The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 508

The line moved faster than expected.

Less than a minute later, the teenager collected his drink, thanked the cashier, and stepped aside.

That left Damien standing at the front of the line.

Behind him, James kept his phone raised, faithfully documenting the event for what was perhaps the most unusual evidence request of his professional career.

"Good evening. Welcome to Bean & Barrel." The young barista smiled politely. "What can I get started for you tonight?"

Damien answered immediately.

"I'd like an iced white chocolate mocha made with oat milk, an extra shot of espresso, light ice, and one less pump of white chocolate. Also, one slice of pecan cheesecake."

The barista's fingers moved quickly across the register.

Then she looked up.

"That's... surprisingly specific."

Damien's expression remained unchanged.

"Is that a problem?"

"Oh, no."

She immediately shook her head, a genuine smile appearing on her face.

“Not at all. It's just a very specific order. Most people need a moment to think about customizations like that."

Her eyes briefly drifted toward his suit before returning to his face.

"And if I'm being honest, most men who come in dressed like you usually order black coffee and call it a day."

She gestured lightly toward the menu board.

"Most people don't even remember half the options available. We usually spend more time explaining customizations than actually taking the order."

Her smile widened slightly.

"You sounded like you've ordered it a hundred times."

"It's not for me."

The answer came without hesitation. "I'm ordering for someone else."

"Ah."

Understanding immediately appeared on her face.

"That makes a lot more sense."

After entering the order, she glanced up again.

"May I have your name for the order?"

"Damien."

The young woman nodded, wrote the name neatly on the side of a cup, and set it beside the espresso machine.

"Perfect. I'll have that ready for you shortly."

With that, she turned and began preparing the drink while Damien stepped aside to wait.

Several feet away, James continued recording.

The fact that Damien had memorized the order wasn't nearly as surprising as the reason he had memorized it.

After all, if Maya somehow decided tomorrow that she wanted a coffee plantation, James had a feeling his boss would begin looking for one before lunch.

At this point, James wasn't even sure that was an exaggeration.

Earlier that evening, he had watched Damien purchase enough electronics and accessories to stock a small retail store. The only thing preventing him from buying more had been the closing time of the café.

Several minutes later, the drink was ready.

"Iced white chocolate mocha for Damien."

The barista placed the drink on the counter and slid it toward him with a smile.

After thanking her, Damien reached for the drink while the young woman turned toward the dessert display to retrieve the cheesecake.

A faint look of confusion crossed her face.

She scanned the display once, then again, as though expecting the missing dessert to suddenly reappear. After checking the lower shelf, she straightened and turned back toward Damien with an apologetic expression.

The barista stared at him.

For a moment, she genuinely wasn't sure whether he was joking.

He wasn't.

"I'll buy the whole thing," Damien said. "And I'm willing to compensate whoever is inconvenienced."

The young woman looked increasingly overwhelmed.

In all her time working at Bean & Barrel, nobody had ever requested that the kitchen reopen after closing because a particular dessert had sold out.

"Sir, I really don't think we can do that."

A trace of irritation flickered across Damien's features.

If he had spent less time at the electronics store, he would have arrived sooner. The last slice would likely still be there.

More importantly, he had promised Maya.

The situation irritated him far more than it should have.

Under normal circumstances, a sold-out dessert would hardly qualify as a problem. There were countless bakeries throughout the city and an endless number of alternatives available.

This wasn't about the cheesecake.

It was about the fact that Maya had specifically asked for it.

She rarely requested anything from him, yet she had gone out of her way to mention this particular cheesecake and had admitted she'd been craving it for an entire week.

And now, after promising to get it for her, he was in danger of returning empty-handed.

The thought alone made abandoning the mission unacceptable.

"Anyone inconvenienced will be compensated accordingly," he said calmly. "Whatever it costs."

The young woman hesitated, clearly unsure how to handle the situation.

Before she could formulate a response, a warm chuckle drifted from somewhere behind the counter.

"Well, that's certainly not a request we hear every day."