The Boy and His Ladybug: A Miraculous Story

Chapter 11: Family Dinners

The three of them came downstairs and settled in at the table. Sabine had just finished bringing everything on in. 

"Mrs. Cheng...that looks...really good." said Adrien, "I-I've never seen anything quite like it before. What's it called?"

"Turkey Wellington. Turkey breast, with cranberry filling inside it, and vegetables and pastry in a shell around it. Like Beed Wellington, but a bit lighter." Sabine answered, "I hope you like it, don't even think about feeling bad. Everything I ame comes with a tastes-good-or-we-order-out gaurantee, and there's a great pizza shop down th block."

"That is not going to be a problem, trust me. I might even need the recipe later."

"You cook?" asked Marinette.

"No...I'm nortorious at home for being all thumbs in the kicthen. Borderline hopeless. But I know what I like, and I'm sure that my father would enjoy this, too."

"Is it only you and your old man over there?" Tom asked, "I don't mean to pry, but I do. Marinette hasn't mentioned siblings, and something about your mother not being around. I do hope I'm not overstepping-"

"No, no, that's fine! I'm happy to talk about it. Yes. I'm an only child. Right now around the house, there's myself, my father, his primary assistant, Nathalie, and my father's bodyguard and driver. We call him 'the Gorilla', and when you see him, you'll understand why."

Tom then asked, mostly jokingly with a raised eyebrow, if it was because the Gorilla was a large man. Adrien backpedaled, saying that Tom was a large man. But the Gorilla is huge in comparison. Tom then asked if Adrien was close to Nathalie and Gorilla. Despite them not being especially close, there's been an understanding between them.

Nathalie has grown closer to Gabriel, and has been trying to fill Adrien's mother's shoes a bit sometimes. Other times, she'd be all buisness. The Gorilla mainly keeps to himself, so therefore, he wouldn't say much. 

Marinette buised herself slicing the turkey and getting the vegetables circulating. I'm really curious about all of this, too, but their show, Marinette admitted mentally, I'll let Mom and Dad risk what they most want to know before I jump in. 

"Is your mother...I'm not sure show to ask this," Sabing apologized, "what happened was the accident? Is she still with us?"

Adrien pasued before answering.

"I don't know..." he said.

He then explained that his father and mother went on a vacation together, just the two of them. Weeks later, Gabriel came back, all sad and heartbroken. All he said was that Emily was lost. 

Adrien explained that his father was never the same ever since. Adrien always felt more like an employee than a son. Gabriel kept his very sheltered, fearing that he could lose me too. Tom mused that it sounded like a recipe for feeling lonely.

"Especially at a tricky age yours." he finished.

"Sometimes it is. It's one reason that I begged my father to let me go to a public school this year." Adrien agreed, "I was dying to be around people my own age and make some real friends."

Adrien turned and flashed a smile at Marinette. It was making her spine all tingly.

"And as it happens, your daughter was one of the first people who made me feel at home there." he finished.

"Which was my pleasure!" Marinette beamed back, "I'll be honest, I've got friends in school, but I've never had a lot of close friends there until this year. Getting to know you has helped me come out of my own shell, too."