The billionaire's only desire-Chapter 103: friends can’t be trusted part 1

Maya let out a short laugh. "Is this one of your pranks?" She returned her attention to getting ten dessert plates and forks from the cabinet and stacking them on a tray.

"I’m being serious, Maya," Aiden said as he set the cake down on the counter.

Maya closed the cabinet after taking out the last dessert plate. " I think you’re just being paranoid, Aiden. None of my friends are working for Vico "

"No, I’m not. I’m very sure one of them is working for him. They can’t be trusted. "

Maya lifted her head to look at Aiden. "What led to the thought process that made you come to that conclusion?"

"I used my tech knowledge to analyze the video that Vico used to threaten you, and it wasn’t fake or AI-generated. It was real. Your friends were genuinely lying there with a gun pointed at them."

Maya tilted her head from side to side in disbelief. "My friends weren’t together that fateful night."

"The video was real, but it wasn’t made that very night. So what does that indicate?"

"The video was staged?" Maya blurted out.

"Bingo! You finally get it," he said, clapping his hands.

"Wait, so this is what made you think my friends are working for Vico?" She tilts her head. "That is unlikely. My friends are the most loyal people in the world."

"I didn’t imply that all your friends are moles. I just said that only one of your friends is."

Maya tugged at her hip, feeling vexed. "Which of my friends are you accusing?" She was on edge, angry that Aiden dared to level these accusations against her best friends.

"Not Haven; she is an angel." A smile crept onto Aiden’s stoic face. "I’m not being biased. She is a sweetheart."

"You have a soft spot for her," Maya said with a teasing smile.

Aiden chuckled, his eyes softening. "Stop joking around. Let’s get back to business," he said, blinking his eyes to regain a serious expression. "Haven is not a suspect, which leaves Natalia and Laura."

"Laura is a good person. I promise you, she doesn’t have even a hint of malicious intent in her bones," Maya vouched for her.

"What about Natalia? She’s at the top of the suspects list," Aiden blares with certainty that Maya found loathsome.

Maya flared up. "You think Natalia, is the suspect just because of her grumpy, cranky personality?"

"N-No, her... That’s... no—" Aiden fumbled with his words, struggling to form a coherent sentence to defend his claims.

"Natalia doesn’t give a fuck about 99% of everything and everyone in the world. Conspiring with Vico would be too much of a hassle for her." Maya was so furious that she spoke rapidly.

She blew into her mouth. "Look," she lowered her tone. "Have you considered that maybe Vico had his men stalking and spying on my friends? By chance, they found my friends asleep on the floor and took the opportunity to stage that video. Am I making sense?"

"Hmm," Aiden buzzed. "You make a good point."

"My friends love to get splashed on a wine bottle when we hang out. Maybe they drank too much and fell into a slumber and Vico’s men took advantage of that."

"Maybe." Aiden stroked his jaw. "Alright, I was wrong. Natalia is innocent."

Maya squinted her eyes at him. "You no longer believe she is working for Vico?"

"Yes, you convinced me." He gave a nonchalant thumbs-up. "I will never accuse Natalia of anything again."

"Okay," Maya’s shoulders heaving down in relief. "Let’s get back to the dining hall."

"Right," Aiden picked up the raspberry-lemon-polenta cake from the counter. Maya lifted the tray holding the dessert plates , forks and knife, and together, they sauntered back.

The dining table was buzzing with conversations, as her friends were in their own orbits, while the twins and Marcello were engaged in a tense discussion. Valentina and Dalton were the only ones sitting quietly. This was typical for Dalton, who is usually quiet, but Valentina, on the other hand, is a nuisance that no one wants to speak to

"Dessert is here!" Maya burst out. There was a rush as everyone grabbed a slice of cake and enjoyed their fill.

Since there were no maids around, everyone helped Maya clear the table and do the dishes, except for Princess Valentina, who refused to get her hands dirty.

Afterward, they moved to the living room to quaff down their second glass of wine.

Valentina groaned, "I feel too tipsy. Can we go home, baby boo?" She pouted her lips. "And remember, you promised to take me to the Bahamas tomorrow. We need to get some sleep; I don’t want us to miss our flight."

"Um, sir," Natalia said, glancing at Marcello. "Unfortunately, you will have to cancel your trip to the Bahamas. You need to catch a flight to Milan tonight for a business ."

Valentina scowled at Natalia. "What’s your problem? You’re not the boss of him. He is the boss, and he can decide where he wants to be."

The movement of Natalia’s jaw indicated that she was holding back from completely going berserk on Valentina. "You are right, Miss Hathaway. I’m not his boss; I’m just his personal assistant, doing my job. That means ensuring my boss follows his schedule accordingly." She smiled, mimicking the smile that corporate women often use.

"She is right, mia caro." Marcello patted Valentina’s long, shiny hair as if she were a pet. "I need to be in Milan. Let’s postpone our Bahamas trip to next week."

Valentina whined, "But I want to go to the Bahamas with you tomorrow! I’ve been looking forward to it."

Marcello whispered something into Valentina’s ear, and she stopped nagging. He pulled out his phone. "I will have the chauffeur come pick you up. Now be a good girl. When I get back from Milan, we will have tons of fun." Valentina nodded obediently like a puppet.

Aiden interjected, "I need to have a conversation with the boys, so please excuse us, ladies."

Maya lifted her head from Dalton’s shoulders. "Have fun with the boys, Dalton," she said, sounding tipsy.

"I think I’ll take your wine with me. You have had enough," Dalton snatched her glass from her grip. Maya’s head felt so light that she didn’t bother to protest.

The twins, Aiden, Dalton, and Marcello, left for the study, leaving the girls behind.

"Who wants to watch a K-drama?" Haven chirped. She turned on the TV, went straight to Netflix, and selected the latest K-drama available.

"You!" Valentina poked a finger at Natalia’s face. "Keep your claws off, my man."

Natalia chuckled. "Or what?" She looked Valentina up and down, her eyes dismissing her as if she were a worthless thing.

Maya hiccupped as she spoke. "Whoa, you two break it off."

"Don’t you dare try to sneak your way into Marcello’s bed, or else," Valentina maliciously smirk. "Your friends are going to find out about your dirty little secrets."

Natalia’s face tightened, turning pale.

Maya frowned as she scanned Natalia’s face. Dirty little secrets? The phrase echoed in Maya’s mind like an alarm. What if Aiden’s suspicions about Natalia were true?

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