The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 557

SK

Chapter 286: Uh-Oh… Here We Go

She turned to find Altce and Dahlia standing just behind her, evidently on their way out to check on the arriving containers.

“Nothing, Mom.”

Alice regarded her with a knowing smile.

“Mm-hmm. Your father simply knows better than to ask too many questions”

Harper feigned offense.

“You know, it’s not nice to eavesdrop, Mom.”

Alice merely raised an amused eyebrow, clearly impressed by her daughter’s attempt to turn the tables

“Is that so? And talking about others behind their backs is perfectly fine?”

Harper let out a defeated sigh and raised both hands in surrender.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. It’s not like I said anything bad.”

Alice simply shook her head before letting her gaze drift from Maya back to Harper.

“That’s lesson number one for the two of you, young ladies.”

The sudden change in topic caught both Maya and Harper off guard, prompting Harper to let out a quiet, embarrassed groan.

“Uh-oh… here we go.”

Ignoring Harper’s theatrics, Alice continued with what was clearly another piece of unsolicited advice.

“If there’s something your heart truly desires-something that brings you genuine happiness-don’t be afraid to stand your ground simply because your partner disagrees.”

A gentle warmth entered her eyes.

“A healthy marriage isn’t about one person always getting their way. It’s built on mutual respect, honest communication, and knowing when something truly matters to the person you love.”

Her gaze briefly drifted outside, watching the massive reinforced containers being carefully transported into the hangar.

“Your father doesn’t share my passion for antiques.”

A hint of amusement crossed her face.

“In fact, I suspect he still thinks some of them look like old junk.”

Harper snorted softly.

“I mean… some of them are kind of…”

Webe

Alice shot her a sharp look, and Harper immediately mimed zipping her lips shut before tossing away the

Timaginary key.

“But he understands that they matter to me,” Alice continued. “So even if he doesn’t always understand why, he supports me because he knows they make me happy”

She looked back at Maya and Harper.

“And I do the same for him.”

A warm smile settled on her face.

“That’s how a marriage lasts. You don’t have to love all the same things.

“You simply have to love each other enough to respect one another.”

Alice then turned her attention to the next table, where Kenji and Jaime were seated.

“And that goes for both of you as well,” she said. “Just because you’re the man doesn’t mean your opinions should always come first. Never dismiss something simply because you don’t understand why it’s important to your partner.”

She smiled gently.

“Respect your wife’s dreams and passions just as you would want her to respect yours.”

Harper pouted.

“That’s easy for you to say, Mom. Not all men in the world are like Dad or Uncle Dominic.”

Then she turned to Maya.

“Or Damien.”

She let out an exaggerated sigh.

“At least Maya already found her perfect man. What about me?”

Seizing the opportunity, Jaime grinned.

г

“I’m sure Nick could be your perfect man too, Harper.”

Jaime’s teasing earned immediate laughter from everyone except Harper, whose face instantly turned beet red. She whirled around in her seat to glare at him.

“What?!” she sputtered. “That arrogant, smug-faced playboy? Please! I’d rather adopt twenty cats-or better yet, stay single for the rest of my life!”

Kenji took a sip of his drink, looking completely unfazed.

“Well, you can’t have cats,” he pointed out. “And Dad won’t let you stay single forever, so you’d better start figuring it out.”

“Did I ask for your opinion?!” Harper shot back, glaring at her brother as everyone else laughed

Alice simply shook her head, an amused smile togging at her lips

Without another word, she and Dahlia continued on their way, leaving the younger ones to their lively banter.

Harper huffed and turned back around in her seat, folding her arms across her chest with a pout

A second later, she grabbed her chopsticks, picked up an entire piece of sushi, and stuffed it into her mouth in one bite.

Her cheeks puffed out instantly, making her look even more adorably sulky

Fortunately, no one teased her any further.

A comfortable silence settled over the table as everyone resumed enjoying the meal.

After swallowing the last of her sushi, Harper reached for another plece.

“Anyway,” she said, “how was the flight?”

Maya shrugged.

“It was good. Honestly, I didn’t think a flight that long could be so comfortable. I literally slept through most of it.”

An impish smile spread across Harper’s face.

“Did you two spend the whole night having sex? Is that why you were so exhausted?”

Maya’s face instantly flushed.

“Harper! Stop!”

“Aha! Guilty!” Harper declared with a smug grin, clearly delighted she’d gotten exactly the reaction she wanted.

She reached for another piece of sushi, took a bite, and chewed leisurely before speaking again, her tone so casual it was as though she were commenting on the weather.

“By the way, before you arrived, I received word that Volkov’s becoming increasingly paranoid He’s doubled the security at all of his facilities.”

A satisfied smile tugged at her lips.

“Which is exactly what we wanted. It means the plan worked. His attention has been completely diverted He’s so focused on protecting what he already has that he won’t see what he’s about to lose.”

Maya’s expression immediately turned serious. Despite Harper’s reassuring words, she couldn’t shake the lingering unease in her chest.

Harper immediately caught the flicker of worry in Maya’s eyes.

Then, as though she hadn’t just casually discussed a high-stakes deception operation, she popped the rest of the sushi into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully

Her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she’d just remembered something completely unrelated

“That reminds me

She swallowed before breaking into a grin.

“Do you want to check on your boyfriend?

Maya’s eyes immediately brightened.

“I can call him?”

Harper nodded. “Of course. But not from your phone.”

Maya’s excitement faltered. “Then…. how?”

A mischievous smile slowly spread across Harper’s face as she reached for another piece of sushi.

“Finish eating first. Then we’ll head upstairs to the command center.” Her grin widened. “We’ll tap into the aircraft’s secure communications network and temporarily take over one of the cabin display feeds.”

She wiggled her eyebrows.

“We’ll surprise them.”

Maya stared at her for a moment before letting out an amused laugh.

“Very funny.” She smiled, shaking her head. “You almost had me. You say that like taking over a multimillion-dollar aircraft’s onboard systems is the most normal thing in the world.”

Harper merely shrugged.

“For us? It is.”

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