From the corner of his eye, he noticed Maya.
He caught the change in her-the way her lashes dipped, the subtle curve tugging at the corner of her lips. A fleeting smile, quiet and unguarded, as if she forgot-just for a second-that he was there.
She tried to hide it, but it was too late.
He’d seen it.
It did something to him.
Something irrational. Dangerous.
He hated it.
That damn smile. So small. So soft. So real. Not polished like the ones women gave him to impress. Not seductive. Not calculated.
Just… proud.
Proud of her brother. Proud of something that wasn’t even about her.
It made his chest tighten and his thoughts blur. For a fleeting moment, the weight of board meetings, headlines, and the goddamn groundbreaking ceremony slipped away. The world outside that car ceased to exist.
All he saw was that smile.
He found himself wanting to see that smile again.
Wanting to be the cause of it.
And that realization?
Fucking infuriating.
Fury tangled with something raw. Unguarded. Far more dangerous.
Damien’s fingers drummed against his thigh. This was dangerous. She was too close. The scent of her was messing with him.
She was a distraction.
A complication.
Something he didn’t need.
He needed to shut this down. Re-establish distance.
But Jamie spoke again, unknowingly anchoring him there. “Do you work every Saturday, Mr. Blackwood?”
“No,” Damien answered, voice clipped but amused. “Just when the PR team drags me into a photo op with a shovel.”
Jamie grinned. “Like this morning?”
A small, rare smile ghosted across Damien’s lips. “Exactly.”
Maya peeked at him, eyes wide and soft, a silent question hanging between them.
Their eyes met for the briefest second.
The car rolled forward, the city blurring past. The silence that followed wasn’t awkward.
It was… charged.
And Damien knew, deep in his gut, he was already in trouble.
He needed control.
He needed distance.
But all he could smell was lavender and trouble.
Big fucking trouble.
The car hummed quietly as Damien’s thoughts spiraled.
He watched Maya steal glances at Jamie, her expression softening whenever the boy spoke or smiled. There was tenderness there – fierce, protective, and unmistakably real.
His chest ached with something he hadn’t felt in years. Something dangerous.
He reminded himself: she was off limits. An intern. A complication.
But how could he resist? How could he ignore the way she smelled-lavender, vanilla, something clean and pure?
The scent clung to him, weaving through his senses like a potent drug.
He cleared his throat, trying to regain composure. “You mentioned needing to get better before going back to school,” Damien said, trying to sound casual. “Is it something serious?”
Jamie blinked, surprised by the question. “Oh… yeah. I guess.”
Damien caught the subtle shift in Maya’s posture – the way her shoulders tightened, her gaze dropped to her lap, and her lips pressed into a thin, unyielding line.
Jamie, unaware of the storm brewing beside him, continued, “I’ve been in and out of the hospital for a while. My immune system’s kind of messed up, and my heart’s not that great either. I get sick a lot.”
He said it plainly. No self-pity. No drama. Just facts.
Damien felt that familiar tightening in his chest again – only this time, it wasn’t about Maya. It was the boy. His composure. His courage. His honesty. It wasn’t the way kids his age usually talked.
“And you’re heading to the hospital now? For a checkup?” Damien asked, keeping his voice even.
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. Just a routine one. Nothing major… I think. At least, I hope not.”
There was a beat of silence.
“I’m sure you’ll be alright,” Damien said, quieter now.
Jamie smiled faintly. “Thanks.”
Beside him, Maya still hadn’t said a word.
Damien risked a glance.
She looked… wrecked. Not in a fragile way-but in the way someone looks when they’ve been carrying too much, for too long, and can’t afford to let anything drop.
And suddenly, Damien understood. Why she looked tired all the time. Why she seemed so desperate to stay invisible.
Her entire world sat beside her-small, pale, and far too brave.
“You like school?” Damien asked, shifting gears for both their sakes.
Jamie perked up again. “Yeah! I mean, I miss it. I like learning. Especially math. And science. And I’ve been teaching myself coding while I’m stuck at home.”
Damien let out a low breath. “You ever thought about applying for early mentorship programs?”
Maya turned her head, startled. Her eyes met his for a fleeting second – too brief to hold, but long enough to leave a mark. There was gratitude there. And something else. Something quiet and unreadable, like even she didn’t have a name for it yet.
Jamie’s eyes widened. “They have those?”
“They do,” Damien said. “Some through Blackwood. Internships for high school students – if your health permits.”
From the corner of his eye, Damien saw Maya fully lift her head now, surprise softening into something warm.
Jamie was already nodding, excitement flickering to life. “That would be awesome.”
Damien turned toward him. “When you’re ready, have Maya contact my office. We’ll see what we can do.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.