Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the only daughter of the wealthy mayor, is merely a young woman who wants to live life one adventure at a time. But when a man dressed in all black actually grants her that wish, she's torn on whether to explore the world wit...
"Freedom is something everyone desperately desires, however, it is not something that everyone is lucky enough to have."
— Forbidden Fruits
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CHAPTER FOUR
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Marinette wasn't the biggest fan of ceremonies. They only further reminded her of how little she could accomplish on her own as the mayor's daughter. But here she was nonetheless, smiling as she cheered her youngest brother on.
Cody, amongst several other young men, was receiving a silver medallion tonight as recognition for passing his first course in training to become a law enforcer himself. As the medal was placed over his head by the sheriff, her brothers' chorus of shouts uproar, along with her own feminine roots of cheer.
Out of her peripheral, a few men around her age were watching her strangely. The look in their eyes was enough to say that they thought her enthusiasm to be improper, simply because of the name she carried. Without even meeting their eyes, she ceased her clapping only to shoot them the bird.
The men instantly averted their gazes, mumbling in disgust with one another. That in itself brought a satisfied smirk to her lips in a matter of seconds.
On her right, Jasper nudged her arm with his elbow rather harshly.
"Ow! What was that for?" She turned to glare at him, rubbing at the spot where she'd been hit. All around them, the townspeople who had come to watch the ceremony were still clapping and cheering, which left her hardly any options besides raising her voice slightly when she demanded an explanation for his actions.
"For bein' foolish. It would be in your best interest not to flip off random fellas in public." He said, his eyes remaining forward and his voice raised as high as hers as he continued clapping. "Pa could'a seen that, and you would'a been in a heap of trouble if he had."
The clapping slowly died out as everyone took their seats once more. The sheriff continued with his speech, which she could guarantee most weren't even paying much attention to.
"I honestly wouldn't give a shit if father saw." She leaned over to whisper near his ear. Jasper even met her halfway with a tilt of his head. "Besides, you didn't see the way those boys were looking at me."
"Looks on their own don't got no power unless you give it such." Jasper chuckled under his breath. "Especially if they're comin' from scrawny little lads still squawkin' around with their Pa's hard-earned money."
Marinette snorted loudly at that, which earned her a few unpleasant looks from unfortunate folks near her seat. She and Jasper fixed their posture and their amused smiles just as their father leaned forward in his own seat, turning his head to the left to ensure the distractions being caused weren't from his perceived golden-star-grown children.
