Filed to story: Maya Thompson and Damien Blackwood Book PDF Free
Instead, he made her cry.
Back in the Executive Office
Damien was standing by the window when James returned.
“The file’s signed,” James reported, placing it on the desk. “Trina has it.”
Damien gave a terse nod.
James paused at the door.
“Oh,” he said casually, though the weight behind his words was anything but. “I also saw Ms. Thompson.”
That name-spoken aloud-was like a pin dropped in a silent room.
Damien didn’t turn. But his voice was colder. Sharper.
“What about her?”
James’s gaze flicked to the skyline before answering. “She was… upset. Alone. Near the recycle bin. Looked like she’d just thrown out the flowers. She was crying.”
A beat of silence stretched between them.
Damien didn’t ask for more. Didn’t react.
But James noticed the subtle shift-the way Damien’s hand, resting at his side, slowly curled into a fist.
Not rage.
Something quieter.
More dangerous.
James waited, as always, for the command.
But none came.
Only silence. And the city-cold, glittering-stretching out like a cage. But all he could see was her face.
“Keep an eye on her.”
Just that.
No explanation.
And James, as always, understood exactly what it meant.
Damien’s POV
The door clicked shut behind James, but the silence he left behind was anything but peaceful.
Damien stood unmoving at the window, hands tucked in the pockets of his tailored slacks, eyes locked on the city that sprawled beneath him like a kingdom he no longer recognized.
“She was crying.”
The words rang in his head louder than they should have. Sharper. Unwelcome.
He hadn’t asked for details. He didn’t need to.
He could already picture it-Maya curled beside the window, small and vulnerable, trying to pretend she wasn’t breaking. Trying to stay invisible.
A bitter breath hissed between his teeth.
This is exactly why personal entanglements didn’t belong in business.
It was a distraction. A liability. A crack in the glass wall he had built around himself and this company. And still-
Still.
He could feel the memory of her the last time he passed the PR floor. The way she refused to meet his eyes. The barely contained storm behind her silence. The scent of those damn flowers.
Paul Sanders.
The name stuck in his mind like a splinter.
He’d seen the type before. Harmless, perhaps. Well-meaning. But blind to consequence. Sending anonymous flowers to an intern barely four days into the company? Stupid. Disruptive. Reckless.
And Maya had paid the price.
Damien walked back to his desk, jaw tight, and tapped a few keys on his sleek, minimalist keyboard. Her employee profile came up on screen in seconds.
INTERNAL EMPLOYEE FILE – BLACKWOOD ENTERPRISES
Name: Maya Serene Thompson
Age: 25
Position: Internship – PR Division
Type: OJT/Temporary Assignment
Supervisor: Trina Brooks
Direct Executive Contact: Elle Rochefort
Internship Duration: 6 Months
Requirements: Completed
Performance Notes: On time. Compliant. Observant. Overqualified
Overqualified?
He frowned slightly at the last note, left by Elle.
His gaze drifted down to her submitted documents. Her transcript. Cover letter. Even her scanned barista schedule. He hadn’t noticed that before.
Intern Schedule:
Week 1: Full-Time Orientation
Starting Week 2: M/W/F (Office Hours – 9 AM to 5 PM)
Evenings: M/W/F – Eastborough, 7:30-9:00 PM (Business Administration – Full academic scholarship)
T/Th/Sat/Sun: Barista (External Employer – registered)
Background:
Primary guardian to one dependent (Jamie Thompson, age 15)
Low-income housing district listed on file
No emergency contact on record
Damien’s throat constricted, just slightly.
She was barely keeping it together. The intern everyone whispered about was burning the candle at both ends, and no one even realized it.
Except now… he knew.
And he hated that it made him feel something.
