***UPDATE! Beware it is kind of a filler. I hope you like it. Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow. Sending love, MMF***
Adrien smiled his best model smile as he greeted the Gabriel Brand investors. At the very least, he tried. Some thought he was doing fantastic. Others, albeit few, could tell it was faker than fake, but Adrien didn't seem to mind. He didn't want to be here. He never once hid that. Marinette's remarks from the night before kept returning to his memory. Not to mention the disappointment and anguish he felt at the prospect of missing his lady's special day. It was supposed to be their best night ever, but Adrien was sure it would go down as one of their worst.
Adrien let out a sigh as he greeted yet another investor. I mean, how many investors did they actually require? The blonde then turned around only to catch a glimpse of his father, who smiled proudly at him. 'What the hell was he so proud of, his heartbreak?' Adrien paused for a moment, almost glaring. He wanted to scream a loud 'Fuck you' and dash out of the building toward the boutique, but he knew he'd be disappointing his princess. Adrien vowed to his lady not to throw away his future, and he would keep it, no matter how painful it would be.
"I have already ruined your life as much as it is. I can't do it anymore." The words once again replayed in his head. What did she mean by that? True, she caused him considerable pain, but why say she ruined his life? She was the most important person in his life!
He would never change a thing, no matter how good or horrible it was. He was in love with her. He'd put up with anything as long as she was by his side. So, what did she mean when she said she ruined his life enough as it is?
Is there something he's overlooking? What had gotten into her head to make her think that way? She was the love of his life. She could only ruin his life by permanently abandoning him. Adrien couldn't believe she was thinking that way. He thought he was doing a great job demonstrating that she was everything to him. She was the love of his life. She WAS his LIFE!
Adrien had a plan the moment he came inside the building. He'd say hello, strike up a conversation for a few minutes, and then sneak away to see his princess while no one was looking.
Unfortunately, that strategy went out the window when he stepped into a nearly empty building and learned that some of the investors were running late. Adrien had been itching to shout ever since. Why was it that the universe despised him so much? All he wanted was to be by his lady's side. Was that a little too much to ask?
The blonde was startled and brought back to reality when he heard a clearing of the throat from behind him. "Natalie, I'm very sorry. Is there anything you require? "he inquired, feigning a grin again. Natalie sighed as she glanced at Adrien. Of course, she was one of the few people who recognized Adrien's model smile. The phony one. She was merely curious as to why. Isn't he supposed to be happy? He was about to become the new owner of The Gabriel Brand, the business his mother had started from the bottom up.
Yes, Gabriel was the head designer, but Emilie was the brains behind the operation. Without her, the Gabriel Brand would cease to exist. She assumed Adrien would be content.
"Are you all right, Adrien?" Natalie inquired, concerned. Adrien paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell her the truth, but quickly decided against it. Why would she care about his feelings if she was his father's trusted assistant? Adrien took a deep breath and returned the artificial smile to his face before responding. "Everything is well. Thank you, Natalie."
When Natalie heard the blonde lying, she was offended. True, she didn't express emotion much, but that was because, like Adrien, she worked for Gabriel and couldn't reveal weakness. But Natalie loved the blonde as if he were her own child. She took it upon herself after Emilie's death to ensure Adrien was the best man he could be. Adrien was unaware of this. Natalie seemed to want to work in silence.
"You're lying. Adrien, I've spent my entire life working for your father. I've known you long enough to be aware of your false smile. I'm going to ask again. Is everything well with you?"
Adrien sighed and massaged his face, realizing he had just offended Natalie. He understood he couldn't lie any longer. "Please accept my apologies, Natalie. I was just- " He hesitated for a moment. "I promised her that I would be there. She asked me to be there because it's a big day for her and her career. I understand how crucial this is for my future, but to be honest, I don't imagine myself without her. In five minutes, her inauguration will begin, and instead of being at her side, I'm stuck here, forced to make a group of conceded Gabriel Brand investors pleased. All I want is to be with her."
Adrien gasped as he realized he had just ranted at his father's assistant and insulted the investors. "Oh, my goodness. I ap-"
"GO," she said abruptly.
"Excuse me?" Adrien inquired, perplexed.
"I'm telling Adrien to go to her. You still have a chance. The last investor was the man you recently greeted. For the time being, I'll cover for you. I only ask that you return as soon as it's over. Before anyone is aware that you've left."
Adrien leaped and hugged Natalie with glee. He felt that she had given him a new chance for a happy night. He hugged her and muttered, "Thank you." "I guarantee I'll be back shortly."
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Marinette was an emotional wreck. Marinette had not been able to keep herself together for more than 20 minutes at a time. The bluenette wondered if it was because of the pregnancy hormones. Or maybe it was the nerves of it being a big night for her. It certainly did not help to know that Adrien would not be attending tonight. The very notion broke her heart.
Marinette wiped her tears away for what seemed to be the millionth time today. She then reapplied mascara and attempted to fix the makeup she had ruined. The boutique awaited her arrival. Her inauguration would begin in about ten minutes, yet she couldn't stop crying long enough to keep her makeup on. Marinette would be late for her own inauguration from the looks of it.
Marinette let out a sigh. Adrien, she knew, would have had her ready in minutes if he was her. Her kitty made sure she was ready and on time for any special occasion. Marinette felt a tear fall from her eye. Adrien. She wishes he was present.
"Hey, girl. Are you ready? Luka is here already, and we are all waiting for you," Alya said as she walked into Marinette's bedroom.
"Oh, Mari, you look stunning. I can't believe this is happening so soon. We are all so proud of you, girl," Alya said, hugging her best friend.
"Thank you, Alya. I don't know about stunning, though. I had to change my outfit five times because I looked fat, and I can't seem to be able to keep my makeup long enough to walk out of the room," Marinette said as she giggled. Her laughter only lasted a second before she sighed and became quiet.
Alya knew what her silence meant. It did not take much brainpower to know that Marinette thought of the blonde. "H-have you heard from Adrien?" Marinette finally asked, attempting not to cry again.
"Y-yeah," Alya responded. "He didn't want to call you because he was afraid he'd make things difficult for you. Adrien was hurting, Mari. He wanted nothing more than to be there tonight. Said he would have given it all up to be there, but you made him promise not to."
Marinette sighed, knowing that was exactly something Adrien would do or say. His willingness to drop everything, even his future for her, was one of the reasons she loved him.
"Yeah, I did. Adrien's future depends on tonight as well. I have already ruined it enough for him by being pregnant during our first year of college. I can't ruin the rest of it."
"Have you ever thought that maybe you haven't ruined his future?"
"Maybe not yet."
"Not ever! Marinette, he loves you. In his opinion, YOU are his future!" Alya stated sternly, pointing a finger towards the bluenette.
"If you can't see that by now, you are more confused than it seems. Marinette, you better than anyone know that Adrien does not care about the brand. He cares about you. The question is, who do you care about?"
Marinette knew what Alya was attempting to ask. In fact, Marinette had thought about that for the past few days. See, Marinette did not doubt that Luka would accept her baby as if it was his own but was it fair to Adrien? Then, there was the little matter of her feelings.
Would she pick Luka, the guy that had fought for her love every single day and was there for her during the moments of trial, or would she choose Adrien, her high school crush, the first and only guy she had given herself to, and future father of her child? The same guy that lied and made many mistakes but swore never-ending love. Choices, choices!
Marinette gazed at Alya. Before she could say anything else, another voice was heard entering the room. "My melody, are you ready to go? If we don't leave right away, we'll be late," Luka remarked as he entered the room, a smile on his face. Luka was happy. He had spoken with Marinette and agreed to no longer hide their relationship from anyone. Marinette was confused about the sudden change but agreed nevertheless. After all, that is what she wanted. Marinette inhaled deeply and nodded. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
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Marinette's hands shook as she stood beside the owner of half of the boutiques in Paris, including this one. She wanted to puke. There were so many people here. She was not sure how the news had spread so quickly. She was positive that Adrien was right and her clothing would sell out. Well, at least she wished.
Mr. Harris had just spoken with her a few minutes before and said that if she were to sell out, he would share necessary contacts with people to create her designs. Marinette would then be on a one-year trial where the boutiques would sell her clothes, and depending on how well she did, MDC Designs might be almost as extravagant as the Gabriel Brand itself by this time next year.
Marinette was riding a wave of emotions. When she got the news, the first thing she wanted to do was run and tell Adrien. You can imagine her sadness when she realized she wouldn't be able to do so. Adrien would not be present, and she had no choice but to accept it.
Marinette's eyes scanned the crowd once more. She searched for the blonde she loved so much. Her eyes watered as she bit her lip. That was the moment she realized Adrien would truly not come.
Marinette was aware it was her fault. She knew she had made him promise not to come, but she couldn't help but wish he had ignored her request and showed up anyway. Marinette was aware it was selfish, but the night would not be the same without the blonde.
"Relax, melody. You did an amazing job. Look at all the people that made sure to attend tonight. No need to be nervous. You got this," Luka reassured, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"Thanks, Luka, that means a lot, but I couldn't have done it without Adrien. Without his help, I would have never gotten finished on time. I wish he could have been here."
Luka felt a pang of jealousy hit as the bluenette named the blonde. Even when he was not around, he was a problem. Hopefully not for long. There was a reason he agreed to make their relationship public, and he is hoping his surprise will go according to plan. Yet that didn't stop him from feeling hate and anger towards the blonde.
"Yet he isn't here," he grunted, leaving Marinette silent.
Adrien raced towards the boutique. He was hoping he could still make it on time. "Come on, come on, come on," he whispered as he passed cars left and right.
The inauguration had begun, and Marinette was seconds away from cutting the red ribbon.
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"I'd like to thank everyone that came here tonight. Your support means the world to me. I would also like to thank my friends and family for always supporting my dream and refusing to let me fall even when I wanted to give up. I would also like to thank my boyfriend Luka because I would not be here without him." Marinette looked at Luka and smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Finally, I'd like to express my gratitude to a special friend of mine. Adrien Agreste. Without his assistance, tonight would not have been possible. I know you can't be here, but I'm hoping you're somewhere listening. Thank you very much. Thank you for your many sleepless nights spent assisting me. Thank you for your encouragement and support, and, most importantly, for never giving up on me." Marinette wiped a tear from her eye as she concluded.
Marinette then picked up the enormous scissors and began to cut the ribbon. As the ribbon broke, Marinette looked up. Her eyes landed on the vibrant green eyes that stared back at her with a smile. She covered her mouth as her eyes filled with tears of happiness. He was here.
Adrien had made it right on time. He had heard the entire speech, and nothing could have made him happier. He loved that woman. The fact that she had publicly thanked him meant the world to him because he wanted the world to know. He wanted them to know that she was his princess.
Marinette stood there watching as the blonde smiled and cheered louder than the rest of the audience. Adrien had arrived. He hadn't reneged on his promise. She had a feeling he'd show up. Marinette's heart began to swell. Tonight was without a doubt, the most memorable night of her life.
Adrien did not take his eyes off his princess. He was so proud of her. Nothing could describe how much he loved that woman. As he clapped he gave her a wink. Marinette bit her lip. That man still had the power to make her heart pound.
"Only for you," he mouthed before turning around and walking away. After all, he had another promise to keep.