Chapter 318: What Everyone Else Sees
+25 Ponts
Damien started from the beginning, telling them what had happened in Singapore and how they had briefly thought their cover was blown when someone recognized Hudson.
Nicholas, of course, turned the entire incident into an exaggerated retelling, making it sound far more dramatic than it actually was and earning genuine laughter from both women.
Harper, however, ended up more offended by an entirely different detail.
“Okay, that’s my fault. I went cheap on the other two masks,” she admitted. “I gave you the faces but not the voices. In my defense, I didn’t think anyone would actually recognize Big Daddy.”
Nicholas’s expression immediately soured.
“Can you please stop calling him that?”
Harper turned toward him. “What? Big Daddy? What is it to you, huh?!”
“He’s jealous,” Damien remarked casually.
Nicholas immediately looked at him. “Of course not!”
“Well, too bad, so sad!” Harper shot back.
Something about their bickering felt different now.
After everything Kenji had blurted out earlier, especially after Alice openly said what everyone else seemed to be thinking, pretending there was absolutely nothing between them had become much harder.
Neither Harper nor Nicholas was willing to admit anything, but the question was out there now.
And Damien, apparently, saw no reason to make things easier for either of them.
“Yeah, Nick,” he said casually. “Why would you be jealous anyway? I’m sure Brandy would be more than happy to make you her Big Daddy.”
Harper’s head snapped toward Nicholas.
“Who’s Brandy?!”
The question came out so quickly that Nicholas barely had time to react.
Then he looked at her.
Harper seemed to realize a second too late just how interested she had sounded.
Nicholas’s expression slowly changed as a smug smile spread across his face. “Why?” he asked. “What is it to you, huh?”
Harper’s mouth fell open, her eyes widening slightly as a faint blush threatened her cheeks. She quickly concealed it with a dismissive scoff.
“Whatever! Who cares? Probably another random woman you found to scratch an itch.” She rolled her
eyes. “Keep it up and eventually that itch is going to, come with crabs.” Nicholas simply stared at her, clearly enjoying how badly she was trying to pretend she didn’t care. “Well…” His smile widened as he threw her own words straight back at her. “Too bad, so sad.” +25 Powers: Damien subtly glanced over his shoulder at the two of them, while beside him, Maya pressed her lips together, desperately trying to hold back her laughter. Nicholas had clearly won that round. Before Harper could recover enough to retaliate, Maya wisely steered the conversation back to Damien’s story. Unfortunately, what happened after Singapore was far less amusing. The weather had begun deteriorating not long after they passed Singapore, forcing them to make several detours to avoid the worst parts of the storm. The constant rerouting had increased their fuel consumption, and as conditions worsened, their tracking connection eventually disappeared. Damien had also begun shutting down whatever nonessential systems he safely could, conserving power and prioritizing only what they needed to keep the aircraft flying. Things only became worse once they entered Japanese airspace. A violent lightning strike rocked the aircraft, and not long afterward, one of the engines failed, forcing Damien to complete the rest of the flight on a single engine. With the storm surrounding them and no reliable way to communicate with anyone on the ground, their only real option had been to keep going until they finally reached Takahashi Private Aviation and landed safely. Maya’s fingers instinctively tightened around Damien’s hand when he reached that part of the story. But their problems hadn’t ended there. The severe weather had disrupted power and communications throughout the area, making it nearly impossible to contact the estate. Fortunately, the transportation Harper had arranged ahead of time was already waiting for them when they landed. Even then, they only made it within several blocks of the estate before roadblocks and heavy congestion made the road completely impassable. Knowing Jaime could be taken into surgery at any moment, Damien and Nicholas had abandoned the vehicle and covered the remaining distance on foot, running through the pouring rain until they finally reached the estate. Maya abruptly stopped walking and stared at him. “You flew into a typhoon with no reliable communication and only one engine?” Damien stopped beside her. “When you say it like that, it sounds worse.” < Chapter 318–What Everyone Elce Sees “It was worse!” Damien lowered his voice. “Maya.” “No, Damien. You lost an engine!” “And we still had one.” Nicholas quietly looked away, wisely deciding not to mention just how terrifying that particular part of the flight had actually been. Maya took a breath and forced herself to calm down. “Why didn’t you turn around?” “Because I promised Jaime I would be here,” Damien said, tightening his hold on her hand. “And I promised you.” Some of the anger immediately left Maya’s face. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed trying to keep that promise.” Damien held her gaze. “But I didn’t.” Maya stared at him. “You’re impossible.” A faint smile touched his lips. “So I’ve been told.” She wanted to tell him how unbelievably reckless he had been, how furious she was that he had risked himself, and how terrified she had felt when they could no longer.track his plane. Instead, Maya stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Damien caught her immediately, pulling her tightly against his chest. “Don’t ever do that again,” she murmured. His arms tightened around her. “I’ll try.” Maya pulled back just enough to glare at him. “Wrong answer.” A quiet laugh escaped him. “I won’t.” Another rumble of thunder rolled outside, but this time, Maya barely noticed. With Maya and Damien still wrapped in each other’s arms, standing there watching them suddenly felt a little awkward for the other two. Nicholas leaned slightly closer to Harper. “I should get a hug too, don’t you think?” Harper’s head snapped toward him, a faint blush immediately warming her cheeks. “Why should you? You were just a passenger!” Nicholas raised a brow, clearly amused by how quickly she had become defensive. “In your dreams!” she added before turning away. Chapter 318 What Everyone Else Sees A slow grin spread across his face. “So, you want me in your dreams?” Harper whipped back toward him. “That is not what I said!” Nicholas chuckled, clearly enjoying himself, before turning toward the other two. +25 Points “Okay, lovebirds. That’s enough. You can continue that in your room.” He tugged lightly at his damp shirt and grimaced. “I need a hot shower. I’m starting to smell like an old musty rug.” Maya and Damien finally pulled apart, and the four of them continued down the corridor. Harper, whether she wanted to admit it or not, had also been affected by hearing just how dangerous their journey had actually been. She stole a quick glance at Nicholas but immediately looked away. The last thing she needed was for him to think she’d been worried about him, especially after what happened earlier. But deep down, the relief she’d felt when he arrived safely was impossible to deny. Maybe there was some truth to what everyone else seemed to see. Maybe they were right. Maybe she really was falling in love with Nicholas Ashcroft. 33 Comments LUCK DRAW > Vote < Cedella Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.