The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 566

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Chapter 295: She Would Never Know

It took Cecilia some time to compose herself. Neither Dahlia nor Alice uttered a single word, quietly remaining by her side until she finally regained her composure. Only then did the three women make their way to the garden gazebo, where the others were waiting.

The evening breeze carried the gentle fragrance of blooming flowers as they approached. Under the warm glow of the lanterns, everyone was already comfortably seated, chatting as though the emotional moment from earlier had never happened.

Shortly after they settled in, the household staff arrived with trays of freshly brewed gyokuro and an assortment of delicate wagashi. The fragrant aroma of the tea mingled with the crisp night air, creating an atmosphere of quiet warmth,

The conversation remained pleasantly light, mostly led by Jaime’s endless curiosity. He eagerly asked about the sprawling estate, the shimmering koi pond, and even the towering centuries-old trees that seemed to have witnessed generations of the Takahashi family.

“So… those trees are actually older than some countries?” Jaime asked in amazement.

Kenji chuckled. “Some of them have stood here for well over three hundred years.”

“No way…”

Jaime craned his neck toward the ancient branches, his eyes sparkling with childlike wonder.

“They’ve literally been standing there since before Canada even existed.”

His innocent amazement earned warm laughter from everyone around the table.

Even Cecilia found herself smiling.

Watching Jaime laugh so freely stirred something bittersweet deep within her.

She couldn’t help wondering how many moments like this she had unknowingly missed over the years. The questions she could have answered. The birthdays she could have celebrated. The ordinary afternoons she would have treasured simply because they had been spent together.

For the first time in over twenty years, she was finally sitting across from the grandchildren whose existence she had only learned of a few days ago.

Yet to Maya and Jaime, she was nothing more than one of Dahlia’s close friends.

Once the conversation had settled into an easy rhythm, Alice quietly exchanged a knowing glance with Dahlia before placing her teacup onto its saucer.

“Tomorrow will be a busy day,” she said with a gentle smile as she rose to her feet. “I’d like to make sure everything is ready before we all call it a night. Harper, Kenji… would you mind giving me a hand?”

“Of course, Mom,” Kenji replied without hesitation.

Harper shot her brother a sideways glance before muttering under her breath, just loud enough for those nearby to hear.

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Kenji merely smiled, long accustomed to his sister’s teasing.

Alice sighed, shaking her head with amused exasperation.

“Harper, perhaps you should learn a thing or two from your brother about obedience.”

Harper rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Fine, fine…” She pushed herself to her feet before flashing Maya a bright smile. “I guess I’ll see you all later!”

She then turned to Cecilia.

“It was really nice meeting you, Grandma Cecilia. Have a safe drive home.”

“Thank you, dear,” Cecilia replied warmly.

Harper gave Maya’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before following Alice, while Kenji offered everyone a respectful bow before quietly excusing himself as well.

Before long, only Dahlia, Cecilia, Maya, and Jaime remained in the softly illuminated gazebo.

A brief silence settled over them.

Cecilia hesitated, uncertain whether she had the right to ask. Yet the quiet longing in her heart eventually overcame her restraint.

Offering them a warm smile, she said softly, “So… Maya, Jaime… would you mind telling me a little more about yourselves?”

As always, Jaime happily did most of the talking.

He shared amusing stories from his childhood, reminiscing about the happy days he and Maya had spent with their parents before excitedly talking about his love for books and technology. He then launched into an exaggerated account of Maya constantly reminding him to take his medication, eat his vegetables, get enough sleep, and stop staring at a screen for hours.

Every so often, Maya would interrupt with an embarrassed correction, insisting he was exaggerating, only for Jaime to protest that he was “just telling the truth.”

“I swear she repeats the same things so often she’s become a broken record,” he groaned dramatically.

Then his playful expression softened. Looking at Maya with sincere eyes, he smiled.

“But I know she only does it because she wants what’s best for me.”

He puffed out his chest proudly before wrapping an arm around Maya’s shoulders.

“I have the best sister in the whole world!”

Maya could only shake her head with a helpless smile, though the warmth in her eyes betrayed just how much his words meant to her.

Chapte

Their playful banter filled the gazebo with soft laughter.

What had begun as a few simple questions soon blossomed into one story after another.

Cecilia asked about their studies, the friends they had made, and the dreams they hoped to pursue in the future. Maya answered with quiet grace, while Jaime’s boundless enthusiasm effortlessly carried the conversation from one topic to the next.

Cecilia listened intently, treasuring every word as though trying to make up for two decades in a single evening

Without anyone realizing it, the conversation gradually drifted elsewhere.

“… What about your parents?” Cecilia asked softly.

The cheerful smiles slowly faded, and for the first time that evening, both Maya and Jaime fell silent.

Maya lowered her gaze to the teacup in her hands before lifting her eyes once more.

“They passed away the day after my eighteenth birthday… Jaime was only eight.”

Maya didn’t hesitate. Enough time had passed that she could speak of it without breaking, though the sadness in her voice had never truly disappeared. She spoke of the accident that had taken both of their parents in an instant, of suddenly becoming the only family Jaime had left, and of learning far too young what it meant to survive instead of simply living.

Her voice remained calm and steady.

Time had softened the sharpest edges of her grief, but it had never erased them.

She spoke of working while finishing school, of protecting Jaime as best she could, and of the countless hardships they had quietly endured together.

She never complained.

She never sought sympathy.

She simply told the truth.

Somehow, that quiet acceptance pierced Cecilia’s heart far more deeply than tears ever could.

Every word tightened around her heart.

She should have been there.

She should have known.

It was another reminder of the life she should have shared with them.

Instead, she was hearing about the hardest years of their lives as nothing more than a stranger.

These were not memories she should have been hearing for the first time.

They were memories she should have been a part of.

Beneath the calm smile she struggled to maintam, sorrow, regret, quilt, and quiet anger churned Telentlessly within her.

She was angry at fate but even more so at herself.

She should have fought harder for her daughter She should have stood beside her instead of allowing circumstances to pull them apart. She should have searched sooner, questioned more, and refused to accept that there was nothing she could do

How many of Maya and Jaime’s hardships could have been spared if she had made different choices?

She would never know.

That uncertainty was a burden she would carry for the rest of her life.

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