The billionaire's only desire-Chapter 65: hanging out with friends

Maya was extremely busy managing the operations of the restaurant. She was seated at a desk, her attention focused on the computer screen as she maintained all inventory records, tracked sales, and ordered food ingredients from local suppliers. She had been on the phone for nearly an hour, speaking with suppliers.

"Chef DeLuca," a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

"The tomato samples are here," a waiter pushed in a food cart. On top of it were five small open boxes containing tomatoes, each with a name attached.

Maya got out of her desk and took one of the tomatoes from the three boxes. She bit into the tomato and frowned. "Out,". She moved on to the next one, glanced at it, and rejected it. For the third one, she took a bite and smiled. "Maggie’s farm will supply us with tomatoes from now on."

The waiter frowned. "You didn’t check the remaining two."

"They look fresh, but they are the worst," Maya dismissed.

"What about the lobsters?" the waiter asked. The lobsters were on the second shelf of the cart.

Maya gazed at the three lobsters in small open coolers. They had name tags, too.

She tapped on the lobster on the right. "I like this one."

Maya made a call immediately to order tomatoes from Maggie’s farm and lobsters from the seafood company she had chosen. After that, she decided to go to the kitchen to assist the head chef in supervising the staff.

"Chef DeLuca," a junior chef called out to her.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"I will be attending my brother’s wedding tomorrow, and I was hoping you could change my day off to tomorrow." the junior chef requested.

Maya is also responsible for the work schedules of all the restaurant staff.

Maya rubbed her neck in stress. "Which chef will you be switching with?" she asked.

"The new junior chef, Dan’s replacement."

Dan has been fired. Maya finally reported him to HR for his harassment, and that jerk is gone. She is relieved she never has to interact with him again.

"Okay, you two can switch," Maya gave her approval.

The junior chef smiled widely. "Thank you very much, Chef DeLuca."

"You’re welcome,"

Maya headed to the kitchen.

All kinds of food flavors hit her nose, and she sighed in satisfaction. The kitchen always feels like home.

"Are you done?" the head chef asked, busy preparing a dish

Maya nodded. "Yeah."

"Since it’s almost fall, we need a new menu that fits the season," the head chef reminded Maya.

"I’m working on it," Maya said as she approached a junior chef who was stirring a sauce. She tasted it. "Your sauce smells good, but when I tasted it, I didn’t like it. It needs additional spices," she remarked.

Maya strolled in the bustling kitchen, her keen eye catching every detail. She approached another station where a chef was struggling with a risotto.

"Remember to stir constantly to release the starch," she advised, leaning in to inspect the pot. "And don’t forget to add the broth gradually. It’ll make all the difference."

The chef nodded, grateful for the guidance.

She then moved to another cooking station. "The chicken wasn’t seasoned properly before you put it in the oven, and the salad doesn’t taste good. Please redo it."

"The potatoes aren’t cooked properly," she dished out another remark.

"Too much spice. Just chuck out the whole dish."

At the grill station, she noticed a piece of fish that was starting to overcook. "Flip it now, or you’ll lose that perfect sear," she instructed, her voice firm but supportive.

Maya continued to voice her criticisms. She dashed over to the pastry station, where she noticed an unfinished cake.

"Where is the pastry chef?" she asked. Since this is a cake, it was baked by the pastry chef, not a junior chef.

"He received an emergency call," someone replied.

Maya then decided to decorate the cake herself.

As she was putting the finishing touches on the cake, the pastry chef returned.

"Wow, it looks great!" the pastry chef praised.

"Thanks," she replied.

"No, I should thank you for the rescue; the cake needs to be delivered in two minutes," the pastry chef sighed in relief.

Two minutes later, a waiter came for the cake to deliver it.

"It’s nothing, but don’t leave your cake unfinished next time," she cautioned.

"Yes, boss," the pastry chef did a salute.

"A four-plate dish order from the private table on the rooftop," a waitress mentioned.

"Chef DeLuca, it’s your call," the head chef prompted Maya.

"What is the dish, and is it on the menu?"

The waitress shook her head. "Salmon Wellington."

Maya hummed; that was one of her favorite dishes.

"Okay."

Maya wraps the salmon loin in cabbage leaves, then layers it with shrimp, nori, and puff pastry before baking it to create a perfect seafood dish.

"It’s all done; go serve it," Maya tells the waitress.

"Oh, Chef DeLuca, I forgot to mention that they asked me to tell you their names."

"And who are they?"

"Haven, Natalia, and Laura,"

Maya lit up. "I will follow you."

She strode past the waitress, eager to see her friends.

Haven and Laura were at the table, but Natalia was missing.

"Hi, guys!" Maya sang out.

"Chef DeLuca is here!" Haven chirped.

Maya hugged them. "Where is Natalia?"

Laura sighed. "She told us she would join us, but just a moment ago, she texted to inform us that she can’t make it."

Maya felt disappointed. She hadn’t seen Natalia since she and Laura visited her when she was sick.

"Maybe she’s busy. Her new job must be hectic," Maya said, making an excuse for her.

"Anyway, I’m happy to see you all!" Maya beams.

"Girl, you look stressed," Laura remarks.

Maya lets out a frustrated breath. "The sous chef duties are taking a toll on me."

"Poor you! That’s why we’re here to cheer you up," Haven gleams.

"How sweet of you guys to visit me at work," Maya felt some of her stress lift when she heard her friends’ names

The waitress served them the Salmon Wellington that Maya had prepared.

"You ordered four dishes, one for me?" Maya asked.

Her friends nodded.

"How did you know Salmon Wellington is one of my favorite dishes?

"You mentioned it once," Laura replied.

Maya’s eyes sparkled. "Aww, thanks for ordering that!" She took a seat and took a bite. She loved it; her pride swelled as she realized she was truly a good chef.

The waitress returned with the white wine they had ordered.

"Tell the head chef I’m taking a break," May instructed the waitress. She had been handling most of the managerial tasks all day and needed a break. The head chef could manage the kitchen without her for just an hour.

"Okay, what would you like for dessert?" the waitress asked.

"Please ask the pastry chef to prepare the best dessert for us."

The waitress left.

"Maya, your food is always delicious! What do you put in it?" Haven raves

"Yeah, Maya, what’s your secret?" Laura chimed in, backing up as she always does.

Maya shrugged. "I don’t know; there’s no secret formula. I’m not Mr. Krabs from that SpongeBob cartoon, in case you were wondering."

They all burst into laughter, and Maya joined in. Ah, this is what she needed—laughing with her friends.

"Do you have an Instagram page where you showcase your culinary talent to the world?" Haven asked enthusiastically.

Maya shook her head. "Valentina used to post my dishes on her Instagram page, but she lost her account, and there is some bad blood between us."

"Girl, you need one ASAP. I’m creating one for you." Laura pulled out her phone and began setting up the account. "You also need a YouTube account and a TikTok account," she added.

"You should consider hiring a professional to help you create food blogging videos and other content, as well as to assist you in growing all your social media accounts," Haven suggested.

"Have you found a job?" Maya asked Laura.

"No," Laura replied sadly.

"Then you can manage my social media accounts and help me shoot the cooking videos. You are good at things like this. I will pay you a salary."

"I accept the job offer," Laura agreed without a beat.

"Great! When can we start?" Maya asked eagerly.

"We can shoot cooking videos on your day off."

"Then can we start this Thursday? Thursdays are my days off."

"Okay, I can’t wait!" Maya squeaked.

"I will offer assistance," Haven chimed in.

"Natalia can join us too. It will be so much fun," Maya added.

"Oh my God, we are going to have so much fun!" Laura burst out.

"I just posted a cute picture of you on your Instagram, and you are getting a lot of followers."

"Let me see," Haven said as she took Laura’s phone from her grasp. "Maya looks like a goddess in this photo; no wonder you’re gaining followers."

Maya glanced at the picture. She indeed looks pretty. "Laura was the one who took this photo."

"Really, you are a pro, Laura! It looks like a professional photographer took that," Haven praised.

"Yeah, that’s why I hired her,"

Laura grinned. "I’m going to take gorgeous photos of you holding the dishes you make in the cooking videos, and you’ll have no choice but to increase my salary!"

"I trust you on that," Maya grinned from ear to ear.

"The profile picture Laura chose is a gorgeous one, too. God, you are so pretty, Maya. You are the most beautiful woman alive," Haven fawns making Maya’s cheeks flush with warmth.

"Wow, Haven, you’re exaggerating! You’re making me feel like I’m more beautiful than Helen of Troy."

Laura joined in. "Yes, you are even more than that, Helen, Dalton is the luckiest guy,"

"Speaking of Mr. Black, has he been overly romantic lately? Is he trying to prove that he’s husband material?" Haven suddenly asked.

"He’s a good boyfriend," Maya said, sounding uninterested.

"Whoa, your tone and expression suggest there might be trouble in your relationship," Laura observed.

Maya a bite into her lips, her face consorting into displeasing look. "Not his fault but .."

"There’s another woman," Laura completed her sentence for her.

"Kind of."

Their eyes widened.

"No, he is not cheating. Dalton has a cousin who he is not actually related to, and she is interested in him. She just moved into the mansion, and she has already started doing things to make me angry and jealous. She is always getting on my nerves."

"Look at this," Maya said as she pulled her phone from her pocket. She showed her friends the charity gala photos of Dalton and Charlotte.

"Wow, this girl looks desperate!" Laura fumed as she passed the phone to Haven.

Haven gasped. "This is Charlotte. She has been to the office recently. She was very sweet and nice. But it felt so fake to me. Then, she mentioned that she is a human rights lawyer, so I thought my perception of her might be wrong, and she must be genuine. Oh boy, was I wrong?"

"Scroll up," Maya instructed.

"Oh, she is such a bitch," Haven cursed after reading the messages. She passed the phone back to Laura.

"This bitch wants your man, and she wants you to know it," Laura said angrily. "Dalton looks super distant in these photos. The dude doesn’t want her, so don’t feel threatened by this," she assured Maya.

"I know Dalton treats her like a cousin, almost like a little sister, and he cares about her a lot. But she is taking advantage of that." Maya played with her food, letting out her frustration on the salmon.

"Aiden suggested that I should make Dalton kick her out of the house."

"Girl, don’t suggest that to Dalton," Laura disapproved. "That will make you look like a jealous, insecure girlfriend."

Maya sighed. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"She still needs to be out of the mansion. Let Dalton make that decision on his own, "Haven advised

"You guys are right," Maya said, liking their suggestion. She hoped Dalton would realize that Charlotte is a big nuance in their relationship.

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