Once again more and more, eh? Sorry for taking so long, my class work has been a little stressful. The end of this is a cliff hanger btw, so be aware of that fact before you start reading. This chapter includes puns, good news and... intense encounters.=^-^=
Ch. 26 - Unexpected Chat
It took her a week. An entire week to finally give him the information about Marinette Bassett that he'd requested. A week to give him this half assed look into who her husband was! Nathalie was nothing if not thorough, and while that was true of her information on Marinette and the other members of her family, Aaron had only barely covered a page. It was the kind of biography you'd expect from a student who really didn't want to do a lot of writing.
The level of information regarding his early life was only a few sentences before going into his first job which was at his in-law's bakery. That much he had already gotten from Mrs. Bassett. He had half a mind to call Nathalie in here and demand an explanation regarding this shoddy work. He reached for the call button on his phone but paused before he could press it. "No… It's not like Nathalie to do so poorly." There must've been a reason. He looked back down at the paper. Even a lack of information can be telling and the lack of information in this paper is saying that not much was known before Aaron Bassett got his first job five years ago. As a matter of fact, he was hired not even a month after Adrien ran away.
When he first saw the man in those photos Marinette brought up he had instant flashbacks of his son's face. It was disorienting though the feeling only lasted a moment. After that he'd noted several distinct differences that had him questioning the sudden thought and he didn't want to cause alarm during an interview. Flipping through the papers he brought out the included pictures to compare them again. He had a picture from Adrien's last photo shoot, and the one provided in the report of Aaron Bassett. He even had out a current picture of Felix due to the boy's uncanny similarities. Comparing the obvious features they would look related but not the same. To begin with, Aaron had obsidian black hair and was obviously bulkier than either Adrien or Felix. In the case of both, the differences can be explained from his work at a bakery and simple hair dye. Looking past those, and the similarities became eerie.
"But… That would mean Adrien has been here the whole time. That's impossible." Not with how extensively he'd searched all those years. He'd had Nathalie devote dozens of private detectives, all very well paid for their silence, and even had her out looking as well in any place he would likely go. "I refuse to believe she would…" That's when it hit him. Did Nathalie actually know? She had been the first to voice the idea of stopping the search. That if Adrien really didn't want to be found we should let him be. He will even admit to almost agreeing on a few occasions, but the idea was quickly dismissed. Nathalie had also been strangely apprehensive regarding the background check and taking a week to show such results?
The designer moved to his tablet to pull up the security footage from the previous week. It was exasperating when he watched it through the first time without a decent shot of his face. Aaron never once looked up enough for the camera, despite being recorded on 7 different ones across the building. It gave the distinct vibe that he knew where they were already. Listening to his voice there was a distinct difference between what he remembered of Adrien's but he couldn't quite put his finger on that either. Five years, however, means many things could change. The biggest problem with his theory was that if Adrien was indeed trying to keep himself hidden away, then why would he walk right into a Gabriel run studio? Better yet, he was married to a designer of all things and she worked for the father he had been trying to get away from!? Adrien was smart enough to know he would get caught at some point. Then again, if this Aaron Bassett really was a perfect stranger, he would have no problems walking right in and letting his wife work there.
He sat back in his chair to think. "I need something irrefutable to prove this man is Adrien or a stranger…" He then glanced back to the security video still playing and transitioning to Aaron carrying his wife out of the building like a thug. He had his hand on the door as he was moving to close it since at the angle he was standing he couldn't reach the door knob. He then moved that same hand to rest on his wife's calf leaving a slight white smudge in his wake. Aaron had a fair amount of flour in various parts of his clothes no doubt from the bakery. He only hoped the cleaning staff got rid of it all since flour was the last thing he wanted messing up the studios. "But… Perhaps it is useful after all?" Gabriel brought up his calling list to contact one of the investigators he still had looking into Adrien's whereabouts. While he would normally have Nathalie work on this, he didn't want to take the chance it was ruined if she indeed knew all along.
Alya watched her husband with a calculated expression as he listened to a mix he was working on. They only had a two bedroom place so the second room acted as a shared workspace. It was lunch hour and Alya would often come home to eat or work from home directly depending on the work she was doing. She'd run into a dead end with her latest lead and had decided to work from home the rest of the day when Nino walked in to start setting up his new material for the club he worked at. It had only occurred to her the previous night that she should ask Nino about Aaron. They'd been instant best friends after they met at Marinette's years ago and he had to know something regarding his mysterious past.
By the time he had come home to be asked, she'd changed her mind, however. It occurred to her by then that maybe Nino was fully aware of who Aaron actually was this whole time, and it made perfect sense. She remembered how down he had been during those few months of Adrien ghosting even him, but it melted away as soon as he started hanging out with Aaron; almost like Aaron was replacing Adrien. It also made sense considering how Aaron was when they first met. Marinette mentioned how sheltered he acted and mentioned more than a few amusing conversations regarding what should be common sense. Adrien had been so sheltered it was painful to watch. The longer she thought about it, the more it had to be true, but she needed proof if she was going to prove it. Proof, that she could pry out of Nino if she tried, but considering how well he kept it close to the vest so far… Well, maybe she'd make that her back up plan.
"Hey, babe, if you're working from home today does that mean you're cooking up something special?" Nino suddenly asked catching his wife off guard.
When she came home early to work it was very common for her to cook something more elaborate like one of her mother's recipes. "I uh… Haven't decided."
"I'd be more than happy to go and pick up anything you need for something really good." He rubbed his stomach with a smile that just begged for her to go the distance.
"While you have indeed mastered the art of going out for errands, Nino, you might want to take a note from Aaron's book and learn a little something more than boiling water."
Nino's expression went to a pout at her remark. "But, babe, why? You cook so good!"
Alya rolled her eyes. "There are already days when I can't cook for you because of our jobs, and you need to be able to support yourself on more than instant noodles or frozen dinners." She stood up despite her point. "I mean just think about Aaron. He was crazy sheltered and now he's almost as good as Marinette. You've got the potential within you." The DJ leaned on his hand still looking like a little kid without a toy. "But, I do enjoy cooking for you so be grateful."
He quickly perked up and moved around his table to bow at her feet. "My dear goddess, there is nothing above you not even the stars!" The journalist rolled her eyes and walked from their shared office space towards the kitchen to decide what she would make. Nino stood up watching her with a very content smirk. He knew back in college that Alya was the girl for him, and even if he was actually able to cook more than she thought, he loved it when she cooked more. It really wasn't just the fact she was the daughter of a chef either, but he would be lying if that wasn't a little part of what made her food the best. The man chuckled as he pushed that selfish little thought to the back of his mind and turned back to his desk. He'd been distracted and knocked into a folder by Alya's desk in the process. "Woops…"
"Babe, you better not be messing with my stuff!"
"I knocked something down, sorry. I'll put it back!" He yelled back as he scrambled to do so. He straightened the papers and set them down. That's when he noticed the article she had open on her laptop. He already knew she was doing an article regarding Adrien Agreste and his personality shift. She'd mentioned how crazy it was and was planning to try and use it to shine a light on Gabriel Agreste's personal issues. That was a story he was fine with, and given Gabriel's connections, he didn't expect it to go very far, but now something else was sharing the screen with the article. For whatever reason, she had a file up on Felix Graham de Vanilli, Adrien's cousin. It had a list of sightings here in Paris, and dates for the past five years. Why would she be looking up Felix in relation to Adrien? A character witness? Or… Nino quickly stepped away from the computer when he heard his wife approach back to the room.
"Hey, Nino, if you go and pick me up some fresh ground beef and asparagus, I'll… Are you okay?" She noted a strange look on his face.
"Oh, yeah, Als, I'm fine. I was listening to a part of my mix and realized it just didn't sound right. You can make me a list and I'll go anywhere you want to pick it up."
"Good, you'll need to get it by 3 if you want me to cook for dinner alright?" She stepped back out of the room and Nino pulled out his phone to text Adrien. He needed to give the guy a heads up even if he wasn't sure Alya was really onto him.
"Are you ready?" Aaron asked with a teasing tone while his wife stood with her eyes closed trying not to roll them.
"Just let me see, Aaron, I want to actually eat before my lunch hour is over." Adrien had told her she needed to come home for lunch today so he could show off the crib he had bought, with her input of course, and put together with a few little details.
"Okay, open your eyes!" He was standing behind the dark wood crib that now had a nameplate for Luis, mobile hanging over with a miraculous theme, and a group of plush toys inside. "Ta-dah!"
Marinette instantly beamed at the sight. "Oh my gosh! We just bought this yesterday and you already put it together?"
"Of course, and added a few touches." He adjusted the mobile with the cutesy little miraculous heroes hanging from it.
She looked over the crib and saw it already had sheets and a pillow as well as a stuffed… "Aaron… What the heck is this?" She reached down to pull the strangest stuffed animal out from beside the more standard animals. It had looked like a big ladybug until it obviously wasn't.
"Oh that." Aaron smirked as he pointed to it. "That, milady, is catbug."
Her expression quickly turned to exasperation at the name. "Catbug?"
"Yup, a cat ladybug. Perfect, right?"
She looked at the little plushy only grateful it was cute, but still reeling from the terrible unforeseen pun. "I should have seen this coming… I really should have. I should have googled for possible pun pairings and I would have been prepared."
"For catbug!" Her husband declared proudly while holding up a little romper.
Marinette turned to him and groaned at what she saw. It had the same character on it with the words 'I'm Catbug' written below. "Judging by how it looks, this is some weird American show, right?" Her husband did have a penchant for foreign TV shows especially anime though he didn't go as crazy as some.
"Yeah, but I didn't really watch it. I found this at that new collectables store at the mall and knew it was the absolute perfect thing."
"Of course you did…" The designer groaned again before taking a deep breath. "Okay… Catbug can stay, but please no more? I know you love your puns, but I'd rather Luis discover his own sense of humor." Aaron pouted as he lowered his arms. "But," She started as she leaned on him affectionately. "You can still get actual cat related things. I'd just rather not have to explain more than one odd American reference to my parents or anyone else."
"I suppose you already said to go easy on the cat puns…" He admitted knowing he had at least a dozen other cat related ideas.
"I did, but I know how much my kitty likes to show his affection with puns. Just remember, other people will probably see the room, alright?" She gave him a kiss and moved to set the odd stuffed creature down. "Now, back to lunch, what did you make for us?"
Aaron set the romper over the side of the crib. "I made a couple of calzones, and-" He was cut off with a sudden text from Nino.
"Sounds yummy! Are they on the stove?... Aaron?"
"Yeah, I'll be in there in just a sec. Go ahead and start without me." He pulled up his messages to read what Nino had sent him as soon as he noted the subject. Alya was looking into Felix?
It certainly felt like a July morning as Marinette arrived at the studio running just a little behind as per usual. When she arrived into the room with the other designers they were already in a buzz about something and it didn't feel like Haute Couture week that was coming up. "Mari!"
Cyrano called as soon as he saw her. "Hey, Cyrano. What's going on in here? Did Stephen post the selections for who's work will be put in the show?" Gabriel tended to keep that close to the vest until the week before to prevent information leaks.
"Even better."
"Gabriel is going to announce who the new senior designer is!" Frankie blurted out excited out of her mind.
"Really!?" It had been a few weeks since she had the interview and the rest of the designers hadn't said a single thing about the position.
"Yeah, Stephen told me when I dropped off his coffee that all the junior designers are going to be called into a meeting at 10 for Gabriel's big announcement."
"We're currently betting on who got the job." Jerome added as he, like usual, started taking bets on the divider by his desk. "Odds on favorite is Cyrano, but you're pretty close Marinette."
Cyrano shrugged at the news when the woman turned to him. "Honestly, I think it's only because your pregnant, Marinette. To be honest, I think you're the one who got it." Even if it was harder to admit then he wanted it to be. He could feel it in his interview that Mr. Agreste didn't seem overly invested, and when Marinette mentioned the questions she was asked, it made him realize her interview was a lot more comprehensive. Mr. Agreste probably had someone in mind before the interviews anyway.
"Don't say that, Cyrano, if Mr. Agreste picks you it's because you earned it. Remember what Stephen said? Mr. Agreste values talent above pretty much everything."
"All the more reason you should be the one chosen. I'm not too proud to admit you're work often makes me realize when I'm lacking." Marinette blushed at the compliment. "Speaking of which, is that a new top?" He pointed to the light pink flowy shirt she was wearing that was especially loose near the bottom.
"Yes, just a little something…"
"Ah, because you started showing?" Though it was a bit of a stretch too. The baby bump was still so slight it would've gone without notice if not for the ladies in the room insisting on keeping it measured weekly.
"Sort of…" Stephen arrived shortly after her and pulled everyone to start working since the meeting wasn't for another 40 minutes, but it wasn't unreasonable that basically nothing got done with the excitement still bubbling in the room.
There was a hush as a few dozen designers waited in the meeting room when Nathalie arrived. She would often be followed by Gabriel Agreste and no one wanted to miss a word, or deal with his wrath by interrupting him. Gabriel Agreste walked in just as expected and it felt like it somehow grew more quiet. The intimidating man set down his tablet and took his seat at the head of the conference table. As soon as he did so, all of his senior design team took their seats as well. Nathalie whispered something in his ear before he began to speak knowing he had the entire room's attention. "As you know, Haute Couture week is nearly here. After this meeting is over all junior designers will be given their assignments for next week, and if your submission was accepted, you will need to work out how it will be developed by noon tomorrow. Each of my senior design team will be given two models to work with as per usual and the junior design team is to facilitate any accommodations requested by the models while otherwise unoccupied by an assignment. Finding models this time of year is difficult, do not make it more so." He emphasized with a near glare that pierced the room.
"I will also be bringing back the ban on social media posts by all members of the design team for the next two weeks. I do not care if your life depends on a post, your job depends on your self control." He gestured to Nathalie.
"I will be sending out a short document regarding social media etiquette to all senior designers to go over with their teams."
"Now then, I'm sure all of you have been very eager to hear who was selected to join my Senior Design Team." Though it wasn't a question since Gabriel could tell that's what had everyone even quieter than normal. It wasn't always that he could hear a pin drop before walking into a meeting. "Now, while this personnel change will not be official until after Haute Couture week has concluded, I will be having them start adjusting to the role starting today for the sake of time due to a future issue most if not all of you are already aware of." He gestured. "That being said, Marinette Bassett, please join us at the table for the rest of the meeting. For all others please go back to your studios and start on the assignments you were sent this morning."
Gabriel's smile was ever so slight for the briefest of moments as the very speechless Marinette received whispers of congratulations and praise. She sat down as everyone else shuffled out not really sure exactly what just happened. There were a few congratulations given from the senior designers before Gabriel cleared his throat. "Now then, let's get started, shall we? Katrina, you were working on the walking order?"
The woman stood and used her tablet to screen cast to the digital screen behind Gabriel. "Yes, I have three different layouts, but I'm favoring this one and would like to hear everyone's feedback before the model assignments are made."
When the young designer finally got back to her studio work area with Stephen right beside her, she was greeted as one would be expected; with cheers and applause. If there was one thing Stephen found redeeming about Gabriel's attitude, it was the man's intolerance for in house squabbling. As a result, the environment in the Gabriel fashion house, while having some tense interactions, was largely non-competitive. Mr. Agreste wanted all of his designers to give their best work and only their best work. Stealing, lying, and sabotaging another designer's work was not tolerated and met with extreme consequences.
This coupled with the moderately free work environment gave almost the entire design team a more cohesive work relationship. Designers would generally compete to have their work shown, but no amount of bribery or favors would make Gabriel choose what he didn't like. That remained true for all of his Senior design staff or they would have never been selected at all. All of this was what made Stephen happy, more or less, to work for the cold man for close to 10 years. His name was very relevant even without Gabriel's being attached to it, and he had a good chance of making it big if he had decided to break out of his own some years ago. He stayed, however, because he respected Gabriel's policies, though only the professional ones. He still found the issue regarding Felix distasteful, but since he knew Adrien was happy, he would deal with it.
"Congratulations, Marinette!" Frankie just about yelled while taking her co-worker into a hug.
"You're officially a super star now!" Cyrano agreed as Jerome took his shoulder.
"Let's toss her up!" The darker man cried looking very excited. Marinette paled at the idea of being tossed up in a crowd though she didn't have to worry much.
"Are you insane!? She's pregnant!" Sera scolded with Frankie joining her and glaring at the man.
"Oh… Well… She's so small it would be easy to keep her from falling." The darker man tried to argue before backing up to stand behind his co-worker to defend from the glares he was getting.
"Worry not, ladies, I think he gets the message." Cyrano then gestured to the table they pulled up earlier with glasses all around it. "But, let's have that toast before Stephen forces us back to work?" He guided the new senior designer over with everyone else following. "From what I've heard, it's not every day someone gets a promotion like this after only a year."
"Very true." Stephen agreed as he took one of the clear plastic cups with what appeared to be wine.
Cyrano handed one to Marinette as everyone else took their own. "W-what? Hold on, I can't-"
"Relax, Mari, yours is juice." He assured with a chuckle before raising his cup. "To the woman who most earned it!" Everyone else agreed before they drank along with him. A few minutes later, after more congratulations and small talk, Stephen broke the whole thing up to get everyone back to work. Even with something like this to celebrate, Haute Couture week was coming up and there was plenty more work to get done.
Right as Marinette arrived at the bus stop down the street from the studio she was greeted by a very sudden arrival. "M-Mr. Agreste?"
Gabriel Agreste, in a car to match his wealth, pulled up and rolled down the window. "Yes. Mrs. Bassett. I was hoping to catch you before you left, but Stephen told me you had arranged to leave early today?"
"Y-yes, sir. I've been trying to get home early at least once a week. My husband has been getting on me for working so much… B-but I do finish all of my work even if I do it at home." She tried to add in not wanting to sound lazy or unmotivated after getting a big promotion.
Gabriel waved it off. "It's perfectly alright. I understand your situation, Mrs. Bassett, or Marinette? I do generally refer to my Senior Design staff by their first names."
"I don't mind at all." She was only too ready to assure still looking a bit nervous.
"Well then, Marinette, why don't I give you a ride home. I wanted to meet your husband in person. I make it a point to know the personal relationships of my senior staff; for work as I stated before." He explained with it only being mostly true. He had, in fact, only done this once before and it was because he was investigating an information leak.
"I uh… I suppose that would be very helpful." Though she still looked uncertain. Gabriel gave a slight smile before opening the door himself, stepping out and allowing her to slide in first.
Even while sitting in a car casually, Gabriel Agreste gave off an aura of authority, and Marinette couldn't really help being intimidated by it. She was an employee, after all, and it was hard to imagine her boss as anything but an insurmountable wall; a feeling she was sure most anyone who met the man shared. It took all of her Ladybug confidence to look him in the eye when he finally addressed her again. "Marinette, you've been in my company for just over a year. I would like your honest opinion on the following question."
"Yes, sir."
"This means you should not be wary of insulting me or anyone else." Gabriel clarified with a pointed tone. It was important for his senior designers to use their voices, and while he didn't like being disagreed with, he also knew his opinion alone didn't rule the fashion world. It was the function of his senior design team to fill in those spaces where he could not, though he maintained final say in everything.
"I understand, sir. I'll do my best."
He nodded before placing his fingers together in his lap. "As someone who has no doubt taken note of my company for the last several years," As any aspiring designer would. "How do you feel about its current direction and its relevance to the future of the fashion industry?"
The ravenette furrowed her brow at the question. "I'm uh… Not quite sure what you mean? Do I think the company has a stable future? I do."
"Not just that. I want to know where you think Gabriel Fashion will be down the line. How will it stand on the world fashion stage?" In other words, he wasn't just asking if the company would still exist some years in the future, he was asking if it would be able to maintain itself as a major fashion icon.
That was really hard to say for the young designer. She knew the company was still doing well, and wouldn't have wanted to join if she didn't think she could be successful here, but who knew what tomorrow would bring? With a resolute breath she channeled her inner ladybug for a question of her own. "You're asking for my unfiltered opinion to say anything I think will appropriately answer your question? Does that extend to any opinion I reference from someone else?"
Gabriel raised a slight brow before nodding. "I will not hold anything against a person you mention if it is beneficial to the answer."
"Okay, well… In terms of the company itself, I think it has a very strong organizational foundation. If I'm being honest, when I joined I thought I'd be doing a lot of grunt work as a junior designer, but I'm actually able to do my own work at my own desk despite being a relatively new hire. Even with my bad tendency to work extended hours, I never feel like the work I do is tedious or that my talents aren't being recognized."
It was a shock to find out only two weeks into her employ that all junior designers get a space allotted to them under the direction of one of the senior design staff. She'd been expecting to be turned into a glorified intern or a gofer who could try and push their work between errands. While Stephen had her and Frankie doing errands and odd jobs, they always had plenty of time to pursue their own work so long as it was in line with the work they were asked or after they completed their required projects. "I once asked Stephen why he continued to work here for so long even though he was so talented and his name was recognized pretty widely in the fashion community. He could have broken out on his own successfully." Though maybe not to Gabriel's level, but he wouldn't have many worries so long as he wasn't targeted by the competition. "What he told me surprised me at the time, but it made sense the longer I worked here." She blushed though her expression showed she was more worried than embarrassed. "He uh…" She trailed off a bit.
When the silence remained Gabriel gestured for her to continue. "I assume Stephen said something to criticize me? Go on, I will not hold it against him." Stephen certainly wouldn't be alone in that department.
"Y-yes, of course… Well, to be frank he said that personally you were crude man with few redeeming qualities." Had it not been for his years of experience, Gabriel's expression would have fallen to bewilderment. While he knew Stephen's opinion of him was complex, he didn't think it would be so… blatantly negative… "But," Marinette started again at noting a slight shift in her boss' expression. "Professionally, he told me that you had few equals. He greatly admired how you cultivated freedom of design. To most outsiders it would look like you ruled the company like a tyrant, but in acting the way you do, all the designers under you are a more cohesive team. The hierarchy is so direct that any attempt to stand out in any other way but by your own effort is almost pointless."
Oddly enough, Gabriel couldn't resist the slight smirk that rose to his face. "So in other words, Stephen sticks around because he's comfortable in his own work under me."
"Yes." She immediately answered. Most hearing that about someone they are on good terms with would be angry, but Marinette understood what Gabriel meant. "As a matter of fact, he greatly admires you professionally. His exact words at the time were, 'Why would I go out on my own when I'm already happy where I am? If I did, I'd only want to copy Gabriel's model down to the smallest detail.' At the time… Well, it was odd."
"Odd?" The older man questioned. What was odd if Stephen liked the way he did business?
"Well, yeah. Most designers want to be their own big name eventually but I don't know of anyone who left your company to make it big. I'd initially thought it was because you were so…" She paused for a moment to choose her words carefully. "Intimidating and a serious control freak, but I realized it never happened because your designers liked working under you."
Being called a control freak in any other situation would have made him seethe and most likely fire the one who said it, but at the moment he was accepting the criticism for what it was. He looked over his newest senior designer in intrigue. His initial opinion of her was that she was extremely talented and had an amicable approach to working with others; invaluable assets to his design team. Now, though, she had another quality he appreciated. She was bold. He had promoted her not even one day ago, and already she was able to speak frankly with him. This was a test he put all of his senior design staff through, but none so far had the courage to be so direct with him so quickly. Even Stephen took several weeks to reach this level. It was a secret quality he desired in his staff since, after all, fashion was built on bold ideas. "Marinette."
She flinched at his sudden address. He'd been quiet for several minutes which had made her uneasy. "Y-yes?"
He waved his hand to quell her nerves. "Relax, I'm not angry. You only did what I asked." He saw her shoulders fall a bit but she was obviously still a little uneasy. "You've addressed that the company as it is now, is good, but how about a decade or so down the line?" Perhaps closer to his own retirement.
"In ten years?" She thought a moment. "I don't really see any problems aside from the obvious one of maintaining trends and then there's Adrien."
"Adrien?"
She nodded. "Well, most models don't stay on very long, and Adrien is the face of the brand right? As he ages, so will the consumers."
"Indeed, though it is a problem I'm attempting to address." Though he hadn't had a serious solution yet. He'd built Adrien up to be the face of the company so he could eventually turn it over to him. There was still no way in hell he would give it to Felix. "Would you have a suggestion regarding a solution?" He asked before he let his mind spiral back to that problem.
"Oh um…" She wracked her brain. It wasn't something she'd thought about too much, but she'd noticed it around spring fashion week. So many of the models were younger than him. "Well, you'd first want to scout a replacement, right? Of course it couldn't be anyone established. You'd need someone brand new so that they would only be associated with your brand. It will be pretty hard, but it has advantages. Considering that they will be an icon, they have a longer shelf life in modeling."
"Meaning they will model longer than normal, I imagine?"
"Yes, because they will be tailored to your brand. They wouldn't need to be able to meet a wide variety of styles or worry about their appearance as much as a typical model. Their name would be associated with you so it could back them up."
"So you mean their reputation wouldn't just be their looks, but their association?"
"Exactly. Most models only have their own appearance and efforts to keep them going. At the same time, though it might be difficult to find someone to fill that role. The model would realize pretty quickly that being your icon would make it nearly impossible to work for anyone else." Like when a movie star plays a lead role in a series of movies. After that, people keep seeing that character and it's hard for them to be seen in other roles.
"Your solution warrants serious consideration, Marinette." Under his cool façade, he was genuinely impressed with her level of thought. He hadn't considered how much longer a model serving as his icon could last. "And with those details in mind, how long do you suppose Adrien could effectively serve as the face of the brand?"
"U-uh…" She flustered a bit. She was just told to put an expiration date on her boss's son and someone she knew! "I suppose that would depend… Um… If he got married, then I'd say 27, but if he stays single then he could last until 35. Then again it could be longer or shorter depending on how he ages and um…" She shook her head to get rid of the nerves. "If I had to determine an age right now, I'd say you should have someone prepared to replace him before he turns 30."
With how serious she suddenly sounded he took that as her true answer. Considering what she told him minutes ago, it made sense, and it also gave him something he was worried he didn't have enough of; time. If this indeed turned out to be viable, he'd be able to work out a solution with a more long-term goal in mind. "I see, so in the future, should I move forward with this project, I at least know I'll have someone to assign to it without having to explain it to them." And with that Marinette realized she'd just gotten herself assigned to her first big project as a senior designer.
The rest of the ride was quiet since Gabriel didn't ask any more questions and Marinette was busy thinking over how she'd just basically volunteered for something so important on her first day as a senior designer. As her mind catastrophized over what would happen, they arrived at her apartment and the door opened. "Miss?" The driver asked as he held the door waiting for Marinette to notice.
She snapped out of her thoughts and glanced to the large man and then to her employer. "Oh… yes, sorry. I was um…" She didn't finish and simply got up and out hoping Gabriel didn't think she was a scatter brain. She situated her bag and approached the doors to the complex with her posture overly straight as she walked. Gabriel followed her quietly while the driver left the front to find a spot to wait for his boss to come back. "I um… It's not really a fancy place so…" Marinette held up her key card to the door. Renters received those so they wouldn't need to call the service desk to let them in. Anyone coming to visit a tenant needed to call the service desk or if they had the call extension of who they were visiting they could simply call up to the apartment to be let in.
"Good afternoon, Mari." Lamar, a young man employed by the building owners, waved to her.
"Good afternoon, Lamar." He then went back to work and didn't seem to take any real notice of her guest. Gabriel followed her into the elevator while taking in his surroundings. It was as he expected so far; very quaint. Not something he would want to spend extensive time in, but it showed Marinette had most likely lived comfortably. The ride was short lived as they got off on the second floor and she scrambled for her keys. Once she got the door open they were greeted by a rather delectable smell of something cooking. "Aaron?" She called while he inspected the entrance area.
"Mari? Is that you?" A tall ravenette peeked out from the kitchen with a broad grin. "You're home earlier than I thought. Did you catch an early bus?" He checked the clock as he walked out to her with a grin that never faltered.
"No, but I did get a ride fro-"
He picked her up before she even finished her response. "Well, regardless, I'm glad your home. After all, we have something big to celebrate!" He twirled her around one time before setting her down and hugging her gently.
"Wait, how do you know?" She asked feeling suddenly flustered.
"Cyrano gave me a heads up. He said I'd want to prepare a special meal to celebrate a surprise. I figured that meant you got that promotion you were after?"
She nodded with a blush. "I-I did…"
He saw her expression falter. "Don't worry, Mari, I didn't tell anyone else."
"Thank you but… Um, about the promotion?" She glanced back to her guest now kicking herself for not having the forethought to text her husband a warning at least. In her defense though, she was stuck in a car with Gabriel Agreste.
Aaron's eyes followed where she was looking and they instantly widened. "Gabriel Agreste…"
"Yes, he… Well, because of the promotion he wanted to meet you since he likes to understand his senior staff…" She couldn't remember the whole explanation, but at this point she just hoped Aaron wouldn't be angry at the sudden visit.
Gabriel watched as the familiar young man before him suddenly switched his entire posture from casual to protective. He placed the hand he hand on hers over her shoulder and stood slightly in front of her. "Good evening, Mr. Bassett." Considering the atmosphere, he opted not to try for a friendly handshake; he hated those anyway.
"Good evening." He heard back in an obviously tense tone of voice. It was expected though, all things considered. After all, Gabriel had no doubt in his mind that the young man before him was his son Adrien, and Adrien no doubt knew he'd been found.
Yeah, I know this was an evil cliff hanger but it has been awhile so let me have my fun. What starts as a good time quickly went tense, no? I wonder how this is going to play out... LOL, you will never guess.=^-^=
