The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 314

Chapter 147: Magnets, Teddy Bears, and Chaos-1

Claun

Across the table, Damien caught it-the flicker in Ashcroft’s eyes, the muscle ticking in his jaw, the faint, involuntary clench of his fists against his knees. He knew him too well to miss it; beneath that cool exterior, Ashcroft was seething.

Damien cleared his throat lightly, slicing through the charged silence.

“Why are you so worked up, Nick?” he asked, his tone smooth but laced with quiet amusement. “I thought you wanted to avoid her as much as possible. Shouldn’t you be thrilled she’ll be gone for a

week?”

He paused, watching the faint twitch in Ashcroft’s jaw before adding, almost lazily,

“Maybe even longer?”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips,

“No one to butt heads with, right?”

The jab caught Ashcroft off guard. For a split second, something flickered across his face-guilt, unease, maybe even panic-but he buried it fast, forcing a dry, dismissive laugh.

“Who says I’m worked up? Of course not,” he said, leaning back with feigned ease, though his voice came a touch too quick. “I was just curious, that’s all. And you’re right-nice to get a break from

that woman.”

But the words tasted wrong. Heavy.

Because the truth was, the thought of her being gone didn’t feel like relief at all. It felt like something sharp and restless gnawing at his chest, and he hated it.

For a long moment, he simply stared at the empty chairs around the breakfast table, his thoughts a storm he couldn’t quiet. Her absence-sudden, unannounced-scraped at him, a hollow ache he

couldn’t reason away.

He exhaled slowly, forcing his posture back into its usual calm, controlled lines. But even as he straightened, his mind refused to settle.

The vacant seats seemed to mock him-a silent testament to the void she’d left behind. The thought of her tending to Hiro, of her attention elsewhere, sparked a flare of something he loathed to name: jealousy.

Every instinct screamed to move, to call, to find her.

But he stayed rooted, letting the tension coil tighter inside him.

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