The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 386

Chapter 174 Targets and Ties 1

+25 Points

Chapter 174: Targets and Ties-1

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The garden held its breath, as if the truth that had just been spoken needed time to settle- into the roots of the earth, into the space between them, into Maya herself.

After a moment, Dahlia continued.

“Now that you know this much,” she said, “you’ve likely already seen what it means.”

Maya didn’t speak, but she didn’t look away.

“Your relationship with Damien was never the issue,” Dahlia said. “It never was.” She paused briefly. “Especially when Damien himself carries Harrington blood.”

Maya’s chest tightened.

“The Lockwoods won’t stand in the way,” Dahlia added. “Not on those grounds.”

Dahlia didn’t continue. Her gaze drifted past Maya, toward the trees, toward the stillness beyond them-giving the words room to breathe.

Maya followed that silence, felt the shape of what remained unsaid settle into place.

She exhaled slowly. “It’s how my life will completely change.”

Her gaze dropped, fingers curling lightly against her palm.

“Because claiming my lineage,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “comes with obligations. Traditions. Expectations.”

Dahlia inclined her head once. “It does.”

Her voice held its composure, but the compassion beneath it was unmistakable.

“And that,” she said, “is why your mother chose a different life.”

Maya’s throat tightened.

“It wasn’t fear,” Dahlia said. “And it wasn’t defiance.” Her gaze dipped briefly before lifting to Maya again. “It was love.”

She reached out, resting her hand over Maya’s-warm, steady, anchoring.

“She didn’t want that world for you or for Jaime,” Dahlia continued. “She wanted you free.” Her thumb brushed lightly against Maya’s skin. “Free to choose your life. Your path. The

Chapter 174 Targets and Ties-1

person you stand beside.”

Dahlia met her eyes, calm and certain.

+25 Points

“To be who you choose to be,” she said softly, “and to share your life with someone because you chose them-not because history decided for you.”

As Dahlia’s words lingered in the quiet, soft footsteps stirred the gravel. Kim appeared, pausing a respectful distance away.

“Excuse me, Madam,” she said gently. “Everything has been set up.”

Dahlia didn’t turn right away. Her hand remained over Maya’s for a brief moment longer, grounding-intentional.

Then she nodded once.

“Thank you, Kim,” she replied calmly.

She looked back at Maya, her expression gentle yet contained, as if she were consciously setting the weight of everything they’d spoken about aside-just for a moment.

“Come,” Dahlia said quietly. “There’s something I want to show you.”

Maya nodded, and they rose together.

The narrow path curved away from the garden, the manicured edges slowly giving way to something wilder, more natural. Gravel softened into earth. Trimmed hedges thinned, then disappeared altogether.

The trees grew closer as they walked, branches stretching overhead until they formed a loose canopy, filtering the light.

With every step, the manor felt farther away.

Its presence faded-first into silence, then into absence-until all that remained was the quiet shift of leaves beneath their feet and the steady rhythm of their footsteps moving deeper into

the woods.

The path opened into a small clearing.

A treehouse stood at its center-modest, timeworn. The wood had darkened with age, the steps uneven yet solid, as if it had learned to endure rather than fight the years. It wasn’t grand or polished.