Sorry its behind, I've been really busy lately.=^-^=

It's gonna get intense and fur will fly. The first scene break in this chapter was actually where the previous chapter was supposed to end, but I cut it for length and stuck it here. I kept the break because it still kind of fit, but they never left Gabriel's office just to clarify.=^-^=

Ch. 31 - Third Time's the Chat


It took close to an hour before Felix and Bridgette were able to join the office discussion. Gabriel used this time to finish his initial meeting with Vincent and Stephen while Marinette and Aaron waited just outside the office with Nathalie at her desk. "You know, Mari, I get it that you really want to help her, but do you think you could have handled this better?" Aaron asked as he rubbed his wife's shoulders while trying to keep himself calm.

"If I didn't come in immediately that would have made everything harder, Aaron." The woman was obviously not budging her point. This was something that was really starting to get to the man. He knew his wife could be stubborn, but she didn't always take the full situation into account. Yesterday she stubbornly joined the akuma fight, and while she kept her distance and the fight ended rather simply, it was the fact she was involved at all that worried him.

Now she was challenging her boss over a coworker with no proof to back up her claims. Gabriel might just steam roll her at this rate. His trauma of all the times his father talked him in circles made the irritation in the back of his mind grow as he thought on it. It was already weird that Gabriel hadn't actually done so already. "Why, though?" He muttered aloud to himself.

"If I had waited then details from the problem would have been forgotten or lost. Plus, just imagine if this got out? Bridgette might not ever be able to find another job in the fashion industry."

"Huh?" Her husband responded to the sudden response.

"What do you mean, huh?" Marinette asked slightly annoyed.

"Uh, no. Not that… I understand, Mari."

She turned to him curiously. "Then why did you ask?"

"I uh… It was more like thinking aloud, sorry." Whether his wife's behavior bothered him or not, he knew now was a terrible time to bring it up. Marinette was on a warpath that surpassed even Ladybug's determination at the moment.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I know I'm being impulsive."

"I definitely could define anything that gets you up this early in the morning as impulsive…" Aaron muttered back only to receive a disapproving pout from his wife. "Not that it's a problem for me, you know? I already wake up early, so…" Marinette turned back away from him and he set his hands back on her shoulders. "I just want you to be careful. I have your back… Even out of the suits, milady." He whispered that last part so Nathalie wouldn't hear. Aaron chuckled at seeing the slight red on what he could see of her face and neck.

"Y-you don't have to follow me!" The couple looked up to find the one everyone was waiting for, Bridgette, walking in with Adrien right behind her looking as bored and disinterested as ever.

"I'm not. I have business with my father too." The blonde countered.

"Is that Adrien?" Marinette asked quietly to herself noting the man's odd choice of clothes. Adrien wasn't usually one to dress very formally outside a requirement. Though his face and hair were fine, the outfit actually had her feeling like someone else was there.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked curious why she would be unsure. She'd seen him dozens of time by now, so why would she be questioning it at this point?

"It's his clothes…"

"Ah, Marinette!" Bridgette, flustered at the man behind her, took note of her friend and immediately changed focus. "I-I was told you were the reason they called for me?"

Marinette stood up and nodded. "Yes, I honestly find the whole situation ridiculous."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Bassett, please refrain from discussing the subject of the meeting until all parties are present." Nathalie warned with a professional tone. "You stated having an unbiased account from Ms. Covington would be best, did you not?" Which meant she didn't want them colluding into a story before Mr. Agreste could interrogate her basically.

"Right…" Marinette sighed losing a bit of her muster. "Well, the meeting should be getting close to the end by now."

Felix clicked his tongue. "He orders me to come in immediately and then makes me wait. Typical."

"Actually, why were you told to come in?" Marinette asked making her husband flinch for some odd reason.

"Probably to complain about where I was all night." Felix snapped not really caring one way or another. Bridgette instantly blushed giving the secret heroes all they needed to realize what was going on.

"Oh my god! Did he stay at your place last night?!" Marinette almost screamed like an excited school girl.

"Absolutely nothing happened!" Bridgette blurted back red as a tomato.

The designer put on a sly grin. "Nothing, huh? Except Adrien going to your apartment and staying the night? Is that why he answered your phone earlier?"

"He was not supposed to be in my room still." The photographer insisted glancing back at the model who was looking at his phone with indifference.

"So he was in your room?" Marinette directed earning a slight squeak from the other girl.

"Believe me, no one regrets answering the phone more than me." He was internally kicking himself for not looking at it better and realizing it wasn't his own. "Then again, your bed is terrible so it was probably good I got up."

Bridgette went an even darker shade of crimson at his very misleading words. "He was in your bed was he? Are you guys," Marinette trailed off and held up two crossed fingers for Bridgette to see.

"No! He did that on his own!" She held up her own arms in an X formation. "Don't listen to him. He's trying to make it sound like something its not!"

"You're the only one making them think things by getting so worked up." The model pointed out glancing over to the door impatiently.

"I'm not the one adding details like how you snuck into my bed last night without saying anything and still had the gall to sleep half naked!" Bridgette, of course, slipped to English hoping to keep the conversation private.

Felix chuckled with a slight mischievous tone. "Oh, now who is telling them extra details? Just so you are aware, both of them are fluent in English." He then pat her on the head condescendingly before walking over to ask Nathalie about the time.

Bridgette looked like she was getting ready to leap out the nearest window as she slowly glanced back at Marinette and Aaron who were glancing away with red cheeks. "S-so… You both know English?"

"I uh… Took it in Lycee…" Marinette admitted playing with her fingers.

"Home tutor, but I'll do you a favor and change the subject. You sounded like a native English speaker, so where are you from?"

Bridgette fidgeted with her hands as she tried to go along with the subject. "I'm uh… From Oxford, England. That's where I was b-"

"So Ms. Covington has arrived?" Gabriel interrupted quite loudly while addressing his supposed son with a near snarl. Aaron found their interaction to be more sever then he was expecting. Felix made it sound like he had things handled, but if this is how his father was, 'handled' might not be the right word for it. "All of you get in here, so we might resolve this quickly. I have a schedule to keep."

"It's going to be fine." Marinette assured at noticing how Bridgette flinched from the demand. She took the slightly taller woman's shoulders to give her a gentle push to the doors. Upon entering the room, Stephen immediately vacated his seat to offer it to Marinette. Though she initially refused, Aaron encouraged her to take it citing how she's been tense and it wouldn't help her argument if she hurts her ankles or stumbles from an impulsive and argumentative step.

"Now then, Marinette. You arrived earlier this morning asking about why Ms. Covington was fired. I told you it was due to stealing and attempting to sell company resources."

"But I-" Gabriel held up a hand to cut the young photographer off which wasn't hard given how easily she'd back down during their last meeting.

"You then proceeded to hold yourself a character witness for Ms. Covington's sake as well as proposing she may have had a better reason for having your flash drive in her personal effects." Gabriel then looked at the accused young woman. "Marinette wishes to hear your side of this story. Please enlighten us to the reason you had Marinette's flash drive."

Bridgette felt both cornered and exasperated at the near demand. "I told you already, Mr. Agreste. I have no idea what flash drive you mean. I only use SD cards and I keep those in my camera bag."

The older man nodded. "Indeed, one bearing your initials was found inside Marinette's office the very day the flash drive in question went missing."

"And I don't know how. I've only been to Marinette's office one time and I barely set a foot inside. I brought her lunch the Thursday before she went on leave. I didn't even have my camera bag on me either."

"Marinette?" Gabriel next addressed to corroborate the story. "She's telling you the truth. That was the only time she came to my office. I took the bag at the door. Also, she wouldn't have a pass to open my door so how would she get in when I wasn't there?"

Gabriel laced his fingers together on his desk. "Our records show it was accessed at the time by a security guard. After going through his alibi, he was shown to be on the other side of the building and had also admitted to misplacing his card earlier that morning."

"So now you're accusing her of stealing a key card?"

"I didn't do that either!" Bridgette defended suddenly feeling more pressure.

"It's not to say we have proof you stole that key card, Ms. Covington. It had been cleaned before being turned into the lost and found at the front desk."

"Okay, but if she went through all that trouble, why would she carelessly leave the door open? And what about my desk drawer? Where did she get a key?"

"Actually, Bridgette is quite capable of picking a lock." Vincent interjected at the mention and Bridgette blushed in slight shame for the skill.

"Wait, really?" Felix looked at the woman and then to Marinette.

"She picks the lock on Marcel's camera bag when she loses her key."

"Okay, it's not a talent I'm proud of, but I don't steal from people! I use it to open stuff when I lose keys or I don't have time to get the key."

Marinette, being pretty surprised by the admission, quickly thought of a new angle. "O-okay, but how long does it take? I mean, I wasn't away from my room very long. I'd barely had time to get close to the lobby before realizing I had left my flash drive behind."

Bridgette took a moment to think. "Well… That depends on the lock. I'm assuming it's not a digital one since picking is an option. If it's a standard cam lock like on most desks then probably… 20 minutes. Actually, it could take an hour if I can't get a good handle on it." It really all just came down to the lock in question.

"But you make opening Marcel's bag look so simple." Vincent pointed out slightly confused.

"That's because it's a super simple lever lock, and if you pick the same lock enough times it just becomes easy. It would definitely take longer if it were another bag even if it had the same lock."

"That simply means there was no way she had enough time to open my desk in the short time I was gone. It only took 15 minutes round trip leaving and coming back to my office."

Gabriel didn't look convinced. "Or that she is purposefully misleading us in regards to her abilities."

"But I… I really don't… I mean…" Bridgette honestly didn't know what to tell him.

"Hey, what's your alibi for this 15 minutes?" Adrien suddenly asked with irritation marring his attempt at indifference.

"Well… At that point in time I was going through my portfolio."

"So you were working alone I take it? No one to verify this?" The older man inquired confidently.

"No… I mean… I was with Marcel at first before realizing my SD card from the most recent shoot was missing." She looked defeated for a moment right before she remembered someone else. "No, wait! I left that room only a few minutes after Marcel." She then pointed to Adrien. "I went into the photo studio to look in Vincent's equipment bags and Adrien was there."

"Me?... Oh, right. That did happen."

Gabriel raised a brow at his nephew. "Alright, but what do you say to those minutes you claim to be alone?"

"Mr. Agreste! Do you honestly believe she used a couple of minutes to pull off such an intricate plan?" Marinette argued in frustration.

"Marinette, I respect your creativity, talent, and confidence, but you are not yet experienced enough in this industry to fully comprehend how it really works. I am successful because I do." Gabriel spoke more resolutely than he had all day which actually had Marinette struggling a bit for a response.

"Being careful and being paranoid are two sepera-"

"Shush." Adrien suddenly interrupted finally looking like he'd taken earnest interest. Bridgette mentioning that day in the studio had him recalling something and that explained quite a bit of the discrepancies. All eyes turned to him with one being daggers due being rude to his wife.

"Well?" Gabriel insisted for a reason to be quieted.

Adrien turned to him. "I've been wondering this for awhile but why don't you have cameras in the design studio area? I've only seen them around the elevators and common areas."

"That area is rife with company assets in the form of my designer's work. Security cameras can be hacked and records stolen."

"It is also a measure to increase productivity. Stephen and a few of the other senior designers noted the atmospheric shift in the studios years ago when we initially installed security cameras." Nathalie added knowing Gabriel's lone explanation would be instantly criticized.

Adrien clicked his tongue. "This could be easily solved if you had them… Whatever, I can assume everyone in here knows that there aren't any cameras around the design studios?"

"I swear I didn't know that." Bridgette quickly declared.

"Anyone can claim such a thing, Ms. Covington, but that knowledge should be evident to anyone working here."

"Actually…" Marinette shyly raised her hand. "I also never noticed…" Several people in the room let out sighs in response to that admission but the one that really bothered her came from behind where her husband stood.

"The ignorance of certain employee's aside, this does nothing to warrant your interruption, Adrien." Gabriel finished pointedly to the blonde.

"That's not all I was going to say, obviously." Felix snapped shortening Gabriel's very strained patience.

"Then on with it before I further assume you only want to keep this girl here to fool around like usual." The tension in the room practically tripled at those words and Gabriel and Felix glared as though the other killed their mother.

"Assume whatever you want if you want to be a moron." The model shot back before crossing his arms. "I should just let her ruin your damn company and be done with it!" This was relating right back to all the grief he was getting regarding how he allegedly broke up with Lila and how it affected the 'precious' company.

"Remember to whom you are speaking, Adrien, I am your-"

"Don't even!" Felix shot back. "Half the people in this room are already fully aware I'm not your damn son! Your real son ditched you years ago and you're too obsessed with your fucking company to admit it to the public!" His eyes shifted slightly to the real Adrien when he said that before going back to Gabriel. "You're an absolute fool if you think Bridgette could trick her way out of a wet paper bag, so tell you what? Fire her. Fire her and let that bitch stay. I look forwards to the garbage fire your company becomes in the future!" And Felix extended his middle finger over his shoulder as he turned and stormed out.


This was bound to happen at some point, Adrien couldn't help thinking. Felix had always been one to do things his own way and Adrien was the compliant follower. It stood to reason Felix would get fed up faster. It was surprising how long it took though. Gabriel had finally pushed Felix too far, and now he was being ditched again. Aaron let out a sigh as he glanced at the door his cousin stormed out of moments before. Marinette was more concerned with how Bridgette looked. She appeared worried but unable to leave. Of course, with how she and Adrien… Wait…

"Excuse me, Mr. Agreste? Was that not Adrien?" Vincent asked as if voicing Marinette's thoughts.

Gabriel scowled at the man before slamming his fist onto the desk. "That antagonistic, selfish, brat…" He grumbled causing the real Adrien to chuckle in response. "And just what do you think is so very funny, Mr. Bassett?" Gabriel spat the name like poison from his lips.

"Mr. Agreste, I know I'm just an outsider here, but," Aaron paused to narrow his eyes at the older man. "Ignoring people just because you think what they say isn't important will only come back on you later. You should at least listen before you say anything back."

Gabriel stood up again, this time directing his anger at the cold green eyes of his own son. "The opinion of one who would simply run away from his problems holds very little water in this discussion."

Adrien stared defiantly right back into the glacial cerulean blue of his father's eyes. "If your problem is a brick wall its common sense to go around or find a new path wouldn't you think?"

"Only for someone so weak will-"

"Would you both cut it out!" Marinette interrupted at finding the poisonous display disconcerting and off subject. She placed a firm hand on her husband's chest without turning to him and kept her eyes on Gabriel. "I get it, you two don't like each other but we have something else to deal with first. Bridgette did not steal my designs nor was she planning to sell them. She didn't have the time or the resources to do it effectively, and you don't have enough proof. Adrien, or who ever that was made a very valid point."

Stephen, Vincent and Nathalie all nodded in agreement while Gabriel sat down more calmly. "Then who, might I ask, do you suppose is behind this farce?"

Marinette had a good idea, but throwing out that name had never really worked out well in her favor. Her trauma from college and lycee made her hesitate and she attempted to work around it. "He said this person was a woman, first of all and that they were manipulative? I'm sorry, Bridgette, but aside from little camera stunts, I really don't think you're very clever at tricking people." As a matter of fact, she'd really only done so with Adrien at photo shoots when he was being stubborn.

"I take it proudly, Marinette. I don't like tricking people." Except Adrien when she could.

"Now, I was just thinking about it, and it makes sense to think Bridgette was somehow framed."

"So the USB was planted?" Gabriel pulled a plastic bag from his desk. "And I suppose this note isn't in her hand like Vincent confirmed?"

Bridgette instantly pointed to it. "What are you doing with that!?"

"It was found with the USB in your bag. A meeting with Leon Champ in order to sell the material."

"Wh-what? No! No, that's not what that is! I swear!" The photographer tried to explain. "That's for a gallery submission. I was approached by someone who worked for him about putting some of my pictures in his upcoming gallery. That was my appointment."

"Is it now? For an art gallery?"

"You could contact him to confirm, Mr. Agreste." Stephen suggested more confidently since the tense atmosphere was abating.

"Nathalie?"

"I will do so right now." She stepped away and began going through her tablet for contact information.

"Now then, Marinette, I can tell you have a culprit in mind. Please continue."

"Yes, well, like I said before, they must be very manipulative. I imagine they also have it out for Bridgette. That narrows things down since she's only been in Paris a couple of months."

"So a woman who is manipulative and has a problem with Bridgette." Stephen began aloud. "About the only one who comes to mind is Lila."

"Lila!? That little Bitch got me fired!?" Bridgette nearly screeched before covering her mouth in embarrassment.

"I suppose that would make sense. Bridgette and Lila do not work well together." Vincent agreed trying not to react to his subordinate's impulsive remark.

"And there's the matter of Adrien breaking up with Lila and then paying more attention to Bridgette." Marinette added. "She's really the only one who comes to mind, but I'm still curious why she used my flash drive. I mean, I know she hates me but there had to be easier things to steal and plant that would have the same effect."

"Ah, I have an idea about that, Marinette." Vincent began with a small smirk. "That is because you are Mr. Agreste's favorite."

"Huh?" The designer blushed with a bewildered expression. She knew he was treating her well but a favorite?

"Yes, it's no secret around the studio that Mr. Agreste gives you much more attention than any other designer. Lila had much the same treatment when she was first brought on so she was jealous of you."

Stephen's eyes widened at the realization. "Right, I bet she was hoping you got fired along with Bridgette. Losing your designs and having them leaked would be grounds for dismissal in most situations. She underestimated how much Mr. Agreste valued you." Of course, unlike Vincent, Stephen knew the additional reason Gabriel gave her such favoritism; not that her talent wasn't enough. "There was also Bridgette's SD card. I asked Cyrano and he found it under your desk where he couldn't actually see it. He had to find it with touch. That's a pretty suspicious place for an SD card to fall if they were being as methodical as the situation warranted."

"Under her desk?" Aaron asked now over his anger regarding his father for the moment. "But why would someone plant it there? I mean, Marinette can't lean down."

"If," Gabriel started calmly. "Someone were looking to frame Bridgette, and knew about how well acquainted they were, then they would also want to make sure another party was the one to find the evidence. Nathalie spoke with Cyrano about the incident as soon as you left that day, Marinette. Without that SD card, we wouldn't have known were to find your USB, and you wouldn't have mentioned any relation to the SD card and your missing designs." Marinette and Bridgette were work friends and just looking at how Marinette was acting now told him she wouldn't have let anything get this far if she had been the one Nathalie spoke to in detail.

"So, you do believe she was framed?" Stephen asked noting the shift in his boss' tone.

"I will admit the possibility is higher than I previously thought." He certainly wouldn't put it past Lila to do any of these things to get her way. She was growing more annoying by the minute. If not for the fact she was so popular he would no doubt already be renegotiating her contract down to nearly nothing. Lila Rossi was currently 22, and that meant her time as a model was ending unless her popularity carried her longer which it appeared to be the case currently. Aside from that, Lila has no real use now that she couldn't effectively entertain Felix. "That being said, I would need evidence. As it stands, I only have Ms. Covington's property in a place it should not have been as well as a suspicious note that would give the impression of back dealing."

"So you're telling me you'd blame Bridgette with suspicious evidence and not Lila who is suspicious?" Aaron rolled his eyes at the man and Gabriel resisted the powerful urge to snap back at him.

"What I'm saying is that physical proof is the only thing that would survive in the court of public opinion, Mr. Bassett." While Adrien didn't want to admit it openly, Gabriel was right in that regard. Proof would be the only way to guarantee Lila couldn't twist an accusation at her. There was a tense silence in the office while Gabriel thought over his options. The expression he wore told Marinette, Stephen and Vincent that he was going over something so they chose not to interrupt. In the case of Bridgette, she was still too nervous to speak, and Adrien was trying to reel himself in for his wife's sake. Agitating his father any further wouldn't end well even if it was cathartic.

The older designer considered everything that was stated so far, and while he was loath to admit he was ever wrong, he knew otherwise. It had him recalling the conversation he'd had with Marinette weeks ago while giving her that ride home. She'd specifically mentioned the work environment he created was something she admired. It wasn't as if he was going out of his way to make his employees happy, it was just that having a certain work environment produced far better results. He supposed his designers benefited most from what he assumed was common sense in management based on what she'd told him. The bottom line in his mind was that good quality work be done, and if it required him to adapt the work environment then so be it. Money was not his aim with his company, though he obviously wasn't going to be giving it away either. This whole situation and how he handled it would, no doubt, affect how work was done in his studios. Gabriel glanced over to Marinette who still looked determined and internally sighed. He did not need this ruining his plans now.

"Sir?" Gabriel turned his head to Nathalie as she returned to the group. "According to his PA, Mr. Champ is indeed having a gallery next month and he does have several meetings with photographers planned. Unfortunately, she could not confirm whether Ms. Covington was one of them. According to her, Mr. Champ keeps details regarding freelance artists in his personal notebook until they are officially hired. If we want confirmation, we will have to contact him once he returns to Paris in four days."

"Are you telling me his own personal assistant cannot call him to ask for a name?"

Nathalie nodded. "Apparently he is with a few colleagues on retreat and cannot be contacted."

The man rolled his eyes at that, but nodded. "Of course." His frustration was mildly apparent.

"He's on vacation, so that's pretty normal, right? Can't you just wait until you can contact him?" Adrien asked only allowing a bit of his own irritation leak out.

Gabriel glanced at him sharply but didn't counter him. Instead he took a calm controlled breath and went with his only available option in order to keep his plans from unraveling all over again. "Marinette," He began while lacing his fingers together. "I'm going to start by telling you that this entire situation is unprecedented. By that I'm referring to another member of my staff stepping up to demand that I reconsider another employee's termination." He glanced at Bridgette for a moment and she flinched though his tone remained calm and controlled. "That being the case I do not have a concrete policy for it, so I propose a compromise in the form of three choices. I will allow you to choose where we go from here from them." He raised a finger. "The first one is to simply continue Ms. Covington's dismissal as before this meeting and drop the matter from there."

"Abs-"

"Which," Gabriel interrupted before Marinette could finish even one word of disagreement. "I doubt you will choose, but no less must state for the sake of the situation itself and repercussions that may evolve from it. Please allow me to finish." Marinette wasn't too happy at being interrupted, but she nodded all the same. "This involving your work, Marinette, entails placing you in a position to free yourself from consequences." Adrien felt his wife tense up at those words. Marinette may have bitten off more than she could chew with his father's patience. "Choice number two, is to keep Ms. Covington employed under Vincent as if nothing had happened, but in the case that this happens again both you and Ms. Covington will be terminated immediately."

"Hold up, no!" Bridgette interrupted this time gesturing to herself. "Marinette was only standing up for me. Why would she be fired if I somehow get involved in something like this again?" Lila might just try again if she sees it didn't work the first time.

"Because, Bridgette, Mr. Agreste doesn't want his designers to have to worry about their work being stolen." Marinette answered with a tense expression. She didn't like it, but she understood his reasoning.

"Quite right, Marinette. There is an Arabic proverb that goes something like this, 'What happens once never happens again. What happens twice, will certainly happen a third time.' While I will admit that the evidence against Ms. Covington is no longer as strong as I'd believed, the reason I have become successful is because I have never allowed someone to ever cross me more than once." At least professionally. Ladybug and Chat Noir were something completely different and frustrating. "My studio is meant to be a place to promote creative ideas, not paranoia and worry." Bridgette felt that was a leap in logic, but to her confusion everyone aside from Marinette's husband was nodding in agreement. "Now then, choice three, Vincent rescinds Ms. Covington's dismissal and she instead quits for personal reasons." Gabriel gestured towards Nathalie. "In that case, I will have any records related to Ms. Covington's dismissal removed from our records, and Vincent will be free to give her a referral of employ to an associate."

"So, unless Marinette puts her own job and career on the line, I'm basically fired?" The photographer responded feeling deflated and ready to crawl back into bed. The choices were being fired, getting someone else possibly fired in the future or quitting.

Stephen rubbed his chin. "Quite an ultimatum. In the case of option two, it can be assumed that only one of them needs to be involved in a possible theft?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yes." Even if Lila turns out to be behind it, until he could prove it only the 'involved' parties can be held accountable.

"Then I can't choose that." Bridgette decided not wanting to drag Marinette down with her.

"While that is a noble sentiment, Bridgette, I'm afraid Mr. Agreste has left it for Marinette to decide." Vincent pointed out with a worried smile. He, of course, believed in Bridgette. Neither her or Marcel had ever given him any reason to doubt their integrity unless it involved coming back late from lunch.

Marinette held a hand over her mouth with her gaze cast slightly down in thought. She didn't want to choose the second option and definitely not the first one, but… She looked back at Gabriel and stepped towards his desk resolutely. "I understand your situation, Mr. Agreste, and why you can't afford to simply let this situation go. The possibility, not matter how remote, isn't to be taken lightly." She made sure to emphasis how unlikely she believed it to be for Bridgette to steal her work. "But, Bridgette hasn't done anything to deserve being fired, or forced to quit."

"Marinette, I cann-"

"I know." She interrupted calmly causing Gabriel to raise a curious brow. "So, how about this? I choose option three but with a slight modification." She held up four fingers. "In four days we will be able to confirm if Bridgette is telling the truth with evidence, when that happens, Vincent can just hire her back on."

"No." Gabriel's instant reply actually surprised her as well as everyone else save Nathalie. "Even if she was not at fault for the theft, until we can prove the actual culprit, then she is likely to be targeted again. I will not stand for it in my studios." Marinette wanted to instantly argue but seeing the calm expression on Gabriel told her it wasn't going to work. Though he was normally stoic and intimidating, she could tell his response wasn't rooted in his pride. His intentions really were for the workplace environment, and Marinette knew as long as Lila was around, Bridgette probably would be targeted again. She couldn't resist glaring at him though, and surprisingly enough, that actually worked. "That being said, I know this situation will be weighing heavily on your mind, Marinette, which would not be healthy in your condition." Adrien's eyes went wide as he saw the subtle change in his father. Was he going to actually change his mind for Marinette?! "Ms. Covington, you were working on a project I assigned to Vincent, correct?"

She nodded. "The Visual Wonders project."

"Yes, in the event that Leon Champ corroborates your story about the gallery, I will bring you on to finish the project. You will be treated as a freelance photographer not under Vincent, and you will not be allowed in the studios, but you will be appropriately paid for your work. I cannot allow anymore consideration should the possibility of a repeat situation remain high."

Marinette smiled and glanced at Bridgette. "Would you want to? I mean, it would at least give you time to find something else, right?"

Bridgette looked at her wide eyed and then to Mr. Agreste. The way Vincent described the project, it could extend for months depending on what Mr. Agreste says about the pictures. If she took this job, she would be in charge of the whole process and not just assisting either. It sounded like Mr. Agreste was just throwing her a bone, but this bone could make her career if she used it right. "I uh… I…" She swallowed and simply nodded.

Marinette smiled at her reaction and then turned back to her boss. "Then, I will take option three." Even if it wasn't what she really wanted, she would take it for now.


Before anyone left the office Nathalie had everyone present sign an agreement that nothing spoken about would leave that room, and nobody felt like arguing after all that had gone on. Bridgette gave a formal resignation an hour later after Nathalie went over all of the details with her and she left with an actual smile on her face. Marinette wished it had been for fully reinstated, but Bridgette practically had a bounce in her step leaving. "Alright, Mari, stop frowning and come have lunch." Aaron set a plate of leftover pasta across from him at the table. "I know it didn't go the way you wanted, but you made a difference." A massive difference actually.

"I know, I just…"

"Moved the brick wall that was Gabriel Agreste? Yeah, hope you didn't strain your back." Aaron chuckled in a tease. "Honestly, Mari, you should be really proud of yourself. Even if she didn't get her job back, Bridgette wasn't fired, and even got some work out of it. That is a definite improvement to being fired for theft."

"Yeah, you're right about that." She admitted as she stood up with a little effort.

"She really was incredible." Tikki praised as well as she hovered over Marinette's shoulder.

Plagg laughed. "Oh yeah, seeing that guy backed into a corner was sweet!" The kwami ate his cheese slice and went right back to laughing. Tikki rolled her eyes at his mocking, but Marinette found it odd. Plagg really seemed to dislike Gabriel if he was laughing that much about him being almost forced to change his mind.

"I did dig my heels in pretty good on him, huh?" The designer thought aloud now a little nervous about how bold and assertive she was. "Thinking back… It was probably a miracle I didn't get fired." Though Vincent and Stephen stated it was because Gabriel favored her so much. Actually, he did favor her quite a bit now that she really thought about it. The office, baby clothes and maybe he wasn't just giving her accommodations because she was pregnant? Considering what she remembered of him, it couldn't be that, right? He never seemed to like kids. Even his own son, Adrien, barely got his attention….!

Aaron took a bite of his pasta and looked back over to his wife. "Mari?" He cocked his head to the side as he swallowed. "What's up?" She looked a little freaked out… "Are you okay?"

"I... I-I, yeah, fine I totally-!" She coughed at her slip and took a breath. "I mean, I'm totally fine."

Aaron wasn't so sure and stood up. "Are you positive? You looked pale for a sec there."

Marinette waved her hands in front of her in dismissal. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was worried for a minute about how I acted in Mr. Agreste's office, but I think it'll work out."

She beamed at him which was the only reason he stopped before escorting her back to the couch to feed her by hand. "Okay… If you're sure."

She noticed the blush on his face as he sat. "Are you okay?"

He chuckled as he picked his fork back up. "Yeah, just getting turned on by my pregnant wife's gorgeous smile." He said it so easily that she couldn't resist giggling. "And that giggle," He gestured her way with his fork as she approached. "Is definitely not helping."

"This is what you signed up for when you married me, Chaton." She teased back and took her seat.

"Well, I imagine falling in love with the same person twice has its consequences. How will I ever survive, milady?" He asked in mock concern as he twirled his fork.

"Well, in my case, falling in love with the same man multiple times comes with way more perks than problems."

"Yeah, two times is a sign, right?" After all, he fell in love with both Ladybug and Marinette. That's plenty of proof to him they were just meant for each other.

"I can't argue with you there, Aaron." She then reached out with a napkin to wipe the sauce he'd just splattered on his nose from a noodle.

"If that old proverb Mr. Agreste mentioned is anything to go by, I bet we'd fall for each other all over again if given a third chance." Adrien joked enjoying his wife's attention.

"What happens twice, happens thrice? Yeah, I can see that." And she was living proof having fallen in love with the same man three times now.


Fluff at the end! He he he, maybe some really special fluff too, *hint hint* but I digress. Gabriel is showing obvious favoritism to Marinette and while that would often times cause office drama (Others see it as unfair) In this case nobody at Gabriel actually sees it that way. (Nobody who matters anyway) Gabriel's staff understand that Gabriel rewards good quality work, and either know Marinette well enough to understand she's talented, or understand the company enough to assume she is regardless. Also, just a little fun poke, but Gabriel doesn't actually realize he's favoring Marinette to the level he is. His thought process is really just that he wants to keep her on. *hint hint* =^-^=

As for Lila, I hope her plan doesn't sound too convoluted (already did that story. lol) but I wanted something realistic and not too out there if you know what I mean. I thought it was a clever ploy tbh. Now how shall we deal with her this time? I don't actually know, but I'm taking suggestions. Also, I could so bring Chloe up to do it since I haven't used her in awhile.=^-^=

Thx for reading! I appreciate comments! Please!=^-^=