So in this, Adrien didn't get to go to school at all. Sucky parenting, Gabriel.
Hello
"Maman! I don't want to do a delivery today! I'm supposed to hang out with Alya!" Marinette whines. "It's just a quick delivery. Your father and I are busy dealing with an unexpected rush and this cake needs to be delivered on time. So unless you'd rather stay here and be an extra hour late..." Sabine said with a smile. "Fine! But I don't understand why you want me to do it, this is an important client and I'm super clumsy. That's a recipe for disaster. Anyways, let me just call Alya and tell her I'll be late." Her mother smiled in triumph and left the living room.
Mari runs up to her room and grabs her pink cellphone off her desk. She speed dials Alya and flops into her chair, spinning around while she waits for her best friend to pick up. "Hello? Girl? Where are you? You were supposed to meet me here early." "Sorry Al. I'm gonna be late. Tell Nino I'm sorry too. Though maybe you guys will be too busy flirting to care." "Hey! Watch it, or I'll spill the beans that you've got a crush on Nathaniel." "You wouldn't!" "You bet I would. Anyways, why're you gonna be late this time?" "Mom is making me deliver a cake. You know, the seven tier, quilted, light-blue-with-real-gold-accents one? For the gala? That they've spent over 24 hours on?" "What? But you're so clumsy!" "That's what I said. But otherwise I have to run the shop, and I'll be even later then, since we can't switch cashiers during a rush. Heck, you can't even turn around it's so packed. I've told Mom and Dad that we need to expand or find a new place, but they're attached to it... which makes sense I guess." "Yeah, they've had it since they were first married right? Anyway, you better get going. Fill me in on all the juicy gala details when you finally get here." "It won't have even started, but okay. Later!" "Bye!"
Marinette snaps her phone shut, still crabby about having to deliver the cake. She heads down the stairs to the bakery, finding the cake in a large white box with the company's logo on the front and her parents standing side by side, a very serious look on their faces. "Now Mari," her dad began, "This is a very prestigious client, and we can't afford to lose him. Do you understand?" "Yes, Papa, I'll be very careful." "Good." Sabine smiled and handed her cake. "It needs to be delivered to large yellow mansion by the Eiffel Tower. You can't miss it," She says and kisses Marinette on the forehead. "Bye guys!" She pushes open the door to the storefront and the noises of the bustling bakery filled her ears. "Hi Mari!" Nathaniel waves, manning the register. "Hey! No time to talk, I need to deliver this cake and then go meet Alya." "Always busy!" He laughs. "Lemme help you out. MAKE WAY! DELIVERY!" At this, a pathway forms from the back of the confection shop to the door. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver," Marinette calls back carefully walking to the door, the sea of people filling in the spaces as soon as she's passed.
As she walks down the street, she gathers her thoughts. After all, she cant let them drift to Nathaniel all the time. She starts thinking about the large mansion, and how she's never seen any of the people there. The gates were always closed, but they were obviously rich, with the limo coming in and out. She often like to daydream about the dashing young man who lived there, the most scrumptious food, and the amazing clothes. Turning a corner, she almost runs into the snottiest girl in all of Paris- Chloé Bourgeois. "Watch where you're going," the blonde snaps. "I'm heading to the Agreste mansion and I need to look my best." "Sorry Chloé," Mari honestly apologizes. "You should be." "Whatever," Marinette passes her and keeps walking, fed up with trying to be nice to this brat.
Chloé spins on her heel and starts following Marinette. "Why are you following me? Haven't you bothered me enough for one day?" She scoffs. "First, I am not following you. I have better things to do than follow around a crappy fashion designer. Second, I am heading to my dear friend's home. You might have heard of him. You know, the famous model, Adrien Agreste? He and I are bound to be a thing. So stay out of my way." "I wasn't planning on getting in it. The last thing I need is more egotistical brats like you," Mari retorted. Chloé, infuriated and red-in-the-face, huffs and marches ahead.
They did not speak the rest of the short walk, at least to each other. Chloé spent it mumbling to herself a response to Marinette's burn, none of which would have ended well. Marinette, therefore lost in thought, didn't notice that the blonde had stopped before the closed gates of the mansion, running into her again. "Do you need glasses or something?" sassed Chloé, before she went to the callbox. "Hey it's Chloé Bourgeois, the mayor's daughter, here for Adrien's birthday gala. (She flips her ponytail while saying this) Oh, and Marinette too, I suppose." "Of course, please come in." There was a loud beep, and the gates swing open. It's only then that Mari noticed the blue balloons tied to it, almost like they would be to a normal person's mailbox... I can't believe this is a birthday cake! Thinks Mari in amazement. The rich never cease to surprise her.
Chloé struts through the gates, but less gracefully rushes up the marble steps, slipping more than once. She starts banging on the door and taps her foot impatiently. During all this, Marinette takes her time walking to and going up the steps, careful not to destroy the cake. Right as she reaches the top step, the tall wooden doors swing open, revealing- "ADRIKINS!" Chloe tackles the boy to the ground, and clings to him as he tries to peel her off.
"Oh my God..." Mari mutters in shock. She was overwhelmed by how breathtaking the model was in real life, and the fact he was friends with Chloé. "You should have known better," she ridicules herself aloud. "All rich people are the same." At this moment, another tall figure appears at the door. A woman, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun and glasses. "You must be from the bakery. I'm Natalie. Come in!" She says with a smile, stepping aside to let Marinette in.
Mari looks at Adrien, surprised to see his bright green eyes staring back into hers as he's being lead away by Chloé, who is glued to his arm. Seeing her looking back, he quickly whips his head around, and puts all his attention on Chloé. Probably blabbering about herself as usual. He was most likely insulting my clothes, Marinette convinces herself. She glances down at her outfit, consisting of a hot pink tank top and white shorts. After all, she was only planning on going out with her friends. And he- well, he was the son of Gabriel Agreste, the fashion designer of the century.
"The ballroom is this way," states Natalie, guiding Marinette in the opposite direction of the model. They walk through an elaborate archway into the largest room Marinette had ever seen. The walls were lined with tables, covered in gold tablecloths, the largest of which was at the other end of the ballroom. This is where Natalie takes Mari. "There has been space set up here for the cake. You may move the decorations as necessary. I have other preparations to attend to; I trust I can leave you to set up?" Marinette nods, and Natalie dashes off. Mari examines the large table, completely decorated with many light blue hydrangea and clear and gold tinted crystal. This left a very small space in the middle for the cake. "This doesn't seem like the kind type of decorations for a teenage boy's party. But it is a gala, and it's not my place to be worrying about such things," Mari mumbles to herself.
She sets down the cake and starts to remove all the decorations from the table and sets them on the one next to it. She carefully removes the cake from the box, moving slower every time it wobbles. She could not afford to repay her parents if this cake was ruined, let alone for losing a client like this one. Marinette sets the cake down in the center of the table, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding as she did so. She turns to the decorations and starts replacing them in the way she thought looked best. She took a step back, examining her work. With her designer's eye not satisfied, Mari continued experimenting, not noticing when someone walks in the room.
"You moved them," they said. Marinette jumps a little, but doesn't dare to turn around, fearing it was Mr. Agreste and that he'd dislike her work. "Yes, the cake didn't fit," her shaky voice explained. "I see. It's a very beautiful cake, it probably didn't need the decor in the first place." "My parents do nothing but the best." "I just wish it wasn't." At this, Marinette whips around, a retort ready on her tongue, only to see familiar bright green eyes staring back. "Hello," Adrien says, a smile playing on his lips. "H-h-hello," Mari stuttered.
From then on, she was hooked.