THE BILLIONAIRE'S DESIRE

CHAPTER 22

Marcus believed Ortega was joking when he carried the vase to him. "I am unconcerned about the vase, Ortega. Simply restore it to its proper location," he directed, handing it back to Ortega.

"Are you certain? Even if it was inscribed with your name?" 'Inquire' he said.

Marcus recalled Daniella's fondness for flower arrangements and bouquets, and the vase may be one of hers. "However?" Marcus answered to Ortega's blundering inquiry.

"Are you not curious as to what is contained within the vase?" When Marcus continued to ignore him, he posed another inquiry. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

"Why are you withholding information from me?" He could tell the man was already aware of its substance yet desired to engage in playful interaction with him. Ortega may be immature and fun at times.

"I thought that was strange, so I questioned Patty about it, and she informed me that it was Daniella's husband's remains." He thought it amusing that the woman's spouse, Marcus Madrigal, was also a Marcus Madrigal. It may be simply coincidence, or Marcus could have lied about the events that occurred between him and Daniella in Hong Kong.

Daniella remarried immediately following his departure? Ha! That woman was extraordinary! "It must be heartbreaking for her to lose her husband so young." He continued to overlook the vase, he stated.

"I concur, all the more so because the soldier died battling terrorists overseas." Ortega stated and walked over to the vase's original location.

"Wait!" Marcus intervened to prevent Ortega from reinstalling the vase. "How was he killed?" He desired confirmation that he had heard Ortega right.

"He died fighting terrorists in Syria," Ortega repeated the information he received from Patty, but was taken aback when Marcus abruptly grabbed the vase and read the engraved letters - I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you again in heaven.

Marcus was at a loss for words after reading the carved inscriptions on the vase and discovering that they included his name. How could she bury him alive? His generally easy and pleasant demeanor gradually shifted, and his face distorted in a fit of rage! Why, the woman was deserving of a hard thrashing! When he stormed out of the guest room and into Daniella's room, his nostrils flared and his heart was about to erupt.

He knocked several times before the door was opened, and he entered without waiting to be invited. "We need to speak," he stated, motioning the woman to take a seat beside him on the sofa.

"How dare you, Marcus, barge in here? "Exit!" She disobeyed his command to sit beside him on the sofa and stood in front of him.

When she told him to go, his eyes narrowed. "And you dare to convince everyone that I died!" Inside the room, his voice erupted like thunder, startling AJ awake.

Daniella frowned at the man for daring to raise his voice in the presence of a sleeping infant! "Sshhhh, it's all right, you can go back to sleep now." She murmured to AJ, pleading with her to return to sleep.

Marcus immediately regretted raising his words and followed Daniella towards the bed, peering into the child's face. He couldn't believe it at first, but the likeness was striking! Daniella's daughter and Ariana, his daughter, resembled peas in a pod, and still the lady dared to lie about her kid's paternity! He couldn't have been wrong because the youngster looked just like him when he was a

toddler, as evidenced by photographs in their family book. "She's mine," he murmured, but Daniella clearly heard him.

When she heard him speak behind her, she was taken aback. Marcus discovered her deception, and Daniella was at a loss on how to handle the matter. She felt sick to her stomach at the prospect of him discovering everything. "Marcus..." she was at a loss for words and terrified by the way he stared at her. It was surreal, as she anticipated him slapping her face.

If he weren't so desperate to feel her again, he'd desire a confrontation regardless of whether a kid was sleeping in the room, but he was already wanting to feel her again. "Later," his response was brief, but he ensured that it sent the exact message he desired before grabbing her and pulling her towards his body. "I've missed you," he whispered in her ear.

"Follow me," she whispered as Marcus released her from his encircling grasp. She couldn't wait for another chance to tell him what she wanted to say, and a confrontation between them was long overdue.

Marcus followed Daniella and discovered a connecting door between her bedroom and their daughter's playroom hidden beneath the wardrobe. Having their daughter's playhouse near by was a smart idea. He noticed a coffee table in the playroom, which was probably for the monitoring adults, and Daniella sat in one of the chairs. "So you fabricated my demise?" He inquired immediately upon taking a seat opposite her. They were both grown adults capable of resolving their differences on their own. Marcus was upset, but he was prepared to listen to the woman's justification for lying, but the woman refused to talk and only scowled at him. "Answer me!" he cried out.

"Because it was the only way they would avoid questioning me about you!" Marcus, no one cares about the dead anymore." Finally, she was able to answer to his query and speak. She made a

concerted effort not to weep throughout their confrontation, but tears began to form around her eyes and would soon fall.

"I'm not sure why you had to fabricate my death when you could just tell them that we're no longer together, that it was a false marriage for your convenience." Marcus was perplexed by the absurdity of it, and he couldn't care less if she was teary-eyed!

Daniella closed her eyes and let her tears to stream down her cheeks before responding. "Because it hurts!" she stated plainly, "Because it hurts like hell when you abandon me!"

Marcus was taken aback by Daniella's revelation, which made him speechless for a brief while. There was no reason for the woman to be in pain until.... "Did you care about me?" He was curious as to whether the woman had feelings for him, as she had not expressed them previously while he was with her.

It was a terrible question she didn't want to answer, but the moment had come to inform him. "I did, and I was hoping you felt the same way... yet, you departed." She desired to be free of the anguish of the past once and for all.

If the lady had been upfront about her sentiments from the start, there was a possibility that their ending might have been different; nonetheless, he was also conflicted at the time and divided between falling in love again and betraying Veronica's memories. Daniella may have detected his indifference since she was a wise lady who required protection from more grief.

He was ready to fall in love again, but when he received the paternity test results, he was enraged with Daniella. He began meeting women to see whether he was capable of trying again, and then Alicia entered his life, and the lady fell in love with him. "I had the same sentiments, Dani." Finally, he acknowledged his emotions.

"What are you referring to?" Daniella was even more perplexed by the confrontation's course.

"During my time here, I was drawn to your personality because you were self-aware, decisive, and visionary. You're intelligent and powerful, and I admired that about you, but I was afraid to love again without recognizing I was already in love with you," he admitted. "I needed to depart to check that my sentiments were genuine and not a result of our proximity," he continued.

"But you never returned; you must have recognized your sentiments were illusory," she concluded his statement.

"You are incorrect. I've never stopped thinking about you since that day, and whether you believe it or not, I still do." His body ached with relief after confessing his actual thoughts to Daniella, and he prayed she would give him another chance to demonstrate how much he adored her.

Daniella closed her palm and clenched it into a lethal fist, then stared him in the eye, daring him to repeat the words that had destroyed her heart and dashed her expectations of a 'happily ever after' narrative. She couldn't listen to him any longer, and she didn't wait for him to sweet talk his way once again. She delivered her hardest uppercut to the man's head, and because it came so quickly and unexpectedly, the man was unable to avoid her strike and fell. She murmured as she observed him laying on the floor, "Good for him."

"What was the purpose of that?" He was taken aback and did not anticipate it from her. He rose to his feet and confronted the woman who had changed into an amazon warrior.

Daniella's cheeks flushed as she became increasingly outraged and furious with him. "How is that? That is for deception, bastard! Did you truly imagine I would fall for your deceptions?"

Who lied? Him? Marcus grinned and stated, "Dani, I am not a liar."

"Please halt." She had never been so enraged at the guy, and she desired to murder him, but the cost was too high, and she despised being a criminal. She considered tying the man to a table or bed, unzipping his trousers, and pulling every hair she could find. Alternatively, she may scrape his

skin and apply vinegar to it while he was chained to a tree and surrounded by ants. The concepts were alluring, but she would want assistance to carry them off!

"I understand if you are skeptical, but this is the truth, and I adore you." He attempted to explain, but the woman was already deaf and was unresponsive.

She had had enough of his shenanigans. She kicked him in the crotch with all her power. "I'm a busy woman; don't bother me!"

It was excruciatingly terrible, and Marcus writhed in agony, pleading for Daniella's assistance, but the blasted lady simply walked away without feeling guilty. While he endured his alone in the playroom, he fantasized about his future with Daniella. Is he destined to become an abusive husband? That was worse than Samuel's treatment of Jessica!

Marcus rose to his feet and returned to the guest room he shared with Ortega. His roommate had vanished, and only God knew where he had gone. He removed his outfit and changed into a pair of blue surf shorts. He was well aware that Daniella would be enraged if she discovered he had broken the rules, but he couldn't care less! He was ready to go when he decided to bring the mask along.

He observed Daniella and their daughter swimming from a distance. He could hear the toddler squeal with glee each time the wave struck her face. The apple of his eye glowed in her swimming suit. He dove beneath the surface of the water to avoid being observed by the woman before he had a chance to speak with her. "Hello," he grinned as he stepped out of the water, startling the females.

"How did you get here?" She knew Marcus even with the mask on.

"Of course, swimming." He responded. "How are you, baby girl?"

"Ariana Jade," the youngster said timidly, but that was sufficient for Marcus. He cast a suspicious glance towards Daniella, but the woman ignored him. Fate must have played a few pranks on him. If that was not a sign of blessing, he was at a loss for words. "Hello Ariana, please say hello to Daddy!" He stated as he smiled at the young lady.

Daniella regarded Marcus with contempt. "Do you never learn how to use your brain properly?" What if someone is listening?" She got up AJ and prepared to leave, furious.

"I am her father." He stated.

Daniella chuckled at his remark. "Marcus, when did you become her father?" Did you forget that you want abortion for this child?" She casually reminded him how he had begged with her to terminate her pregnancy because he was not yet prepared to be a parent, and now he claimed to be. The audacity!

"You despise me. Now I understand why you handed me the forged paternity test papers for our daughter." Was she afraid he might kidnap their daughter? Marcus was certain that when he noticed how she gripped her hand and gazed at nothingness, he had caught her lying...for the second time!

Daniella averted her gaze, though, realizing that she had committed no wrong. She had no regrets about whatever she had done in the past, because it was what she desired at the time. "However, what if the documents were forgeries?" Nothing will alter in our relationship, Marcus."

"We'll see," Marcus threatened Daniella with an empty threat. He had no intention of publicizing the matter, but hoped that the woman would concede that he has some claim over Ariana.

"Ah, you must be confident now that you have the resources necessary to challenge me in court. Or perhaps you simply wish to request more? Marcus, was the sum you got following the annulment insufficient?" Daniella felt Marcus was fighting for their daughter when, in fact, he intended to bleed her for money.

Marcus blinked numerous times as the woman spoke to him as if he were an opportunist wanting her money. It was the first time he had been treated as dirt, and he was not pleased! On the other hand, the woman was unaware of her husband's net wealth. Her attorney must not have notified her that the 50% of her asset that he was meant to get had been restored to her account. For the love of God, he did not accept it! "Excuse me? Why don't you contact your attorney and inquire whether or not I accepted it?"

She had no way of knowing if he was speaking the truth, but it made no difference. Nonetheless, she would not allow him to serve as AJ's father regardless of the circumstances. Marcus would quickly understand that it would have been better if he had taken her money. "Do you believe it will alter our relationship in any way?" "You're insane if you believe that," she muttered, turning away as Marcus touched her arm. She winced, as it was a bit uncomfortable.