The billionaire's only desire-Chapter 60: their cousin Charlotte

The brothers fawn over their cousin Charlotte.

"Charlotte!" River hugged her, spinning her around. Charlotte giggled.

"Look at you! You’re glowing!"

Charlotte laughed. "That’s thanks to the three-month vacation."

"Hey, my favorite doctor." She pulled Oliver into a hug.

"Four long months without hearing from you," Oliver complained.

"Sorry! I’ll remember that I own a phone next time," Charlotte joked.

Oliver laughs carefree, causing wrinkles to form around his eyes. freёnovelkiss.com

Maya has never seen him laugh like this before; his smiles and laughter are usually polite. Charlotte must be really special to make him feel this carefree.

Charlotte’s eyes fell on Maya and lingered for a few seconds before she diverted her gaze. Maya froze, nearly dropping the potatoes and chicken she had just taken out of the oven.

She blew air into her cheeks, trying to calm her nerves. Charlotte’s stare overwhelmed her greatly.

Maya quickly returned to the dish she was preparing. She took a tzatziki sauce from the fridge, added some feta cheese, and began to stir the mixture.

"I see you renovated the mansion," Charlotte said to Dalton.

Dalton nods. "Yes, just a few renovations," he says, but his eyes aren’t on Charlotte. Maya raises her head to see Dalton staring at her. She stops stirring and flashes him a smile.

Dalton’s eyes soften. "Charlotte, I want to introduce you to some—"

"Can you give me a tour?" Charlotte squeaks bubbly, interrupting Dalton. She pulled him out of the kitchen to explore the mansion with her.

Maya sighed and returned to what she was doing.

The brothers also followed suit, leaving Maya alone in the kitchen. Maya divided the chicken and potatoes onto serving plates, drizzled them with olive brine, and topped them with tzatziki feta sauce.

The helps was already in the kitchen.

"Could you please serve dinner immediately and let the brothers know that dinner is ready?" Maya instructed.

The staff went straight to work, bringing the dishes to the dining table. Meanwhile, Maya began making black cherry cupcakes with White Claw for dessert.

"Where is everyone?" Aiden asked as he returned, holding two bottles of fine wine.

"Your cousin Cha-Charlotte is back," Maya stuttered.

"Oh, I see," he sounds uninterested.

"Dinner is being served in the dining hall," Maya informed him.

"Take the wines with you," Aiden instructed as he handed them to one of the helps.

"Wait a moment," he stopped another help who was carrying a tray with three plates of Sheet Pan Lemon Balsamic Chicken and Potatoes. He took one of the plates. "I’ll eat in my room."

Maya watched him with confusion as he left with his plate. It seems that Aiden isn’t fond of his cousin, Charlotte.

Maya had finished the white claw black cherry cupcake. A maid returned with the empty plates to take them away.

Maya’s stomach churned. They had dinner without her. She had served five plates, one of which was supposed to be hers, but Charlotte had taken Maya’s food.

"Go serve them the dessert," Maya said as she handed over the tray of white claw black cherry cupcakes.

"Chef DeLuca, Mr. Black requests your presence in the dining room if you have finished cooking," the maid informs Maya.

Maya took a breath. She wanted to tell the maid to tell Dalton that she was still cooking. She wasn’t ready to interact with Charlotte.

Maya pushed her discomfort aside and decided to act like an adult. She removed the apron from around her waist. "Okay, let’s go," she said, following the help while trying to manage the jitters in her stomach.

The dining hall was filled with laughter when Maya walked in with the help. Dalton and his brothers were drinking wine while chatting.

Maya put on a smile and announced, "Dessert is here."

"Hey, cousin! You were eager to know who cooked this delicious Sheet Pan Lemon Balsamic Chicken and Potatoes. I present to you Chef Maya DeLuca," River announced dramatically with a clap.

Maya smiled shyly.

Charlotte scrutinized Maya, making her feel uncomfortable. "Oh, I see. Thank you for the dish, it tasted like magic," she said politely to Maya.

Maya felt relieved. Charlotte was nice.

"I will be taking my leave. I hope you enjoy the dessert," Maya said, making a gesture to leave.

"No, you missed dinner. Don’t miss dessert, too, " Dalton said, stopping Maya from leaving. He pulled the empty chair on his right for her.

Maya sat down, and Dalton poured her a glass of wine.

"You were making dessert, so that’s why you didn’t join us for the meal?" Dalton asked, whispering in Maya’s ear.

Maya nodded.

"You should have joined us. Dessert isn’t that important," Dalton said disapprovingly.

Maya remained silent, looking away as she took a gulp from her glass of wine.

Charlotte cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. "So, Dalton. You treat your employees like family, huh?" she asked looking at Maya.

Dalton took Maya’s free hand and intertwined it with his under the table. "Charlotte, Maya is not just my chef; she is my girlfriend."

Charlotte tilted her head back. "Oh, I see." She swirled the glass of wine she was holding. "Your girlfriend is very pretty, Dalton," Charlotte said, darting a smile at Maya.

Maya nervously smiled back. "You are beautiful too."

Charlotte tossed her hair and replied smugly, "I know."

Maya wondered if Soraya had already told Charlotte everything about her. Or Charlotte was pretending, acting as if she knew nothing about her.

Charlotte raised her glass. "Let’s make a toast to Maya—welcome to the family."

They clinked their glasses together.

Maya felt conflicted; she couldn’t tell if Charlotte liked her or not.

River initiated a conversation. He pulled a long face and said to Charlotte, "You’ve been in the country for weeks, and you didn’t call or visit."

Charlotte pouted. "I’m sorry. When I landed in the country after my three-month vacation, I had an emergency to deal with—a trafficking case."

"Did you get justice for the victims?" Oliver asked.

Charlotte nodded, beaming. "Yes, I fought hard to get justice for the poor victims. It is why I became a human rights lawyer—to advocate for victims whose human rights have been violated."

Oliver smiled widely at Charlotte. "You are an angel ."

Maya got lost in her thoughts. Charlotte, being a human rights lawyer, means she is a good person—compassionate and kind. There was no way someone like her could be friends with someone like Soraya. It just didn’t make sense. Maya hoped they weren’t friends.

"Dalton," Charlotte calls, drawing his attention. "Can Soraya visit me here? You know, growing up, I never had any friends. She’s the only friend I’ve had since high school." Charlotte’s request crushes Maya’s hopes.

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