Adrien couldn't sleep. His mind was racing. After he'd helped that beautiful girl yesterday, he couldn't draw his mind away from her. She had to be! It was too much of a coincidence.
Plagg flew next to Adrien as he scanned the Ladyblog in his bright white executive office. It had been a while since Alya had updated it, but there had to be a clue in there somewhere. The girl had Guardian books. He'd recognise them anywhere. She'd said that she'd been away for a while with no phone. She had hair as black as night. It just had to be.
"You're really struck on this one aren't you? What's happened to pigtails?"
"Plagg, I'm not struck with her. I just feel like I've finally found her, I've finally found Ladybug. It's all too coincidental."
"Perhaps it was your meet-cute."
"Meet-what?"
"Meet-cute." Plagg announced for a second time. Adrien didn't get it the first time so he wasn't too sure how the kwami had expected him to get it if he just repeated it.
"Oh ok." Adrien responded with a nod and eyebrow lift, before turning and continuing with his investigation. It was Monday morning and really he should be looking at the final designs for the Spring line, unfortunately this seemed a lot more important.
"You still don't get it do you, you dumb ass."
"Hey stinky! Leave my beautifully toned buttocks out of this."
Plagg snorted and carried on explaining.
"A meet cute is a scene in which the two people who may form a future romantic couple meet for the first time, typically under unusual, humorous, or "cute" circumstances. Just like in romantic comedies." Plagg grabbed another piece of cheese and shoved it in his mouth. This kwami and his cheese! Adrien dreaded to think how much he's spent over the years on his not-so-pet of a cat.
"So you think me and this girl will become a romantic couple?"
Plagg went to speak and an array of different bubbles flew out of his mouth.
"It was her! I knew it!"
"I didn't say that!" Plagg covered himself up quickly.
"You also didn't deny it, because you can't!" Adrien glared at his kwami, what was he playing at?
"Well, I just want to know about what's happening with Pig-tails?" Adrien looked at him in curiosity. What was his sudden interest with Marinette. He knew Plagg always liked her, he just wasn't quite sure why, or where the adoration had suddenly came from. Adrien sighed and placed his hands over his eyes.
"Oh, God! I'm in love with two girls Plagg! What the hell am I going to do?"
A brief knock at the door ended the conversation.
"Come in." Adrien demanded, watching Plagg fly to his favourite hiding place.
"Mr Agreste, a young lady dropped in a portfolio this morning. A very attractive young lady, I might add. Long black hair, beautiful blue eyes." Adrien rolled his beautiful green eyes as his personal assistant carried on speaking. Ms. Janice was a fantastic assistant. She really looked out for him, even in the love department. She was around forty years old and desperate to marry Adrien off, but only to someone worthy.
Lifting himself out his chair, he made his way over to her. The portfolio was in a beautiful leather folder. It almost looked Chinese. Taking it from Janice's hands, Adrien gently brushed his own over the top. This was amazing. It was pulling him right in, drawing his eyes to each and every crevice. Even though he hadn't even opened it yet, he was completely mesmerised.
He made his way back to his desk and placed it delicately on the top of a section of paperwork. Not being able to hold in the smile as he turned page after page, looking at each and every design. They were beautiful. Unexplainably, beautiful.
"What was her name? The girl that dropped this off?" Adrien croaked out. His body began to react strangely. He swore he knew who it was, the exceptionally talented designer ... but something just didn't make sense. Something didn't quite connect in his brain. The folder reminded him of a book he collected off the floor yesterday for her, but the designs. They were purely breath taking, purely his other her.
He stopped at a dress. The skirt was layered in a deep chocolate brown chiffon, and the samples of the material stapled next to it were stunning. The layers created a short drape at the front and a long one at the back edged in what looked to be golden thread. It was the tops detailing he couldn't take his eyes off though. Something about it had him transfixed, it seemed to take him into a trance.
The outline effect was one he'd definitely seen before. He just couldn't seem to place it. The swirls and sharp edges represented a familiar pattern he'd forgotten about. A familiar pattern he was reaching into the depths of my mind for. Adrien knew he had seen this in his youth, had he seen it again yesterday?
"She didn't leave one. She said she'd like you to look at her work anonymously before speaking to you about possibilities."
"Offer her a job. She can start tomorrow. I want to commission these designs."
"She didn't leave a number either." Adrien looked up with his jaw gapping open.
"So we finally have a designer who could easily rival what Gabriel produced and we don't know her name, and we can't contact her?"
"Well ... when you put it that way?"
Adrien dropped his head onto the table with a loud bang. This was what he needed, not the throbbing headache that was starting up but this woman, whoever she may be, was needed for the company. But again fate had a funny twist in the story.
"She is coming back though." Adrien's head shot up from the desk.
"Continue."
"Well, she seemed talented enough and she was extremely beautiful. I thought she could be a good match for you. She was so sweet, honestly Mr Agreste. I think you should give this one a try."
"Thank you, Janice. But please can you continue your story."
He couldn't help the exasperated sigh coming out of his mouth. This woman was relentless. She seemed to forget that he had only just turned twenty, not twenty-nine, and had enough on his plate without an added extra unknown woman to try and woo. Adrien finally had a possible designer that could make the company boom, and that was the priority at the moment.
'Gabriel' hadn't gone too far downhill since the whole Hawk Moth reveal, mainly due to Adrien taking it over so quickly and positively, and also renaming the brand. 'Agreste'. They'd also moved from just male clothing onto women's too. It was still just launching and they needed someone to hold the flag for it. What also helped the company was how Adrien had turned against his father. It didn't need to go down the way it did, but he could and would never forgive his father for putting so many people in significant danger.
"I've booked her in on your first available appointment. Thursday at eleven-thirty am." Adrien nodded at Janice. This was good. This was very good.
"Excellent. Thank you Janice. Can you book me out the office for a couple of hours? I'll be taking this designer to a lunch. She needs the full begging treatment." He smiled up at Janice and saw her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Of course, Sir! The only other meeting you have that day is the board conference. That should be finished by the time this designer comes in though."
"Thank you."
"Is there anything else I can do for you Mr Agreste?" He looked around his office, and his eyes fell on the two different yellow samples that sat in front of him.
"Yes actually. Which yellow is your favourite?" Adrien held them both up to see. Honestly, he believed they looked exactly the same. He couldn't tell you what the difference was between the two.
"You can't see a difference can you?" She questioned him smirking.
"You know me too well."
She laughed and walked over to check the materials. Adrien watched closely as she took them from his hands and looked at them in front of the floor to ceiling glass window.
"Go with sample B. It's not as see-through as A."
"Thank you very much." In classic Chat Noir style, Adrien bowed down towards her, causing her to laugh again.
"You're such a sweet boy, Adrien. You're doing a great job."
"That means a lot." His smile faltered as she left the room. He needed this designer to be as incredible as her work looks.
Marinette. The designs had to be Marinette, but everything was so similar to the books he saw yesterday. If he was being honest, he was sure he saw this specific one.
Wiping his hand over his chin, he could feel the start of stubble appearing over his usually pristine face. The past twenty four hours had been crazy. The conversation with Tom. The meeting with 'Ladybug'. The meeting with Nino, and now this. A mysterious designer who was incredible.
Yesterday was still playing on his mind. Not just the girl but Nino. He was refusing to believe he was going to be a father. He was drunk when they met at nine in the morning. Adrien ended up having to get coffees from a nearby vendor and sit on a bench. There's no way they would have been accepted into an upmarket cafe. He needed to start sobering up.
"I don't know if I even trust that it's mine. We'd fallen out, a month later she's pregnant. It just doesn't make sense, and we both know she had slept with someone else."
The words rang in his ears as fresh as they did yesterday. Adrien needed Marinette back. He couldn't sort this out himself.
Finding his phone on his desk he decided to message Nino again.
Move in with me. Let me help you get back on your feet. You've helped me numerous times, please let me repay the favour. A.
Nino had admitted he wasn't getting gigs and that he was living back with his parents. He'd even dropped out of university. He needed help, he needed support and Adrien wanted to be there for him.
Two messages signalled their arrival on Adrien's phone. One from Nino and one from an unknown number. He'd deal with Nino first before uncovering who the unknown was. Usually it was a fan girl trying to get a date with him, or some sort of invitation to spend the night with him.
I've seen your place man. It'll depress me more than I already am.
Adrien couldn't deny that. It was horrendous, however Chloé and Felix had mentioned holiday decorations going up today. Perhaps that will give the mansion a more inviting feeling.
Chloé and Felix are Christmasfying the house as we speak. Please don't leave me alone with them, they're gross.
It took Nino a couple of seconds to respond. Adrien hadn't even had time to think about the second message waiting in his inbox.
Fine! But if we're watching a film I'm not snuggling you just because you feel lonely.
That sounded more like the Nino he knew and loved.
Deal! I'll be home around 7pm, see you then.
Ok, so that was kind of a start to helping them. Not massive, but he could start neatening Nino up and getting him sober. Then he'd think about the next step from there, hopefully with a small bluenette's help.
Adrien looked out over the hustle and bustle of Paris. You could tell the Christmas season had began. Decorations lined the darkening streets, as shoppers scurried around with bags of presents. It was full on scarf and gloves weather and resting on the coat rack near the window was one of the best presents Adrien had ever received. His wonderful blue scarf. Alya finally let out to him it was from Marinette. Adrien believed he should have guessed really. Only Mari would do something so kind, caring and personal.
He opened up the messages on his phone again, pulling up the unknown number. Then, his heart fully skipped a beat.
Hi, just wanted to send over my number incase you ever wanted to go for that coffee. From, Clumsy Girl.
No-one could wipe the smile from Adrien's face. She'd messaged him. Now Adrien could finally see if she was Ladybug. For the first time in three hundred and three days his heart felt whole again.