"Future Rewoven" Book 3 of "Secrets Unraveled" Trilogy |COMPLETED|

Chpt 38: Betrayal With a Side of Tea and Cookies.

Adrien was pacing around Nino's living room, waiting for Nino to come back after dropping his brother Chris off at a friend's house.  He would have gone with him but now that the photo of Lila and him kissing was all over everywhere, he didn't want the possible attention he might get out in public.  Marinette's friends- their friends- had already sent him some text messages cooly inquiring as to just what was going on.  He sighed and pushed his hands through his hair.  He hated waiting for things to happen.  He stopped pacing at the sound of another notification dinging on his phone.

"Finally!" Adrien said as he saw the text from his father.

"Please come to the house as soon as you can.  It's urgent!" read Plagg out loud over Adrien's shoulder.  "I guess your plan worked.  Unless, he's talking about something else.  Could be Nathalie I suppose.  Though, it'd be quite the coincidence in timing," mused Plagg.

Adrien looked over at Plagg in alarm.  "You think?  If it's actually urgent maybe I need to go right away!"

Plagg put an arm on Adrien's shoulder.  "You promised not to go by yourself!  Call one of those friends of yours who said they'd go with you," said Plagg.

"Right.  I'll try Nino first," said Adrien as he brought up Nino's contact info and pressed the call button.  It rang and rang.  "Went to voicemail.  I'll try Alya next.  She was just heading home for a bit to get stuff for staying at Marinette's."  The phone rang and then went to voicemail.  "Okay, that's strange.  Marinette, then."  He tried calling her and got another voicemail.  "What's going on?" he said to Plagg. 

"Maybe they didn't think your father would implement his plan so fast.  Give it a few minutes and then try again," said Plagg.

Adrien was putting his phone back in his pocket when he got another message.  "It's from my father again.  He says it's extremely urgent and to meet him at the house!  Plagg, I need to go!  It must be Nathalie!  Or, maybe it's Mother!  I can't wait any longer!"

"At least let all of them know where you're going!" cried Plagg.  He had a really bad feeling about this.

"Going to my father's.  It was urgent and couldn't wait," said Adrien as he texted to all three of his friends.  "Good enough?" he asked Plagg as he grabbed his bag and headed toward the door.

"No," said Plagg as he flew into Adrien's shirt, "But, why would you listen to me?  I'm only a lot older than you and getting a really bad feeling about this!"

"If I've got you there with me, what can happen?" said Adrien as he touched his Miraculous to reassure himself and then closed the door behind him, heading off to see his father.

When Adrien arrived at the house, the gate opened as he stepped near it.  "That's weird," he muttered, but pushed the gate open and headed toward the house.  As he stepped up to the door, it opened revealing his father.  When has my father ever opened the door? thought Adrien, starting to catch Plagg's bad feeling, even though his father was smiling sympathetically at him.

Adrien walked through the door to the foyer and dropped his bag on the bench.  "What was so urgent that you needed me to come over right away?  Is it Nathalie?  Or Mother?" he asked, nervous to hear what had happened.

Gabriel shook his head and gently put a hand on Adrien's shoulder.  "No, I'm sorry to have worried you.  It was those photos with that other girl.  I saw them online.  They are everywhere and I wanted to make sure that you were alright.  I know how important your relationship with Marinette is to you and I'm sure that you were tricked somehow.  You would never do that!  And, I had a number of thoughts on how you could repair your relationship, but you would need to do things right away.  That's why I said it was urgent.  Why don't you come into the dining room to discuss things?" said Gabriel as he moved his arm around Adrien's shoulder and steered him across the foyer.