After a long conversation over several cups of coffee, it was decided that Marinette and Adrien would both skip school the next day. However, they both agreed that they would go back the following day and see how things played out in class.
Once that was settled it was time for all present to get ready for bed. After a quick call to her parents, Marinette was offered one of the many guest rooms and a pair of pajamas from Adrien's wardrobe as he was closest to her size among all those present.
After bidding each other good night, Adrien escorted Marinette to her room and placed several kisses on her lips before leaving her and retreating to his room.
Both teens fell asleep with smiles on their faces.
As for the current day, Nathalie had gone to school with the Gorilla to pick up the assignments for both teens. The presence of the hulking man had the desired result of no one trying to press Nathalie for details on Adrien's whereabouts, at least after the first few times. Curiously, not many seemed to want to inquire after Marinette.
Even though Adrien had announced yesterday that Marinette would be studying with him at his house, none of the other students seemed to make the connection to the both of them being together in their shared absence.
With assignments in hand, the assistant left the school and once in the car casually flipped through the material provided, as she did so she came across a note tucked into the papers provided for Adrien. Unfolding the note she read it before folding it again and placing it back into the pile, a considering look on her face as they drove back to the mansion, stopping by the bakery to pick up some clothes for Marinette and some freshly baked pastries. Nathalie was having trouble hiding her smile as the Dupain-Cheng patriarchs had all but forced a basket of pastries into the Gorilla's arms which drew a smile from the man. She was even more surprised when she received a basket as well, along with the instructions to make sure Adrien and Marinette ate them with a well-balanced breakfast.
Nathalie made a note to have the chef start collecting pastries for the mansion from the bakery every morning. She underlined and bolded that idea once she bit into one of the still-warm croissants.
After arriving safely back at the mansion, Nathalie deposited the pastries in the kitchen with the instructions to keep them warm and to be sure to include them with breakfast for everyone. She also enjoined the chef to try one so that he would know why she was adamant that they purchase the morning pastries from the bakery from now on.
Leaving the man to his duties, amid the sounds of him issuing orders to make sure the morning pastries were acquired from the bakery; Nathalie went over her daily to-do list.
Once she had made sure everything was in order she made her way toward the stairs. Despite missing school for the day, Adrien still had a schedule to keep, as approved by the Gorilla, of course. While Marinette would be allowed to sleep in as she was a guest, Nathalie thought she might like to join them for a nice breakfast.
"Adrien," she said as she knocked on the door and waited for a reply that didn't come. After a few moments of knocking she opened the door only to find that both Adrien and his pillows were missing.
Rubbing the stress she felt building between her eyes, Nathalie made her way toward the guest rooms, knowing exactly where Adrien was.
Knocking before she opened the door, Nathalie couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. Pulling up the camera on her tablet she quickly captured a few pictures of the scene before her.
Adrien had entered Marinette's room at some point in the night and had fallen asleep cuddling her, heads tucked together as his arms wrapped around Marinette as best as they could. Adrien, ever the gentleman, had remained on top of the blanket but had somehow managed to wrap his arms around the girl even as they faced each other, their breath mingling as they slept.
As touching as the scene was, Nathalie still had a job to do.
"Adrien, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, it is morning and time to get up. Breakfast will be ready soon."
A grouping of mumbles and incoherent words was the only reply. Nathalie rolled her eyes as she called again.
After a few more minutes the couple finally awoke, eyes only on each other.
"Hi," Marinette said with a smile as her eyes locked onto Adrien's.
"Hey," he replied as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her nose, drawing a giggle from the girl next to him.
Nathalie cleared her throat to remind them she was there.
"As sweet as this is, Adrien, you do still have tasks to do this morning. Ms. Dupain-Cheng, we will be dining shortly, you are most welcome to join us. Your parents sent along a basket of pastries when I picked up some clothes for you this morning. For some strange reason, they gave your bodyguard an entire basket all his own."
Adrien snorted as he kissed Marinette's nose again before sliding off the bed and standing.
"I swear," Adrien began as he stretched his arms above his head, he could feel Marinette's eyes on him as he did so, "he is going to get fat if he keeps eating all those pastries."
"Having sampled one this morning I cannot argue with the man's choice in snack food," Nathalie replied as she set the clothes onto the bed for Marinette.
Marinette thanked her and began to pull together an outfit from the pile.
"They are ranked the best bakery in Paris for a reason," she added with no trace of arrogance, just a simple fact. This brought a small smile to Nathalie's face, humility is a very important thing for someone going into the fashion business, sadly it is something that Gabriel, and many other designers, forgot a long time ago.
"We shall let you get dressed," Nathalie said as she led Adrien to the door, a hand on his arm to keep him from kissing the girl again. "We will be eating in 30 minutes but could push it to 45 given the more open schedule this morning."
"No, I'll be ready," Marinette replied as she discovered the toiletries bag her mother had slipped into the clothes. Grabbing it and her desired outfit she rose and raced to the bathroom, but not before stopping Adrien to place a kiss on his cheek.
As they left Nathalie noticed that the young man could not stop smiling the entire trip back to his room.
"I'll have the staff gather your pillows during breakfast," she told him as she ran through the schedule again.
"Since you will not be officially attending classes today, you and Ms. Dupain-Cheng can study and do the homework at your leisure. However, Gabriel did want to speak with you regarding the business."
"Did he say what about specifically?" Adrien asked as they entered his room and he disappeared into his closet to pick out his clothes.
"He said he wanted to spend some time with you learning about how to run the business and to see how much you already know."
"We can start that after breakfast, I think Marinette and I would like to go to the bakery for lunch. After lunch, we will do our schoolwork."
"Do you think it's wise to go back when it's so close to the school?"
"I think Tom and Sabine would let us eat in the apartment," he replied as he came out with a pair of nice black pants, a black button-up shirt, and black converse. "Besides, we'd have the Gorilla with us in case anything happens."
Laying the clothes out he turned to the bathroom and made his way inside, Nathalie moved to stand outside the closed door.
"I'll make the arrangements then," she called out to him as she heard the water turn on. A blissful sigh was the only response she received.
Smiling to herself she left the room and began preparing for the rest of the day.
Fifteen minutes later found both Adrien and Marinette freshly showered and sitting at the dining table just talking.
"I still don't know how we are going to announce our relationship to the others," Marinette admitted as she sat next to Adrien.
"Well, as Nathalie said, we'll release an official statement saying I'm in a relationship but not name names," he replied as he held her hand in his and gently played with her fingers, a new favorite hobby of his.
"I also took the liberty of having legal file an injunction against Ms. Césaire and her Ladyblog to prevent her from posting any personal information about either of you in retaliation," Nathalie added as she took her seat across the table from the couple.
"What will that do?" Marinette asked as she turned to look at the older woman.
"If she decides to post any information about either of you online we can take legal action and force her to remove it as it was posted without your consent. Given how you are currently at odds with each other it seemed the wisest course of action to prevent any personal information from leaking."
"Both of us?" Marinette asked in confusion, "Wouldn't it be just Adrien, how am I included?"
Gabriel took this opportunity to enter and join them at the table, picking up the answer that Nathalie was about to provide.
"As you and my son are currently engaged to be married, any legal protections that would apply to him will automatically be extended to you as his fiancée. Of course, that part will be kept quiet until we are ready to announce it."
Adrien grinned as he saw what his father and Nathalie were doing.
"That's brilliant," the young man said as he looked at the pair sitting across from him.
"It is one of my better plans," Gabriel admitted with a shrug, a smug look on his face.
Marinette was confused and didn't hesitate to say so.
"It's simple, my dear," Gabriel said as he let the staff place his plate before him, "as a future member of this family you are entitled to all the legal protections that my son is, which means that all the troubles you are having with Ms. Rossi are now also the trouble of this family, in addition to the issues Adrien is having with her."
"Which means, if she does anything to you, the legal team will be all over it. I'll give them a call and see if they can begin to gather evidence from when Mari and Lila have been together at some of the photoshoots and other events," Adrien began as he removed his cell phone from his pocket.
Gabriel just raised his hand to stop him.
"Let Nathalie handle that, she is very good at seeing the various angles that you or I may miss. For now let us enjoy this delightful breakfast, especially since I've heard that we have some of the famous Tom and Sabine Bakery pastries today."
Marinette could only nod as she picked up her silverware, totally overwhelmed by the events so far.
.o.0.o.
Following breakfast, Marinette decided to take Nathalie up on her offer of a tour of the grounds and house as Adrien and Gabriel talked business. Marinette was thankful for the opportunity as she'd never had a chance to look around, at least as herself and not her alter-ego. She also appreciated the time to get to know the woman that Adrien considered a second mother.
"Adrien tells me that you design most of your clothing," Nathalie said as they reached the garden.
"I do," the younger woman replied as she passed through the gates to the garden, the variety, and colors making her pause. "It's so beautiful here."
"Yes," Nathalie replied as she led them to a bench located under some Wisteria trees. "Adrien's mother was very proud of her garden. I just hope she'd be happy with how we've tried to maintain it."
Marinette was silent as she took in the peace of the place, the various fragrances of the plants coupled with the gentle breeze gave the garden an intoxicating feeling.
"I'd love to be married in a place as beautiful as this," Marinette said as she closed her eyes and just took it in.
Nathalie hummed a bit as she jotted a note into her tablet.
"You were telling me about making your own clothes?"
"Hmm?" Marinette said before she remembered when and where she was. "Oh, yes, I try to design my own clothes a few times a month, I can't always afford the material but it's fun to try out different styles that I would not normally find in a store. Before all this happened, I would occasionally make outfits for my friends as well."
"You never offered to make anything for Adrien," Nathalie stated more than asked.
Marinette blushed before she answered, her eyes turned to her hands as they rested in her lap.
"I never saw the need, he's the son of Gabriel Agreste, he could wear anything he wanted, so why would he want one of my designs when he could get a Gabriel original?"
"From the designs I remember," Nathalie stated as she pulled up a folder of images on her tablet, "you have a gift for creating designs that capture the very essence of the wearer."
Marinette blushed harder as Nathalie turned the tablet to face her, on the screen was a selection of images showing the designs she'd submitted to the various contests that Gabriel had sponsored. Much to her embarrassment, the infamous hat was among them.
Placing the tablet on her lap, Nathalie faced the blushing Marinette.
"However, embarrassing you was not the purpose of this conversation. Do you want to design your own wedding dress? If not we can have Gabriel design an original for you."
"I can design it myself?"
"Of course," Nathalie replied, "there is no question as to your talent, and the cost of materials will not be an issue from now on."
Marinette was shocked, to say the least; she had never thought that she would be able to design her own dress. Sure, the idea had passed through her mind from time to time, but then reality set in and she knew she'd never have that option and would probably have to settle for an off-the-rack dress.
"I do, yes," she replied a moment later, a smile breaking across her face as she already started to design her dream dress.
"Excellent," Nathalie said as she added that note to her tablet. "On a more personal note… would you design me a new business suit?"
"Me?"
"Yes, I do love the outfits that Gabriel has in his line, but I want something more unique, something more… me."
Marinette broke into an even bigger smile as she happily told Nathalie that she would be honored to design her new outfit.
Satisfied, the assistant sat back on the bench and began to explain the various plants that Adrien's mother had hand-picked for the garden.
.o.0.o.
Following the tour, Marinette soon found herself in the foyer waiting for Adrien to finish his meeting with Gabriel.
"You seem to have a good grasp on most of the business," the elder Agreste was saying as he and Adrian left the office and entered the foyer.
"Well, I have been paying attention during the photoshoots when I was waiting for wardrobe to dress me and for makeup to finish. I've watched how you and Nathalie handled things."
"You did well to pick up as much as you did," Gabriel congratulated, "now, I can see that Ms. Dupain-Cheng is ready and waiting so it must be lunchtime."
"Marinette!" Adrien's face grew a smile when he saw her, and he rushed to pick her up in his arms and kiss her.
Gabriel just stood back and watched, memories of his romance with Adrien's mother filling his mind. A small smile came to his lips when he considered that he may be able to woo Nathalie one day too.
"Your car is here," Nathalie announced as she came in from out front.
"Thank you, Nathalie," Adrien replied as he bid his farewells and led Marinette out the door and to where the Gorilla was waiting with the door open for them.
Once the teens were in the car and heading to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Gabriel found himself functionally alone with Nathalie, clearing his throat he spoke.
"Nathalie… would you…" he hesitated for a moment before plunging ahead. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"
Once the question was asked he could see the wheels in her head turning, he only hoped she came to the correct conclusion.
"Lunch, as in we dine together, or we dine together?" she asked after a moment.
Gabriel could feel his palms starting to sweat just a bit as he answered, adding the correct inflection.
"Together," he told her with a small smile and the offer of his arm.
"I would be honored," she replied as she tucked her tablet under her left arm and took his left in her right. Both were smiling as they made their way to the dining room.
Marinette and Adrien for their part were very well-behaved, for the most part. Following a quick kissing session, they were currently holding hands as they talked over the assignments they had looked over before and tried to guess what kind of dessert Sabine would have for them.
When the Gorilla finally dropped them off and found a place to park, the couple was bantering back and forth about which pastry was better at what time of day.
Of course, Marinette being the baker's daughter, knew she was right. Adrien staunchly held his ground though, even as the Gorilla finally joined them, and the trio made their way to the counter to order lunch.
"Mama," Marinette said when they finally reached the counter.
"Mari," the elder Cheng replied as she took her daughter's hand over the counter and squeezed it before turning to the boy accompanying her. "Good afternoon Adrien, and to you as well Gorilla."
The Dupain-Chengs had insisted on addressing the bodyguard by his name, but the man had only indicated he went by the nickname Adrien had given him. After some convincing, the elder Dupain and Cheng finally agreed to call the bodyguard by his preferred nickname.
Adrien and the Gorilla returned the greeting with a smile from the Gorilla and a "Good Afternoon, Sabine," from Adrien.
"I have lunch ready for you both, where do you want to eat?"
"I was thinking down here," Adrien replied as he glanced around the store and didn't see any of their schoolmates.
"Are you sure?"
"We are," Marinette replied with a giggle, "and we can always go to the apartment if we need to."
Sabine agreed with a smile and a nod as she passed the teens their lunches as well as a plate of food for the Gorilla.
Soon the small group found themselves seated at two tables, Marinette, and Adrien at the one, and the Gorilla happily munching on his food at the one next to theirs.
"So," Marinette began as she picked up her sandwich, "are you hoping to see any of our classmates today?"
"Yes, and no," Adrien replied as he pushed the small salad around the plate, ignoring the sandwich for the time being. "I am hoping that no one shows, and we can enjoy our lunch in peace, but I am also expecting at least one of our classmates to walk through that door."
"Then why did you want to eat down here?"
"Because I'm done hiding, Mari, I'm not going to let anyone else dictate what I can and cannot do."
Behind them, the Gorilla gave a grunt that was a cross between a snort, a snicker, and a laugh. Adrien just laughed at him and gave him a playful shove.
"You don't count," Adrien replied, "I know you only have my best interest at heart, you always have."
The Gorilla smiled as he looked at his charges and enjoyed his lunch.
Turning serious again, Adrien turned back to his fiancée.
"But I'm serious, Mari, I'm not going to hide who I am anymore. What we have, though, that I'll hide and protect until we are ready to tell. It could mess up the very delightful chain of events that are in motion and I want to see this to the end and see that she gets exactly what's coming to her."
"So, we need to pretend that we aren't," she paused to vaguely gesture just so she didn't accidentally give away their secret in public.
"For now," he replied as he picked up his sandwich and took a bite, swallowing before he spoke again.
"We have to be just good friends to everyone else for now, at least at school, at home, well, that's another story." He told her with a grin that she returned wholeheartedly.
"Sounds like a plan to me," she said. "Now, why don't you tell me what you did this morning and I'll tell you about my time with Nathalie."
Adrian gave a small laugh as they both ate and talked.
.o.0.o.
After lunch, the trio was back at the Agreste mansion, and the teens were doing their homework with the tutor that Nathalie had provided.
Both were doing very well, and the tutor was very happy to have such smart and eager students.
After completing every bit of homework that was provided, several long hours later, Marinette and Adrien were now sitting around the dinner table talking about the homework and waiting for Gabriel and Nathalie to join them.
"I normally hate precalculus," Marinette said as she laughed at a pun Adrien just told, "but the tutor made it make so much sense."
"He was very good," Adrien agreed, "I've had tons of tutors and he knew what he was doing and was good at it."
"I am very pleased to hear that," Gabriel added as he joined the teens, Nathalie on his arm just like at lunch earlier. While the teens had been busy with lunch and assignments, Gabriel and Nathalie had engaged in another very important conversation regarding their lives and the future. Thankfully, unlike the last, this one had no mention of Hawk Moth or miraculous and was solely focused on Gabriel, Emilie, and Nathalie. "It is good to hear that we were able to find someone competent."
"Good evening," Adrien said as his father and Nathalie took their seats, which Gabriel pulled out for her before seating himself once she was settled. Adrien struggled to hide his grin.
"Ms. Dupain-Ch…" Gabriel started before Nathalie cleared her throat to remind him of part of the conversation they'd had. "I mean, Marinette," he corrected himself. "Have you been able to come up with any initial designs for Mari?"
Marinette looked up in surprise at the elder Agreste when he addressed her so formally, her head snapping up almost catching the servant off guard as he was pouring her water, almost.
"Um.. not yet, I mean I do, but they're just rough sketches, I didn't want to bother you with them."
"Nonsense," he replied as she took a sip of water, his soup was placed before him, tomato basil from the smell of it. "The rough sketches are where we can refine our ideas. If you have them available we can look them over after dessert, I believe that Nathalie has a few business details to discuss with Adrien as well."
"That would be wonderful," Marinette replied as she turned a radiant grin to Adrien who only laughed and squeezed her hand.
A comfortable silence reigned for several minutes as they enjoyed their soup before Gabriel cleared his throat to get the attention of the teens. With a shared look at Nathalie, Gabriel began to speak again, setting his soup spoon aside and folding his hands on the table.
"Adrien, Marinette, Nathalie, and I have been discussing with the legal team various ways to counteract some of Ms. Rossi's claims regarding her engagement with you Adrien." He stopped to take a sip of wine; he knew the next piece of information would be rather interesting for the teens to receive.
"Legal has looked over the claims she has made as well as taken your relationship with each other into account and has given a few recommendations. Before I go on, please remember that these are just recommendations to help counteract the claims. Now, after weighing several different options they have presented us with a few options. Nathalie?"
He turned to his former assistant and now… confidant, he was still unsure as to their developing relationship, to deliver the small list.
"There are not many items, but all can help in one way or another." She replied as she glanced at her tablet.
"First, they have suggested that we continue as we have. While it will make it more difficult to disprove some of her relationship claims, it is also one of the least disruptive for the overall plan."
Marinette and Adrien shared a look and nodded their understanding, hands clasped on top of the table.
"Second, we could publicly announce the engagement earlier in order to destroy that line of lies. We will of course have to reveal names to prevent Ms. Rossi from claiming that she is the mystery woman. This brings us to the last option that Legal suggested."
At this point she placed the tablet down and looked up at the teens, her hands folded on the table now as well. Taking a deep breath she spoke.
"The third option is that you both get married in secret as soon as possible."
The silence was absolute as the words registered in the teen's minds, for all of a second the only sound was that of the air handlers circulating the air.
"Wh…what?" Marinette asked in utter shock.
"You can't be serious," Adrien said as his free hand ran through his hair in frustration for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise. Nathalie chose this moment to continue.
"Legal has advised us that the last option is by far the best given that you both do plan to marry once school is over. Since you are both still minors, your parents would need to approve of the union before anything can be done. Gabriel and I have already discussed all the legal issues with Marinette's parents and, while hesitant at first, gave their approval and consent. In the long run, this option will allow Marinette not only the full protection of this family and its resources but will also shield you both from Ms. Rossi's lies as a valid marriage license would invalidate any claims she makes and work to discredit her entirely."
"And given the fact that the law states that all marriages must be performed at City Hall, Mayor Bourgeois would be able to perform the ceremony himself and limit the number of people who would know. As your father, I too give my blessing for you both to marry if that is the option that you desire." Gabriel added as the light finally clicked on in Marinette's head now that the shock had worn off.
"When we go back to school we can keep acting like before, as friends, and still be able to wear our rings," Marinette added as ideas flashed through her head. Adrien smiled as he watched her Ladybug side take over the planning. "After all, you are a model and wear jewelry all the time and I wear rings as accessories too. No one would know they were wedding rings."
"That's correct," Gabriel said as he tapped a few buttons on his tablet before looking up. "We can hold a civil ceremony at City Hall and keep it to just those who need to know and have a more public ceremony later. After all, we would need to have the civil ceremony first either way."
"We need to tell Chloé," Adrien said as he turned to look at his father. "She was my first friend and she's always been on our side against Lila; besides, she'd be unbearable if she found out after the fact."
"That is true," Gabriel replied with a small chuckle.
"So, given the turn in the conversation, I can assume that marriage is the option you want?"
"Yes," Adrien and Marinette replied in unison as they both grinned from ear to ear.
"Excellent, then we should pick rings," he said as the dining-room door opened and a widely smiling Gorilla led a well-dressed man in along with several cases being carted by the servants.
The well-dressed man approached the table with a huge smile on his face, Adrien instantly recognized him as the same jeweler that his father had collaborated with a few years ago on an exclusive collection designed to complement that year's higher-end fashion line. Adrien would have to arrange for the Gorilla to sell the ring he had designed earlier, anything Mari picked from this collection would be perfect in every way, just like she was.
"Mr. Baptiste," Gabriel greeted as he took the man's hands in his own, "thank you for coming on such short notice."
"Of course, Mr. Agreste, when you messaged me about the possibility I gathered my samples as fast as possible. My workshop was left in a state of chaos when I ordered them to clear the rest of the evening for a special project."
Gabriel actually laughed at this, having visited the workshop in person and seen how ordered it was he could just imagine the chaos.
"I just hope they are prepared for such a special occasion."
"Indeed they are, sir," the jeweler replied with a grin before he turned to Adrien and Marinette.
"Well," he said as he sat in a nearby chair and removed a pad from his pocket. "Tell me, what does your heart desire for a ring?"
Marinette was taken back for a second before she gripped Adrien's hand in joy and began to describe the ring she had always envisioned.
After several moments of listening and writing, Mr. Baptiste rose and went to his cases and began to open them. Finding the various design elements that either matched or were close to, those that Marinette had described, he laid the metal, the design form, and the stone on the table before her.
"Is this what you wanted?" He asked as he sat once again.
Tears welled in her eyes and both hands rose to cover her mouth, in her mind she could see the elements all together and it was exactly what she had envisioned.
"It is perfect, sir," she replied as she fought to keep the tears in, turning to Adrien she buried her head in his chest and just held him in joy.
"Excellent, excellent," the jeweler said as he began writing the order for the workshop.
"You do realize that you will need to settle on a more circumspect ring until we can have the public ceremony," Gabriel added when he realized the other man was lost in his thoughts as he wrote the work order.
"I do," Marinette said as she pulled away, "we have to keep up appearances until everything with Lila has gone away, but I was just so overwhelmed. Never in my life did I imagine I'd be able to design my own ring. I had always planned on designing my dress," she gave a watery laugh as she remembered the conversation with Nathalie from earlier. "But I had settled on having to pick a ring from a jeweler's case."
"From now on, Marinette," Gabriel began as he rose and moved to kneel before her, taking a hand in his. "You will never have to settle for anything again, no member of the Agreste family will."
Gabriel was surprised when Marinette launched herself into his arm and began to cry into his shoulder, muffled repeats of the words 'thank you' reaching his ears as he awkwardly patted her back. Behind him, he could hear Nathalie snickering as she arranged for the civil ceremony to take place as soon as possible.
Adrien was finally able to pull her away and hold her as Gabriel returned to his seat. Once he had Mr. Baptiste closed his notebook and gestured to the servants to help him close his cases and carry them away.
"I will have a full design for you in the morning," he said as he rose and shook their hands. "I look forward to creating such a magnificent piece."
With that, he swept from the room to follow his cases to the waiting car.
"Well," Adrien said, "he sure is an interesting fellow."
Marinette laughed as she pulled away and dried her eyes with the napkin.
"Now that that is settled, there is only one thing left to do, pick your rings to wear until the public ceremony. Since we do not want to wait for them to be designed by Mr. Baptiste, Nathalie selected several from a local jeweler we use for various photoshoots. Please pick the rings you like best."
As the teens looked through the rings, Gabriel turned to Nathalie.
"Is the mayor on board for the ceremony?"
"Yes, sir," she replied as she tapped onto her tablet, "his daughter will be in attendance just to keep the peace for Adrien and Marinette. The ceremony will be held tomorrow afternoon in his office during the staff's lunch break."
"Excellent, the fewest people that know, the better."
After a few minutes, the teens finally picked their rings, both very subtle.
Adrien went with a simple silver ring similar to the one he already wore.
Marinette had decided on a simple thin silver band with a small emerald and black diamond in it, chat Noir's colors. Both stones were small enough to be able to pass off as fake to not raise any suspicions.
"I made sure to gather rings in your sizes only," Nathalie said as she set her tablet aside and gestured one of the staff over.
"I was going to ask about that," Marinette replied with a laugh as she looked at the ring where it rested on her finger. "These will be just perfect."
"Excellent," Gabriel said as he clapped his hands together in joy, "now that that is settled, we can continue with dinner. Oh, before I forget, I think you both should stay home tomorrow, that way we can get to City Hall with little fanfare and publicity. We have arranged to have the Mayor marry you at 1 pm during the staff's lunch break."
"So soon?" Marinette asked with minor shock, after having stayed with the Agreste family for a few days she was starting to not be surprised with things happening fast, especially since Gabriel seemed to be more relaxed now that Adrien was in control of the company.
"The faster we get it done, the less the lies are able to stick," Nathalie replied as she began to eat her salmon.
Marinette only nodded as her plate was placed in front of her. Picking up her fork she began to eat when Gabriel added one more thing.
"Marinette, after dinner, we can go over your designs for the initial line."
Swallowing, she replied with a smile.
"Thank you, that would be wonderful."
