Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas and characters
A.N. Hey everyone Sorry about my tardiness this week life happened lol. I hope you are all having a great week! Enjoy!
KagamiPINKAgreste: Thank you for the reviews they really make my day :)
Azarelrose: I am glad you are enjoying it.
Chapter 6
Marinette grabbed Jordan by the ear and dragged him to the waiting car. He grumbled and whined and attempted to escape. She shot him a look and he sighed in defeat. She shoved him into the car and slid in.
"Ro shut up put a smile on your face and be glad you can get by wearing whatever you want" she said
"But these meetings are so boring" he whined before he finally turned to look at her, "why do you look so nice?"
"Thanks asshole," she glared
"Okay fine why are you all dolled up, is Luka going to be there?"
"I wish," she grumbled, "no it will be Me, You, Gabriel, his assistant and their head designer"
"But why are you dolled up" he asked again
"Because this is a business meeting Ro and while you can get by wearing your usual one of us needs to look professional,"
"I don't know why you don't just wear your usual style," he grumbled
"If I was meeting with Jagged or any of our clients I would but this is a business meeting with a competitor" she shrugged, "so please be on your best behavior"
"Yeah yeah"
"I am serious Ro"
"Okay I got it," he grumbled, "why are we meeting with this guy anyway?"
"We are meeting with Gabriel Agreste because he is the king of fashion here in paris,"
"Wait, Adrien's dad?" Ro said
"Yes"
"Why are we meeting him again,"
"To discuss the possibility of working with his production team until we have our production team here figured out"
"Oh," he said, "so a really really boring meeting"
"Yes Ro a boring meeting," Marinette laughed, "hopefully Austin, Ally, and Rae arrive when they are supposed to so they can take over for boring stuff"
"Why aren't they here now?" he asked
"Because they are finalizing details in the states," Marinette reminded him, "now did you get a chance to look over the pictures of locations I sent?"
"Yes and I agree the one down the street would work best," he said, "it may need the most work but the space and location are better. Did you manage to find a contractor?"
"Yes," she said, "We have to meet with Holly tonight to finalize the paperwork and then on Monday I can have the contractor come take a look"
"Great," he grinned, "so is it just the storefront or the whole building?"
"Whole building," Marinette said, "multi-stories and a full basement. I figure the main floor will be showcase and storefront, second floor will be set up for model prep, third floor will be production and design, fourth floor will be offices, the basement will be used for storage, that leaves us the rest for living space, with the top floor a gym and rec area. I have an elevator in the plans for the renovations. The roof is a flat surface so I figure gazebo and outdoor entertainment area"
"A great escape plan" he smirked at the double meaning
"Yes," she grinned, "anyway let's get you up to speed on this meeting"
"Alright hit me with it" he groaned. Marinette smiled at his obvious irritation but gave him a quick update on what they were doing and how to handle questions. They arrived at the Agreste Mansion twenty minutes later prepared for the meeting. Marinette walked up to the door and pressed the bell. When the camera appeared she stated their names and said they had an appointment. Jordan watched in shock. A moment later the door opened and Natalie greeted them.
"Hello Nathalie how are you today" Marinette greeted
"I am well and you Marinette?"
"I am doing very well" Marinette smiled, "Allow me to introduce one of my partners Jordan Monroe"
"Pleasure ma'am" he said
"Nice to meet you Mr. Monroe," Nathalie said, "if you will follow me"
"Lead the way," Marinette said following Nathalie to the office. Nathalie opened the door and led them in.
"Mr. Agreste the owners of JAM are" she said
"Of course please come in," he said. Marinette plastered on a professional smile and entered. Jordan followed right behind.
"Mr. Agreste it is wonderful to see you again," Marinette greeted taking a seat across from him
"Miss Dupang-chang" he greeted coldly, "Mr. Monroe"
"Shall we Mr. Agreste?" Marinette smiled. Jordan watched in surprise. He had never known her to be so cold and commanding. She was normally sweet and accommodating. He took the seat next to her following her lead. "Mrs. Bourgeois assured me that you are able and willing to assist at a reasonable price"
"I am" he said, "with conditions"
"Yes Audrey mentioned that" Marinette said, "please tell us your conditions"
"If I agree to assist you then I expect you to cut ties with Adrien," he said coldly, "you are a terrible influence and I do not want you around him"
"I believe we are done here," Marinette said standing up. "I will be sure to inform Audrey that your conditions were unreasonable and personal and not business. We will see ourselves out"
Jordan jumped to follow as they walked away. He had been completely shocked by what he had witnessed. He followed her out of the house and was shocked to see a different car waiting. She led the way immediately getting into the car. Jordan followed.
"Gelte Realty please" she told the driver. She motioned Jordan to be silent. He nodded in acknowledgement. They remained silent. Minutes later they walked into the realtor's office. Holly greeted them with a smile.
"So have you made your decision?" Holly said
"Yes," Marinette said, "we are also on a bit of a time crunch"
"Of course" Holly said, "so which one will it be?"
"The multi-story on Dupont"
"Really" she said in surprise, "okay just give me a second to get the paperwork"
"And Holly you will be getting a call from Gabriel Agreste don't take it until the paperwork is filed"
"Right," Holly said, understanding the situation, "you work with Audrey Bourgeois?"
"Initially yes," Marinette smiled, "now she is a good friend"
"I will be right back with that paperwork" Holly smiled walking out the door. Marinette heard her call to her assistant to hold all calls and tell them she was out of the office. She smiled. Jordan looked in shock. She signed that they would talk about it later. He nodded and dropped the subject for now.
"Alright here we go" Holly smiled walking back in. She handed them the paperwork and after going over it Marinette and Jordan signed. Marinette pulled the card from her bag and handed it over. Holly's eyes widened when she saw the business name, "you own JAM Fashion"
"We do," Marinette smiled, "once we get up and running you will have to stop in and get the VIP treatment"
"Done," the woman smiled as she ran the card, "there all set. I will file the paperwork in the morning and it will be all yours"
"Thank you so much," Marinette smiled. She shook the woman's hand before they left. The car was waiting. They climbed in and were brought back to the bakery. Marinette thanked the driver as they got out and headed inside. Marinette made a beeline for her room and Jordan followed.
"Okay what the hell was that?"Jordan asked
"Which part?" Marinette asked
"With Agreste"
"Was I out of line?" Marinette asked
"No," Jordan said, "personally I would have decked him...but that probably wouldn't have helped"
"No it wouldn't have" Marinette smiled, "would have been funny but not helpful"
"So"
"That was Gabriel Agreste" Marinette shrugged
"He is an idiot" Jordan said
"Yes," Marinette giggled, "anyway want to see the plans I made for the building?"
"Absolutely" Jordan grinned. He waited for Marinette to grab her sketchbook. She showed him the plans and he grinned in excitement.
"So how soon can we start?" He asked
"As soon as the paperwork is filed" she said, "let's see, today is Thursday. Holly should have it filed tomorrow. However, it's the weekend. So hopefully Monday we can make some calls and get the ball rolling."
"So what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?" Jordan asked,
"We have a call with the others in 30 minutes," Marinette said checking the schedule, "and a family meeting after supper"
"Wait, isn't that tomorrow?"
"Nope, tomorrow after school I have plans with Luka," Marinette smiled, "and then we have a meeting with Master Fu at 7. But remember no one else knows ladybugs civilian identity. At least not yet. Master Fu and I want to wait a week or two"
"That's no fun" Jordan pouted, "wait why do I have to be there"
"Well because you are a miraculous holder and you will need to actually meet the team so they know you are not a threat" Marinette said, " besides we have to go over other potential threats. Including the threat Tiny poses"
"He is here?"
"Yes" Marinette said, "we may not wait the full week or two for a reveal"
"Okay" Jordan said with a shrug.
A short time later they set up the video call. They waited for the others to arrive talking about whatever came to mind. Soon everyone was there and the meeting began. Marinette quickly explained that the meeting with Agreste had not been productive and gave some alternative suggestions. The meeting took almost two hours. When they were done they made arrangements for the next meeting and signed off. Marinette leaned back on her bed with a groan. Jordan followed suit. They stayed that way for several minutes before Jordan sat up and jumped up. He pulled Marinette up.
"Come on the sooner you get the talk with your parents over the sooner we are free for the night" he teased
"Speak for yourself I have homework" Marinette groaned as she followed him downstairs. They found her parents sitting on the couch. Marinette plopped down and waited for Jordan to sit. Her parents smiled as they saw them. "Okay what's the deal with Tiny?" Marinette looked at Jordan and he rolled his eyes and launched into the background before letting Marinette explain the rest. Half an hour later Marinette was dragging herself upstairs to work on her homework. She was glaring at her physics assignment when Jordan popped his head in.
"There is someone here to see you Mari," he said. Her eyes shot up to look at him. She saw the serious look and jumped up.
"Who" she asked headed for the door
"Adrien and Master Fu"
"Huh" Marinette smiled. Jordan watched in confusion as she walked downstairs.
"Adrien, Master Fu," Marinette greeted, "what can I do for you?"
"So I was right" Adrien smiled
"So Kitty when did you figure it out" Marinette asked
"Tonight" he said, " although I suspected it since before the multimouse incident. How long have you known I am Chat Noir?"
"Since the meeting I announced I had been chosen as the next guardian"
"Really," he laughed, "what gave me away"
"I had told Adrien I was excited not Chat Noir," she said, "so what tipped you off tonight"
"I finished patrol and was looking at the locator app on my staff. I noticed a history tab and opened it. I was looking at Ladybug's last location. It has her here. So I compared the pictures of her to pictures of you and I couldn't help but notice the similarities"
"Yeah felt the same way when I figured it out" Marinette smiled
"Well M'lady I have one other question," he smirked, "was Luka the guy you kept turning me down for?"
He was shocked when she burst out laughing. "You are never going to believe me"
"Try me"
"Actually it was you at first"
"Me?" He asked astounded, "wait I got turned down for myself...that is sad"
"So now what Kitty" Marinette smiled
"Well I suppose no reason for a private reveal tomorrow," he shrugged, "but maybe you should tell Luka before everyone else"
"You should tell Kagami also" she said
"Good idea," he smiled, "so does Jordan know?"
"From the beginning," Marinette grinned, "his mom and friends too. They are all miraculous holders too"
"That's awesome we'll have to get together for a race sometime" he said
"Master Fu was there anything you needed to add"
"No Marinette I believe you and Adrien have said all that needs to be said tonight" Master Fu smiled, "just remember to protect each other and your identities"
"Always" they said