The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 471

Chapter 205: Beneath the Disguise-2

His gaze stayed steady.

“I’d die for her if I had to,” he said, voice firm.

+25 Points

“We’ve known each other before you ever met her-we trained together, worked together… so yes, I

care about her.”

A beat.

“But that’s it.”

His gaze hardened slightly.

“There are lines we don’t cross.”

His voice remained steady as he kept his eyes locked on Ashcroft.

Ashcroft’s fist tightened. He slammed it onto the table and suddenly stood up.

“So what are you saying?” he snapped. “Given a chance, you’d cross that line if you could?”

Cruz shook his head.

He looked down for a moment, a faint, almost unreadable smile tugging at his lips, before lifting

his gaze again to meet Ashcroft’s burning eyes.

“Beyond being our boss, she’s like a sister to us too.”

A pause.

“Don’t let insecurity or jealousy derail the mission, Mr. Ashcroft. The sooner we get this done, the

better for all of us.”

Ashcroft’s jaw snapped tight.

“You fu-”

“That’s enough, Nick.”

Damien’s voice cut through the room like steel.

He stepped in front of him, blocking Ashcroft’s view of Cruz.

“Get yourself together,” he said firmly. “I need you focused for this.” He paused, holding Ashcroft’s gaze. “Do it for me.”

Ashcroft held his stare for a few seconds, saying nothing. Then he turned away and slammed both

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Chapter 205 Beneath the Disguise 2

hands on the table.

“Fuck… fuck… fuck!”

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He straightened abruptly, exhaling hard, then looked back at Damien. Slowly, he raised a hand in

surrender.

“Okay. Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “What do you want to do now?”

Damien gave a small nod and stepped closer, patting Ashcroft’s shoulder-then squeezing it

briefly, a quiet thanks more than anything.

“We’ll test the masks with a broader audience,” he said. “Walk around the company. See how

people react.”

Ashcroft adjusted his uniform, straightening it before rolling his shoulders back.

“Alright then,” he muttered. “Let’s do this.”

Damien shifted his attention to James.

James lifted his tablet, unlocking it as he prepared to brief them on the arrangements.

But before he could-

A vibration cut through the room.

Cruz pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen.

“Excuse me. I need to take this,” he said calmly.

Without waiting for a response, he turned and stepped out of the room.

Ashcroft scoffed. “Unbelievable. What a jerk.”

Silence lingered for a second-

Then Hudson spoke.

“For what it’s worth, Mr. Ashcroft… Cruz isn’t a threat to you.”

Ashcroft turned to him, brows drawing together, caught off guard.

“… What are you talking about?”

Hudson held his gaze.

“Cruz is already in a relationship.”

Ashcroft frowned. “So what? That doesn’t mean-”

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“He’s with Mrs. Takahashi’s niece,” Hudson cut in calmly. “Anika. Ms. Harper’s cousin.”

Ashcroft stilled.

“…What?”

Hudson continued, voice steady.

“She’s pregnant. First trimester-and it’s a sensitive case.

A brief pause.

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