The billionaire's only desire
Chapter 22: can’t stop thinking about her

Chapter 22: can’t stop thinking about her

Maya Maya Maya. Her name lingered in Dalton’s mind as he sat in a meeting with his foreign investors. He couldn’t stop thinking about her; she has consumed his thoughts.

Dalton kept wondering if Maya was safe and sound, or if she needs him—though he knows she wouldn’t tell him if she does. He would have to pry that out of her.

Her grunts and the annoyance on her face yesterday made him realize that she is not accustomed to having someone, especially a man, show her the care and protection she needs. Dalton knows he went overboard, but there is something about Maya that brings out his overprotective side. He feels a strange urge to shield her from the harsh realities of the world

He has an intense desire to punish anyone who hurts her, like that bulky bodyguard who assault her. What if he hadn’t shown up? That bodyguard could have had his way with her. Just thinking about it makes his blood boil. Beating him until he passed out wasn’t enough; he should have killed him for having the audacity to lay his hands on Maya.

Fredrick Hathaway will not get away with putting Maya in harm’s way. His threat to buy the gentlemen’s club was not merely a bluff; He intended to take Venus City from Frederick Hathaway without offering a single dollar in return.

Dalton is just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike when Frederick Hathaway has let his guard down.

The meeting has concluded, and Dalton absentmindedly shakes hands with the foreign investors before sending them off. He can’t recall what was said during the meeting, but he is reassured that his secretary recorded everything and took notes.

A dull ache lingers In his throat. He quickens his pace as he walks out of the conference room and into his office, to find a bourbon to quench his thirst.

As soon as he settled behind his desk with his bourbon, the door swung wide open, and River walked in.

"God, I’m not cut out to be a CEO. How do any of you manage your companies so effortlessly?" River lamented, his exhaustion evident as he stumbled slightly.

River owns a real estate and construction company that he founded at the age of 22, right after graduating from college.

"You need to find a COO to help cut your workload in half," Dalton advised. River slouched lazily into one of the three leather armchairs in the office and replied, "I’ll consider that."

Dalton glanced at the door, waiting for the next brother to appear as he settled in with his drink.

Minutes later, Oliver and Aiden joined them.

"Shouldn’t you be in Hawaii on vacation with that pretty girl who caught your attention yesterday?" Aiden threw the question at River.1

River yawns. "I lost interest."

"Of course you did, Playboy," Oliver said, shaking his head at his twin.

"Speaking of women," Aiden eyes gleamed with intrigued, "I heard you threatened to buy Venus City because of Maya."

"How did you know? Did you bug my phone?" Dalton shot daggers at Aiden. There was no way this could have gotten out. Fredrick Hathaway wouldn’t rant to others because of his pride.

Aiden shrugged. "You bugged me, dude" He tapped on his wristwatch. "This is payback."

"I wasn’t the one who bugged your watch," Dalton denies.

Aiden tilted his head to the side and gave Dalton a look as he said, "Bro, you gave me this wristwatch as a gift. Have you lost your memory?"

"It wasn’t from me. Oliver asked me to give it to you," Dalton revealed.

They all tilted their heads to stare at Oliver, who wore a guilty expression on his face.

Aiden laughed in disbelief. "You bugged me?"

"I had to. It’s the only way I could monitor you and make sure you didn’t do something crazy or skip your therapy sessions or stop taking your antipsychotic medication," Oliver said defensively.

"Damn, you are such a control freak—worse than Dalton," Aiden glared at him, anger looming over his face. He removed his wristwatch and tossed it to the floor.

Oliver grimaced. "I’m sorry."

Aiden ignored his apology.

"Alright, fight is over. Let’s talk about Maya," River said, darting Dalton a teasing smirk. "Are you seriously going to buy the gentlemen’s club because of her? That’s some Romeo and Juliet shit !"

"Yes," Dalton admitted.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Jeez, I’ve been begging you for years to snatch that gentlemen’s club away from Fredrick Hathaway, but you ignored me. Yet it took some girl for you to change your mind."

"You sound so jealous of Maya, Aiden," River taunted him. "I bet you’ll cry on his wedding day; Dalton is not yours to gatekeep." He added fuel to Aiden’s anger.

Aiden lunged at him, but Oliver blocked his path, protecting his twin brother.

Aiden sneered, "I hate you damn twins."

"Enough," Dalton said, slamming his fist on the table to silence them. He was tired of their childish arguments.

"Do you have any dirt on Frederick, Hathaway?" Dalton asked Aiden.

"Yep," Aiden pulled one of the chairs in front of the desk, sitting backward on it. "I have a large file compiled that details the atrocities occurring behind the scenes at Venus City," he said.

This piqued Dalton’s interest. "What terrible things has Frederick Hathaway been involved in?"

"Sex trafficking."

The room fell silent.

"Christ!" Oliver cursed. "And you’re still frequenting the gentlemen’s club knowing this is happening?" He looked at Aiden with disgust.

"You can be really slow sometimes. How did you become a doctor?" Aiden scoffed at Oliver. "It doesn’t take much intelligence to figure out that I visit Venus City because I find a lot of bad men to kill—men involved in this sex trafficking operation."

Oliver winced and glared at Aiden. "It’s not called being slow; it’s called being a normal human being who doesn’t think killing people is a normal thing to do. We have the justice system to deal with these evil men," he ranted in frustration.

Aiden huffed. "Justice system, my foot! If they were actually putting these men behind bars, I wouldn’t have to kill them."

"I have killed a total of 20 men over the course of three years. I would have killed more if Dalton wasn’t babysitting me all the time," Aiden said, intending to infuriate Oliver even more.

Oliver’s face twisted with rage; he looked as if he might throw up

"Give me more details, Aiden," Dalton demanded, disregarding the ongoing feud between Oliver and Aiden.

Aiden cleared his throat before responding. "Fredrick Hathaway is, of course, the mastermind behind the sex trafficking operation. However, surprisingly, his right-hand man, who has been supplying him with the girls, turned out to be a woman."

"A woman?" the twins exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, she is a major player in the kidnapping and training of those girls to become perfect sex bimbos to sell to clients at Venus City." Aiden’s knuckles turned white as he spoke.

"My intel indicates that she works at Venus City, pretending to be one of her victims. However, we still do not know her true identity. She is very skilled at concealing who she really is."

"If I find her, she might be the first woman I kill," a murderous desire flickered in Aiden’s eyes.

"I will provide you with more resources to find her," Dalton offered.

"Okay, bro," Aiden nodded.

"Alright, we’re done here. I need to get back to work, so you guys need to leave," Dalton dismissed his brothers.

"I’m leaving anyway; I have a surgery to perform," Oliver said as he headed for the door. However, he suddenly turned back and asked Dalton, "What’s going on with you and Maya? I’ve never seen you this interested in a woman."

A heavy feeling settled in Dalton’s heart. "I just want to protect and care for her," he replied earnestly.

Oliver’s eyes widened.

"Whoa, bro, you are whipped," River exclaimed.

Aiden just chuckled. "Mr. Lover Boy," he teased.

"Do you care for her as a friend or a... lover?" River asked, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

With possessiveness laced in his tone, Dalton said, "I just want to be the only man she can rely on."