Chapter 67_ Friends

“Why did you break into my safe last night?” Marco asked with a frown on his face, and Arya sighed as she mused silently, ‘He got me after all! I guess there's no point in lying.’

“I broke into your safe because I think that someone in this office is leaking valuable technical information to the Nicholas Group of Companies.” She confessed, and Marco raised his brows. Arya continued, "I saw what Nicholas' suspension system was able to do during the test drive, and that got me thinking.”

“So, you wanted to confirm your suspicions?” Marco asked, and when Arya nodded at him, he said, "But why didn't you tell me?"

Arya shrugged and said, “Well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I thought you could be the mole.”

Marco chuckled and nodded his head in approval, "That's a good point. I appreciate your caution.” He said, and walked to his desk, uncovered a secret drawer, and pulled out a stack of papers. “Here.” He gave them to Arya.

“What's this?" Arya asked curiously.

"The drawings of the Nicholas Group of Companies' suspension system, and a little extra to dispel any doubt regarding my loyalty.” Marco answered. Arya looked through the papers, comparing each side by side with Maranello's project. They were almost identical.

“I knew it. How did you get these?” Arya asked, pointing at the Nicholas Group of Companies' technical sheet.

Marco grinned at her, “You are not the only one who can break into a safe, you know. I had the same suspicions a few months ago. I'm impressed at how little time it took you to see that something was going on.”

"But if you knew, why didn't you say anything or stop them?" Arya asked with furrowed brows.

“Because I went through their documentation with a fine-tooth comb, and, at least on paper, they were very good at avoiding patent infringement. Starting an official investigation now would have made a fuss around both companies and blown the deal with the Sultan.” Marco explained, and Arya nodded in understanding.

Her eyes went back to the press release from the Nicholas Group of Companies about their new system. It came out six months before Marco took over the Italian office, and she mused silently, ‘Kane was right. He can't be the mole.’

Arya took a deep breath and handed back the papers to Marco as she smiled sincerely at him, “Thank you, Marco."

"You're welcome. Since you were already on the Nicholas Group of Companies' trail, I thought it was a good idea to clear the air. I understand that my past romantic involvement with their manager could have brought trust issues.” Marco said, and Arya couldn't help but view him in a new light.

“I heard about that. But to be honest, I am very impressed with your dedication to your work and this company. It would have been a surprise to learn that you were involved with the theft of intellectual property.” She said, and Marco's shoulder slumped slightly at her words.

“The irony is that Evelyn and I didn't part on good terms. Just hearing my name makes her feel sick.” He said, his tone slightly sad.

‘That’s not the impression I had during her jealousy scene in the parking lot.’ Arya mused, and loudly said to Marco, “I have recently had a slight contretemps with Evelyn. During the test drive at their company, someone loosened some bolts, and she accused me. I suppose you don't know anything about that, right?”

“Unfair competition is not my style." Marco responded, and Arya nodded her head.

“Then we are on the same page, but it will be hard to make Evelyn understand that. She's the ultimate bitch.” Arya said with gritted teeth.

“I guess you wanted to say the ultimate manager.” Marco corrected, and Arya cocked her brows at him.

“No, Marco. She's crazy.”

"I’d say passionate." He said,

“She’s devious.” Arya said, glaring at Marco now.

"Smart.” Marco replied with a shake of his head.

"No! She's sly." Arya fired back,

“Ambitious.” He said, making Arya roll her eyes at him as she tsked.

“You are clearly biased when it comes to that girl.” Arya said, and Marco nodded, looking at the floor.

"I don't know what it is. Even after the betrayal and all that followed, I still have a bleeding soft spot for her.” Marco replied honestly, and Arya looked at him sympathetically.

"It's hard to move on with your life when you have to walk around with an open wound. I'm sorry, Marco.” She said, and Marco looked at her, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

“You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were one of those soulless career women, but I was wrong. You have a good heart and really care about the company's well-being.” Marco said, and held out his hands to her. “Friends?"

Arya nodded, and shook his hands back, “Friends. You know, it's the first time I ever made a friend at work.”

“Really? How's that possible?" Marco asked,

“People generally don't care about their work, or they're just looking for someone to exploit. It's very hard to find someone to create a genuine bond with. Alright, Marco, thanks for today, I gotta go.” Arya said, glancing at the time at her watch. It was 9pm already, It was quite late, and Kane would probably be worried about her, so she needed to return back to the hotel.