The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 76

76 An Accident No More

76 An Accident No More

## Liam’s POV

Margaret’s hands trembled as she clutched the cup of tea Damian had brought her. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked loudly in the heavy silence of the study.

“Take your time,” I said, though patience was the last virtue I possessed right now.

She took a steadying breath. “I’ve worked at Sterling Group for thirty-two years, Mr. Sterling. Your father hired me personally.”

“I know,” I nodded. “He always spoke highly of you.”

“Your parents were good people.” Her eyes filled with tears. “The best employers anyone could ask for.”

Albert sat beside her, notepad ready. “Mrs. Coleman, you mentioned Bianca meeting with someone from Archer Consolidated who referenced Mr. Sterling’s parents.”

“Yes.” She set her cup down. “The man she met with was Julian Clairemont.”

The name hit like a physical blow. Julian Clairemont had been my father’s right-hand man for over fifteen years before leaving to join Archer Consolidated shortly after my parents’ deaths.

“Julian?” I repeated, stunned. “You’re certain?”

“Absolutely certain. I’ve known Mr. Clairemont since he started at Sterling.” Her expression hardened. “And I know things about him your father never discovered.”

Damian leaned forward. “What things?”

“He and Bianca Jenkins have been having an affair for nearly a decade.”

I nearly choked. “A decade? Bianca would’ve been-”

“Very young,” Margaret confirmed grimly. “She was an intern when it started. I caught them in the supply closet on the fourteenth floor. Multiple times.”

Disgust rolled through me. Julian had been married with children while Bianca was barely out of college.

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76 An Accident No More

“That explains their coordination,” Albert noted. “But not the connection to your

parents.”

Margaret’s face crumpled. “This is where it gets difficult, Mr. Sterling.”

My stomach knotted. “Tell me.”

“Three years ago, the day after your parents’ accident, I was bringing coffee to the executive floor. The police were still investigating” She swallowed hard. “I heard voices in your father’s office-Julian’s and someone else’s. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but…”

“But what?” I pressed when she faltered.

“He was bribing a police officer. Using your name.”

The room spun. “My name?”

“He told the officer you wanted the investigation closed quickly. That you were too devastated to handle the details.” Her eyes met mine, filled with guilt. “He said you had personally requested they rule it an accident to spare the family further pain.”

“That’s a lie,” I growled. “I never said anything of the sort.”

“I know that now,” she whispered. “But at the time, I thought… I thought I was respecting your wishes by staying silent.”

Damian’s hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I hadn’t realized I’d stood up.

“Why would Julian want the investigation shut down?” Albert asked.

Margaret’s next words struck like lightning. “Because the day before the accident, I heard your father fire Julian. He called him a traitor. Said he had proof.”

My legs gave out. I dropped back into my chair. “What?”

“Your father was livid. I’d never seen him so angry.” She twisted her hands. “He told Julian he’d secured evidence of his betrayal and would expose him to the entire board the following Monday.”

Monday. The board meeting that never happened because Saturday morning, my parents’ helicopter crashed into the Pacific.

“Oh God,” I choked out, bile rising in my throat.

76 An Accident No More

“You’re suggesting Julian Clairemont had Mr. and Mrs. Sterling murdered,” Albert stated flatly.

The room fell silent. My chest constricted until I could barely breathe. Three years grief suddenly transformed into something darker, more violent.

of

“I don’t know for certain,” Margaret admitted, tears streaming down her face. “But I’ve carried this suspicion for years. When I heard Bianca and Julian discussing your parents recently, laughing about ‘loose ends, I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.”

“Did they… did they say anything specific about the crash?” My voice sounded like it belonged to someone else.

“Julian said, ‘No one will ever connect us to their accident. I made sure of it. Then he

told Bianca, ‘Sterling’s boy is as naive as his father was.”

Red flooded my vision. My parents hadn’t died in an accident. They’d been murdered by someone they trusted. Someone I had trusted.

“Why come forward now?” Damian asked gently.

“Because of Miss Vance and your son,” Margaret answered, looking at me. “When I saw how they were targeting them, using that innocent child as leverage… I couldn’t bear it

anymore.”

A sob tore from my throat-unexpected, raw, primal. Damian’s grip on my shoulder tightened.

“We’ll get them, Liam,” he promised fiercely.

Albert cleared his throat. “Mrs. Coleman, would you be willing to testify to everything you’ve told us?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “I should have spoken up years ago. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”

“I need to be certain,” I managed through clenched teeth. “Is there concrete proof my parents were murdered, or is this just suspicion?”

Albert exchanged glances with Damian. “The timing is extremely suspicious. Your father discovers betrayal, secures evidence, threatens exposure, then dies before he can follow through? That’s not coincidence.”

“The police investigation was rushed and incomplete,” Damian added. “If Julian paid off officials-”

“Then he killed my parents to save himself.” The words burned like acid. “And I hired him champagne at his goodbye party. I wrote him a recommendation when he left for

Archer.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Margaret said softly.

“But I should have!” I slammed my fist on the armrest. “I was so consumed by grief, I never questioned anything. All these years, I’ve been mourning an accident that wasn’t

an accident at all.”

The room fell silent as the magnitude of the revelation settled over us. My parents hadn’t just died-they had been taken from me. Every memory of the past three years warped under this new terrible knowledge.

“What do we do now?” Damian finally asked.

Albert straightened in his chair. “We investigate. Properly this time. If Julian

Clairemont orchestrated the deaths of Nicholas and Eleanor Sterling, we’ll find proof and make him pay.”

I wiped my face, shocked to find it wet with tears I hadn’t realized I’d shed. “How? It’s been three years. Evidence will be long gone.”

“Not necessarily,” Albert countered. “Your father said he had secured evidence against Julian. If we could find that-

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