CHAPTER 124: ONE YEAR LATER AND A BETRAYAL

It has been one year of happiness for Maya, full throttle, living with her husband in a remote town in Alaska. And life has been treating her so well. She is practically holed up at their mountain home, cooking, playing house with the love of her life. But she does go out to hike or bike. And Dalton takes care of groceries and other necessities they need. She rarely interacts with locals from town unless she meets them at hiking trails or biking.

She hasn’t gotten bored yet, because she has been a lone wolf her whole life until she started working in Venus City, and met Natalia, Laura Dalton, and his brothers. Hence it was easy for her to adapt to this new lifestyle, and she really enjoys it here.

She abandoned the past and embraced these new beginnings, and life is rewarding her with peace and tranquility.

"I know you are not a fashion girlie, but what do you think about this dress?" Haven’s voice blared out from the MacBook. They were on FaceTime. Well, she abandoned her past, but not her friends.

Maya squinted at the cocktail dress Haven had shoved on the screen, and said "This will look great on you. But where the hell are you going?"

"She is going on a dinner date with her husband," Laura said, her pretty face appearing on the screen.

"You guys are still married, huh?" Maya teased, "I thought this contract marriage ended six months ago."

"Oh shut up!" Haven screamed at her through the screen.

Laura started laughing and Maya joined her.

"Haven, you are blushing? You like, like, love him," Maya poked.

"No!" Haven was vehement. "I still don’t like him. I’m tolerating him, and only extending our contract marriage to make the marriage seem more convincing."

Maya wanted to ask, "Convincing to whom?" But Aiden rears his head.

"Girls, I need to steal my wife," he said, pulling an unwilling Haven away

Laura’s face fully returned to the screen. "You guys are so sweet, wow." Laura squealed.

Maya frowned, asking Laura, "What are they doing?"

"Girl, you’d better see for yourself?" Laura turned the screen towards Aiden and Haven.

Maya let out a gasp. "OMG." Aiden and Haven were kissing, and it was so erotic and passionate. It was the best kiss Maya had ever seen. She feels so unworthy to witness this. And wow, she had never seen Aiden so soft with anyone before. He really loves her, huh?

The kiss ended with Aiden planting a cute kiss on Haven’s head, and Maya and Laura awwed loudly.

Laura reangled the screen when Aiden left the room.

It was totally silent when Haven returned to them. Maya tried so hard to stay calm, but she couldn’t as she burst out laughing. "So this is what you meant by tolerating him?"

Storm gathered in Haven’s cute eyes on the screen as she glared at Maya.

Maya laughed hard. "Girl, I’m happy for you. Your sex life must be interestingly crazy like Aiden is."

Haven turned red.

"Maya stopped teasing her," Laura scolded. "She looks like she’s going to pass out."

"But is he really treating you well?" Maya asked with a smile.

Haven squeezed her eyes nervously. "Yes, and I like him okay?" Haven finally admitted her feelings.

"See, this is progress." Maya bets that next month, Haven will call it love.

"Alright, girls, I have to go. My husband and I are going to visit his parents." Laura said, and her face disappeared from the screen. Maya guessed that she was fetching her handbag.

Laura got married four months ago. Maya attended the wedding with Dalton. That was the only time they flew out of Alaska within the past year. Looking back, she realized how Dalton tightened their security, as if they were fugitives on the run.

Although they were living like escaped convicts in this small Alaskan town, she didn’t mind it at all.

"Have fun! I sent you the cooking vlog video. Check your notifications." Maya informs Laura. She has been shooting cooking videos for the past year and then sending them to Laura to edit.,

Laura is also responsible for posting the cooking videos on all of Maya’s social media accounts since she manages them.

"I will do the editing later," Laura responds.

All Maya has to do is cook and create videos, while Laura handles the rest. Actually, Dalton assists with the filming of the cooking videos.

Laura has excelled as her social media manager, propelling Maya’s fame to new heights. Now, Maya is a well-known internet chef and has even received offers from Food Network to host her own cooking show on their platform. While the offer is enticing, Maya is not yet ready to take that significant step in her career. She prefers to take her time before embarking on the next big phase of her professional chef journey.

In the same way she plans to wait a few years before launching her own five-star restaurant, she already has the financial means to achieve this goal without relying on her billionaire husband’s support. The substantial inheritance left by her mother provides her with the necessary resources. However, she has certain personal goals she wishes to accomplish first, regarding herself and her husband.

"I have to leave too, Maya. Aiden is waiting for me," Haven added her goodbyes.

"I also need to find my husband. Take care, girls. We’ll talk next week," Maya said, waving at the screen before shutting it down.

She stood up from the dining table "Dalton, where are you?" she called out,

"I’m in the bedroom!"

Maya grinned. "I’m coming to get you." She strode towards their bedroom.

Upon entering, Maya’s face lit up with joy as she saw her husband sitting on the bed with his laptop on his lap. He must have been busy working to acquire another company in Alaska. This would be the fourth Alaska-based company he has acquired within the past year.

Maya slid into bed and crawled toward him, carefully setting his laptop aside so he could give her his full attention. She then climbed into his lap. "I’m off the pills. I’m ready for a baby now. I want a baby, dear husband."

Dalton gently stroked her hair "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely," Maya replied. "Let’s start working on it now." She quickly opened the flyer on his jeans and slid her fingers inside his boxers.

Dalton reacts with a sharp grunt. "Not now," he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her fingers off his dick.

Maya frowns. "Why? I need you right now, like I’m going crazy."

"I need you too, but Nana Rose is coming here," he tells her.

Maya’s eyes widened, and she leaped off Dalton’s lap, exclaiming, "Really, the best news ever!"

"I need to go make her favorite food. Lord, I miss her so much." She soon darted out of the door and headed straight to the food pantry, selecting the necessary ingredients.

***

Maya had almost finished preparing dinner when she heard Nana Rose’s voice from behind.

"Dear," Nana Rose softly said.

May turned abruptly, reaching out for a hug. Nana Rose indulged her, but soon pulled away as if she were rejecting Maya’s embrace.

Maya’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you...?"

Nana Rose interrupted her. "I’m overwhelmed with joy to see you." Nana Rose’s smile was fleeting, barely reaching her eyes, and her eyes looked dead and hollow inside. It was quite unsettling, but Maya chose to shrug it off, attributing Nana Rose’s demeanor to fatigue.

Maya grinned widely. "I’m making your favorite for you."

"How kind of you." Nana Rose replied weakly.

Maya thought to herself, "She’s acting really strange."

Nana Rose produced a box of ginger tea bags from her bag and held them out to Maya. "I want to make ginger tea for Dalton."

Maya responded with a warm smile. "Go ahead, Nana Rose."

With a gentle motion, Nana Rose prepared the tea and then left the kitchen, to deliver it to Dalton.

Maya watched her leave and said to herself, "She is acting so weird. And her usual warmth is missing."

Maya finished cooking, served it on the dining table.

"Dinner is ready." She sang as she made her way to the living room. Nana Rose was sitting on the couch, watching a skiing show, but Dalton wasn’t there.

"Uhh, it’s time for dinner," she said awkwardly.

Nana Rose turned and gave her a nod.

"I’m going to check on Dalton."

Nana Rose did not respond, which did not rattle Maya. She drew into conclusion that there was something wrong with Nana Rose. She just hopes her food would lift Nana Rose’s melancholy or even urge her to open up and share her problems with her.

Maya assumed that Dalton might be in his bedroom, so she headed there. And she was right: he was lying in bed, fast asleep. She went over to him and stroked his hair. "Pretty man," she said, kissing his face. She gave him one last look, then walked out, shutting the door behind her

**

Nana Rose was eating at the dining table. Maya joins her at the table sitting down in one of the chairs.

"I got this from a nearby winery. Would you like a glass?" Nana Rose gestured towards the half-bottle of red wine on the table.

Maya’s face lit up with excitement. She picked up an empty glass from the table and filled it to the brim with the local wine.

"I hope you’ll enjoy it," Nana Rose beams.

Maya took a sip of the wine and smiled against the glass. "This is sweet," she said. She took another sip, then another, till the glass got empty.

She was about to get a refill when a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Then she knew immediately. She is so familiar with this kind of dizziness.

"You spiked the wine," she exclaimed at Nana Rose. Her eyes were wide with shock as she swayed in her seat.

Oh, she always gets burned, yet she never seems to learn fr her mistakes. This is the third time she has been drugged with wine, and this time, the culprit isn’t some enemy, it was Nana Rose, the woman Dalton cherishes like a mother.

Her head droops onto the table, and her unfocused eyes, reflecting the onyx of betrayal, meet Nana Rose’s gaze. Maya murmurs groggily, "Why?"

"I’m sorry," Nana Rose cried.

As Maya’s eyes forcefully shut down and she was losing consciousness, she wondered where she would find herself this time around when she wakes up.