The extra spring in Adrien's step that morning had not escaped Nathalie's notice, even if the boy had tried his best to mask it. There was so little in his life that brought him joy that even the slightest trace of it was almost impossible to keep under wraps. She exchanged a mildly curious glance with Gorilla, who simply grunted and shrugged a single meaty shoulder to convey that he knew as little about its source as she.
Hm, this would likely require some digging before she could bring it up to Gabriel.
Nathalie strode to the window that overlooked the front terrace of the Agreste Mansion to watch Adrien leave for school. The days before, he'd seemed forlorn, and tired, barely willing to pull himself from bed. She'd worried he'd fallen ill, but cursory inquiries led nowhere.
Now, it seemed he'd miraculously recovered whatever had been ailing him, which led Nathalie to think that his troubles were less physical than she'd initially been led to believe.
Adrien, could you be…?
She would certainly need to find out more before bringing it up to Gabriel. Was it that Marinette Dupain-Cheng girl that Lila Rossi had notified them about recently? She seemed determined enough to seek Adrien's affections, but Adrien had never shown any interest in the girl beyond friendship…
The sharp trilling of her phone drew Nathalie from her musings and she brought the device to her ear and a practiced gesture that hardly required her full attention.
"Sir?"
"Nathalie, clear my afternoon," Gabriel's smooth voice filtered through the line, marred only by the slight crackle of the speaker, "I have some business to attend to."
"Of course Sir," she replied, already bringing her tablet up to follow through on her orders. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Yes, join me when you're done. I will need the help of Mayura."
"Of course."