The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 400

Chapter 178: The Little Firecracker-3

There was a beat. Then-

“Mom? Is Maya there?” Harper asked, urgency slipping through despite herself. “Is she okay?

I can’t get a hold of her. Her phone’s off. I’ve been calling all day.”

Alice answered calmly, almost amused. “Calm down. Yes, Maya is here. And she’s perfectly fine.”

Across the table, Maya stiffened.

Her heart sank as realization hit.

She slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The screen was black. She pressed the button.

The moment it powered on, the room erupted-notification chimes, vibrations, one after another, echoing far louder than she expected.

Maya froze.

“I- I’m sorry,” she blurted out, flustered, fumbling to silence it as the sounds continued their

relentless chorus.

When she finally managed to mute it, she glanced down at the screen-and her breath caught.

Missed calls flooded the display. Dozens. Over a hundred.

Most of them from Damien.

The rest-from Harper.

Unread messages stacked beneath them, Damien’s name repeating over and over. Messages she hadn’t even had the chance to open.

Beside her, Damien couldn’t help but glance down. He saw the screen. The timestamps. The sheer volume.

Something in his chest loosened.

So that’s why.

She wasn’t ignoring me.

1/3

Chapter 178 The Little Firecracker-3

Her phone was just… off.

The tension in his shoulders eased, just a fraction-enough to matter.

Harper let out a breath on the other end of the line, the tension in her voice easing.

+25 Points

“Oh. Okay. Good-good.” She hesitated, then asked more carefully, “Um… Mom? Is Damien with you right now?”

Alice glanced up. “Yes. Why?”

There was a brief pause.

“Is… is this a good time?” Harper asked. “I need to tell him something important.”

The shift was immediate.

Alice’s gaze moved to Damien. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. He glanced toward Ashcroft, then toward the elders seated around the table, weighing the moment.

Before anyone else could speak, Eleonor set her napkin aside.

“Let’s move to the study,” she said evenly. “For privacy.”

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