The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 211

Chant 102 When the Past Bleeris-2

Clar

Chapter 102: When the Past Bleeds-2

He lowered his gaze, eyes fixed on the floor, as if the words themselves had anchored him

there.

“That incident shattered her. She was in a coma for a month, and when she woke… her mind had snapped. She was haunted by that night-screaming, hurting herself, even attempting to take her own life. Eventually, they placed her in a mental institution.”

Then he looked up at Maya, her face pale, eyes glistening, tears threatening to fall.

“I never loved her the way she wanted me to, but I still cared for her, Maya-as a brother, as a friend. We grew up together. I watched her grow from a child into a woman. What happened to her… it affected me too. I felt for her, for what she’d become. So… almost every day, Nick and I would visit her, check on her, make sure she was surviving… make sure someone cared, even if it wasn’t the way she had hoped.”

Then the softness in his eyes hardened. His jaw tightened, the muscle twitching.

“Then… almost three months later, an outside enemy struck. Someone who wanted to destabilize the peace between our families. They knew Cassandra was the Volkovs’ only daughter-the beloved princess, their heir-and that she was a weakness they could exploit against us… against the Four Families. And they did. They took her.”

His eyes darkened, the room tightening with the gravity of his words. Silence pressed in, everyone listening, breaths held.

“They… did things I can’t even begin to describe.” His voice dropped to a low, ragged growl, each word dripping with a fury he had long buried-something primal, cold, and unforgiving.

“We tried everything we could to save her. Every resource, every ounce of time and effort. from all four families-we threw it all at her. But the enemies…” His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing with a cold edge. “They were always one step ahead.”

A silence followed, heavy, suffocating. He drew in a shallow breath, forcing himself to

continue.

“And then… one day… I got a message.” His voice dropped, low and haunted. “Anonymous. Nothing in it-just a code.” His fingers twitched against his leg, as if he were still clutching the paper. “We worked on it for days. Weeks. But… nothing. Nothing made sense.”

He paused, eyes lowering, shadows flickering across his face. “Finally… as a last resort, I reached out to the Takahashis.”

Clutter 102 When the Part Bleeds-2

Another silence, longer this time.

Claim

“At first… they refused. They didn’t want to get involved-especially because this had everything to do with the Volkovs. There’s always been a wedge between their families. They never truly got along, but each stayed in their lane… kept things civil.” His voice tightened, carrying a trace of bitterness.

“But my mother…” His jaw clenched slightly. “She stepped in. She’s close to Mrs. Takahashi- they’ve been best friends since childhood. She begged her, pleaded… asked her to convince her husband. And… considering she has a daughter of her own, her maternal instincts kicked in. Eventually… she agreed to talk to him.”

Harper’s fingers twitched slightly on her lap, a faint tightening around the edge of her glass. She said nothing, but the brief flicker in her eyes-almost imperceptible-hinted at a memory buried deep, one only she could recognize.

His throat worked, the words thick, almost stuck. “And eventually… he agreed.”

“They managed to crack the code. It was coordinates-nothing else. Just numbers.”

He paused, shoulders heavy, as if the memory itself pressed down on him. “We went immediately… though we had no idea what we’d find.”

She shook her head, tears welling, threatening to spill. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know… Cassandra … what she went through, what all of you endured-what you went through…” Her voice faltered, dropping to a barely audible whisper. “I… I can’t even begin to imagine.”

Damien’s eyes darkened, the warmth in them eclipsed by a shadow of grief. His voice was low, taut with sorrow. “That day… we didn’t just lose a friend,” he said, each word deliberate, heavy. “We lost a sister too.”

Ashcroft’s jaw tightened, his usually controlled features betraying a flicker of grief and fury. His eyes, sharp and dark, mirrored the pain in Damien’s, but there was also a simmering rage -anger at the injustice, at the cruelty of it all.

Damien’s jaw clenched, his voice dropping lower, almost a growl. “Viktor put the blame on me. He knew the truth, but it was easier to condemn me than to face his own daughter’s mistakes. And I… I started blaming myself too.”

He paused, eyes dropping to the floor, his voice thick with regret. “I started asking myself… what if Viktor’s right? What if I had forced myself to return her feelings? What if I’d just tolerated it-pretended-loved her the way she wanted me to? What if I tried harder… really tried… and learned to love her the way she needed?”

His voice wavered, almost a whisper. “Maybe… maybe she’s still alive now. Maybe we already have our family. Kids… a life together… maybe…

He swallowed hard, the weight of memory pressing down. “Maybe, none of it would’ve happened.”

Maya’s chest tightened, a flicker of something bitter surfacing-jealousy, or perhaps remorse. She could have been me, her heart ached at the thought. Her place in Damien’s life could have been Cassandra’s. The space she now occupied, the closeness she cherished… it could have belonged to her.

She swallowed hard, the weight of that thought pressing down like a stone. Yet beneath the sting of jealousy, a fierce determination ignited. I’m here. He chose me. He chose to fight for me, to fight for us.

No shadow of the past-no ghost from yesterday-will steal our happiness, our future.

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