It was four years ago, and each year it never got any easier. She loved him, she really did. At times it felt like he felt the same way. Overtime it felt like she was losing him. He didn't seem interested in her anymore.
It hurt, she tried everything she could to save what they had, but in the end it was he who decided it was over.
Marinette couldn't accept it. Felix didn't love her anymore, and even though it had been years since she had seen him, she couldn't find it in her heart to let go.
She couldn't trust anyone. If she couldn't have him; what was the point in living anymore?
He was her first love, and the idea of dating again scared her. She wanted to believe in the hope that they would find each other again. It was the only thing she wanted.
The bluenette scrolled through photos of them on her phone, a deep sigh escaped her lips and she squinted through the light on her phone in the dark. She chewed on the tip of her thumb, her head aching from the lack of sleep
It was always like this. She glanced at the old photos of them, her heart almost too fond of the memeories. At times it had become too painful. Each time she slept, she dreamt of him. She kept these feelings to herself, despite Alya constantly bugging her to move on and start dating again.
Marinette dropped the phone beside her, she sunk into her bedsheets, blue eyes gazing upon the ceiling above her.
She wanted to clear her head space, but instead, she kept thinking about sad music. She was so tired of crying. All she wanted to do was forget everything until things were okay again.
She just wanted everything to be okay.
She turned over to her side, glancing at the clock on her bedside table. There was still a few hours before she was due to get her ass to class and then be ready for her shift at the bar later that night.
Marinette didn't mind working at the bar. Her and Alya often switched shifts whenever classes became too much. Summer vacation was coming around, and Marinette couldn't wait to solely focus on her night shifts at the bar to pay her rent, and sleep in for the rest of the morning. She didn't have any plans, but she usually stayed in all season anyway. Marinette would stop by her parents' place to see how they were doing, and then return to see Alya when they shared shifts every other night. Sure, she was able to grab a bite to eat with Alya whenever she was in a good mood. But, for the most part, Marinette kept to herself. She just did what she had to do to get by. She didn't mind her normal joe schmo life.
She liked the job she worked. Working at a bar wasn't an ideal job, but her coworkers were nice, and her hours were flexible. She was able to pick up additional hours whenever it was convienient for her. It paid just enough to cover her rent, utilities, and food. As far as clothes and luxury items, she didn't mind stitching her own with fabrics she picked up at the thrift shop down the street.
Being twenty three was sweet, but it came with so much more responsibility. She loved her parents, but she couldn't continue to live with them. Her conflicting schedule felt unfair to their sleeping pattern. Most of the time, Marinette kept her parents up in the moring when she left early for class, and late in the evening when she returned from her late night shift from the bar.
The apartment she rented lacked the space but was tidy. She made her own rules, her own bedtime, and her own meals.
She never had to entertain company, but Marinette was okay with that. She wasn't familiar with keeping company in the privacy of her home. She met a lot of fresh faces and nice people at the bar, but there was always something to talk about.
Peope usually showed up to the bar after a celebration or a long day of work. They always struck up the conversation and it went from there. In her home, she would have to think of something or come up with something to do to entertain. All Marinette knew how to do was to climb into bed, cry and sleep until she started again the next morning.
That was if she could sleep.
She was almost too often stuck on the thought of Felix. She didn't have the slightest idea where he moved away to, but it didnt help her situation that he still had family residing locally. She wasn't particularly fond of his distant family. They lived in the high end part of the neighborhood. They were wealthy, and though she didn't communicate with them as much besides seeing them on the streets or at catering events when they threw wedding or birthday events, she had a sense of prudeness. Telling by their life style, Marinette knew that she was on a completely different wavelength.
Felix was the complete opposite of that side of his family. He was a little withdrawn from the rest of the Agrestes but that was what drawn her to him in the first place. He was down to earth, he was sweet, he was honest...
Perhaps too brutally honest, even when he had admitted to her that he was growing tired of their relationship. Even if it had hurt, it was one of the many traits he had that she liked.
In any case, Marinette made it one of her priorities to avoid that family.
Her heart felt heavy. She knew he would never understand how much she missed him.
The female curled up into the blankets. She pulled the covers up over her head in an attempt to sleep, despite the obvious indications that all her strives were indeed in vain.
Marinette placed her phone on to the table beside the clock. She closed her eyes, sinking more so into her bed.
She yawned and stretched, inwardly scolding herself to get some sleep or she'd be too tired for class the next day. It was the last day, and technically it was preferred that she attended the last day. But Marinette contemplated ditching it. She barely had a wink of sleep, and lately Marinette couldn't be bothered with getting up early to attend.
She sighed once more, turning to her back so that she could once again glare at the ceiling.
She was a mess, and dissapointed. At some point she needed to get herself together.
But that point in time would not be tonight. She didn't have the will power.
Her chest rose and fell with each breath she took, and Marinette finally closed her eyes, clearing her mind of her racing thoughts about Felix. It was going to be a long long night, and a long long life.
Marinette gasped, her heart racing as her alarm clock blared assuring that she was awake for her early morning class. A small groan emitted from her throat and the blunette slammed her fingertips on the snooze button with great vexation. She stretched against her bed upon the silence. She pressed her lips together, silently fighting an inner war with herself when it came to whether or not she attended the last class of the year.
She furrowed her brow and she threw the blankets away from her and she sat up.
"Fuck it..." She muttered to herself. "Guess I'm going."
Marinette hopped out of bed, grabbing a quick shower and brushing her teeth. She dressed in a pair of high waisted jeans, and a simple black blouse. She threw her hair into a high pony tail, squeezed into her flats and grabbed an apple from her kitchen fruit basket on her way out the door.
The bluenette popped in her headphones as she bit into her apple. She hummed to her tune, skipping a few cracks in the sidewalk pavement.
It wasn't a long walk to the bus stop, and Marinette appreciated the warm weather. The sun was in the perfect proximity to keep her warm. She sat at the bus stop, tapping her fingertips against her jeans.
Although she wasn't feeling like tackling the day the night before, she definitley wanted to get it over and done with so she could return to bed.
The blunette jumped the moment she felt someone touch her shoulder.
Marinette popped out one of her headphones, her eyes glancing over to Alya who sat beside her with a mischeivoius grin.
"You're looking lively this morning." Alya teased, digging into her bag to retrieve a cereal bar.
"Were you finally able to get some sleep?" She asked, unwrapping the bar to take a bite of it.
Marinette chuckled, and shook her head, glancing at the blank street in front of them.
Alya didn't attend classes with Marinette, but Alya always picked up shifts at her second job that coincided perfectly with Marinette's morning schedule.
"I got about two solid hours." Marinette rasped, rubbing her eyes. "It's the last day of classes anyway before summer vacation starts. At least I can sleep until work." She yawned, glancing over at her friend who shook her head to Marinette's preconcieved plans for the summer. "Maybe I can start taking extra hours at work."
Alya chewed, shaking her head.
"Sounds like a boring summer." She hummed, unwrapping a bit more of the cereal bar. "You're too pale, maybe you should start getting out more and get a tan. You know I can take off of my morning job and go to the beach. You could meet some new people instead of keeping yourself cooped up inside all day."
Marinette rolled her eyes. She couldn't imagine the scenery of her tanning on a beach let alone being seen in a swimsuit.
"I think I'll live if I stay inside. I'm really not up for meeting new people." Marinette sighed. "I think I'd much rather stay at home and wallow in my own self pity and summertime sadness." She chuckled, glancing back at her friend who simply gave her a deadpanned expression.
"I'd invite you over, but you already know that's not my thing." Marinette hummed, leaning into the bus stop bench.
Alya tsked, moving her gaze back to the traffic that began to pick up on the roads in front of them.
"I can imagine. A pale girl hiding away in a dirty apartment she keeps hidden from the world." She sneered, her shoulders shaking from laughter.
Marinette hummed in agreement. "Its a fucking pig stye." She lied, scrolling through her phone to close the music app on her phone. "I'm only doing it to protect you." She murmured, turning off her bluetooth headphones. "I might keep you hostage in my cacoon made from my panties."
Alya laughed, reaching over to poke Marinette on her shoulder, which had started to blush over from the heat of the sun.
"Is that a jab at my being Bi?" She asked, placing her arm on the back of the bus stop bench.
Marinette nodded, a small blush forming beneath her freckles. She had began to regret not putting on any sunscreen before leaving her apartment building.
"Totally-" Marinette joked. "All this time I knew your dream was to be wrapped in my underwear." She giggled, looking down at her lap. Her neck had began to hurt from nowhere. She had slept wrong, and it seemed as though it was beginning to happen more than she liked.
Alya's smile faded upon seeing the position Marinette was in.
"You know..." She began, her voice soft, grabbing Marinettes attention. "I'm really worried about you."
Marinette frowned, she reached over and lightly shoved her friend's shoulder.
"If I needed a second Mom I would have called you along time ago when I moved out on my own for the first time." She giggled, shuddering at the memory. She glanced down at her lap, still listening to the bus as it pulled to her stop.
Felix had convinced her to move in with him. There were a lot of empty promises he had made her. They enjoyed a decent sized apartment together, they owned a cat, took the bus together and they split the bills.
Marinette was holding well with living on her own and out of her parents house until Felix left her high and dry. He just packed his things and he left.
It wasnt without heartache. He did grow distant, and Marinette should have saw it coming. The space was made for two, and he had left her completely alone.
She returned home from work one day, and all of his things were gone. He had even taken the cat with him.
She was left with a sense of emptiness, lonliness and despair. It wasn't long before she couldnt afford the bills, the rent or even any food.
With her classes, she couldn't pick up hours at the bar. She didn't have the time to pick up a second job, and before she knew it the walls were closing in.
There was a lot of inner tormoil that she was able to keep hidden. She was wavering through life instead of living it. Often times she felt like she was stuck in a rut with no will or desire to save herself.
Marinette had spent enough time with Alya for her to let on. Whenever something was up, Alya was usually the first to tell. Marinette was greatful for their friendship.
Who would have known that the bar was the perfect place to meet the friend of a lifetime. Marinette always took a mental note to be careful around Alya. Alya was able to read her like an open book, and she was well aware that would be an inconvience to her.
Marinette loved her friend dearly and would do anything for her, even if that meant taking a bullet, but Marinette didn't really care for the prying and all the questions.
The blunette felt some resentment at most of her memories that had involved Felix.
A part of her was angry. It was a waste, to build a life together only for him to blantantly tell her that she was tired and leave.
Leave her with nothing.
Still, she couldn't find it in herself to hate him. All of that hate,sadness and loneliness, she directed to herself. She was somehow able to find the sliver of hope left in her to wait for Felix to come back.
All she needed was an explanation. She had no answers, she was unable to close this chapter without proper closure.
The blunette glanced up at the bus as it pulled to a complete stop. She stood up, grabbing her bag. She was already dreading the day.
"Call me if you need anything..." Alya murmured, standing beside her.
Marinette chuckled, looking back at her friend with a warm smile.
She was such a good friend.
"Wake up, you lazy bum!" Kagami gigged, bouncing herself up and down upon the bed, jolting Adrien awake to the morning sky that permated through his curtains.
Adrien couldn't even remember closing his eyes and falling asleep. He furrowed his brow, glancing up at the dark haired beauty he was glad to call his. He squinted, admiring the freckles on her fair and even skin. He groaned, grabbing his pillow and throwing it at her. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, wondering how his dark haired beauty managed to make it inside his home with his dad and bodyguard prowling around all the time.
"Does my father know you're here?" He asked, yawning. A low groan emitted from his throat as he stretched. "He'd have a cow if he knew you were in my bedroom without anyone knowing."
Kagami rolled her eyes, leaning forward to give her blonde model boyfriend a chaste kiss on his lips.
"I would never sneak into your bedroom while you slept unless you wanted me to..." She teased, plopping herself beside him. "But your father let me in...So we are 'a-okay'. He knew I'd get you up and ready for work." She turned her head, glancing at him.
Adrien looked back at her, a small smile spreading across his face. He gingerly reached over, placing his hand on her cheek. He admired and adored everything about her, ever since the first day he met her in his fencing class in highschool.
He always thought she was pretty, very nice and the way she carried herself was splendiferous . It wasnt out of the ordinary for her to accompany him on his photoshoots. It was almost a daily activity for them since they retired from fencing. She was a lovely face to have around and he kept her around to cheer him on through the day.
But modeling was tiring. The constant costume changes, makeup switches and figuring out poses in front of a camera with beaming hot lights often took its toll on him. Most days he was so tired and miserable he refused to wake up in the morning.
Kagami was always there to prevent that. She was the only friendly face he had known since they were teens.
It took them awhile to warm up to one another in the beginning. She had confessed that she liked him first, and the two had been going strong for a solid four years ever since. Adrien had the feeling that his father liked Kagami. They got along fairly well. Perhaps it was him having her around a lot, or perhaps he was able to see what Adrien saw. Her being a sweet girl, and a pleasure to be around.
"I think your dad likes me..." Kagami murmured, a small sweet smile spreading across her lips as if she somehow was able to read his mind.
Adrien laughed softly, pulling his hand away from her perfect freckled face.
"I guess that's an approval...and maybe one day I can propose..." He teased, snorting as Kagami stuck her tongue out at him in response.
"Put a shirt on!" She whined, grabbing one of his pillows and throwing it at him.
Adrien quickly grabbed it,catching it before it hit him. "I love you toooooo-"
Kagami rolled her eyes, sitting up and climbing off his bed. "You'd better make it snappy or you'll be late. We already know how your dad is when it comes to your punctuality."
Adrien sighed, reluctantly climbing out of bed. He tugged at his pajama pants and ran a hand through his hair.
"Yeah I guess you're right..." He murmured, rummaging through his closet for some appropriate attire. At this point, Adrien was only tempted to just throw anything on. He would end up changing it anyway the moment he showed up to his photoshoot.
Adrien pursed his lips, pulling his shirts off the hanger as Kagami wandered about his room.
"This is the first time I actually got a good look at your room..." Kagami commented, her eyes glancing up at the high cielings and tall windows.
Adrien pulled off his pajama pants as he glanced back at her, watching her hands brush against the walls up to the spiral staircase that led to the second leverage.
Kagami stepped back to get a better view of the books on top as Adrien hopped into his jeans.
"Do you really read all of these?"
She asked, slowly climbing up the stairs to help herself to the higher leverage. She brushed her fingers against the spines of the hardcover books Adrien had neatly put away.
Adrien slipped on his shirt, running his hand through his hair to collect it away from his face.
"Correction: I have read all of them." He deadpanned, looking at her from the first level. "When you're trapped here with no friends or a life, you kinda have to find ways to pass the time. The games, music, and all of this junk..." He sighed, his eyes looking around his room. "It doesnt provide any comfort when you're completely alone..."
Kagami turned, glancing down at him with a pout. She climbed down the spiral staircase slowly, swinging her arms in a playful manner as she approached him.
"Aw, now you have me." She murmured, reaching up to cup his face into her hands gently. "So no more crying. Okay, crybaby?" She grinned.
Adrien laughed softly, gently pulling himself away from her embrace.
"Thanks. Crybaby is a perfect term of endearment." He grinned, turning to grab his wallet from his nightstand.
"Come on." He sighed, turning to approach her once more. "Lets go before my dad catches us and lectures me about being late."
Kagami reached for his hand, gently interlacing thier fingers together as she began to tug him out of his bedroom door. "Well..."Kagami shrugged. "If he lectures you, then he lectures me because we're in this together..."She assured as the pair began to descend the stairs. Adrien couldn't remember checking the time before he left.
The couple walked through the lobby of his home. They were merely inches away from the door when they both heard someone step into the reverberating hall.
"Adrien.." Nathalie called out, grabbing their attention.
The blonde flinched, trying to find reassurance in the gentle squeeze of his hand that Kagami offered him.
"Y-yeah?" Adrien asked, his insides dropping the moment she had said his name.
"Your father would like to have a word with you..." She responded, her blue eyes narrowing down on Kagami as she stood beside Adrien diligently.
"Alone..."
Adrien frowned, looking over to Kagami who looked just as concerned as he was. "Nathalie, I'm not late. We are actually on our way to the photoshoot now. Kagami woke me up just in time and it only took me a couple minutes to get dressed-"
"That's not what he wants to talk about..." Nathalie interjected. "He's got important matters to discuss with you. Because it regards personal family history and information, he asked to speak to you about it privately. I sincerely apologize Ms. Tsurugi..." Nathalie glanced over to Kagami who stood completely dumbfounded.
Adrien furrowed his brow. Part of him was relieved that he wasnt going to be lectured about his sleeping habits, but he had to admit that he was nervous about what his dad had to talk about.
He didn't know of any issues regarding his family, and hoped none were about to come up. The blonde remained still as Nathalie waited by the door to his fathers work room.
"I can escort Ms. Tsurugi to the car, and she can wait for you there" Nathalie explained to which Kagami shook her head, politely declining the offer.
"I understand..." Kagami replied, leaning on her tiptoes to give Adrien a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I can escort myself to the car, I'll be waiting, okay?" She mused, cupping his face briefly. She glanced over at Nathalie, giving her a simple nod and then she excused herself, exiting the room.
Adrien watched her leave, his heart sinking as he felt alone once more. He turned to face Nathalie with a grimace and he sighed.
"Will you come this way, please?" Nathalie ushered, slowly opening the door for him to enter.
Adrien rolled his shoulders, reluctantly moving to enter his dad's work room.
Adrien walked into the room awkwardly. He kept his head down, always feeling intimidated whenever he entered this room. He was trained since he was a child never to bother his father while he was in this room. He only ever associated it with his fathers cold abrasive parenting and his neglect. His stomach always did flips whenever he was around it, no matter who was with him. Not even Kagami would be enough to calm his nerves around his father.
It made him a little sad to know that he was afraid of his father. He also couldn't help but to feel a little resentment towards him as well. He was never around when Adrien needed him most, especially around the time his mother went missing. She was the only caring face he ever got to see. His father was a completely different person when she was around. Back when Adrien had a real family, he didn't feel like such a prisoner in his own home.
Adrien winced, hearing his fathers foot steps against the gloss tiles. He wanted to cower away and hide. If serious talks with his father were avoidable, Adrien would be the first one to run out those doors. There could be a blizzard outside and he could be completely naked, he would still run for those snowy wintery hills.
"Adrien..." his father called out to him, standing by the podium in front of the large painting of his wife. The podium was a spot that Gabriel spent most of his time working. When he was barely sleeping or eating, he would be standing at the podium, working or mourning the memory of his wife.
It was obvious that Gabriel loved his wife dearly, but Adrien often wondered if the love for his mother overshadowed the love he had for him. His own flesh and blood, his own son.
"Come here-" Gabriel interjected, straying Adrien for his own devaluing thoughts.
Adrien glanced up at his father after what felt like an eternity and a day. The blonde nodded, relunctantly moving from his current spot to manuver to where his father asked him to be, like an obedient puppy.
"Nathalie mentioned you wanted to talk about some family information?" Adrien asked, nervously stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jeans. "Is everything alright?"
Gabriel glanced up at Adrien, his expression still as firm as ever. It almost made Adrien's skin crawl.
"Do you remember the stories your mother and I used to tell you when you were younger. About the ancient miraculous jewels?" Gabriel asked, looking over to the painting of his wife behind them.
Adrien looked away, nodding subtly at the times he was a child. He liked the stories his parent used to tell him when he couldn't sleep. That was way back when he felt his father actually loved him. Perhaps he only loved him because his mother reminded him to.
"Yeah." Adrien replied. "Some old jewels that are buried in the ancient ruins or hidden away in chinese temples. I remember mom used to talk about them a lot..." He shrugged, looking over to his dad wondering why the stories his mother told mattered now. "Why?"
"They are the inspiration for the newest lines that I launched. I designed a lot by the thought of your mother. Those jewels cost a fortune, if not more. Your mother would have loved to have them..." He glanced back at Adrien, pulling his gaze away from the memory of his wife.
Adrien pursed his lips. He remembered when his father designed silly looking jewelry modeled after animals and bugs and all kinds of reptiles in accordance to the miraculous jewels myths. He remembered how much his mother loved the thought he put into every jewel to create something that matched a myth or a fairytale. It was something like the toothfairy or Santa Claus. It was a story that inspired people, something to entertain or give people something to believe in.
"Yeah,...but it's a myth. Why does any of this matter now?" Adrien frowned. "Mom is gone, the only one who fed so much into the myths was her..." He chewed his bottom lip, his hands fiddling in his pockets as Gabriel remained silent, almost as if he was thinking.
"After years of searching..." Gabriel continued. "The team I've hired came across something of interest."
Adrien furrowed his brow, looking up at his father. "Did the team managed to locate mom?" He asked, his fists clenching in his pockets. If it was really anything else, he didn't want to hear it.
Gabriel pressed his lips together in a tight line. He shook his head, looking down. "No, but we learned something that could make us close to her..." He sighed, his fingers tapping on the podium.
Adrien felt his heart race.
"Something closer to her? What do you mean? Did they find clues as to where she went off to? You can hire a private investigator to help us find her." Adrien rambled, getting ahead of himself at the polished idea that his mother was still out there and could somehow return to them where she belonged. There were no words to describe how much he missed her and the lengths he'd now go to, to make sure she was safe and home. He needed some sort of explanation. He woke up one day and she was gone. He was left without an explanation, just a simple "She went missing. She dissappeared. Don't worry, we'll find her." It left Adrien with a lot of unanswered questions. It filled his heart with even more sadness, and wondered if something happened between her and his dad that caused her to leave without giving him one last hug, kiss, or goodbye.
Gabriel shook his head. "The jewels aren't a myth. They belong to the Cheng family. My father knew Cheng Zhang Wei, the owner of those jewels..."Gabriel continued. "It was how your mother first learned of them..."
Adrien sighed, inwardly rolling his eyes. His teeth ground against one another in defeat. He really didn't care about the jewels.
"When you were born...my father promised to grant those jewels to us as a wedding present, when our families combine..." Gabriel explained.
Adrien looked up at him. "When our families combined?" His heart ached at the possibilites.
He couldn't quite understand what his father was trying to tell him. "Are you getting remarried?" Adrien asked. "B-But, we still have time yet to find mom. She's still out there somewhere. What if she comes back?"
Gabriel glared at his son, his vexation permeated his features vividly at how much his son jumped the gun or interrupted him. "My father promised the hand of my first born son to Cheng Zhang Wei's first born great granddaughter..." Gabriel finished. "Once the union is solidified, those jewels will finally belong to me and your mothers estate as a gift when our child has been wed."
Adrien froze, his brow furrowing as the gears in his head began to turn.
The hand of Gabriel Agreste's first born son? But Gabriel Agreste only had one son.
Adrien looked down at his feet, his heart racing faster than he could keep up.
"Dad- What are you talking about?" He asked, a grimace on his face as he still couldn't grasp or understand what was being said to him.
Gabriel remained quiet for some time, allowing his son to catch up to what he had planned for him.
"My team was able to locate the Cheng family here in Paris. Their first born daughter is close in age. Perhaps only a year younger, but shes a decent young lady." Gabriel walked away from the podium to stand in front of the paiting of his wife. "You both are contracted by our parents to be betrothed in the next three months, and only then the jewels will be bestowed to me." he reached up and brushed his fingers over the face in the painting. "It was one of your mothers last wishes."
Adrien felt his legs grow weak. "F-father. I have a girlfriend. You expect me to marry some stranger for priceless jewels? What about my happiness?" He asked, his heart sinking to his stomach. The thought of him marrying anyone other than Kagami nearly made him sick. It was even worse that he was to be betrothed to someone he's never met before.
Gabriel kept his hands tucked behind his back as he continued to glance at the painting in front of him.
"The team already contacted the family, they know about the valid contract..."Gabriel continued, ignoring his sons pleas. "In the meantime Nathalie and I will prepare an event, to announce your engagment. We will plan the wedding, and I'll design the dress. We will plan this right."
Adrien breathed out, feeling almost completely defeated. "B-But father..." He begged. "Please don't make me do this. I love my girlfriend. We've been together for four years. I thought you liked her..." His voice cracked at the realization that his father was actually going to to do make him this.
His father only used him as a puppet. If Adrien wasn't modeling for his fathers clothing lines, jewelry, or perfume, now it appears he was going to marry a stranger just for some jewels. He didn't care how priceless they were. It didn't seem fair that he was always doing things for his father. He attended events and acted as the face of his father, he was nothing but a tool for him to use, and Adrien was beginning to see it.
How was he going to explain this to Kagami? On the outside it sounded like complete bonkers. Even to him it was too much to handle. It sounded insane to him. He was going to leave his girlfriend of four years to give his life to someone he doesn't even know. It just wasn't fair.
Gabriel turned around to face him. He glowered down at his son who seemed to have a bit of trouble standing on his feet. He watched with an impassive expression on his face as Adrien leaned against the podium, rubbing his temples.
"It's been contracted. You have no choice..."Gabriel stated once more. "Don't dissapoint me and your mother."
Adrien's eyes widened at what his father told him. It was like he knew how to get under his skin. Adrien felt like a constant dissapointment, but to hear it straight from his father hurt more than he originally anticiapated.
He was always being treated like crap, but Gabriel was his father. Adrien loved him no matter what. His mother was gone, he was all he had. Aside from Kagami, Adrien had absolutely no one.
"We will try to schedule an event tomorrow evening. Until then, you can return to your photoshoot before you are late..." Gabriel spoke, turning away to look at Adrien briefly before turning to brood over the painting of his wife.
Adrien felt his mouth run dry, his heart ached as it pounded in his chest.
Unable to say anything more to his father, he felt totally defeated. Nothing he could say or do would change the fate his father had implemented for him.
Adrien sniffled, rubbing his nose as he turned away, leaving the room quickly so he could greet his girlfriend who waited in the car for him.
