The Mayor had always thrown the most lavish parties in the city. The Christmas Eve Gala was the grandest of them all. Anyone who was deemed important or famous was invited. The venue sparkled and shined with extravagant decorations. Shimmering gowns of ladies whose beauty could rival the stars, handsome men in tuxedos, a multitude of servers to attend to the guests' every need; everything screamed wealth, influence, and power. With everything being of the highest quality, it was no surprise all the food was prepared on-site by the best chefs in all of Paris, including the pastries which her parents were hired to make.
In previous years, Tom was the one who baked, while Sabine or Manon served in the ballroom. Today, however, Papa lay home with a broken leg, Manon was out of the city, and anyone else who could've stepped in was unavailable at such late notice. So, it was Sabine who was left to stir up a storm in the hotel's kitchen, while Marinette took the trays of sweets into the ballroom for attendees to enjoy.
The first hour went by splendidly. Neither Adrien nor his fiancée nor Chloe Bourgeois showed up. Marinette was starting to relax as she danced around the room with a tray in hand, offering attendees her Maman's treats. It all changed when Adrien walked in the room with Kagami Tsurugi on his arm, her mother and Chloe Bourgeois following right after.
Perfect. Her torture had begun.
Marinette moved farther into the room, as far from the trio as possible. Unfortunately, being a waitress, she couldn't remain in one spot for long. Which meant she had to constantly scan the room to be aware of Adrien's location at any given moment. His and Chloe's. Because even though she didn't want to risk getting too close to Adrien, she'd take that over running into her high school arch-enemy. Unlike Chloe, at least, he wouldn't recognize her.
"Excuse me? Mademoiselle?"
She peeled her eyes away from Chloe conversing with Adrien's fiancée to look at the person calling her and froze.
Those eyes.
Her heart took off in a panicked sprint. She knew those eyes. How did she not realize he was her soulmate before? She stared at his posters for hours at a time, days in a row. His eyes were always gorgeous but… the eyes that watched her now were the ones that haunted her dreams all these years. And that barely-there smile he was giving her was so different from his model one. Mischievous and kind, and somehow familiar.
Butterflies raged in her belly, Marinette turned away and focused on her work. She was there to help Maman, not swoon over her unfaithful soulmate.
"I apologize, but have we met before?" He stepped in front of her, blocking her attempted escape. "I feel like I know you."
This couldn't be happening. There was no way he recognized her! "I'm afraid, you're mistaken, Monsieur. I don't think we've met."
"Are you sure?" His hand slowly reached out for hers, the one his mark was on. "May I?"
With a swift move, Marinette slipped a serving tray between them, offering him what was left of an assortment of macarons, at the same time protecting her hand from his touch. "Of course. Which flavour would you like?"
He hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Which one would you recommend?"
"Coconut. They're a huge hit tonight. The white ones."
"Thank you." He took the treat and bit into it. "Oh! They are delicious."
"I'm glad you like it. Now, if you excuse me. I must get back work." Marinette gave him the most professional smile she could muster at the moment as she turned around to walk away.
He followed. Like an annoying stray. No wonder his soulmate mark was a black cat. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Adrien. May I ask for your name?"
"It's confidential."
A fleeting look of bewilderment on his face, replaced by an amused sparkle in his eyes, he smirked right after. "Accept my apologies, Mlle 'Confidential', but may I ask if you ever visited Milan?"
He wasn't beating around the bush. This was bad. "Curiosity killed the cat, and you're one curious kitty, aren't you, Adrien?"
His eyes widened just a speck, lips stretching in one of the widest grins she had ever seen in her life. "It is you, isn't it?"
With a look of absolute innocence on her face, she looked away. "I'm sorry? I'm not following."
"Ladybug. I don't remember your real name but your soulmate mark is a ladybug. I've been calling you that. I knew I would recognize you if I ever saw you. Your eyes haven't changed. You still have those adorable freckles and that sweet smile."
Good thing Marinette and her father had taken up playing poker lately. Otherwise, she wasn't sure she'd be able to look at him with an air of indifference right then. "As I said before, I'm afraid you're mistaken. My name isn't Ladybug, and I don't think we've ever met before. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."
She walked past him. He followed.
"You called me Kitty after you saw my soulmate mark. A black cat. Right there." He pointed to her right hand. "I can prove it if you'll allow me to touch it."
She couldn't let this happen. He didn't deserve to confirm his suspicions. This had already gone a lot further than Marinette ever intended for it to go. She didn't have a choice but to cut this short and run. "I'm sorry, I have no idea who you've mistaken me for, but I'm not your soulmate. After all, aren't you engaged?
"Please, let me explain—"
"I'm sure Mlle Tsurugi won't approve of you talking to other women, M Agreste. Especially me," she snapped. She forced herself to take a breath and a step back. "Congratulations on your impending engagement. Have a good life."
Without giving him a chance to respond, Marinette strode away toward the kitchen. If anyone asked, it was only because her tray was almost empty, not because the hope in her heart was, too.
"Wait!" He rushed after her. "I can explain."
She didn't want him to. She hurried away, but Adrien kept pace. Just as she was about to exit the ballroom, he caught up and grabbed her right hand. The black cat soulmate mark on the top of it burst with all the colours of a rainbow, glowing the most beautiful way Marinette had ever seen a soulmate mark to glow.
She snatched her hand back before anyone else could notice, hissing at him. "What are you doing?"
"Begging you to let me explain."
"Your engagement is explanation enough," Marinette snapped, throwing open the door to the servers' area and escaping him once more.
Adrien called after her, but she knew these hallways well enough to lose him. Turning a corner, she slipped into an old storage room and ducked under a desk, hoping he'd just pass by without a second thought.
She was wrong.
"Ladybug?"
She froze in her hiding spot, careful not to make a sound.
"Ladybug, please. I can explain. I promise I'm not—"
"Adrien, what's going on?" A female voice sounded closer to the door.
"It's her," he answered breathlessly. "I found her."
"'Her' as in?"
"Ladybug! I found my Ladybug! And the first thing she does is yell at me because she thinks I'm engaged to you."
"Please, don't tell me it's that waitress that you kept hovering over?" Another female griped. An unfortunately familiar female.
"Oh, shut up, Chloe!" Adrien snarled. "I'm not in the mood for—"
"Calm down, both of you. No need to start a fight," the woman who Marinette guessed was Kagami Tsurugi cut in.
"Like I'm going to fight him over Dupain-Cheng. He can have her, for all I care."
"You know her?" Adrien asked, surprise clear in his voice. "Chloe, please, tell me you know who she is?"
"Of course, I do. We suffered each other's presence all through lycée."
"Name, Chloe! Tell me her name! Her number? Address? Anything!"
The scowl in Chloe's voice was palpable. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She lived in the bakery across the street from my old school—"
"Are you kidding me?! She's been living less than a block away from me all these years?!"
"Just your luck." Kagami chuckled. "All the time and money you wasted on your trips to Milan. I almost feel sorry for you, Adrien."
"You're so kind, Kagami. Remind me, why are we still friends? "
"Because you needed a fake girlfriend."
"I think it was the other way around."
"Let's be honest: we both benefited. Some more so than others, but who cares about the details, right?"
Adrien groaned. "I don't have time for this. Chloe, where can I find her?"
"You remember that online fashion boutique I showed you? The one you ordered that blue scarf and a few of their Chat Noir pieces from?"
"MDC? Wait—was that her?"
"Yes. MDC is short for Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Adrien pulled out his cellphone. "Good idea. The website should have her contact information."
"Not her personal contacts. Only a business email."
"Damn it, Chloe. I don't have time for this. Where can I find her now?"
"Most likely in the kitchen," Chloe huffed. "Her parents' bakery was hired to cater for the party. Tom and Sabine's."
"Thanks."
By the time the door shut, Marinette could hardly breathe, a single sentence played in her mind over and over and over again,
"Because you needed a fake girlfriend."
What did she mean by—?
Bang!
Marinette's heart stopped at the sudden slap of a hand on the desk she was hiding under.
"Dupain-Cheng." Chloe leered down at her with a smile Marinette knew always meant trouble. "We need to talk."