The billionaire's only desire-Chapter 100: dinner with friends part 1

There is only one thing in the world that can make a tingling sensation of joy radiate through Maya’s whole being: cooking. She has been doing plenty of that today.

Her friends and Marcello are coming over for dinner. She has been making Italian dishes since sunset. She is now on her final Italian dish. She is making a traditional pasta dish, combining classic ingredients and techniques with a bit of twist. Fusilli with Walnut Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes. This is the Recipe she created in her final of culinary school. She hopes everyone loves it.

She had finished cooking the walnut pesto and fusilli pasta. She was adding the cooked fusilli to a large skillet, combining it with the sautéed cherry tomatoes, and stirring in the walnut pesto when Nana Rose walked in.

Maya bestowed her a luminous smile. "You’re back." As usual, Nana Rose was away visiting her sister.

Nana Rose sniffed the air. "The air smells delicious. Your pasta smells good. I need the recipe to make it for my grandnieces and grandnephews."

Maya wiped her hands on her apron and picked up a notepad from the marble countertop. "I have written it down here; you can have it," she said as she passed it to Nana Rose.

"Thanks! Do you have other recipes in there?"

Maya nodded. "Five of them."

"Ah, this is a pot of gold! The women’s club I am in is hosting a cooking competition. Using your recipes, I’m sure I’ll beat those old hags."

Maya tilted her head back as she laughed so hard that she nearly spilled the pasta water she was adding to the skillet.

"Where are all the maids?" Nana Rose suddenly asked, looking befuddled.

Maya smile frozen. "Dalton fired them, but he gave them enough money to start a good life." After what they witness, Dalton thought it was best to let them go. He even had them sign NDAs to prevent them from disclosing what happened to anyone. If he were as evil as everyone thinks he is, he could have had them killed to silence them forever.

"Did the car accident reset his mind back to his old cranky self?" Nana Rose asked rhetorically.

Maya bit her cheek, her gaze on Nana Rose wavering and unsettled. Dalton made Nana Rose believe he was in a car accident.

She understands why Dalton did that. , if Nana Rose finds out that she shot Dalton, her reaction will be worse than Beatrice’s because she actually loves Dalton and will loathe her for hurting him.

"Those maids were keeping me company. We are back in isolation again. His brothers will eventually return to their homes, and this house will become a graveyard," Nana Rose nagged, her face turning red with fury.

"Where is that antisocial boy? Nana Rose stormed off. She is going to give Dalton an earful."

Maya exhaled and focused on plating the pasta onto a large food platter. She sent it to the dining table, including the other Italian dishes she had prepared. Then, she trotted back into the kitchen for plates, silverware, and glassware to set the table.

"Wow, big dinner," Maya exclaimed, glancing at the ten plates she had arranged on the table. There were supposed to be nine people for dinner, but Marcello was bringing a plus one. A girlfriend, maybe?

Maya ambled back into her room for a quick five-minute fresh up. She changed into a nice outfit and applied perfume to mask the food scent that had lingered on her.

"Now for the perfect wine," she marched straight to the wine cellar.

The bottles of wine she wanted were on the top shelf. She stepped onto a stool to reach for them, but the unsteady stool gave away, threatening to knock her off and send her crashing to the floor.

It finally gave away, and Maya was off to the floor, but then....

"Easy there," Dalton appeared like Superman, catching her in his arms before she could fall.

Maya turned to see Dalton’s agonized face.

"You shouldn’t have done that," she scolded as she freed herself from his arms.

"Movements like this inflict pain on you." Even though the bullet didn’t hit any organs, it left him with chronic pain for life and limitations in movement due to the injury his chest wall sustained.

"I couldn’t let you fall," Dalton stated bizarrely as if she were crazy to think he would watch her fall to avoid pain.

Maya raked her fingers across his face. "You still look sickly. You need to go back to bed." It has been a month now, and he had yet to fully recover.

Dalton rumbled, "We have guests to entertain."

"No, you need to go rest," Maya protested firmly. "Your health comes first."

"I..." A cough escaped from Dalton.

"Ah, You see? You need rest."

"Coughing is normal. I’m not going back to bed," he insisted.

"Fine, " Maya curved in.

"But how are you here? Shouldn’t you be receiving a scolding from Nana Rose?"

"I was taking a stroll around the house, so I missed her. I saw you going in the direction of the wine cellar, so I followed you. What is Nana Rose complaining about this time?"

"The maids. She is mad at you for firing them," Maya said as she adjusted the collar of Dalton’s shirt. He was wearing a long-sleeve linen button-down shirt with chinos, looking casual and handsome. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Did you get rid of the maids to prevent Nana Rose from learning the truth?" Maya’s eyes locked onto Dalton’s; his eyes said it all.

"You think she will hate me? That is why you don’t want to tell her I shot you."

"It’s better that she doesn’t know. I didn’t tell her because I didn’t want to explain Vico’s return to her for her peace of mind. Don’t stress." Dalton caressed her furrowed brow, his fingertip tracing down the bridge of her nose and then to her lips.

Maya closed her eyes, her muscles relaxing as the tension faded away. She grimaced when he pulled his fingers away from her face; she wanted more of his soothing touch.

"Our guests have arrived." He stepped onto the stool and pulled out two bottles of fine Italian wine from the shelf. He carefully handed them to Maya.

"Do I look okay?" Maya asked, doing a 360 turn in her mini-black dress.

"You look perfect," Dalton complimented her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Thanks," Maya batted her lashes at him.

"Let’s go meet our guests."

Maya took the lead, holding the wine bottles carefully to prevent them from slipping off her hands.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, guys," she said. The long dining table was full. Everyone was here: Aiden, Oliver, River, Haven, Natalia, Laura, and Marcello with his plus one, whose head was bowed.

Maya squinted at Marcello’s date. She looked familiar.

"Valentina, are you going to keep your head down all night?" Aiden snickered.

Valentina fretfully raised her head and met Maya’s fierce gaze.

"Hi, sis," Valentina waved, looking unsettled.

Maya glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

Marcello wrapped his arm around Valentina’s shoulders. "Valentina is my girlfriend."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel