Dalton walked to the front door of a Spanish-style mansion, holding flowers. He rang the doorbell.
Minutes later, a woman in maid attire opened the door. She looked him up and down and asked politely, "How can I help you?"
"Who is at the door?" Dalton heard soone ask from inside. It was Soraya’s voice.
The maid shot him a questioning look. "Dalton Black," he told the maid, giving her his na.
"He said his na is Dalton Black," the maid inford Soraya.
Soraya gasped as she rushed to the door. "Dalton, what a lovely surprise!" she exclaid, smiling widely with her hand pressed against her chest.
"Hello, Soraya," Dalton greeted her indifferently.
"You should have told you were coming, you know," Soraya said, batting her eyes flirtatiously. "But I don’t mind this surprise visit at all." She eyed the flowers he was holding.
Dalton cleared his throat and looked over Soraya’s shoulder. "Is Maya at ho?"
Soraya’s smile faded. "Maya?"
"Yes, I’m here to see her. Where is she?" Dalton asked, his impatience evident.
Soraya grimaced. "I... do—" But before she could finish, Dalton walked past her and stepped inside.
His eyes darted around as he searched for a glimpse of Maya.
He spotted the maid who answered the door. "Where can I find Maya?" he asked her.
"Follow , sir; I will lead you to her."
Dalton followed the maid. She led him deeper into the mansion. She stopped at an open trapdoor beneath the floor.
"She is inside." The maid pointed
"She sleeps in the basent?" Dalton questioned in disbelief.
"Yes, sir," the maid replied.
"Thank you," Dalton said, dismissing the maid. She left, and he stepped into the basent, walking down a wooden staircase.
The basent was dark, with only a small glow of light coming from one direction. Dalton noticed it was the light from a TV screen.
"Maya," he called.
"Dalton?" Her voice was filled with surprise.
Maya turned on the lights, and a cosy apartnt ca into view.
Dalton inspected the space until his eyes landed on Maya.
"Nice apartnt," he complinted.
"Thanks, I’m shocked to see you." Her eyes were oscillated.
"I wanted to surprise you. These are for you." He handed her the flowers.
Her blue eyes glistened. "Oh my God, beautiful roses Thank you." She kissed his cheek. He wished it had been a kiss on the lips; he wanted to kiss her badly.
"What can I offer you—water, coffee, or juice?" Maya asked as she placed the roses in a ceramic flowerpot.
"Don’t trouble yourself," Dalton made himself comfortable on the couch.
"Alright," Maya shrugged. She joined him on the couch, sitting cross-legged. Her eyes were fixed on the TV, a Korean drama was playing.
Dalton felt that sothing was off about her.
He studied her face. "Maya, have you been crying?" he asked, noticing that her eyes were swollen
She didn’t answer.
Dalton gently touched her cheek and nudged her to look at him. She looked very sad.
Dalton cupped her face. "What is bothering you? Did your stepfather hurt you?" His voice rose with anger.
She shook her head. "No."
"Then why are you sad?"
"I don’t want to talk about it,"
Dalton felt frustrated. Not only does he have to worry about people hurting her, but he also has to worry about her not confiding in him when she is hurt. He has to pry it out of her.
He curled his arm around her shoulders, gently prodding her to rest her head on his lap. He stroked her long, shiny black hair, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear.
"I brought you chocolate too," he said, pulling a box of chocolates from the inside pocket of his coat. He unwrapped it "Open your mouth," he tells her in a tender voice.
Maya patted her lips without protest. He fed her the chocolate bar.
"Why do you live in the basent?" he suddenly asked her.
She stared up at him and answered "My stepfather doesn’t want to live in the main house with them, so when I was ten, he banished to the basent. It was dusty and filthy and it took years to make this place feel like a ho."
Dalton beca furious. "From what I know, this house belongs to your mother. You have the right to live in the main house."
Maya sighed. "No, my mother left the house to my siblings and stepfather. She left nothing in her will." Her voice broke, revealing the source of her sadness to Dalton.
"Are you sad because of your mother?" he asked.
She nodded, confirming his deduction.
Dalton brushed his thumb over her temple, and she took a breath in, flicking her blue eyes at him.
"I don’t believe your mother left you nothing," he said confidently.
She frowned. "You think so?"
"Yes. Fredrick Hathaway is a cunning man. He may have bribed your mother’s lawyer or forged a fake will."
"Hmm, maybe," Maya murmured.
"I will look into it. Don’t worry," he assured her.
"Okay,"
Suddenly Maya’s eyes filled with tears. "My mother died giving birth to , and being pregnant with brought her so much sha. So if she excluded from her will, I understand."
Dalton used his fingers to wipe away the tears trickling from her eyes. "Did soone say those awful words to you?" he asked.
Maya nodded.
"Your stepfather?"
She nodded again.
Dalton gritted his teeth in fury. He needed to expedite the punishnt he was planning for Fredrick Hathaway. He can’t allow him to continue getting away with hurting Maya.
Perhaps he should allow Aiden to visit Fredrick Hathaway.
Dalton stroked Maya’s cheek. "You were just a baby, an innocent baby. It’s not your fault she died. It was never your fault. If your mother had truly hated you, she would have aborted you, but she chose to keep you despite the sha she was enduring. You are never a mistake; you are a gift." He planted a kiss on her temple.
"Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise." He kissed the top of her head.
The gloom on Maya’s face dissolved, and she smiled brightly. "Thank you." She took his hand and squeezed it.
"You don’t talk much, but when you do, your words are magical." She stared at him in awe.
"Really?" Dalton raised his eyebrows.
She took his hand and placed it on her chest. "Your words just healed my heart."
"Then I will try to be a chatterbox so I can heal your heart every minute," he joked.
Maya laughed.
Dalton felt a sense of relief in his heart at the sight of her laughter.
Dalton resud feeding her the chocolate, and she ate it all.
"This chocolate is so good," she said with delight.
"I’m glad you like it," Dalton was pleased.
"I brought you sothing else."
Maya lifted her head from his lap. "How many gifts did you bring ?" she chuckled.
Dalton stood up, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small parcel box.
Maya got to her feet and asked, "What is that?"
"Turn around," Dalton requested. Maya turned her back to him. Dalton opened the box and took out a sapphire necklace. He draped the necklace around Maya’s neck.
Maya turned to face Dalton as she fidgeted with the sapphire. "It’s so enchanting."
Dalton admired how the necklace looked beautiful around her delicate neck.
"You like it?" he asked.
"Yes, but it looks so expensive," she replied. She was about to take it off but Dalton stopped her as he reached out for her hand.
"You deserve more," he caressed her hand. "Yesterday, I told you that I wanted you, but you said nothing back." He looked intensely into her eyes.
She blushed. "I..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she flipped her eyes open and said, "I want you too," she whispered.
She didn’t need to confess that to him with her words; he could see the desire she felt or him glinting in her eyes.
"I will be travelling to London for a month," Dalton announced.
Maya’s eyes dimd. "For a month? I thought you said you wouldn’t be travelling outside the country this year."
"Yes, unfortunately, I have to be in London. I need to oversee the managent of a company I bought over there and implent so changes that will help the company run smoothly in my absence."
"I will miss you," she pouted.
"I will miss you too. I will call and text you every hour," he promised her.
"I will do that too," she replied.
Dalton took Maya’s hand and kissed each of her fingers delicately. "When I co back, I will make you my woman, my everything," he said.
Reviews
All reviews (0)