Because He Loved Me First

22

Adrien knocked on his father's door, hoping he wasn't interrupting him but really wanting to talk. After the whole conversation thing, Adrien had more hope; Alya was coming back so she would help him, people were now against Chloe, so the blonde would be out of the way, but he wanted to do more. He felt this wasn't enough. Marinette was probably lost or something; she needed to be found as soon as possible. Or at least Adrien needed to know if she was okay.

The door opened and his father peeked out of the small crack. "Yes?"

"I need to talk to you. I want to ask for a favor. Please?" Adrien stared hopefully at his father. Finally, after thinking about it, his father opened the door wider and allowed Adrien in. Adrien got straight into business, not even wanting to waste any time at all. At least he hoped coming to his father wasn't a waste of time either. "As you may have already known, Marinette — my friend — has gone missing, and I just wanted to ask for your help-"

Gabriel looked over at Adrien. "Your friend? I never knew you were close with anyone. A girl. Marinette."

It sounded a lot to Adrien like the news of Marinette being his friend was unbelievable to Gabriel, but still, he let that pass. "She's been gone for. . . I don't know, almost two days now, I guess. Some people are actually beginning to think that she's, well, yeah. But I don't think so. Marinette may have ran away or something-"

"If she ran away, what makes you think she wants to be found?" Gabriel, making Adrien freeze in his spot and actually consider the question. "I mean think about it. She ran off because of a specific reason, and haven't been back ever since she did. . . If you found her, she would probably be angry that you did."

"Well, I want to make sure she's okay. I'm. . . I'm worried about her. I need your help in finding her. At least, do this for me, in return of everything I've been doing for you!"

Gabriel seemed to think about it as well, putting his hand on his chin and wondering about it. "How are you so sure that she's still out there anyway?"

"She posted a story. On Lady-Blog. It was my story, and she posted it. She had made a new account and-"

"So? How are you so sure it's her? It could be anyone."

"Father, Marinette was the only one who knew about my story. I mean, I don't know how she got it, but I remember her accidentally reading it," Adrien exclaimed, pounding a fist against his hand. He could tell Gabriel saw how desperate he was, and he was glad, but still, that wasn't enough to determine whether Gabriel was even going to help him or not.

"You really care about this girl, don't you?" Gabriel asked, as if investigating Adrien to see if helping him would be a waste. Adrien nodded his head, so Gabriel sighed and nodded back. "What do you want me to do? Send a few people to search the bakery Marinette lives in? Find clues as to where she could be?"

Searching the bakery had never really gotten on Adrien's mind, but now that his father mentioned it, he was glad. "I would really love that. However you can help will be fine." He shrugged. "Thank you." He honestly hadn't been expecting his father to say yes, but now he had even more hope that Marinette was going to be found sooner.

~

Chloe walked down the stairs when she had heard something. It was her father, calling for her to come inside his room. Chloe was never allowed inside his room, and when she was, that meant the conversation was going to be over something important. Chloe knocked on his door and waited. Soon, the door opened and behind the door was her father. At first he looked at her with a meaningless face, but then he glared, and it scared Chloe to the core.

"What is it?"

Mr. Bourgeois opened the door wider and let his daughter in. To say that he was upset was just an understatement. He motioned over to a chair and spoke in a tone that terrified Chloe. "Sit!" Chloe sat down without any argument and waited for her father to continue.

"Chloe, I'm not blind, neither am I deaf!" Her father started. "First, it was about you wanting to shut down the bakery, causing a lot of people to come to us and protest against it. Now. . . Now Marinette is missing-"

"I don't have anything to do with Marinette!" Chloe instantly yelled out before her father could continue. "Marinette and I aren't close. I don't know her. She doesn't know me. We promised each other to stay out of one another's way and that's how it's been since then. I-"

"So then why am I getting complaints that you've been bullying Marinette?!" Mr. Bourgeois hollered, making Chloe shiver with fright. "Is it perhaps that my own daughter is lying to me?! Is it perhaps that she isn't afraid of me anymore and feels that she can do anything without having to talk to me about it first?"

Chloe thought that was wrong. She was very much afraid of her father. Yes, her father was the Mayor, which also meant he was the boss of everyone an everything, including her. "But I'm not lying. I. . . Marinette and I don't know each other. All those other people out there are lying to you. Who would you believe, Daddy? People you don't know, or me?"

Mr. Bourgeois stared at his daughter for a few seconds, almost believing that she was innocent, but no. He shook his head and looked away. "Chloe, you better admit to your guilts, or else you'll be in much deeper trouble. You don't want to mess with your own father!"

Still, Chloe didn't go against what she had said earlier. "I'm telling the truth."

"Just so you know," Mr. Bourgeois folded his arms, "before I invited you in here, I questioned some students from your school. Most people said the same thing, that you've been a bossy, bullying brat, going against the students who you thought were weak, using me as your shield. Some people said otherwise, but I figured those were just your friends trying to stick to your side. Chloe. . . Even Adrien was against you. Even he said that you were a bully, and I don't see Adrien as a liar. For goodness sake, I'm working with his father. He knows better than to lie to me."

Chloe clenched her hands. "So you're going to believe Adrien over your own daughter?"

Mr. Bourgeois looked at her again with an angry look. "Yes." Chloe gasped, not believing the answer she had heard. She quickly covered her face and collapsed in tears. "Chloe, it makes sense. Adrien believes that it's your fault why Marinette disappeared, and me myself is starting to believe that as well."

Chloe looked up and looked hee father in the eye. "So what are you going to do? Okay yes, I'm such a bully, but I wasn't the only one and-"

"I know you weren't the only one," Mr. Bourgeois stepped back and turned to face the door. "Which is why I'm shutting down the school!"