She wanted to say that it wasn't that bad, but that would have been a lie. Her nose looked horrible even after she had cleaned everything up. The cut on her cheek would take some time to heal, and she knew she had to come up with some excuse for any person asking about it.

Even if it looked bad, she was sure she could fix most of it with some, or maybe a lot of makeup. She knew how to use it and cover almost anything, so that wasn't really a challenge for her. The only thing that seemed to be impossible to hide was the swollen parts on her face.

She had ordered a lot of ice up to her room ever since she woke up, enough that the people working down in the kitchen would start to wonder what she was doing with it. But it was ice and it eventually melted? She just hoped they wouldn't notify her father about it.

She was lying down on her bed with her fifth icepack since she woke up when she heard her phone ringing. When she didn't make any effort to answer it the kwami, who had been quite silent since the evening before, decided to break the silence.

"Do you want me to answer it for you?" Pollen asked.

"Yes, thank you." Chloé said.

She didn't know who would be calling her. She would call her sister later that day and she doubted Marinette would make another early call, especially on a Saturday.

"You couldn't have answered faster? Don't you know how much I hate waiting?"

The moment Chloé heard her mother's voice fill the perfect silence inside her room she sat up and dropped the icepack. Her gaze fell on Pollen who seemed just as shooked as Chloé over hearing her mother's voice.

"Well, aren't you at least going to say hello to me?" Audrey asked.

Chloé reached for her phone and was about to cancel the call when her mother's voice yet again filled the room with sound.

"Your father's lawyers are making a good job trying to get back the money you stole from me. But they are never going to succeed. I do have an option for you if you are in a need of money."

"I don't need your help." Chloé said through gritted teeth.

"Of course you do. Who are even going to hire you? Are you going to work at your father's hotel again? That's no work for my daughter. That's why I'm offering you another chance at Style Queen. I want you to come back to New York and work for me again. I will even forgive you for your previous behaviour."

"What?" Chloé said.

"You didn't lose your hearing when you got back to Paris? I'm not going to repeat myself." Audrey said.

"I don't regret leaving New York." Chloé told her mother.

"You have nothing in Paris. You are nothing in Paris. No one wants anything to do with you there. Isn't that why you are staying at your father's hotel and barely goes out?"

Chloé had a lot of things to tell her mother but when she tried to speak it was as if she wasn't able to say anything. She did not know until now how much her mother's words really affected her even if her mother's words were untrue. She had a lot here in Paris and she had nothing in New York.

"I want to know when you are coming back, so I can arrange everything." Audrey said and sounded as if the silence Chloé gave her was a yes in her ears.

Chloé ended the call and was about to throw her phone away when she realised she couldn't do that. It would break, and she'd have to use a phone with a cracked screen or go to her father again and beg for money, something that would cause her stepmother to be even more suspicious of her.

She put away her phone and stood up.

"I'm sorry. I should have checked before answering." Pollen said in an apologetic voice.

"It's not your fault Pollen."

Chloé walked into the bathroom and took a look at her face and cringed when she noticed that it was still swollen. She knew it would be like that for a couple of days and that the icepacks must have done the best they could.

After having looked at her face for a few moments she decided to put on some more makeup and hope for the best. She knew she could come up with great excuses, or at least that was what she wanted to believe.

When she was done, she left the bathroom and took on her purse.

"I'm going down to get something to eat. If I order any more ice up to my room, I'm sure they will reach out to my father and wonder what I'm doing with all the ice." Chloé explained to Pollen.

Pollen nodded before she flew down into Chloé's purse.

Chloé left her room and headed down to the lobby using the elevator that she usually used. When she reached the first floor and left the elevator she didn't get far before someone walked in front of her and blocked her path.

"Excuse me." she said and looked up at the person who stood in front of her. "Adrien?"

"Hi Chloé." Adrien said with his familiar happy smile.

A smile spread on Chloé's lips a moment before Adrien hugged her tightly. It almost felt as if the hug would never end and when it did Chloé felt a little bit disappointed. She didn't know how much she had needed a hug until now.

"When did you get back?" Chloé and Adrien asked each other the same time.

"Earlier this week." they both answered.

They shared a look before they both started laughing. For Chloé it felt as if she finally had one old friend back in her life. But knowing how much Adrien had disappeared these last few years she was sure he wouldn't stay here that long.

"So what have you done this past halfyear?" Chloé asked him when they stopped laughing.

"I have been traveling around the world, looking for things for my father." Adrien explained.

"That sounds amazing. I Wished I could travel the world." Chloé said and noticed that Adrien didn't look that happy about it." You didn't have any time to actually enjoy the places you where at?"

"No." Adrien answered. "I got there and had a certain amount of time to get the thing my father wanted before I had to go to the next place. It wasn't like a vacation. It was work."

"Well, you are back now at least? When are you going away the next time?" Chloé asked.

"Hopefully never."

"So you are staying in Paris?" Chloé asked and didn't hide the fact how hopeful she sounded.

"Yes. I have actually been staying here at your father's hotel this week and probably a few days next week as well. I'm waiting for my apartment to get finished, so I can move in."

"Oh really? That sounds amazing. I wished I could find an apartment as well so I could move out of the hotel. I'm so jealous." Chloé said.

For a moment Adrien just stood there in silence and looked at Chloé as if she had said something that made him think. When the moment had passed a smile shined up at Adrien's lips and made him look like the happiest person Chloé had ever seen.

"Why don't you move in to my apartment as well?" Adrien asked.

"What?"

Chloé waited for Adrien to claim that his suggestion had been a joke, but he never said anything. His smile never vanished and Chloé realised that he had been genuine with his suggestion.

"I can't afford that." Chloé finally said.

"Don't worry about that." Adrien said. "I have always wanted a roommate and I cant ask Nino because he and Alya have finally moved in together. We two have known each other since we were kids. I think you would be a amazing roommate, Chloé."

Chloé didn't know what she was going to say. She didn't want to just stay at someone's place and not do her part in paying for things. But this was also a once in a lifetime option as she knew no one else would ask her to be their roommate. Could she actually say yes? She just knew she didn't want to say no.

"Can I think about it?" she asked.

"Yes, think about it as long as you want. I do hope you say yes, though. It's so lonely here in Paris nowadays." Adrien said.

Something broke inside of Chloé when she heard Adrien's words and the way he said it. It almost sounded as if he was in the same situation as Chloé and knowing how difficult she had it she didn't want that for Adrien. Maybe this was what they both needed.

"You know what? I'm done thinking about it. I'd love to move in to your apartment." Chloé said.

"Really?" Adrien asked and Chloé nodded.

It almost seemed as if Adrien was about to jump out of joy, but the happiness he felt for a moment faded away and left something that seemed like worry. He looked at her with big eyes filled with regret.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

For a second Chloé thought he knew about the thing that man had done to her in the alley, but realised that he couldn't know that unless her make up skills had finally failed her. The other thing that had happened to her was on the roof just a day prior. She had fallen down from the building and been saved just in time. She took a chance that it was that Adrien meant.

"No, I'm not. I was lucky being surrounded by the heroes of Paris."

Adrien nodded and seemed to relax a bit.

"I'm happy you didn't get hurt." he finally said. "I was heading toward the hotel's restaurant. Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes, I would love to." Chloé said and followed Adrien there.

They ate lunch together and had a nice chat. He told her everything about his travels, but left out the work related reasons he was in each country.

Chloé told him about her time in New York and the reason why she returned. She tried to avoid telling Adrien about Zoé, but failed when he noticed that she was on the edge of crying.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Adrien said. "I hope she will get better."

"I hope so too." Chloé said.

When Adrien had noticed that Chloé didn't want to talk more about it he quickly changed the conversation and somehow they ended up talking about their old classmates and what they were doing.

"I heard that Marinette's still an intern at Gabriel's." Chloé said.

"My dad always speaks highly of her. She's got a lot of potential." Adrien said and smiled.

"I'm sure that's true." Chloé agreed.

"Nino is working as a DJ, but I think he tries to get a job at a radio station. He said something about working during the day instead of the nights. That it was more efficient for him." Adrien explained.

"I would want to be free in the evenings as well, so I can understand that reasoning." Chloé said.

They kept talking about their old classmates for a while until they both were done with their food. After that they left the restaurant and walked away in silence, a silence that were broken when they reached the elevators.

"I will reach out to you about where my apartment is and when you can move in." Adrien said.

"Sure." Chloé said and turned to Adrien. "It was nice seeing you."

"It was nice seeing you too." Adrien told her.

They hugged before Chloé entered the elevator and Adrien walked away.

When she came back into her room and took up her phone, she noticed fifteen missed calls from her mother and plenty of texts that she didn't bother to read. Instead, she called her sister.