleeping form on the couch. Her perfect makeup couldn’t hide the fury contorting her features.

Victoria took a step back, something like fear flickering in her eyes. “Liam, control your attack dog.”

“She can’t see Hazel like this,” I said urgently.

Chloe stepped between us, her small frame vibrating with anger. “You need to leave.

Now.”

“Actually, we can,” came a new voice from the doorway.

<

151 A Vengeful Friend and a Liar’s Downfall

“I’ve missed three years of his life,” I whispered, more to myself than to Chloe.

“You look like you’ve won the lottery,” Damian said, handing me a glass of whiskey.

“Family,” I repeated softly, placing my hand on Hazel’s stomach where our second child was growing. “Our family.”

Hot anger surged through me. “I’ll make sure they never come near her again.”

Chloe sank into the chair opposite us, exhausted. “Well, that was eventful.”

“All this time,” I echoed, my voice thick with emotion. “I have a son. And another baby on the way.”

Chloe perched on the armchair across from us, her eyes still red from crying. “I can’t believe you were the guy from the masquerade ball. All this time…”

As Damian and Adrian escorted a screaming Victoria from the house, I returned to Hazel’s side. She stirred slightly in her sleep, her hand instinctively reaching for mine.

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