The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 197

Chapter 95: Tides of Fear-2

Harper jogged the last few steps and reached her, gently grabbing her wrist.

“Hey… hey, look at me.”

Maya drew in a ragged breath and finally turned. Her eyes were glossy and red, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry…”

Harper’s expression softened further. “Stop apologizing.”

“But I-” Maya’s voice broke as she gestured back toward the dining hall. “Ethan’s gone and the shoot is ruined and everyone worked so hard and-”

“And none of that is your fault.” Harper cut her off gently but firmly. “He caused it. He crossed the line. You reacted like any sane person would. Honestly, I would’ve punched him long before Damien did.”

A tiny, breathless laugh escaped Maya-half disbelief, half relief. She swiped at her eyes again.

“You didn’t ruin anything, Maya. You stood up for yourself. And if anyone in there has a problem with that? Then they’re the problem, not you.”

Maya’s shoulders trembled, the fight slowly ebbing out of her body. “I just… I hate that I dragged all of you into it.”

“You didn’t drag us into anything,” Harper said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Didn’t you hear what Trina said? You actually did us all a favor.”

Maya blinked, still trying to steady her breathing. “What do you mean?”

Harper let out a long sigh, rolling her eyes slightly. “Ugh… okay, fine-I’ll tell you.” She lowered her voice. “We had a meeting. A secret one. And I say secret because you weren’t there.”

Maya’s brows knitted. “A secret-?”

“Yeah. Look… Ethan showing up like that? It was shady as hell and everyone felt it. Turns out there’s more to it-but we weren’t given the full details. Boss just ordered Trina to get rid of him-quietly. Legally cut ties, make sure it’s solid and in our favor.” She gave Maya a pointed look. “We were never planning to actually use any of the materials with him in it.”

Maya stared. “What?”

Harper nodded quickly, talking faster now. “All of this-the shoots, the photos? It was all just

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for show so he wouldn’t suspect anything. And you were kept in the dark because… well-he knows you. If you knew it was fake, there was a risk you’d give it away.”

Maya’s lips parted in disbelief.

“The real shot list for the launch?” Harper continued. “Only includes the venue and the staff. No ‘third person, no fake ambassador, none of that. The boss already made that call days ago.”

Maya blinked, stunned. “I… I had no idea.”

Harper’s expression softened again. “Exactly. That’s why you shouldn’t feel guilty.” She nudged Maya gently. “Like Trina said-you actually did us all a favor. You just… accelerated what we were already trying to do. And now that he’s gone? You’ve basically given us all another full day off!”

Maya blinked, taking a shaky breath. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted, voice quivering.

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