"Drink up!" Chloé raised her pink as she brought the china cup to her glossy lips. "My Daddy imports the best Kenyan tea in the world. It's like sipping on liquid gold."
Marinette grinned nervously as she brought up her cup to her face with shaky hands. They may have been friends for all of two days, but the chances of being poisoned were close to nil, a chance she was certain of.
Going from sworn enemies to best friends wasn't a bad idea. The more she hung around the blonde, the more she opened her heart to her. It was like finding out that the worst villain of the century ruined the main character's birthday party by showing up because they loved giving presents. Chloé wasn't all too bad.
Admittedly, Marinette was taken aback by Chloé invitation to come over to her place. It was limousine driven to the bakery, and her mother snatched it out of the butler's hand faster than he left.
"Tom!" Her mother summoned her father before her eyes from the pantry. "Marinette's going for a sleepover."
"Mom!" Marinette whined. "You aren't going to just accept this right away?"
"Don't you want to know the taste of their second rate crumpets?" Tom wiggled his eyebrows.
"Ugh, Dad. Only you wanna know that. We can’t be mad that we aren't the main supplier of pastries to the hotel anymore. Think about the workload!"
"We could have handled it," her mother sighed in Mandarin. "Now all they serve from us is cinnamon buns and macaroons."
"Now, now dear," her husband placed his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them. "We'll get our revenge against the in-house chefs. One day."
Tom sighed much to the mother-daughter pair's worry.
"Maybe I shouldn't go," Marinette raised her hands in the air as she crept to the stairway.
"You aren't getting out of this one, young lady," she said to her daughter's dismay. "This new friend of yours... be careful, Marinette."
She could feel what her mother really meant by that.
"She isn't like that."
"Are you sure? It's no secret how much you detest the mayor's daughter. You used to whine about her throughout elementary and middle school."
"She's over the top, but I think she not that bad of person."
Admittely, Chloé had a repulsive aura around her. Money and popularity were what kept people around her. You could say that she pushed people around with those two factors. Marinette, being the awkward little Ladybug who was learning how to spread her wings, would actively avoid her like the plague.
Her parents were well off as famous pastry chefs, but what's that compared to having a mother that annually runs fashion week in Paris and a father who wants to upgrade his status from mayor to president. Their families were leagues apart, and they both knew it. There was nothing to be humble over. It was natural to become enemies.
Yet, there she was. Taking her first taste of foreign teas, she's hardly even heard of, and surprisingly, it was refreshing!
"This," she pointed at the cup, "is the best tea I've ever tasted in my life."
"Of course it is," the blonde smiled. "Now try the crumpets."
Marinette whipped her head down to the pastries arranged on the plate. 'Don't eat the stale abominations,' she thought.
"I'll pass. Gluten-free isn't a pastry at all," she meekly smiled before placing her cup down.
She could feel her father's spirit roar on in pride in the back of her heart.
Chloé lifted her thin eyebrow before ringing the bell on the table. In a heartbeat, the door swings wide open with her personal butler, Jean-Pierre, clearing the table. Marinette hadn't even finished her cup yet.
"Now that the energizer is out of the way," Chloé declared. "It's time for the sleepover festivities to begin."
With the clap of her hands, the skinny butler pulled out a schedule and presented it to both of the young girls.
"Let's get all of this done before 9.30pm. Pierre!"
And rack of dresses from her closet and presented the first two ones to the ladies.
"Since the toy competition is still ongoing downstairs, I'm expected to make peace with the sponsor over dinner to keep up with appearances. Wanna join me?"
Marinette might have jumped for joy internally before grabbing onto the sofa to ground her.
"Sure, but I don't think I should change. I rather go as I am."
Chloé gave her a quick lookover before smiling nervously.
"I've seen you put on this outfit combination like 56 times over the past year," she put her hands on top of the bluenette's. "It's in the hotel's best interests that you change."
Suddenly, the bluenette was being dragged to a mirror and a makeup table, with Jean-Pierre's unwavering face leaning over the various cosmetics.
"You have such a babyface," Chloé fawned as she took the time to pinch her cheeks.
"Ugh, you're starting to sound like my mom."
The pair giggled before Chloé began 'working her magic.'
After watching Jean-Pierre pass on brush after brush with all sorts of products smeared on her face, she finally focused her eyes on the mirror and gasped.
Her face looker slimmer with a honey glow. With a blue based red lipstick and smoky cateye to polish up and her cheekbones, she could see them!s
If there was any more contouring, she would look like a model. With her hair down, for once in her life, she looked mature without magic being the cause.
"I look amazing," Marinette fluttered her eyelashes closer to the mirror.
"I know," the blonde shined as she began applying her own makeup away from the mirror. "And you are about to look even better."
In the next moment, Marinette was escorted to a changing booth. She opened her pouch and looked down at Plagg, who had wrapped himself in her hankering like a burrito, and he had been that way from the moment she detransformed. Considering that she won't be allowed to bring her own plbag to the dinner table, the next best thing was to leave a small note for the kwami in case he wakes up before she's back. She rubbed his head with her index finger. He really had to hang in there, just for a little while longer.
Marinette came out wearing a long pink off shoulder tulle dress. Soft to the touch with pleasing mobility.
"You look atonishing Miss Dupain-Cheng," Jean-Pierre applauded before turning his attention to the blonde. "And you look as stunning as always, Miss Bourgeois."
Chloé walks over to Marinette in a long yellow A-line satin dress.
Stunning was an understatement. Breathe-taking was more appropriate.
"I can't tell if we are meeting with the president or attending prom," Marinette said.
"We are meeting a fifteen year old."
"Oh." All the excitement in Marinette's voice died down.
"It won’t happen to be Hiro?"
Chloé nodded as she fixed her hair into a messy updo.
"He's fussy, but he tips the staffers well."
Marinette was ready to slump down into the carpet.
"Oh, don't be sad, Marinette. He's the very reason why I decided to invite Dami-bear. Think of it as attending a one and a half date."
Her bluebell eyes shot up. If Damian was going to be there too, then she could find the chance to talk to him in private about their next move.
Marinette smiled as she headed for the door.
"Hold on!" Chloé grabbed her arm. "Something's missing."
The two of them stood before a full body mirror as the blonde continued to twirl the bluenette around.
"Jewelry."
With that word alone, Marinette instinctively held onto her empty earlobes while Chloé dismissed Jean-Pierre of the room.
"Close your eyes," she demanded, making Marinette turn around and put her eyelids together.
A few grunts and ruffling sounds later, Marinette felt Chloé's hands on her ears.
"Okay. You can look now."
Turning to the mirror, Marinette smiled at the pair of diamond shaped silver earrings.
"This is nice. Thanks Chloé."
The blonde smirked before making Marinette face her.
"And what do you think about mine?"
As soon as Marinette laid her eyes on the golden hair comb, all her brain functions came to a halt. That subtle yellow glow and the tingling sensation coming from her ring conformed the one thing she crossed her mind.
That girl had a miraculous tangled in her locks.