The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 502

Chapter 231: The Missing Piece

And yet, despite their rarity and value, the collection was still incomplete.

One final stone remained.

Unlike the others, its worth could never be measured in carats, rarity, or money.

Not because of what it was.

But because of who it belonged to.

Damien reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

The movement immediately drew the manager’s attention away from the gemstones spread across the table.

As Damien withdrew a small velvet pouch from his jacket, the manager’s eyes lit with anticipation.

He could only assume another rare gemstone was about to join the collection.

But the anticipation faded almost instantly, replaced by genuine curiosity as Damien emptied the contents into his palm.

The manager studied the stone carefully.

Just a modest diamond.

Barely over a carat.

Its cut was old–fashioned, and decades of wear had softened much of its brilliance.

In terms of rarity and market value, it couldn’t begin to compare to the gemstones already resting on the table.

Yet Damien’s gaze lingered on it longer than any of the others

A faint crease appeared between the manager’s brows.

After decades in the industry, he knew value when he saw it, and compared to the collection before him, this diamond should have been the least remarkable piece in the room.

Damien seemed to read the unspoken question.

“This one is different.”

Damien looked down at the stone Jamie had entrusted to him earlier that morning.

It held no record–breaking carat weight, no Fancy Vivid classification, and no multimillion–dollar auction history.

Yet as Damien stared at it, the room seemed to fade away.

This stone represented a different kind of legacy

It was the first diamond their father had ever purchased with his own money for the woman he loved.

The diamond he had intended to set into the ring he would use to propose to Malia.

But he never gave it to her.

Not because he loved her any less, but because of his own pride.

After learning the truth about who she was and the world she had left behind for him, he had convinced himself it wasn’t enough.

Not because Malia had ever cared about wealth, status, or luxury.

She didn’t.

She had willingly turned her back on all of it for him.

But he wanted to give her something worthy of the sacrifices she had made.

So he kept the diamond.

Not as a reminder of what he lacked, but as motivation to become the man he believed she deserved.

Years later, he passed it on to Jamie, intending for it to one day be given to the woman Jamie chose to spend his life with.

But after overhearing his conversation with Dahlia that morning, Jamie had made a different choice.

He had placed the diamond in Damien’s hand and insisted it belonged in Maya’s ring.

Because if anyone deserved to carry that piece of their father’s story forward, it was Maya.

Damien’s thumb brushed lightly over the worn edges of the stone before he placed it beside the Argyle pink diamond.

For decades, it had remained unfinished.

Now, it would finally become part of the ring it had always been meant for.

“I want it cleaned and restored,” Damien said quietly, his gaze never leaving the diamond.

He wanted preservation.

“Of course, Sir.”

The manager immediately crossed the room and approached the secured cabinet built into the wall. After entering a code, he retrieved a leather portfolio before returning to the table.

Opening it carefully, he slid the contents toward Damien.

At the center was Maya’s original sketch.

Surrounding it were refined renderings prepared by the firm’s designers, preserving every detail of the original concept while incorporating the final selection of gemstones.

Damien’s gaze settled on the drawings spread before him.

At its heart, the design remained unmistakably Maya’s.

The flowing band curved into an elegant infinity symbol before separating into two sculpted hands reaching toward one another. Their fingers met at the center, supporting the setting where the Argyle pink diamond would rest.

Even as a drawing, the ring was breathtaking.

The band itself was lined with countless diamonds, their placement carefully mapped across the design

to ensure the finished piece would catch the light from every angle.

Surrounding the centerpiece, the six rare gemstones had been woven seamlessly into the ring, their colors and brilliance accenting the design without overwhelming it.

It was elegant.

Damien studied the sketch for a long moment.

His gaze eventually settled on the space where the two hands joined beneath the main setting.

A perfect place for their father’s diamond.

Not visible at first glance.

Not intended to compete with the Argyle pink diamond or the other rare gemstones.

Yet positioned at the very point where everything came together.

A quiet foundation hidden beneath the centerpiece.

A small piece of the man who had loved her first.

And soon, it would become part of a ring from the man who intended to love her for the rest of his life.