Chapter Three: Rich & Unexpected

Marinette stood in front of the famous Agreste mansion, tapping her foot against the cement. She looked down at her watch, her patience wearing thin. It was now 5:15PM. She should have known that Adrien was going to keep her waiting. It was so like him to.

Marinette pressed a finger against the white, round button. "Hello?" she talked into the speaker. She waited for a response, but there was only silence. She groaned before throwing her arms above her head. She knew that someone was supposed to be tending to the speaker at all times. It was the Agreste mansion for crying out loud. There was always some kind of important visitor having to talk business with Adrien's father.

She kicked a pebble onto the road, pacing back and forth in anger. Adrien was probably teasing her – trying to mess with her from the get-go. He probably told the worker to ignore her, or even worse, he was probably sitting there in a small room, watching her through the cameras, laughing and eating popcorn.

She looked up at one of the small, round camera's that was stationed on top of the tall brick wall that enclosed the entire area. She then shifted her gaze to the left, noticing another camera on the other side of the black steel fence. She wanted to yell out words of profanity, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What if he was going to hold it against her? That meant bye-bye to her social life.

Marinette puffed up her cheeks in anger before wrapping her hands around the steel black bars. She leaned in close, pressing her face up against the cold bars. Beyond the fence was a small roundabout with nicely trimmed hedges at the center. On either side was a nicely trimmed lawn, almost the size of a couple of football fields. Marinette instinctively tried fitting her head between the bars, trying to make out the exact size of the front lawn. She immediately leaned back, not wanting to embarrass herself more than she already has. Getting her head stuck in between a couple of bars screamed out that she was going to be Adrien's slave for her entire life.

She squinted her eyes, looking pass the hedges and into the open windows, looking for some kind of figure. It was no use though. The mansion was way too far back for her to see anything. Marinette groaned again before letting go of the bars to pace around in a circle.

"Really want to see me, huh?"

Marinette looked up, her eyes meeting the buzzer. She stalked over to it, hearing Adrien's chuckle through the speaker.

"I knew you were watching me!" she said angrily before looking up at the camera. "I'm not here to play games." She pointed her index finger up at the camera. "I'm here to do what I can to get the video erased!"

"Actually, I can do whatever I want. That video is worth a fortune," he snickered. "And I didn't make you wait for my own enjoyment. My father will be here in just a few hours. There was a meeting for all the workers. As boring as it is, I still have to attend them."

Marinette bit her bottom lip as the gates unlocked. A whirring sound was then followed as the gates slowly began to open up in front of her.

"I'll meet you at the front door," he said. "And don't worry. I won't make you wait. Can't do that to a girl who misses me that much."

Marinette clenched her fists. She wanted so bad to climb up that brick wall and smash that camera into smithereens. But she stopped herself from doing so. Not because her dignity was at stake, but because she was going to see the real thing in just a couple of minutes, and she was going to be able to slap him across the face.

Marinette stalked through the front lawn, not caring to walk on the right path. She didn't care that she was ruining the nicely mowed grass. It was all Adrien's fault. She marched up the plight of stairs, readying herself to knock out the obnoxious blonde.

As the wide set of doors opened up in front of her, Marinette brought her hand up, her eyes fixated on his smooth, left cheek.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said with a smirk.

"You deserve at least one slap." She gritted through her teeth.

"One slap equals one send." He held up his phone, showing her the screen.

Marinette bit her bottom lip, looking at all the recipients. "Fine," she muttered, bringing her arm down to her side. She crossed her arms, digging her nonexistent nails deep into the sleeve of her cardigan. "If you're dad isn't going to be here for another few hours, then why am I here early? Can't I just come back when your dad is here?"

"It's not that easy," he said, gesturing her to enter his home.

"And why is tha-" Marinette stopped midsentence. It wasn't the ornate decorations, expensive furniture, or vast size of the foyer that was making her jaw drop. She was anticipating that the second she laid eyes on his front lawn. It was the amount of workers standing on either end of the grand staircase. There were at least twenty steps going up the center before splitting off to two staircases going left and right. A maid occupied each step at the center, while the two staircases at the top were occupied by a bunch of butlers. The women were each holding out a fancy dress, while the men were holding out displays of accessories - making Marinette feel as if she was on some kind of game show made for people who wanted to update their wardrobe. Scratch that, for people who needed to update their wardrobe.

"Why… what…" Marinette wasn't sure of what to ask.

"You have to look presentable in front of my father."

Marinette tilted her head, her eyes glued to a red cocktail dress. "What is going on exactly?" She shook her head, not wanting to show interest in the wardrobe that was placed in front of her. "I, at least have the right to know of what I need to do."

"Do you?" He waved his phone out in front of her.

She narrowed her eyes on the device before meeting his green eyes. "I do. You're asking me to be your girlfriend for a couple hours. I assume you want me to play the part well. I wouldn't try sabotaging the night since my dignity is on the line, but I can't be a convincing girlfriend if I don't know what's going on."

He paced around the area before finally agreeing to her terms. "I promised my dad that I wouldn't get into anymore trouble. So, whenever I was out…" He paused, lowering his voice. "…making trouble." He cleared his throat. "I told him I was busy studying with my girlfriend that was making me change my ways." He blushed and glided his fingers through his unruly hair.

"Your best excuse was to tell him that you were with a girl? Not to tell him that you were hanging out with a new set of friends? Or maybe, following in the footsteps of Nathanael?"

Adrien scoffed. "You don't know Nathanael as well as you think," he remarked.

"I know more about him than you think."

"Right." He walked over to the grand staircase, standing next to the maid who was standing at the foot of the stairs.

"You just need to look good, okay? We're going to be dining somewhere high class, and your outfit doesn't cut it."

Marinette shrugged. She was a fashion a designer. She didn't need help with dressing or accessorizing herself. She wanted to argue with him and make a point, but she was on a mission – to get that video deleted. She just had to stay calm and do as he said, and by the end of the night, everything would return back to normal.


Marinette stood in front of the towering three-way mirror, a few maids at her side properly fitting the fifteenth dress she tried on around her bodice. After the last maid fitted a beaded bracelet around her wrist, Marinette yawned, exhausted from trying on so many clothes. It didn't matter if she liked how the dress looked on her. It was all up to Adrien, and his comments were rather blunt. Every time she exited the dressing room, he would glance at her for a short second and force her back into trying another dress.

This time, she was wearing that red cocktail dress she had her eyes on when she first stepped into the foyer. It had a tight fitting bodice with red lacy sleeves. The skirt was short and puffy, making it look less elegant, but more playful and flirty.

"Hurry up!" Adrien called out. "We have to be at the restaurant in an hour. If this dress doesn't work either, we have to get a move on!"

Marinette groaned in dismay as a maid re-curled a loose tress framed around her face. Her hair was up in a bun, a style that she hasn't worn in ages. According to Adrien, her pigtails were tacky and made her look childish. She had to get rid of them by the fifth dress.

Marinette straightened up; her feet sore from wearing the stilettos that Adrien was forcing her to wear. She was used to wearing them now, but at the cost of losing all feeling in her toes. She couldn't understand why they were spending so much time on her appearance when he was still wearing his casual clothing. Surely he had some grooming to do.

The bluenette stepped out of the change room and into the room where Adrien was lounging on a chaise lounge, munching on a few grapes. He looked relaxed and had his eyes glued to his phone, looking at who knows what.

"Yes?" Marinette sounded defeated.

"This one bett-" Adrien nearly dropped his phone as he raised his head to look at the bluenette.

"This better be the last one," said Marinette, turning around for him to see her from all angles. "I'm sick and tired of trying all these dresses. Besides, I'm sure all these clothes are supposed to be for your dad's models."

Marinette turned around to face him. He looked frozen, not a single word escaping from his lips.

"What is it now?" Marinette groaned. "Finally ran out of insults?" She crossed her arms, waiting for his reply.

He shook his head, and recomposed himself. "No… no…" He paused. "We'll just stick with that. We're running out of time anyways." He grabbed another bunch of grapes and stood up. "Besides," he said, his usual smirk returning to his face. "Nothing in there is enough to make you look good."

Marinette scoffed.

"You just wait here while I get ready," he said. "Irene will give you the list of topics you may talk about with my father." He snapped his fingers, causing one of the maids to walk over to Marinette with a bunch of cue cards. "Don't miss me too much." He winked before exiting the room.


Marinette has never felt so nervous in her entire life. She fidgeted with a part of her dress as she eyed the cutlery surrounding her porcelain plate. There were three forks and two spoons and two knives. She's only ever needed a spoon or a fork or a pair of chopsticks. She couldn't understand the extra pieces. If you asked her, it was just a waste of dishes.

On their way to the restaurant, Adrien was telling her all about the do's and the don'ts. He told her a few things about himself and in return she had to tell him a few things about her – things that she mostly lied about to prevent him from actually getting to know her. After all that, he didn't even bother to tell her about proper etiquette. Was there a purpose for the tinier fork? She had no idea.

The pair was sitting on top of a balcony, under the starry night sky, waiting for Gabriel Agreste's arrival. They were surrounded by a bunch of Paris's elite – people that Marinette have only read about in magazines. Marinette's face turned bright red as she locked eyes with the famous Parisian model – Arielle Durand.

"Stop blushing. You're making my heart flutter," Adrien teased while looking down at the menu.

"Stop assuming things that aren't true," said Marinette.

"I don't get why you're so nervous. It's just a dinner with someone you… despise."

"And your father. He's like my idol in the fashion empire."

"My father is your idol?" Adrien raised a brow, his eyes peeping over the top of his menu board.

"I'm very flattered. That's very nice of you to say."

Marinette looked up to see a man hovering above her. He looked like a much older version of Adrien, but with much more pointed features, and hair that was actually slicked back in place.

"Fa-father," said Adrien, standing up from his seat. He bowed down to his dad before returning to his seat and sliding the chair out for him.

Mr. Agreste turned to look at a brunette who was dressed in formal wear. She was holding a black leather purse and had a Bluetooth clipped onto her ear, making Marinette assume that she was his assistant. Gabriel nodded at the woman, and in return the woman took a seat at the table beside them.

Marinette stared at the woman in curiosity as she began pulling out an agenda from her purse. She couldn't understand why she had to sit at another table, and she was too scared to ask about it.

"So," said Mr. Agreste. "You are the famous girlfriend that Adrien keeps telling me about."

"Uhm…" Marinette pursed her lips as she looked to her right at Adrien.

His eyes were heavily staring into her like they were sucking out her soul. She mentally took a breather as she shifted her gaze back to Mr. Agreste who was getting his wine glass filled with Chardonnay. He didn't even have to say anything to get his cup filled. It made Marinette think that he must come here a lot.

"I am," Marinette squeaked.

"You clean up well," he said. "My design looks rather good on you."

Marinette blushed, feeling uncomfortable. She didn't want to get into trouble for wearing one of his dresses. It was a beautiful dress, but she was totally against wearing it.

"It was Adrien's idea…" she murmured, causing Adrien to kick her from underneath the table. Marinette winced in pain, but immediately smiled as Gabriel eyed her with confusion. Was she not supposed to say that? He didn't say anything about her not saying that she was wearing one of his father's designs. In her defense, that was a pretty important topic to point out.

"I wanted her to look presentable for the restaurant," said Adrien with a grin.

Suddenly, his cool persona was no longer there. It was replaced with the same amount of fear as hers.

"I see," said Mr. Agreste with a stoic expression as he reached out to take a sip from his glass of Chardonnay. He then pursed his lips together and clasped his hands over the table. "So, Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng, how long have you been dating my son?"

Marinette's eyes began to bulge from her sockets. "You-you know my name?"

"I make it my business to know everyone who is around my son." He stretched his arm out and patted Adrien on the back. "You don't seem like all the other girl's my son dates."

Marinette shifted her eyes to Adrien, who sat up, stiff as a board. "I thought about what you said, father. Those other girl's just weren't cutting it."

It's barely been five minutes and Marinette could tell that Mr. Agreste was already having a hard time believing that the two of them were in a relationship. If she were him, she wouldn't have believed it the second she sat down at the table. Heck, Adrien didn't even know her last name until ten minutes ago, but she supposed that Cheng-Dupain was still better than something random like Wu. It wasn't necessarily wrong, but it was still was wrong to her.

Mr. Agreste turned his attention back to Marinette, causing Adrien to slightly relax. "I never thought that you were the type to go for my son. You're a smart one, Marinette. I thought you'd be more interested in the scholarly type," he said, wounding Adrien. He didn't notice though. He took another swig of his wine before placing a finger to his chin. "Someone like… Nathanael."

Marinette could tell that the words struck a chord in Adrien's system. He shrugged it off though, and continued to listen to his father.

Marinette felt kind of bad, but she thought that he deserved it. Compared to Nathanael, Adrien got everything because of his father's money. Nathanael didn't. He worked so hard for everything. He deserved his popularity because of it.

"Well," said Marinette. She glanced up at the clock that hung high on the wall behind the fashion designer. "Adrien is unique. He certainly has his charm…" She took a deep breath. The night was nearing its end. She was so close to getting that video deleted.

"That is very true." He stroked his chin. "How long have you been together exactly?"

"Not too long," said Marinette.

"Three months." Adrien interjected.

Gabriel raised a brow. "You've been dating for three months and you haven't told me? You've only been telling me about this lovely girlfriend of yours just a month ago."

"I didn't want to introduce you to another, regular girl."

"I suppose that was a smart move."

Adrien nodded in agreement before sighing in relief as his father looked away.

Mr. Agreste then opened his mouth, ready to say something else, but was interrupted by the irate sound of his ringtone coming from his cell. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his device, and then looked back at Marinette. "I have to go. I'm sorry this dinner couldn't be longer. I look forward to meeting you again sometime." He halfheartedly smiled at the bluenette before looking over at his assistant. She simply nodded and began to neatly stuff everything back into her purse.

"Likewise," said Marinette as Gabriel rose from the table and answered his call.

Marinette waited until the two left the restaurant before looking straight ahead at the honey blonde who looked more relaxed than ever. She blinked, not believing that her time as Adrien's girlfriend only had to go on for ten minutes. Maybe that was why he never bothered to teach her about the cutlery – because he knew that his dad was probably going to leave before they had the chance to actually eat. They didn't even get to order anything, and the waiter's didn't even ask them about what they wanted. Perhaps his father only ever came here to have some wine. It didn't matter to Marinette though. Her mission was almost complete. She just couldn't believe that she had to cram a bunch of information into her brain that was seriously unneeded.

"Now we can eat in peace," said Adrien, holding a finger up to catch the attention of a waiter walking by. "Two spaghetti's please," he said and the waiter scribbled it down on his notepad before disappearing into the kitchen. "You're okay with spaghetti, right?" he asked. "Well, if you aren't, you'll love it once you try it from here. It's delicious."

"Spaghetti? Delicious?" Marinette mumbled before groaning. She then extended her arm and held her palm out in front of him. "I think you're forgetting something."

"What?" He blinked through a mouthful of his water.

"Delete that video," she said in a snarky tone.

"What video?"

"The one you took of me in the washroom."

He gulped, and then wiped his mouth on the napkin that was folded into looking like a swan. "Oh… that video… I don't know if I should."

"Why not? We had a deal."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if what you did for me earns the right to delete that video."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Then I'll just chase your father down and tell him that you're a liar."

"Good luck with that," he said. "You'll never be able to get ahold of him. Only people worth his time are able to get his attention."

"But to him I'm your girlfriend. That will get his attention."

Adrien grinned. "Are you telling me that you really want to be my girlfriend?" he teased.

Marinette rolled her eyes, scrunching the dress tighter within her sweaty palms. She didn't care if she was going to return it to him all wrinkled. She just spent a couple hours getting ready only to be with Mr. Agreste for ten minutes.

"We can be married, and my father will still only pay attention to his clients."

Marinette shrugged. "What do you want?" She tried her best to stay calm.

He smirked. "Tell me," he said, pulling the lemon wedge from the rim of his glass. "Why do you like Nathanael so much?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Just curious." He shrugged.

Marinette scoffed and looked the other way. She was not going to pour her feelings out to a boy she's never really talked to – yet alone the boy who caused her years of humiliation.

"I'll delete the video if you tell me." He sounded sincere.

Marinette met his green eyes, unsure of what to do. She really wanted to have that video deleted. It was embarrassing. She's never had those kinds of thoughts about Nathanael, yet she had to say those things in front of that mirror.

"He's different from everyone else," she answered, her cheeks turning red as an image of the boy popped up in her mind.

"How so?"

"He doesn't care about what everyone else says. He does what he needs to do, and if no one agrees with it, he does it anyway. He's strong and independent."

"Not good looking?" Adrien chuckled, unable to meet her eyes. He looked somewhat despondent.

"Of course he is, but his other qualities are far more important than that."

"I see…" Adrien murmured before pressing a few buttons on his phone. He then sighed and handed Marinette the device. "It's deleted," he said after some time. "Keep the phone if you're so unsure."

Marinette looked at the phone before staring at him questionably. She's never seen him so… defeated. She almost felt bad, but she didn't. She hadn't the slightest clue as to why he was suddenly so sad. Was it because he was being compared to Nathanael again? For the second time, she believed that he deserved it.

Adrien stood up from his seat before flashing Marinette with a look of determination. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he said while slamming his palms against the table.

Marinette slightly jumped at the sound of the moving cutlery. She tilted her head upwards, meeting his vibrant green eyes.

"You may like Nathanael now, but one day, you'll see that I'm the one for you."

"Excuse me?" Marinette's face turned red as the other people dining around them turned their heads to view the commotion. "What are you talking about?"

Adrien grinned before holding up another device.

The brightness was dim, but Marinette could see that the video of her confession was playing on mute. She turned pale. She couldn't believe that for a second, she thought that he genuinely deleted the video.

Marinette stood up in protest and lunged forward across the table, trying to grab the device. "Wh-what are you doing!?" she asked, not caring that more heads turned. He's always kept his promises. Always.

"Marinette," he said, grabbing one of her flailing wrists. He flashed her with his smoulder, causing her to freeze on the spot.

"I'm going to make you love me," he said. "And this video won't be deleted until you do."

Marinette's jaw dropped.

Was this guy being serious? What was his game? What was he trying to do?

He then inched forward, and grinned smugly before pressing his lips against hers.

What did Marinette just get herself into?


So, this is basically where we left off. :)

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