Chapter 12: Marcus

It was the monthly check-up for his father's tumor, and Marcus took the morning off to go with him. When the doctor shared the news that the tumor appeared to be decreasing in size a bit, Marcus let out a sigh of relief. He had heard the type of cancer his dad had was severe, but he was lucky enough to have discovered it early and began treatment.

It was still expensive but he was happy Camilla was helping to pay it off. Not that they knew. Their company was probably too busy trying to patch up their reputation with the rumors that have been popping up. There wasn't much to refute with the evidence right there.

Regardless, he was glad for something to focus on, since their company was slowly filling in the spaces left by Camilla. It was good to be busy. To feel grounded and needed for a purpose.

He stepped into the hospital lobby, something that has become a common event in his life. That was not a good thing. Marcus wrinkled his nose at the smell of antiseptic and blinked at the too bright walls.

The radiation room prohibited non patients from the room so Marcus wandered around for a bit, waiting for his father.

Turning a corner, he ended up in a hall with patient rooms. Most doors were closed and a nurse would occasionally breeze past him and enter a room. He wasn't curious enough to peek and intrude on their privacy, so he settled on a chair in the corridor, content to watch people bustle around.

He fiddled with his phone, answering some emails, and browsing the news. The bustle of the hospital was tuned out but when he heard a familiar voice, his ears pricked and he glanced up.

A familiar head of black hair entered the hall, accompanied by Emma and Luca.

Marcus ducked his head down, keeping his eyes on his phone. It would be awkward to meet her right after they had parted ways with finality. But why does she always end up crossing paths with him?

While his eyes were looking down, his ears were attuned to every noise they made and when the sound of a door opened, then closed, muffling their footsteps, he finally looked up. Marucs wondered who they were visiting here.

His phone buzzed, reminding him that his dad's appointment was almost done. Getting up, he walked briskly back to the radiation therapy ward, pausing only slightly to glance at the door Vivian disappeared behind.

He found his dad sitting in a plastic chair, slowly nodding off. Marcus nudged him awake and walked into the doctor's office.

"How's his tumor now?" Marcus sat down in the visitor's chair.

"Well," The doctor pulled up some two windows on his computer. "this is what the tumor looked like at first. And this is what it looks like most recently."

Marcus stared. "It's smaller. That's a good thing right?"

"Yes." the doctor paused, "But it's been this way since we started radiation therapy and since it hasn't been decreasing in size at all, I was going to suggest we also add chemotherapy to your father's treatment."

"What would be the side effects?" his father piped in.

"You feel fatigue when you're undergoing radiation, and that's likely to happen under chemo as well. Really, it depends on the person but don't be surprised if you lose weight or hair. Those tend to be some of the more common symptoms."

His father nodded.

"If you feel too much discomfort or pain, let me know as soon as possible and we'll stop the chemo."

"Thank you doctor."

Marcus and his father left the hospital, late in the morning. They stopped to grab some breakfast on the way home, buying an extra portion for his mom.

She was worried upon hearing of the additional treatment the hospital wants to add, but reluctantly accepted that it would probably be better in the long run.

He made it back to his office in the afternoon to check on a few projects Adrian and his managers proposed. The work was made significantly easier when he knew which ones were going to be successful from his previous life.

Finishing that up, he continued working on the list of events he knew would be prominent later on and recorded it so Adrian could reference it. HIs company was expanding faster than it had before, so hiring new people was high on his list of chores. Of course he aimed for those that he knew would end up working for Camilla.

He finally left when the sun fully sank down beneath the horizon. The heat lingered still in the air as Marcus made his way to the parking lot. It radiated from the black asphalt and mixed with the muggy air. Pulling his collar away from his neck, he loosened his tie. Marcus could never get used to the humid heat of the city.

It was worse in the car. When he opened the door, a blast of hot air assaulted him and only made him sweat more. He brought it to work more out of habit than anything even though his house wasn't that far. Maybe his parents would like it. They did enjoy taking Marcus on long drives when he was little in the old car that should have been scrapped before he was born.

Every time he was on break from school, they would pack up the car and just drive, no destination in mind. Mountains, lakes, rivers, canyons, Marcus saw all of those when they were on the roads.

He missed those times.

Everything was simpler, his greatest worry was whether he could convince his mom to buy him a pack of candy at their next stop.

Marcus went on autopilot as he drove back to his apartment. Standing in the kitchen he stared at the fridge to try and figure out what to cook. That was always the hardest part.

How Vivian or any other chef knew what to cook was beyond him. Cooking for a restaurant or something all day and then coming home and having to cook for yourself and maybe your family. Unbelievable.

Finally, he decided on making some fried rice, which was simple enough and would use up the leftover rice in his fridge. Marcus made more than what he would eat, so he stored the leftovers to bring to work tomorrow.

Settling on the couch, he clicked through the channels on TV before settling for a late night news channel. It was bothering him that there were little incidents that didn't seem important at the moment but would be instrumental in future events. And trying to pay attention to everything was rather difficult.

Sometimes, not knowing the future was a blessing.

It was a week later when Marcus found himself sitting across from Carina.

"Why'd you call me out here?" he asked as he swirled the tea around in his cup.

"Was it you?" She stared intently, searching his face.

Marcus tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean by that?"

"The rumors, the slanders, everything." she gestured. "My father has plenty of enemies, but none have the right kind of motive to go after him in such a way."

He raised a brow, "Really? No one in the business would be interested in toppling the self proclaimed king of the media industry?" Marcus shook his head, "I'm disappointed, Ms. Camilla, you should be smarter than that."

"I know it's you!" she burst.

Marcus examined her carefully. She looked angry and her tone was convinced, but there was a hint of uncertainty lingering. "Well I hope you're not making such dangerous accusations without proof."

Carina scowled, "You can't hide from me forever. I will find the evidence."

"If you suspect me then why are you going to warn an enemy that you're going after them?" His mouth lifted in a small grin and he sipped at his tea.

Her hands clenched around her drink, "I'm giving you a chance to confess what you did before I have to start acting against you."

"How nice." he drawled, "And what difference would it make, if I was really the culprit, whether you find out now or later? I would still be in trouble either way. But later is more preferable, in my opinion—if I was the culprit." he added.

"Think of it as a last favor, for the person I like."

"Doesn't seem like much of a favor. And I thought I told you to stop liking me. Give up."

"You think it's as easy as saying it?" she snapped. "And why should I listen to you anyways?" Carina tilted her chin up slightly, "I try to extend my hand to you out of goodwill and you refuse. What can you do to stop me?"

Marcus shrugged, "Probably nothing. Did you talk with your dad?"

Carina stood, "Don't try to dig for more information from me. I will not sell out my family."

He dipped his head, "I get it. But don't be surprised at the lengths I will go to protect my family. I'm leaving."

Marcus didn't wait for her to reply and walked out onto the street. He looked around to get his bearings before walking off to his company.

The conversation with Carina bothered him. The last time she was in his office, it seemed like she saw the wrongs of her actions and was going to amend them, even going as far as to apologize. But this was a complete reversal back to her old behavior.

Well, her father was still her blood, even if Marcus thought he was a total piece of shit.

There was definitely something going on in that household. As long as it didn't affect his plans, Marcus wasn't particularly interested in digging deeper.

His workers were busy and bustling around when he entered the building. The company's growth was much better and much faster than before, so he hired many new employees since he came back to this time in his life. Although it was getting a bit cramped in this small space. He was going to have to look for a new space soon.

"Oh, Marucs, you're here?" Adrian looked up to see Marcus walk in through the entrance. "Good timing, I have something you need to see." He turned back to look at the person he was helping, "If you have any more issues, shoot me an email."

"Yes sir."

"What's the problem?" Marcus asked as they walked to his office.

"Just some tech issues." Adrian replied flippantly. "Anyways, I heard from my parents that Camilla is making a move."

Marcus's brows drew closer, "Your parents are lawyers, you mean…?"

"Camilla is planning on taking legal action against the people who slander him, his family, or the company. It's going to be hard to turn public opinion after this."

"But he doesn't know who is behind it." Marcus maintained, "I think it's time we moved up the schedule."