All Chapters of Marked By Him: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

144 Chapters

HARD CHOICES

ARYA’S POVThe knock on my door came at eight in the morning, and I knew who it was before I opened it.Mrs. Marta stood in the hallway, her face was set in the same hard way I’ve been seeing every day for the past week."Arya," she greeted with a huff. "I’ve been patient with you enough. When are you paying?”My chest squeezed uncomfortably . "I know, Mrs. Marta. I'm so sorry.” I nervously licked my lips. “I've been looking for work, and I thought I would have something by now, but-""Everyone has excuses." She cut me off with a wave of her hand. "I run a business, not a charity. You have until the end of the month. That's twelve days. If you can't pay by then, you're out."I gasped, scrambling forward. "Please, I just need a little more time. I promise I'll get you your money.”"End of the month, Miss Russo." She used the fake surname I gave her when I moved in. "No extensions."She left before I could plead further, her footsteps echoing down the narrow hallway.I closed the door a

SURVIVAL

ARYA’S POVHe paused for a moment before responding. “I'll find it. Is thirty minutes too long for you to wait?"I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. "Okay.""Arya?" His voice softened. "I'm so glad you called. I've been so worried."I hung up before I could respond, my heart racing.What was I doing? What if this was a mistake? No. I couldn't spiral. I needed help, and Marco had offered it before. Maybe he could get me a job, or loan me enough money to make rent until I found something stable.******The café was small and quiet, tucked away from the main streets. I ordered a tea I couldn't really afford and sat in the back corner, watching the door.Marco arrived exactly thirty minutes later. I almost didn't recognize him.The last time I'd seen him, he looked slightly disheveled. Now he looked... refined. His suit was expertly tailored, his hair styled perfectly, his shoes probably worth more than everything I owned.He looked like money. Like someone who belonged in my fathe

THE NEWS

ARYA’S POVThe hostel room felt even smaller when I returned, the walls seeming to press in as I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.The money Marco had given me sat heavy in my pocket. I had no idea what I just did. "There you are!" Cherry burst through the door, she had a key to my room, just like I had one to hers. "I was starting to worry. How did the job hunt go? Any luck?"I moved to the bed and sat down heavily, pulling out the cash. Cherry's eyes widened. "Holy shit. Did you rob someone?""No." I set the money on the bed between us. "I called Marco.""Marco?" Cherry frowned. "Who's Marco?""Someone from... before. From my old life." I wrapped my arms around myself. "He's an old family friend. I called him because I was desperate, and he wants to help.""Help how?" Cherry's tone was immediately suspicious. "Because that's a lot of money, Arya. Nobody just hands over that kind of cash without wanting something in return.”"It's not like that. He just… he wants to

HARD DECISIONS

ARYA’S POVThree days after Marco gave me the black card, I found myself staring at it on my nightstand, untouched.I had used it once, to pay Mrs. Marta for the month's rent. The landlady had looked at the sleek black card with narrowed eyes but ran it through her ancient machine without comment. When the transaction went through, I felt both relieved and trapped.Since then, the card had sat there, a constant reminder that I was living off someone else's generosity. Cherry had noticed, of course."You know you can use it for food, right?" She said yesterday, watching me count out the spare money he had given me for the cheapest pasta at the market. "That's literally what he gave it to you for."I nodded. "I know.""But you're not going to." She retorted. I looked at her and smiled tightly. "Not unless I have to."She sighed but hadn't pushed. She understood, in her way. The need to maintain some shred of independence, even when accepting help.But independence required income. R

A friend indeed

ARYA’S POVBy the time I made it back to the hostel, it was nearly dark. I trudged up the stairs, every step heavy with defeat.When I opened my door, I froze. Marco was sitting in my chair, looking completely out of place in the dingy room.I frowned. “Marco? He looked up immediately, meeting my gaze. "What are you doing here?" "Waiting for you." He stood, his expression concerned. "Cherry let me in. She said you went job hunting."I set down my bag, suddenly exhausted. "I did.""And?"I shook my head. "And nothing. Same as always." I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice."Arya." He moved closer. "This is exactly why I told you not to worry about work. You have the card. You can focus on taking care of yourself and the baby.""I don't want to just use your money, Marco!" The words burst out. "I need to do something. I need to feel like I'm contributing, like I have some control over my life."He narrowed his eyes on me. "You're pregnant, Arya.""I'm not an invalid! Women work

Ghost of the past

ARYA’S POVI chuckled. "Their mama is a mess.""Their mama is surviving." Cherry's expression turned serious. "Which is more than a lot of people can say. You left a bad situation, you're keeping yourself and the baby safe, you're looking for work too!""That's going nowhere." I set down the cereal bowl, my appetite gone. "I've been to every place in the city that's hiring. No one wants someone with no experience, and mysterious gaps in their employment history.""Then come work with me." Cherry had suggested this at least five times already. "The club is always looking for cleaners or you could bartend, you don't have to dance. The money's good, and most of the guys are harmless.""No." I said immediately, shaking my head. "I appreciate the offer, but I can't. I don't want my baby growing up around that kind of environment.She huffed. "It's not that bad.""Cherry." I took her hand. "I'm not judging you. You do what you need to do, and I respect that. But it's not for me. I just... I

Special treatment

ARYA’S POVThe next morning, that hope was tested.I woke up late, my cheap alarm clock had died sometime in the night, and scrambled to get ready. Then I realized too late that my only professional-looking shirt had a stain I hadn't noticed in the dim hostel lighting.By the time I made it to the office building, I was fifteen minutes late and had coffee spilled down my front from the too-full cup I grabbed on the way.Just perfect.I rushed into the office, out of breath, looking like I was attacked by a caffeinated tornado.Ethan Traynor stood by the reception desk, eyeing me with a murderous stare. "You're late." He snapped. I cleared my throat and smoothed my skirt with my free hand. "I'm so sorry. My alarm didn't go off and then-""Fifteen minutes late on your first day." He cut me off. "Do you understand how that looks?"I hastily nodded. "It won't happen again. I promise.""That's what everyone says." He gestured to the coffee stain spreading across my shirt. "And you're d

Hectic

ARYA’S POVWithin minutes, I had three beautiful white blouses laid out but as the associate rang them up, she frowned."I'm so sorry, but we're actually out of stock in the white button-downs in your size.” She actually looked apologetic. “These are display models, and they've already been purchased by another customer who's picking them up tomorrow."My eyes widened. "What? But I need them.” "However," she said quickly, seeing my distress, "we do have something that might work even better. A professional sheath dress that’s perfect for an office environment. Would you like to see it?"I glanced at my phone. Thirty-five minutes left. "Yes. Please and hurry."She hurried to a different section and returned with a white dress that had a modest neckline and hem that would fall just below the knee."Our dressing rooms are right over here. Try it on… I think it'll be perfect."In the dressing room, I pulled off my coffee-stained shirt with shaking hands and slipped the dress over my head

Enemy of my Enemy

GIOVANNI’S POV"Still nothing?"Enzo stood in my office doorway, a tablet in hand and exhaustion etched into every line of his face. We have both been running on three hours of sleep for the past week."Nothing concrete," he said, stepping inside and closing the door. "We've expanded the search radius to cover the entire metropolitan area. We checked every hospital, clinic, women's shelter within a hundred kilometers.""And?" I leaned forward, desperate for anything.He shook his head. "A few possible sightings, but they all led nowhere. One woman at a clinic in the south district matched Arya's general description, but the dates don't line up, she'd been going there for months before Arya even left." He scrolled through his notes aa he spoke. "We've checked every hostel, every budget hotel. We even sent people to the train stations, bus terminals and called in favors with half the police force."I bobbed my head slowly, absorbing every information. "What about the clubs? Strip joint

Forced Alliance

GIOVANNI’S POVI stared at the barrel of the gun pointed to my head and I froze, half-sitting, half-standing."Don't," he said, his voice deadly calm. "Don't you dare sit in my house like you're a welcomed guest."Enzo moved and the other guard too but I raised a hand, signaling them to stop."Where the hell is my daughter?" Robert's hand was steady, his finger on the trigger. “I heard from some very reliable source that you’re turning the entire city upside down to find her.”"Sir." Enzo started."I'm not talking to you." Robert's eyes never left mine. "I'm talking to the man who was supposed to protect her. So I'll ask one more time… where is Arya?"This was a mistake. Coming here was a terrible, terrible mistake.But I had already committed and with a gun pointed at my head, I didn't have many options."I don't know," I said honestly, slowly raising my hands to show I wasn't a threat. "That's why I'm here. I'm trying to find her.""Trying to find her?" Robert's laugh was bitter, da

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