The billionaire's only desire-Chapter 27: A revelation

Today, Maya is off from her junior chef job, and she isn’t cooking breakfast or lunch for Dalton since he flew to New York City last night. He will be back before dinner time. So, she has a lot of time to rest today, but her workaholic tendencies won’t allow her to.

Right after she delivered the pastries she had baked at dawn to the diner, she returned home and resumed baking. She proceeded to bake two cupcakes orders she had taken at the diner. Clearly, she wasn’t doing it for the money; she simply enjoyed the thrill of baking. Baking is fun for her.

After baking the first cupcake order, she paused to make breakfast for Valentina, who woke up quite late today. It was mid-morning. She has stopped making breakfast for Terrence, but not Valentina. No matter how annoying and hurtful Valentina can be, Maya still likes her half-sister and doesn’t mind cooking for her.

"Here you go," Maya served Valentina French toast with grape juice at the dining table.

"Looks lovely!" Valentina exclaimed, taking a picture as usual to post on her Instagram page. She tagged Maya’s Instagram handle once again, giving her a free promotion. That’s why it was worth cooking for Valentina.

As she was returning to her basement apartment, she heard Soraya speak behind her. "Where is my breakfast?" Soraya rudely demanded.

Maya turned to her and shrugged. "A new chef has been hired to cook for the family. He is in the kitchen, so you can go request him to make you breakfast, not me."

Soraya chuckled with amusement. "So, you’ve finally grown a backbone and can talk back to me, huh?"

"I have never been afraid of you. Do you know why I tolerated your rudeness? It was because of your uncle. Now that I’m under Dalton’s protection, my stepfather can’t touch me, so I don’t have to put up with your nonsense," Maya retorted.

Soraya’s face darkened at the mention of Dalton’s name. "Don’t get any ideas, you bastard. You may be under his protection, but that won’t stop me from destroying you if you dare try to steal him from me," she sneered.

Maya laughed mockingly. "But you can’t deny how important I am to Dalton. I could easily tell him you threatened me, and you would lose that partnership deal."

Soraya clenched her teeth, her face flushed with anger. "Dalton can’t stop me from getting back at you." she declared and stormed off.

Maya felt a twinge of wariness at Soraya’s threats, but she quickly brushed it off. Soraya wasn’t strong or violent like her stepfather or Terrence, so there was no reason for her to be afraid. She was used to her antics.

Maya returned to the basement to continue baking. She finished baking the cupcakes and delivered them.

As she was getting ready to go to Dalton’s house to cook him dinner, she heard the wooden staircase of the basement creak. Someone was entering the basement. For a moment, she felt frightened, but then she heard a soft voice say, "Pumpkin."

Maya’s eyes widened in astonishment. There was only one person who calls her that.

"Aunt Lily?"

"It’s me, your beloved aunt," A middle-aged woman with bobbed blonde hair came into view.

"Aunt Lily!" Maya exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I miss you so much!"

"Same here, dear," Aunt Lily replied warmly.

Aunt Lily is Soraya’s mother, the younger sister of her stepfather, but she adores Maya as if she were her own daughter.

This is another reason why Soraya resents Maya; she feels that Maya is taking away her mother’s affection.

"How long are you staying?" Maya asked. Aunt Lily lives in Spain with her Spanish husband, Soraya’s father. However, she often visits to check up on Soraya, ever since she permanently moved in with her uncle when she was 15.

"A month," Aunt Lily replied.

"Great!" Maya exclaimed, filled with joy.

"Give me a 360," Aunt Lily requested. Maya twirled around, giggling.

"You look so beautiful, just like your mother did at your age," Aunt Lily said.

"Really?" Maya’s eyes sparkled. Aunt Lily had been best friends with her late mother since high school. It was through her that Fredrick Hathaway met her mother. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Yes, pumpkin, you are a photocopy of your mother." Aunt Lily gazes at Maya with a distant look in her eyes, reminiscing memories of her mother. She tends to do this whenever she is in Maya’s presence.

Maya left Aunt Lily’s side and went to fetch a cookie jar from the kitchen cabinet and placed a few cookies on a cute plate. "Chocolate cookies work like magic," Maya offers the cookies to Aunt Lily.

Aunt Lily smiled. "Thank you, pumpkin. I will take them with me when I leave." She wiped away the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand. "I’m sorry; I can’t help but cry whenever I recall the happy memories I made with your mother."

"No need to apologize, Aunt Lily,"

Aunt Lily took Maya’s hands in hers and squeezed them. "Don’t believe anything anyone says about your mother. Cecelia was a good woman."

Maya squeezed her hand back. "Don’t worry, Aunt. I have never thought ill of my mother. Someone told me that my stepfather was cheating on her throughout their marriage, and she cheated back as retaliation."

"No," Aunt Lily said with indignation.

"No?" Maya’s forehead was creased with lines of confusion. "Your mother was such a kind soul; she would never retaliate, no matter how much people hurt her. That’s why I was surprised to find out she was pregnant with you and my brother wasn’t the father."

Aunt Lily started pacing back and forth. "I was her best friend; I would have known if she were having an affair with another man. She tells me all her secrets."

She paused, rubbing the space between her eyebrows."My idiotic evil brother began telling everyone that your mother cheated on him with an Italian man and she was expecting his child. I didn’t believe it, so I asked your mother the truth. She told me she was shocked when she found out she was pregnant. She was in the process of divorcing my brother and hasn’t slept with him for months, nor has she slept with anyone else."

Tears filled Aunt Lily’s eyes. "When she was six months pregnant, she told me that my... my brother got involved with a bad man, a very dangerous man, and you are..." She paused. "I shouldn’t be telling you this... my daughter... danger," Aunt Lily stammered in a distorted manner.

"I’m sorry," she rushed out of the basement.

"Aunt Lily," Maya called after her, but she was already gone, leaving Maya to grapple with a million thoughts.

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