The billionaire's only desire-Chapter 37: leaving

"Be careful with the glassware," Maya cautioned the man walking out with a box. He was part of the moving company she had hired to help her move her belongings out of the basement.

Yes, she is moving out—leaving her mother’s mansion for good. This time, her stepfather cannot stop her.

She had planned to move out next month, but after what Soraya did, she no longer feels safe, so she is moving out today. For the past few days, her sleep has been disrupted by the fear gripping her heart. The fear of what next they might do to harm her.

She has rented a storage unit to store all her belongings and furniture. She will then live with Natalia for a while, possibly one to two weeks or longer, depending on when she finds a new apartment.

Maya gazed around the nearly empty basement with a lingering sense of longing. It was a bittersweet moment for her. After thirteen years, she was finally escaping this basement, which had been intended as her prison, yet she would miss it. She had transformed it into a comfortable home, and now she was leaving it all behind.

She took one last glance and trotted out.

"Pumpkin, dear, are you really leaving?" Aunt Lily intercepted her.

"Aunt Lily, you’re back!" Maya’s face lit up.

Aunt Lily hugged Maya tightly. "You shouldn’t leave; this is your mother’s house. Please stay," Aunt Lily pleaded.

"I have to," Maya said sadly as she broke off the hug.

"A servant informed me about what Soraya did. Are you leaving because of that?" Aunt Lily asked, her voice filled with concern.

Maya’s eyes widened in slight shock. She was surprised that the servants working here had begun revealing her predicaments to Aunt Lily. Normally, out of fear of Fredrick Hathaway, they turned a blind eye to everything happening in the house and never dared to gossip about it.

What changed? Why are they suddenly telling Aunt Lily about the dilemma she has been facing? Maya was perplexed.

Just as Maya was about to say something, Soraya strode in their direction, her eyes stormy.

"She is lying, Mom! I didn’t do that to her!" Soraya exclaimed, her voice filled with anguish and her eyes flashing with hurt. "She told this lie to Dalton, and now I’ve been blacklisted in the fashion industry! I’ve lost all my endorsement deals, and no magazine wants me on their front page. All the invitations I had to entertainment and fashion events have been cancelled. All the powerful friends I made in the industry have shunned me! Maya has ruined my life, Mom!" Soraya wrapped her arms around her mom’s waist and laid her head on her chest, crying on her mother’s bosom like a little girl.

Maya jerked her head back. Was this Dalton’s punishment? Maya felt sorry for Soraya, even though she knew she shouldn’t, Soraya deserved it, but it seemed too harsh for her to lose everything she had worked so hard for.

Aunt Lily patted Soraya’s hair and said, "I’m sorry this happened, but this is a light punishment. What you did was unforgivable. That fall could have killed Maya! How could you tamper with the staircase when you know Maya suffered a traumatic brain injury from a fall two years ago?" Aunt Lily yelled at Soraya, forcibly taking her arms off her waist and pushing her daughter away.

Soraya sniffed back her tears and flared at her mother. "I’m your daughter! You should side with me instead of believing this bastard’s lies!" she spat.

"Why would I side with your vile actions? A servant I interrogated told me you asked her for a screwdriver," Aunt Lily reveals.

She sighed, her eyes filled with anger. "Your uncle put you up to this, didn’t he? All because of that billionaire, Dalton Black. You did this to Maya because she is working for him, right? The servants told me everything that had been going on when I interrogated them."

Aunt Lily searched Maya’s eyes. "What other harmful things have they been doing to you that I don’t know about?"

Maya’s shoulders drooped. Aunt Lily is unaware of the mistreatment Maya has been facing from her brother because Maya has been afraid to confide in her. Additionally, her stepfather always treats her nicely when Aunt Lily is around, which is part of the reason why Maya feels happy during her visits.

"Tell me, Maya, " Aunt Lily agitatedly insist.

A gloomy silence sealed Maya’s lips. She didn’t know where to begin. Aunt Lily is already wearing a remorseful, sad expression on her face. She would be even more heartbroken and take all the blame if Maya revealed every awful thing they had done to her.

Maya chose to remain silent, tearing her gaze away from Aunt Lily.

Aunt Lily grimaced at her. "If you’re not willing to tell me, the servants will. They seem eager to inform me about everything that happens in this house."

"Mom, you’re going to believe more of her lies! My uncle hasn’t done anything to this bastard, and neither have I," Soraya vehemently denied. "Maya has rather offended me. She stole Dalton from me—my future husband!"

Aunt Lily looked at her daughter sharply, disappointment piped on her face. "So, my brother has been grooming you to hunt for a billionaire husband, just as he used schemes and dubious means to make Cecelia fall in love with him and then married her for her money." Aunt Lily glanced around with contempt as she spoke. "Now, all her wealth belongs to my lazy brother, including the building of his gentlemen’s club. The money he used to start and run that filthy club came from the hefty amount of money she left behind!" Aunt Lily was very angry. The anger reflected on her face.

Maya has also been feeling angry about this, ever since she got older and realized that everything her stepfather owns belongs to her late mother.

"I warned Cecelia not to marry my scoundrel of a brother, but she didn’t listen; she was so in love. I should have tried harder; maybe she would have heeded my advice."

Soraya rolled her eyes. "Gosh, you are so strange, Mom. You should be happy that Uncle found a partner who made him successful. Just like I could have been halfway to achieving my dream of becoming Mrs. Black if this bastard hadn’t interfered!" She spat at Maya.

Aunt Lily ignored her outburst and turned her attention to Maya. "Where will you be staying, pumpkin?" she asked.

"With my friend Natalia for a while until I find a new apartment," Maya replied.

"I will miss you," Aunt Lily said as she hugged Maya again. "I will be going back to Spain tomorrow, but when I return, I will pay you a visit."

Aunt Lily then turned to Soraya. "Pack your bags, Soraya. You are coming with me to Spain."

"What? I’m not!" Soraya burst out. "What am I going to do in Spain? There’s nothing in Spain."

Soraya folded her arms across her chest, vexed. "I can’t leave; Dalton is here. I still have a chance to be his future wife."

Aunt Lily snorted. "It seems Dalton has already chosen his future wife, and it’s not you." She shot a smile at Maya. "He has chosen a beautiful, hardworking woman to be his partner."

Maya blushed. How did her aunt find out that she is romantically involved with Dalton? Maya frowned.

Aunt Lily’s next words provided Maya with the answer.

"Maya, One of the servants told me that he is your boyfriend. He brought you flowers. They showed me a picture of him. You have good taste in men; he is so handsome," she smiled teasingly. "Introduce him to me on my next visit."

Maya smiled shyly. "Sure."

Aunt Lily’s smile faded as she averted her gaze back to Soraya. "You are leaving for Spain tomorrow, and that’s final."

"No, I’m not! I’m an adult; you can’t decide where I should live!" Soraya fuss.

Aunt Lily smirked. "If you’re going to be stubborn about this, then I will take Dalton Black’s contact from Maya and call him. I’m sure he will be willing to help me force you to go to Spain with me." freewёbnoνel.com

Soraya’s face turned white, drained from colour. "Fine!" she conceded. "I hate you, Mom!" She burst out like a teenager.

Maya had to stifle an amused laugh that threatened to escape her lips. She couldn’t believe Aunt Lily just used Dalton’s name to threaten Soraya.

Maya still couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of Dalton being a dangerous man

Even though he has a domineering aura, he treats her so tenderly. He is a very kind man, yet he is feared by everyone.

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