The Billionaire's Strong Desire

My two friends and I sat in Clara's backyard, celebrating our graduation with chicken wings and soda. We laughed and joked around while playing Monopoly.

Our school didn't have a prom night, and we were the unpopular kids, so we hadn't been invited to any fancy parties at our classmates' houses.

"We graduated from high school. We're not kids anymore. We're going to face the real world," Gabriella said wisely.

"Yeah, you're right." Clara nodded. "I used to be impatient to graduate high school, but now I want to be a kid again."

"Hey, we haven't done anything yet. We're starting our new lives tomorrow. Why do you want to give up now?" I gave Clara a disapproving look.

Clara grinned. "I'm sad because I'm the only one going to college."

We were lost in our thoughts as we watched the sunset.

Gabriella and I walked home. Our houses were on the same block.

Starting tomorrow, I will focus on earning money to help my adoptive parents.

"Why haven't you paid off your debt this month? We're tired of coming to your house every month!"

"Are you happy that we come to your house every month, huh?"

"We'll pay if we have the money. Why should we delay paying the debt and interest?"

I stood in front of my house with my shoulders slumped. The dim light on the porch helped me see my parents and the two debt collectors.

They had ruined my graduation day. Besides, why did those two men come at night?

I gasped. I reflexively ran as fast as possible when the man with the dragon tattoo on his right hand took Anna's favorite hibiscus flower pot.

I saved the flower pot before the man threw it.

Breathless, I hugged the flower pot tightly while staring at the two debt collectors in annoyance.

"Daniella." Gilbert and Anna approached me. They were glad that I came home safe and sound.

Anna took the hibiscus flower pot from my arms and placed it on the floor.

"Good evening, Daniella." The two men smiled broadly, looking disgusting.

"Your daughter is beautiful," said the man with the dragon tattoo. "I want to take her as my hostage."

"That sounds good," said the man with the snake tattoo on his left hand.

I shuddered and swallowed hard.

"Please give us time. Just three months. I promise I will pay off all the debts and interest." I said with determination in my heart. I was confident that I would get a job soon.

"We almost got fired because of you!"

I gasped in surprise when the man with the dragon tattoo pulled my hand. Luckily, my parents spontaneously hugged me tightly.

I kicked the man's leg. I immediately regretted my actions when the man grimaced and stared at me angrily.

"I'll report you two to the police!" Gilbert growled.

"Oh, will the police respond to you?" The two debt collectors laughed mockingly at us.

Gilbert clenched his fists with his jaw clenched. Anna calmed him down.

Suddenly, a black car entered the yard, surprising and distracting us.

Two tall, muscular men exited the car and walked firmly and calmly towards us.

"How much do they owe and interest?"

It was a man's voice with hazel eyes, a sharp gaze, and black hairstyles with pomade.

He wore a long-sleeved white shirt that fit his body so I could see the muscles on his chest and arms and black pants. He put the black suit on his shoulders.

Who was he? He was cool, handsome, and had a mature look.

"Tell my assistant." His voice was deep and full of command.

A man wearing glasses who was standing next to him approached the two debt collectors.

His assistant was also handsome. They seemed to be the same age, but his assistant respected him as his boss.

"Hey, hold on." Gilbert stood between the two debt collectors and the hazel-eyed man's assistant.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before. Why do you suddenly want to pay off all my debts?" Gilbert asked with a suspicious look at the hazel-eyed man.

"Hey, are you stupid?" The dragon-tattooed man pushed Gilbert until he fell to the floor.

Anna and I panicked. We approached Gilbert and helped him up.

"Hey, why are you so rude!" I shouted at the dragon-tattooed man.

"You should be happy someone will help you pay your mounting debts!" The dragon-tattooed man snapped at us with veins bulging on his neck.

"Do you want us to take your daughter?" The snake-tattooed man grinned widely.

"You're crazy." Gilbert wanted to slap the two men, but he didn't.

Without us realizing it, the hazel-eyed man's assistant had completed his task of paying off our debt and interest.

"Your debt is paid," the dragon-tattooed man said, displaying the money transfer on his phone. His expression had lost its irritation and arrogance.

"We'll return to your house if you owe us again." The two debt collectors chuckled.

They left us with happy faces, but I realized that they didn't dare glance at the hazel-eyed man.

My parents and I were silent for a few seconds. We couldn't believe what had happened, making us unable to feel happy.

I scanned the hazel-eyed man from head to toe.

I didn't understand. Why did this man suddenly appear and pay off our debt?

Gilbert turned his attention back to the two men. "Who are you? What do you want from us? Just say it."

I held my breath as I made eye contact with the hazel-eyed man. He was staring at me intently.

He seemed angry, making me confused and wondering if I had done something wrong.

"I'm Daniella's stepbrother," the hazel-eyed man said, handing me a paper bag.

I couldn't breathe for a few seconds. Stepbrother? No. That was impossible.

"I don't believe it. My mom never told me about you."

I turned to Gilbert and Anna. They showed confused faces. They didn't even know I had step-siblings.

"What's inside this paper bag?" I asked.

"You'll know when you open it." The hazel-eyed man took his crocodile leather wallet from his pants pocket, opened it, and gave me his business card.

"I'm Diego. Just call me Diego."

Gilbert and Anna stood on my right and left to look at the black business card. We were shocked to know his name, job, and the company he worked for. No one didn't know about Diego's family.

"I want to talk to Daniella," Diego said.

"Talk to me?" I pointed at myself with a confused face.

"Hey, Daniella. I'm Justin, Diego's assistant." The man wearing glasses smiled at me. I smiled back. "My boss wants to have a serious talk with you."

Justin looked at Anna and Gilbert. "I hope you'll allow Daniella to talk to her stepbrother."

Gilbert, Anna, and I looked at each other as if we could communicate through our eyes.

"Okay." Gilbert nodded. "Anna and I will stand in here."

I was shocked by Gilbert's words. Why did he let me talk to Diego? He was a stranger even though he had paid our debt.

"Do you need my ID card?" Diego asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I observed his appearance and his car. It seemed like Diego wasn't lying. Besides, I could find out the truth on the internet.

"No." I shook my head.

"Okay. I want to talk to you." I walked into the living room with my heart beating fast with anxiety.

"Tell me why I'm your stepsister?" I sat on the couch across from Diego. Justin stood beside Diego.

"You will know the answer after you open the paper bag."

I found myself staring at him. He looked like a well-established man. I wouldn't be surprised if he already had a wife and kids.

"What's wrong?" Diego asked.

"Nothing." I blinked and shook my head.

I took the phone and photo album from the paper bag and put them on the table.

"The phone is unlocked," Diego said.

I opened the pink phone, found three videos in the gallery, and watched them all.

My eyes widened, and my heart beat fast because of longing and sadness.

The three videos showed my mother marrying a man, celebrating her birthday, and playing in the garden with me and a boy.

The videos featured my mother, me, my mother's husband, and a boy named Diego.

I was speechless. My eyes were watery, but no tears came.

The three videos made me remember my mother again. All my memories with her flooded my mind.

I could feel my mother's warmth again. It was as if she had just died yesterday. In fact, she had gone to heaven and left me on earth for more than 10 years.

"The photo album will make you believe me more," Diego said.

I nodded.

I smiled at all the photos, but my eyes gradually became blurry. I blinked. I wouldn't cry.

I had promised my mother not to cry because I missed her.

Diego gave me a lot of evidence, but I hesitated to believe him because Diego was cheerful and looked like a good brother to me in all those videos and photos.

Meanwhile, Diego, sitting in front of me, now had a scary aura, and his gaze was not friendly.

I hugged the photo album and held the phone tightly, staring at Diego with the courage I had gathered in five seconds.

"Why did you suddenly come to me? You also paid off Gilbert's debt."

"I want to make Laura's wish come true," Diego said, looking at me more seriously. "I will pay for your college and all your needs, but you must live with me in Boston."

"What?" I was shocked. "Why do I have to live with you?"

"Laura used to go to college there," Diego answered. "And I happen to have a house in Brooklyn."

"Why would you pay for my college? Aren't our parents divorced? I'm not your stepsister anymore," I said.

My mom moved to Portland with me. That meant she was divorced from her husband.

"I told you why," Diego said casually, but his hazel eyes still stared at me.

"She doesn't remember anything," Diego mumbled. I could hear it, but I doubted that was what he said.

"What did you just say?"

"What did I say?" Diego looked confused, but I saw the shock in his eyes a second before.

"Forget it," I said.

"Are you going to make me your son's nanny?" I asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Diego raised an eyebrow.

"Did you think Diego was married and had a child, Daniella?" Justin smiled.

When Diego turned to him with a cold stare, Justin returned to his professional face.

"I'm not what you think, Dala." Diego hissed. My words had offended him.

"I apologize," I said.

Wait a minute. What did Diego call me? Ah, there was no way he would call me that.

"Sorry to bother you." Gilbert and Anna entered the house.

"Are you serious about paying for Daniella's college?" Gilbert stared at Diego in disbelief.

"Yes. Why would I lie?" Diego replied in annoyance.

"Is it true that he's your stepbrother?" Anna approached me. I gave her the photo album. Gilbert stood behind Anna.

"Ah, I remember now." Anna snapped her fingers. Then she looked at me and Diego alternately.

"Laura once told me that when Daniella was 3, she married her ex-boyfriend while she was in college. Honestly, Laura didn't want to because her ex-boyfriend had a wife and a son," Anna said.

I didn't know about that.

"Daniella." Anna squeezed my hand and said softly.

"You know we want the best for you. Gilbert and I want you to have a good future, but we can't afford your college. This is a great opportunity, Daniella. Please, think about it carefully."

Gilbert nodded with a serious face.

I bit my lower lip.

"I'll give you three days to think." Diego's deep voice surprised us and took over our attention.

Diego stood up from his seat, getting ready to leave our house with Justin. He pointed at the pink phone in my hand with his chin. "That phone is for you."

I sat on my bed.

I placed my chin on my bent knees and looked at the pink phone, the white photo album, and the framed photo of me and my mother in kindergarten.

Heavy rain poured down on my city, making the atmosphere in my room quiet and cold.

"Why did Diego come to me?"

Diego and I were not blood relatives; our parents had separated, but he still considered me his stepsister and was even willing to pay for my college education.

I recalled the three videos on the phone.

"But it seems like Diego wasn't lying. The videos show him being close to my mom."

Diego was very kind in making my mother's wish come true.

I looked at my mother and Diego's father's wedding photo.

I didn't know who my biological father was.

I once asked my mother when I was in kindergarten because my friends were taken to school by their fathers, but my mother wouldn't answer. After that, I decided not to ask about my father anymore.

So far, my mother only told me about my stepfather, who was her first love, without mentioning his name.

"My mom smiled happily when she told me that she was happy to be able to marry her first love even though their marriage only lasted a few months."

However, my mother never told me that her first love already had a wife and a son when they married.

I had looked up Diego and his family on the internet. His parents had never divorced. There was not even any news that they were fighting and going to divorce.

I shook my head as a bad assumption about my mother crossed my mind.

"I was three years old when my mother married Diego's father. I don't remember anything."

Gilbert and Anna met me and my mother when we were looking for a rental house when we arrived in this city. I was three years old at the time.

Neither I nor my adoptive parents know how long my mother was married to Diego's father.

"Maybe Diego knows. I'll ask him."

Would Diego tell me about my past that I don't remember?

"But he's scary. I can't look him in the eye for too long."

I stared at the photo of my mother holding a birthday cake with a big smile. Diego's father stood to her left, and Diego stood to her right. Meanwhile, I stood in front of Diego and held his hand.

"I can't believe I was that close to him."

I looked at the photo closely. Diego now looked just like his father. They didn't smile, and their gazes were as sharp as eagles.

Everything that happened that night was like a dream.

It wasn't a dream. My hand hurt every time I pinched it.

For three days, every night, I daydreamed before going to bed, and the next morning, I went to my mother's grave before working at my adoptive parents' coffee shop.

I brought my mother's favorite blue tulips.

I crouched down and stared at her tombstone.

I told my mother about Diego, my adoptive parents, who encouraged me to accept Diego's offer and about me not making a decision yet.

"Who is my biological father? Why don't you want me to know about him? Will I be sad if I know about him?"

I wished my mother would appear in my dreams to answer my questions.

"Is it okay for me to trust Diego?"

My eyes filled with tears. If I accepted Diego's offer, I would stay in Boston. I wouldn't be able to visit my mother's grave every time I missed her.

"Good morning, Laura, Dala."

I was so shocked that I fell to the ground. "Why are you here?"

"Laura used to be my mother." Diego placed the bouquet of blue roses next to the blue tulips.

I glared as Diego crouched next to me, but my legs couldn't move in this situation.

Did he have the power to turn other people into statues, or was my body overreacting?

Diego stared at my mother's tombstone with a look I didn't understand the meaning of.

"How do you know where my mother's grave is?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the strange atmosphere surrounding us. "Have you known for a long time that my mother died?"

"I knew Laura died when I found out about you guys," he answered.

"Why are you looking for us?"

"My arm broke six months ago." Diego looked at his left arm. He was wearing a black suit.

"I suddenly remembered Laura. When I was sick, she made chicken soup with corn, carrots, and potatoes. No one could make soup as delicious as she did." Diego's voice shook, but his facial expression and gaze remained unchanged.

"My mom always made that soup when I was sick," I said with a smile. My mother patiently fed me, who had no appetite.

"How did you find me in six months?" I asked curiously.

Diego looked at me as if he was reading my mind. I swallowed and gripped the grass, holding back the sudden tremors.

"You and Laura didn't change your identities."

"Oh, that makes sense." I nodded.

"It only took me a month to find you," Diego said with a proud face.

"Then why didn't you come to me right away?"

"I came to you."

I searched my memory with my gaze fixed on him. I couldn't find him in my brain. "I, I've never seen you before."

"Because you don't just look at me." Diego looked annoyed at me.

I stared at him questioningly. It was rare for a grown man to look like Diego in this city.

His appearance and handsomeness were striking. I should have noticed Diego if he was around me.

"When did you meet me? Tell me." I demanded his answer.

Silence enveloped us. He stared at me deeply. It was so strange, I felt hot as the gentle breeze hit us.

Diego stood up, and I spontaneously stood up, too. I took a step back to create some distance between me and him.

"Have you made your decision? Today is the third day. I came to hear your answer." Diego broke the silence just to change the subject.

"You didn't answer my question."

"That's not important." Diego waved his hand. "Now what's important is will you allow me to pay for your college and will you live with me in Boston, Dala?"

I gasped in surprise.

Diego called me that again. It felt strange and a little uncomfortable, but it made me unable to deny that Diego used to be my step-brother.

Diego's hazel eyes hypnotized me. I tried my best to avert my eyes from him.

I clenched my fists and stared at my mother's tombstone sadly.

Were you okay if I didn't visit you every month, mom?

The three videos and dozens of photos popped into my head. I wondered if Diego was still the same as before, the older brother who loved me as his little sister.

Then Anna and Gilbert's words encouraging me to accept Diego's kindness rang in my ears.

My gaze returned to Diego.

God, I hope I didn't make the wrong decision.

"Thank you so much for your kindness," I said, my fists clenched tightly. It wasn't easy to say this. "I accept your offer. When are we going to Boston?"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," Diego replied.

Diego's gaze was still as sharp as an eagle, but I felt something change in his eyes. Not tenderness, but perhaps relief?