Chapter 61_ Legit Boyfriend

At the hotel;

"Do you have the drawings, Arya?" Kane inquired, sitting next to her on the bed and snacking on a potato chip.

"Well, none of the managers were willing to give them to me," Arya responded, her mouth full. "And Marco's reaction was quite extreme. It felt suspicious."

"Nonsense, I can assure you he's not the mole," Kane replied confidently, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Are you certain? And how do you know him?" Arya prodded, before they were interrupted by a knock on the hotel door.

"I used to-"

Knock! Knock!

"Were you expecting someone?" Arya wondered aloud.

"No," Kane replied. Confused, she stood up and opened the door slightly to see who it was.

"Hey," Marco greeted, standing outside the room.

Arya blinked, widening her eyes to see the head manager of the Maranello Subsidiary branch in Italy standing in front of the hotel. She could barely contain her shock as he waved at her with a smile. The presence of Kane in the room, just out of Marco's view, made her freeze in place. 'Why is he here? Will he catch me having fun with the CEO's son?' Arya thought, her mind racing.

"Hey, I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I was on my way home and I realized how much of an ass I was at the office. So, I wanted to make it up to you." Marco said, his tone sincere.

'Just great. If I open the door, he'll see Kane. But if I don't, I'll offend him. I need to come up with something, and fast.' Arya thought, giving Marco a forced smile.

"Marco, would you mind waiting a second? I need to put something on." Arya said.

"Of course." Marco nodded, and Arya closed the door, turning to face Kane.

"What is he doing here?" Kane asked, frowning at the thought of another man searching for his 'Tigress' late at night.

"He wants to apologize for his behavior earlier. Hurry, hide anything masculine under the bed." Arya said, frantically shoving things under the bed.

"And lock yourself in the bathroom." she added, her tone urgent.

"This is ridiculous. Why should I hide?" Kane protested, his frown deepening.

"Because I don't want anyone finding out about us, okay?" Arya recited her usual line to Kane, who scowled in response. He was far from enthusiastic about being kicked out of his own room by Marco, but he complied with her request.

After a final check around the room, Arya gave Kane a quick kiss and pushed him into the bathroom before returning to the door.

"Come in, Marco," she invited, and he entered with a nod.

"Thank you, and I apologize again for my behavior. Would you still be interested in that dinner?" Marco inquired, causing Arya to blink in surprise.

"Oh, yes. Maybe a little later though. I have a few errands to run and I need to get ready for the evening," she replied.

"How about 8 o'clock?" Marco suggested, and Arya flashed him a smile.

"Perfect."

"Excellent, then I'll—" Marco stopped mid-sentence and turned towards the bed. Arya followed his gaze and noticed a pair of very familiar boxers.

'What the hell? Did they crawl out from under the bed?' She pondered silently, turning back to face Marco with a sheepish smile.

"They belong to my boyfriend, you know. He's a bit messy," she explained, leaving Marco speechless.

"You have a boyfriend in Italy?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"Well, sort of... He came to visit yesterday," Arya clarified, and Marco gave her a look she couldn't decipher.

"Oh. Okay then. I'll see you later at dinner," he hurriedly left the room, his face even redder than when he entered. Just as the door closed, the bathroom door swung open.

"I think this is the first time in history a legit boyfriend has had to hide in the bathroom like a thief," Kane remarked, moving closer to Arya.

"A pretty lousy thief at that. You left your underwear behind," Arya scolded, giving him a stern look.

"Well, even a thief has to mark his territory when his girlfriend is as hot as you," Kane quipped, winking as he pulled Arya close to him.

His comment elicited a playful response from Arya. "Thanks to you, Marco probably thinks I'm a dirty, dirty girl." She smirked as Kane's hands caressed her back, gripping her ass he pulled her in closer.

Interrupting their moment, Arya playfully pushed Kane away and raised an eyebrow at him. "I have a dinner to attend and a mole to catch," she reminded him with a blown kiss before sashaying away, making sure to flaunt her curves as she headed to the bathroom. Kane chuckled at her brazen display as she disappeared from sight.

=======

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Marco was already waiting for her. As he stood up and pulled out her chair with a warm smile, Arya couldn't help but feel a flutter of delight.

"Welcome, Arya. You look stunning," he complimented her.

"Thank you, you are too kind," Arya replied as a waiter appeared to serve them their meals and drinks.

As they savored their food, Arya confided in Marco about her recent encounter with Al-Hakim and her quest for vital documents. "Seriously? Al-Hakim took you out for a test drive at Nicholas Group of Companies?" Marco asked in disbelief.

"Yes. It was unexpected. He seemed so serious and reserved," Arya replied with a shake of her head, and Marco nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, he's like a log with teeth," Marco remarked with a chuckle.

"A what?" Arya questioned, surprised.

"You know, like a crocodile that lies motionless on the water's surface but reveals its deadly mouth when you get too close?" Marco elaborated, and Arya couldn't help but laugh.

"That's hilarious," she giggled.

"I'm glad you accepted my apology and agreed to come here tonight. It's been ages since I had a delightful dinner like this," Marco said with a warm smile, and Arya gave him a knowing look.

"That's because you're always working," Arya pointed out, and Marco shook his head with a smile.

"I don't think that's entirely true."

"Well, you're also handsome, witty, and charming. I can't imagine what else it could be," Arya teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

"What about my scarface?" Marco inquired, his expression darkening regretfully as he traced the blemish on his face with a finger.

"I don't believe so. Imperfections can be alluring. It does not mar your countenance, but adds depth." She replied, and Marco's face lit up as he smiled genuinely at her.

"Thank you. I don't understand why it affects me so much. It's like a flaw I cannot undo." He stated,

"Flaws are not meant to be undone, only learned from." Arya remarked, sipping from a glass of juice.

"Thank you, I will keep that in mind." Marco replied, and proceeded to gather all the documents pertaining to the innovative car design, including detailed schematics. "Here we have it. The complete expertise that enabled us to create that exceptional concept car is laid out on this table. I know you were personally chosen by Mr. Maranello himself, but I feel apprehensive exposing such top-secret information." He disclosed, and Arya nodded thoughtfully to herself.

'I wonder if he suspects there is a spy within the company, or perhaps he himself is the informant and does not want anyone uncovering that Nicholas Group is utilizing the same technological solution.' Arya speculated as she began browsing through the documents, but Marco seemed less willing to engage in conversation than she had hoped.

"So, how is the suspension system managed?" Arya inquired, attempting to draw him into further discussion and searching for any possible discrepancies in his statements.

"It operates automatically, utilizing machine learning to—" He halted, looking up from the papers. Arya followed his gaze to the entrance of the restaurant, where she saw Evelyn enter, her attention fixed on them.

Abruptly, Marco gathered all the documents and stood up from the table. "I must depart. I...I don't feel well. Would it be acceptable to continue our discussion another time?" He declared, cutting off any further objections from Arya.

"But—"

"I apologize." Marco interjected, leaving the table and walking away without a backward glance, leaving Arya alone. She narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure and pondered to herself, 'What was going on? It was just Evelyn, and he suddenly rushed off like that? Could...could he be the friend Kane had talked about?’