The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 474

Chapter 207: Out of Place

Back at Blackwood Enterprises, the effect was immediate.

The moment Hudson appeared on the floor, the atmosphere inside R&D shifted almost instantly.

Conversations cut off mid-sentence.

The quiet tapping of keyboards gradually slowed as heads turned one after another toward the elevator lobby.

Then recognition spread.

Employees straightened instinctively.

Some stood immediately.

Others lowered their heads respectfully the second they realized who had arrived.

“Mr. Blackwood…”

The greeting came quietly at first before echoing across nearby workstations in a ripple.

Hudson acknowledged none of it beyond a calm, unreadable glance across the department.

And somehow, that made the pressure even worse.

James stepped out beside him smoothly, tablet already in hand, posture composed and professional as though this was just another ordinary walkthrough.

Behind them, Monroe and Cruz followed without a sound.

At the very back-

Damien and Ashcroft emerged last beneath borrowed faces, blending seamlessly into the formation.

Ashcroft’s eyes swept across the department carefully.

Even he had to admit-

It was convincing.

Too convincing.

Not a single person questioned Hudson’s identity.

Not even for a second.

The silence inside R&D shifted only when movement came from deeper within the department.

An office door opened.

An older man stepped out.

Mid-fifties. Slightly round build with a well-fitted suit that strained just a little at the waist. A salt-and-pepper beard carefully maintained. His expression adjusted the moment he saw the group, shifting instantly into something welcoming, almost rehearsed.

He approached with measured confidence, stopping at a respectful distance before bowing slightly.

“Mr. Blackwood, sir,” he said with a practiced smile. “What a pleasant surprise. If we had known you were coming, we would’ve made the proper arrangements.”

Hudson looked at him for a moment, taking him in without hurry.

The man held his posture, but there was a subtle tension in his shoulders now, as the silence stretched just a little too long.

“Last I checked,” Hudson said evenly, “I own this company.”

A brief pause.

It was then that movement slipped quietly from the same office Bill had just come out of.

A younger woman stepped out.

She was dressed neatly, though slightly too polished for a casual R&D environment.

There were subtle signs of disarray-her hair not quite sitting in place as if it had been hastily fixed, a few strands out of alignment. Her blouse wasn’t fully smooth, slightly creased in a way that suggested she had just adjusted it quickly before stepping out. Even her lipstick, while still sharp, had a faint imperfection at the edge.

Nothing dramatic.

But enough to suggest she hadn’t simply been sitting at a desk.

She moved quickly, carefully composed, as if trying to leave without drawing attention.

She didn’t look up. She kept her gaze lowered, adjusting her pace just enough to blend into the background as she moved toward one of the cubicles.

But the timing wasn’t natural.

It was too calculated to be casual, too delayed to be incidental.

She wasn’t supposed to be seen.

Or at least-she was trying not to be.

Bill didn’t react much, but his posture stiffened noticeably, the smallest tension running through his shoulders before he forced it back under control-his expression a fraction too composed, like someone trying to keep a situation contained before it could be noticed.

The nearby employees didn’t react either. Outwardly, nothing changed, as if it was just another routine occurrence in a place where nothing unusual ever needed to be acknowledged.

But the group that had just entered the floor noticed.

There was something off about it.