The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 511

As Damien guided Maya back toward their seats, James entered the dining hall carrying several shopping bags from the electronics store.

The driver followed close behind with nearly as many.

The room fell silent.

Nick stared.

Then stared some more.

"What the fuck, D?" His eyes widened. "Did you buy the entire store?"

"Nicholas! Your language!"

Eleanor's voice cracked through the room like a whip.

Nick immediately straightened.

"Right." He cleared his throat. "My apologies, Grandma Eleanor."

After a brief pause, his attention shifted back to Damien.

"Did you purchase the entire store?"

Damien looked at him as though the question itself was ridiculous.

"Why would I buy the entire store?" he asked flatly. "I only bought a few things for Maya."

"Few?!"

Ashcroft stared at the growing pile of bags currently being carried into the manor.

Maya looked equally surprised.

She was just about to ask Damien exactly what he meant by a few things when her gaze landed on James.

He was standing a short distance away, arms full of shopping bags.

More importantly, he was looking directly at her.

The moment their eyes met, James gave the smallest shake of his head before subtly nodding toward Damien.

The message was clear.

Please don't

Maya blinked.

Then she looked at the mountain of shopping bags.

Then back at James. Understanding dawned almost immediately.

Whatever was inside those bags, questioning Damien about it in front of everyone was probably a bad idea.

The words that had been about to leave her mouth quietly disappeared.

For the sake of everyone's peace, Maya decided not to ask.

"I bought you a new computer," Damien said as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "You can use it for your online classes."

Maya blinked.

"But last night you said I could use the laptop I already have from the company."

"I know, love."

Damien's tone remained calm.

"But that one is old, bulky, and outdated. It's also company property. There's no reason for you to keep using it for personal matters."

His gaze shifted briefly toward the growing pile of bags.

"You need something better, so I bought you one."

Nicholas stared at him.

"Wait. Hold on."

His attention immediately shifted to Maya.

"You asked Damien if you could use the company-issued laptop?"

Maya looked confused by his reaction.

"Well... yes?"

"Why?"

Nicholas looked genuinely baffled.

"If you were going to ask for something, you could've at least asked for his laptop. Better model. Better specs."

He pointed at Damien.

"Or better yet, ask for his credit card and buy yourself a new one."

Maya looked horrified.

"I would never do that."

"Why not?" "Because I don't need a new laptop," Maya replied patiently. "The one I have is more than enough for what I need."

She paused.

"And I'm definitely not borrowing his personal laptop. There are probably confidential files on it."

Then she added firmly,

"And I would never ask for his credit card."

Nicholas stared at her for several seconds.

"You're doing this wrong."

Maya blinked.

"What?"

"You should be helping him spend his money, not saving it." He shook his head. "You're far too frugal."

Before Maya could respond, Damien spoke.

"Then you'd better start working harder."

The moment the lid lifted, his eyes widened.

Inside sat a generous slice of pecan cheesecake.

For a moment, he simply stared at it.

Then his expression lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Ah! My good friend Freddy!"

Dominic looked at him blankly.

"Freddy who?"

Charles waved him off.

"Ah, Freddy! Frederick Lawson and his wife, Miranda. They own the coffee shop about ten minutes from here." Dominic's eyes landed on the contents of the container.

Immediately, he pointed at it.

"You're not allowed to eat that, Father. Your blood sugar will skyrocket again, and then you'll become a cranky old man and a burden to all of us. Especially Mom."

"Oh, be quiet, you ungrateful child." Charles clicked his tongue. "Why don't you learn from your son? He understands."

"Not really," Damien replied. "I just couldn't say no to Mr. Lawson. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given it to you.

"See?" Dominic said immediately.

Then he reached for the container.

"You know what? Better yet, just give it to me. I'll eat it for you."

Smack.

Charles slapped his hand away and immediately pulled the container closer, as though protecting a priceless treasure.

"I'm an old man living on borrowed time. Let me enjoy the things I like."

Then he pointed a warning finger at his son.

"And don't you dare tell your mother."

Then his gaze shifted toward Alfred, who was standing quietly off to the side.

"You too, Alfred."

Alfred smiled.

"My lips are sealed, Sir."

Satisfied, Charles nodded and immediately picked up his fork.

While everyone was busy enjoying the banter between father and son, Damien noticed that Maya still hadn't taken hers out.

He reached into the paper bag, intending to hand it to her, but Maya immediately stopped him before he could.

"What's wrong?" Damien asked, looking at her. "Don't you want to eat yours? I thought you've been craving it all week."

His gaze briefly shifted toward the paper bag before returning to her face, clearly puzzled by her reaction.