The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 143

7 Ramen of Bounce-2

Chapter 71: Garden of Doubts-2

Damien let out a slow breath.

His pulse steadied-just enough to hear the next thing out of Ethan’s mouth.

“You used to love that sketchy barbecue place by the sidewalk,” he said, smirking. “I’d tease you all the time – told you one day you’d grow a third eye from all the mystery meat you were inhaling. You remember that?”

The table laughed. Light, harmless.

Damien didn’t.

He stared at Ethan instead.

And saw it.

That look.

Want.

Not curiosity. Not fondness.

But that specific, territorial kind of hunger. The kind that reached back. The kind that didn’t care how much had changed. The kind that remembered how she used to laugh when no one else could hear it.

And worst of all?

Maya hadn’t recoiled from it.

She was being polite-too polite. Her grip stayed firmed, but her smile turned fragile-like she was being polite for all the wrong reasons.

It was enough to make something ancient stir inside him.

Because Ethan hadn’t earned the Maya he was looking at now.

Not the woman who had grown, endured, transformed.

Not the Maya who reached for him when she needed steady ground.

And he sure as hell wasn’t going to take her from him.

Not when Damien knew-felt-that whatever Ethan was reaching for belonged to him now.

Clare

Loren 31 Carlen of Cubs-2

Half an hour later, breakfast was over, the table cleared, but the undercurrent of tension lingered thick in the warm island air.

Damien’s hand was still wrapped around Maya’s beneath the table-a quiet claim, an anchor in the storm. Without breaking their touch, he rose and gently tugged her to her feet.

And that’s when Damien saw it.

A flicker.

Sharp, unguarded.

Just for a second-but enough.

Ethan’s eyes had snapped to their interwoven hands, and something ugly passed behind them. Surprise. Jealousy. Maybe even something territorial.

But then-just as quickly-it vanished. Smoothed over with that easy grin, like it had never been there at all.

Damien didn’t grin back.

He didn’t need to.

His hand stayed right where it was-wrapped around what was his.

Together, they stepped out into the brilliant sunlight, joining Harper, Sienna, and Jessa as they made their way toward the Garden Pavilion.

Jessa tilted her head. “Maybe the deal with the first agency fell through? That’s why Ms. Trinal had to switch to another one last minute?”

Sienna bit her lip, then shook her head slowly. “I thought about that. But from what I know, the budget we have for the talent isn’t anywhere near Ethan Miller’s range. He’s top tier now. Just one photo shoot with him usually starts in the six digits.”

Harper’s brows shot up. “For one day?”

Sienna nodded. “This is a three-day shoot. I seriously doubt Trina would throw a huge chunk of our budget on a single model-especially when we don’t need the influence. The fact that Isla Aurelia is a Blackwood Enterprise project? That already carries enough weight in the luxury market.”

3/4

CAMERA A Garden of outs

Maya’s lips parted slightly, a prickle rising beneath her skin.

Clam

Sienna continued, her tone edged with quiet concern. “In fact… we don’t even need a familiar face for the campaign. The whole point was to focus on the place-the island, the exclusivity, the lifestyle. So why him?”

Damien’s gaze remained fixed ahead, but his fingers tightened around Maya’s hand, grounding her.

“Sienna’s right,” Damien said, his voice low and deliberate. “The fact that Isla Aurelia is one of Blackwood Enterprises’ crown jewels is influence enough. We don’t need a big name to carry this campaign.”

He paused, then added-quieter, but with unmistakable weight-

“And for the record, Blackwood Enterprises doesn’t do business with Orion.”

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