"Oscar, from the Lyssa Line," he extends a hand toward her.
"Nathalie," she says, reaching out her hand that didn't have her glass of wine in it, "Gabriel brand."
"What's your position in the company?"
"I'm Mr. Agreste's PA," Nathalie answers promptly, "And where's yours in Lyssa's?"
"I'm her brother actually, I manage the company alongside her."
Profitable, Nathalie notes in her mind. The collections she had seen from the brand were small but a collaboration was still not a bad idea. Would Gabriel be impressed, satisfied, if she got a deal in the work? Would he finally thank her and note all the hard work she has done?
"He's a fool," Oscar says, swirling the whiskey around his glass.
"Excuse me?" Nathalie had heard a large range of things, especially from tipsy and drunk men, but this was new, she was almost ready to walk away from him.
"For leaving you all by yourself, when a man could easily come by and sweep you off your feet," he tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaves his hand and her cheek, "a gem such as yourself must be highly sought after."
Nathalie allows herself to blush, it had been long since she had entertained the idea of dating someone. She finishes her glass of wine more like a shot and takes another one from a waiter coming around with a tray.
"I prefer to fend for myself," Nathalie explains, "thank you," she says, planning to turn away.
"Come on, give me a chance," Oscar's voice holds a begging tone.
Nathalie raises an eyebrow, what could hurt.
"I could give you the world Nathalie, anything you can ask for would be yours. Special outfits, fancy restaurants, a trip around the world, you need only ask," Oscar explains to her, "we may be new to the fashion industry but money has never been an issue."
Gabriel, meanwhile, is squeezing the flute of champagne tighter and tighter, Gabriel's knuckles turning white. Adrien watches his father closely, he thinks Kagami might be at this event, and he just escaped ChloƩ's grasp, but he notices an intense stare from his father.
Adrien carefully puts a hand on his father's arm, "be careful not to shatter the glass," he warns.
"I know what I'm doing," his father says between gritted teeth.
"I thought it was impolite to stare," a lesson Adrien had been told many times didn't seem to imply here.
"I don't like him near her, touching her," Gabriel tells his son.
"So you're jealous?" Adrien fills in the blank.
"Am not!" he snaps back at the boy, "I know that man from high school, and I don't trust him one bit."
Adrien hums pretending to follow his father's logic. He's clearly jealous, whether he'll admit it or not.
"I'm a simple woman," Nathalie lies, simple was the last word she would use to describe her life, "I want one thing," she was so selfish like that. She wants the one thing she could never have, but Oscar didn't know that.
"And what would that be?" Oscar asks, taking a step closer to her, his hand falls from her cheek to her chin. He is slightly shorter than the woman, especially as she is wearing heels, but as he holds her face, he forces eye contact.
Nathalie leans forward, kissing him, and for a moment, she is almost happy. The kiss is messy, their teeth clank together in an awkward way as if they are teenagers sharing their first kiss instead of adults sharing just one more. His tongue feels like it's down her throat as if that makes this more pleasurable for her, it doesn't.
"Nathalie," his voice is stone-cold, how she remembers it when she first got the job. She hadn't heard a tone like that in a while, especially when she had been trying so hard to help him lately. It doesn't even matter because he is like a constant addiction that she can't get enough of. Something that she knows she should get sick of and leave but she can't help when she feels like anything less than her life now would be a bore.
"Gabriel, it is awful rude to interrupt a couple," Oscar's voice is almost as cold as Gabriel's was, "clearly you have yet to learn your manners."
"It seems you haven't learned to keep your hands off what is mine," Gabriel says.
"She doesn't belong to anyone," Oscar argues, even though he did notice Nathalie moving closer to Gabriel, "neither did your old girl."
"I don't want to see you near Nathalie again, and keep my wife out of your mouth," Gabriel warns as he grabs Nathalie's arm.
"Stop," Nathalie yanks her arm back, one of the first times she had ever stood up to her boss, "you're being irrational."
"He's a cheating bastard," Gabriel argues.
"You're an arrogant asshole," Oscar spits back at Gabriel.
"You're both children," Nathalie rolls her eyes.
She walks away and onto a nearby balcony. The wind blows through her loose curls. The smell of smoke was present in the air and she wished she had a cigarette to light up herself. She wasn't a frequent smoker but one every once in a while helped take the edge off, the pain and stress of everything that could feel temporarily gone. The fear, the worry, the stress, a temporary breath away that would float away, the way a river carries away leaves.
"Nathalie," Oscar's voice was slightly desperate as he put a light hand on her shoulder, "are you okay?"
"I'm close with Gabriel, I didn't like seeing you guys argue the way you were," Nathalie admits.
"We just had problems in high school, something I suppose we never got over, even now."
"What happened? You both mentioned Emilie, what does she have to do with this?"
"It was Emilie's fault more than anything really. She had said she was single, I believed her, but later Gabriel found us together, she broke everything off with me, and, I suppose, stayed with Gabriel. It didn't help that we were both at the top of our class. We always had that natural competition but after everything with that girl, it didn't help."
Nathalie nods, she hadn't expected such a story.
"You're not dating him, are you?" Oscar asked, it would have explained why Gabriel had been so possessive over someone who was just an assistant, he could, of course, understand why Nathalie wouldn't introduce herself as his girlfriend, especially if they were trying to keep their relationship out of the media, but why had she kissed him? He didn't think Nathalie to be anything like Emilie was.
"No, no," Nathalie objects, "I'm just his assistant and he still loves his wife. We aren't like that."
Oscar nods but not everything makes sense in his head. He hopes it is just the alcohol in his brain, maybe in the morning he could understand their odd relationship.
"So you don't mind if I," Oscar takes Nathalie's face back in his hand, his hand is warm, and her face fits delicately into his hand. Not the way that she had once fit into Gabriel's. Even if Gabriel hadn't meant the touch to be romantic, Nathalie felt like was on air when he had.
"I-" Nathalie tries but Oscar's lips clash onto Nathalie's. It's just as messy as their first kiss, and part of Nathalie wants to push him away because they don't fit. They aren't puzzle pieces that just click but she knew that she liked Gabriel's apparent jealousy and if she has to kiss someone to get that rise out of him she doesn't care how wrong it is.
"How could she?" Gabriel mutters as he watches from outside the balcony, Adrien looks at the mother-like figure, it's the same man he had noticed her with earlier that evening.
"Father, you have to tell her," Adrien tries to tell him.
"Tell her what?" Gabriel snaps at Adrien, anger the only thing he knows how to express right now, "it's clear that she has made her choice."
"There is a reason she has been by your side, in the company for all these years. She has tolerated everything, she sticks around."
"You don't know Adrien," his father explains, "there is so much going on. She has every reason to quit." It really hits Gabriel then, she does have every reason to quit, in fact, he wouldn't blame her if she chose to. Trying to imagine a life without her there seemed like the worst consequence that could come from all of this.
"Make it so there's not, don't let her go if you want her to stay," Adrien tries to explain to him.
"I-" Gabriel tries, he knows he has to, "I will."
"Nathalie," Gabriel's voice doesn't hold any sign of sweetness, in fact, he sounds just as cold as he had earlier.
"Seriously man? Again?" Oscar asks, breaking away from their kiss, "don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Actually I need to have a word with my... Nathalie."
"You had an opportunity," Oscar points out, "she didn't want to talk to you, she made that clear."
"She clearly doesn't want to talk to you either," Gabriel rolls his eyes, "or maybe she never had a chance with your tongue shoved down her throat."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Nathalie complains.
"Nathalie, we are leaving," Gabriel says, looping his hand through her arm.
Nathalie knows she shouldn't give in so easily, but it seems almost impossible not to. She doesn't have the energy to disobey him.
"I'd be more than happy to take her home at the end of the evening," Oscar offers with a smirk.
"She is not spending another second in your company," Gabriel insists.
Nathalie nods as she turns away.
"You're seriously going to let him treat you like that?" Oscar asks, outraged, "after everything I told."
"I told you earlier I prefer to fend for myself, I can make my own decisions," Nathalie says, matter-of-factly, "thank you."
Nathalie almost feels bad, feels like she had played into a game with him and played with emotions. Truth be in another time she could have loved him, but right now, enamored with her boss the way she knows she shouldn't be, she could never love another man.
Nathalie sits in the back of the car, on the other side of Adrien. Gabriel is on the far side of his son. Despite neither of the adults being drunk, Gabriel had insisted on neither of them driving this evening. The car ride home is stiff and awkward as none of them speak.
"Nathalie," Gabriel's voice calls as she begins to walk away, "may I speak with you?"
"Of course, sir," Nathalie replies just as coldly, if this is the game he wants to play where he pretends to care, only to be emotionless the next minute, she can play the same game.
"You could ruin my company's reputation with your actions tonight."
Nathalie rolls her eyes, "I was going to get us a new contract," Nathalie explains.
"You can't just sleep with a man to get us a deal, Nathalie. Nothing is worth that. If he couldn't see the value in working with our brand then I don't want it."
"I can do what I want," Nathalie spits.
"I don't want you hurting yourself," Gabriel tries to tell her, "you're worth more than that."
"Don't pretend you even care what I do. You just said how you were worried about the company, my actions won't affect you or your precious brand," the venom in her voice is clear. Oscar had been right, Gabriel was a fool and she couldn't stand it. She wanted to walk out but she couldn't even recall where she had put the key to her apartment. Nathalie had been going to grab her keys, and her purse, but her head was swirling with the evening's events, and the location of her belongings was lost among the clutter in her head.
"You really don't understand how this affects me?" The way Gabriel asks it almost sounds rhetorical.
"Well clearly, you're weirdly jealous of a guy you haven't talked to since your school years," Nathalie cocks an eyebrow as if the answer is obvious.
"I'm not jealous! Can people stop insisting on that? I'm worried about you Nathalie, he isn't a good person."
"Or maybe Emilie wasn't a good person? The way Oscar told me, you just overlooked Emilie's actions and blamed him," Nathalie tries, knowing she is taking a risk bringing her name into this situation. She knows it's a risk but risk had been rare to stop her before.
"What story did he tell you?" Gabriel asks.
"The one where Emilie cheats on you with him, but you blamed him for her infidelity," Nathalie explains, "he was worried a similar thing was happening when I met him."
"I did always think that was his favorite one to tell," Gabriel almost chuckles now, "that stupid liar knows how to make everyone feel bad for him."
"What do you mean?" Nathalie asks, curious now.
"He was my best friend since birth, practically. We both had a crush on the same girl, he wasn't happy when she chose me. He wasn't satisfied with that, Oscar always had to be better than me, have more than me, and that meant Emilie too. He knew exactly what he was doing when he kissed her."
Nathalie hums, his story is believable. Oscar's story was believable too though. She had almost felt like Oscar's story had been unfair to Emilie. Maybe there was a third side to this story, the one Emilie would tell. As many issues as Nathalie had with Emilie, Emilie didn't seem like the time to cheat, especially with the way Gabriel had always treated her. Gabriel would spoil anyone he cared about, anything that Emilie could have possibly wanted, almost immediately in her grasp. Nathalie wonders if there is a fourth side to that all, what is the forbidden truth?
"I never meant to doubt you," Nathalie says, she did trust him, Gabriel, despite being a cold person with little care for most other people, he really wasn't one to lie to her.
"You had a reason to, I just hope you know he isn't meant to be trusted," Gabriel tells her.
"I wouldn't do everything I have if I didn't trust you, I always have even if I had reason to. His story, even while being confident, I couldn't trust him, I just knew there was something off about him."
"Nathalie," Gabriel's voice is soft. Neither of them had moved since their conversation had seemingly finished.
"Gabriel," one of the few times she had mumbled his name.
"Stop me," Gabriel tells her.
"Stop you from doing-" Nathalie tries to express her confusion until Gabriel's lips are on top of hers and muffling her voice.
Despite her voice being muffled, the voice in the back of her head is shouting. She had kissed another man twice that same night and now Gabriel was kissing her. Nathalie hardly knew what was happening but she did know that Gabriel's touch was more gentle, that the taste was sweeter, and she wished she could indulge in this more often. Gabriel had told her to stop him but Nathalie was doing far from that as she moaned a little into the kiss. As Gabriel's tongue enters her mouth, it isn't close to how the earlier kisses with the other man were. Gabriel was taking the time to explore her mouth with his tongue as if to memorize the way everything was arranged. Nathalie wasn't stopping it as she felt high with the sensation. She didn't care about right or wrong as her body was pulled closer to the one of her boss.
"Stay the night here, Nathalie," Gabriel offers, "I'd like to have you close."
Nathalie is slightly surprised by his statement but accepts the offer to say regardless.
The stories, both of which she was told that night roam rent-free in her. They refused to settle down and the kisses she shared with each of the men wouldn't stop replaying in her head either. Nathalie rolls over and looks at the clock again, an hour past midnight, at least she thinks that is what time the clock reads, without her glasses on she struggles to actually see the numbers. She is supposed to be ready to work in less than five hours, which means having to wake up in four. She groans as she throws one of the big, feather-filled, pillows over her head. She just wanted to know the truth, about everything. How did each of the men actually feel about her? What story was true, or perhaps were both lying to her?
The blaring alarm startles her, she must've gotten some sleep even if she feels like she had gotten none. Nathalie feels stiff as she blindly swings her arm reaching for her glasses. Her hand stops on a piece of paper, one she is pretty sure wasn't there last night.
'Keep your friends close,
Your enemies closer,
I didn't realize I would want my assistant closest'
It's weird because the note could only be from Gabriel and she doesn't know if that makes everything harder or easier. She wants it to be easier, she wants that note to mean that he loves her the way that she had considered wrong for herself to feel towards him.
Finally reaching her glasses she gets out of bed and knows she has to get ready for work even if she doesn't want to face her boss right now.
"Good morning, Nathalie," a common greeting, nothing unusual from him yet.
"Good morning, sir," Nathalie replies, not bothering to look up as she pulls up his schedule on her tablet, despite having it memorized she needs it now, "you have a meeting at ten this morning and another at two this afternoon (14:00)."
Gabriel nods and Nathalie expects no different, of course, nothing is different.
The hours of the morning pass by slowly as the slightly monotonous feel of work overcomes her. She types almost mindlessly with generic responses to each email. Then his morning meeting gets out early. Nathalie doesn't think much of the atypical event. She doesn't realize when he comes over to her.
His lips brush against her ear as he mumbles something she can't understand. She tips her head back to look up at him towering over her. Gabriel places a gentle kiss on her forehead not caring about the acne that patches her skin.
"You are to stay close to me," Gabriel says now.
"Yes, sir," Nathalie replies.
"I'm glad you understand," Gabriel smirks slightly, "I love you."
Nathalie blinks, the words feel heavy in her sleep-deprived brain, "I love you too."
As his lips come down on hers she half expects to wake up in another dream. When it's clear this is reality, she doesn't mind as Gabriel pulls her out of her chair and closer to him. As Gabriel is close, Oscar is pushed far from her mind. She would always choose the man closest to her.
