𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐁𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 (𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐡)

chapter 10

Nathalie woke up to the sounds of a blaring alarm clock and bright rays of sun entering the room. She sat up and saw Adrien slowly waking up as well.

"That's a pretty loud alarm clock you've got, Nathalie," Adrien said, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, I can't risk being late when I work for a man as busy as your father." She said, quickly getting up to start her day.

Nathalie got ready for the day with haste, as she usually did, and made her way down to her boss' office on time. After everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours, she wasn't happy with Gabriel. She knew she would have to act as if nothing happened last night so that nothing got in the way of work. That had always been Nathalie's top priority. There were many times she had strong feelings about Gabriel, but she would never let them get in the way.

Nathalie now approached Gabriel's workspace. He was standing at his screen with the tall portrait behind him, as always, with his various designs lining the walls.

"Nathalie," he said, his voice authoritative as always, "I just was alerted that there is an event that we need to be represented at."

Gabriel's tone indicated that he had no intention of bringing up any past events. Nathalie was here to work, and that's what was expected of her.

"Yes, sir, I had already planned to be there."

Gabriel nodded in approval, focusing back on the work in front of him. He didn't seem as though he wanted to talk much.

"You're dismissed, Nathalie." He certainly didn't seem in the mood to speak. At all.

Nathalie walked out of the large doors and made her way to her room. She had already gathered all of her things to be ready to leave for the event. It was an annual fashion expo, and although none of Gabriel's designs were being showcased in this particular show, Nathalie would have to be there to speak to clients and leave a good impression for her boss' brand.

Nathalie grabbed her bag and jacket and walked down the long stairway. Instead of being chauffeured by Gorilla, Nathalie decided to take her own car. She walked down the steps and down the large driveway. The same driveway that Gabriel, days before, Gabriel was heedlessly trying to speed out of while the two of them were laughing together. She knew, though, that moments like these weren't supposed to be shared between the two of them. Not only because he was her boss, and Gabriel was already married to the woman Nathalie was sacrificing her health to save, but also because no matter how much Nathalie wanted to believe otherwise, Gabriel didn't seem to have an ounce of love left in his heart. Even though she desperately wanted to believe otherwise, it was now clear to her. After seeing how horribly Gabriel treated his own son, Nathalie knew he had been completely consumed by the darkness of the brooch on his chest. He was becoming the villain that so many people feared, and Nathalie knew there was no longer anything she could do about that. The man who once went out of his way to protect his son from the hell that was the outside world was now causing hell within his own household. All she could do now was do the best work she could at her job, and ensure Adrien's happiness, since she couldn't do the same for his father.

She got into her car, put the key in the ignition, and got on the road. She had her GPS on to help her reach the location. It was about a twenty minute drive, and she spent it listening to some of her favorite bands from when she was in college.

The car ride felt like hours passed to her because there was so much on her mind. Being alone in the car left her with all of her thoughts about everything that had happened, and her brain was swarming because of it.

You have to move on for now, Nathalie, she said to herself, let's just focus on the task at hand, and worry about everything else later.

She parked her car in the large, crowded parking lot, and got out. The weather was quite sunny today, in stark contrast to the previous days' overcast skies. Nathalie hoped that the warm rays of the sun would make their way to her, to brighten up her mood.

Today she had been asked to attend a fashion show. Nathalie much preferred these events to fancy galas where she had to strike up tedious small talk because Gabriel rarely did. At these events there was far less talking, and more observing. Most of the attention was on the models strutting across the stage instead of on pointless conversation.

She made her way up the grand stairs to the building where the runway event was being held. As she walked in there was security to validate her identity, and she was shown to her seat shortly after. She saw many familiar faces from the fashion industry, as she often attended these events in place of Gabriel. She also knew many people there due to the fact that this was a Style Queen Magazine event, and because Gabriel and Audrey had a connection, the Agrestes were always invited to her shows.

Nathalie took her seat. She arrived early, as always, so she had thirty minutes before the actual show started. The seat to the left of her was vacant, but someone sat to her right. He, unlike many others, was someone who she hadn't seen before.

"Hello there," the man said, almost as if he knew she was thinking about him.

"Good morning," replied Nathalie with her usual business-formal tone.

"You work for Gabriel Agreste, correct?" he went on before she could validate his question, "I'm a huge fan of his work, it's great to finally meet someone who works for the brand."

He maintained eye contact with Nathalie and held out his hand for a handshake. Nathalie shook his hand. She admired the enthusiasm in his tone when speaking about the field of work, he seemed as if fashion was something he was truly passionate about.

"I appreciate your kindness. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr..."

"Pryce, Lloyd Pryce. Just Lloyd is fine, and the pleasure is all mine" He smiled warmly as he spoke. He almost looked like a younger Brad Pitt, but a bit skinnier. His hair was long-ish and stopped at the nape of his neck, and his eyes reflected the joy that he spoke with previously. Nathalie was sure she hadn't seen him before, because she certainly would've remembered him if she had.

"And I'm Nathalie Sancoeur."

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A/N: apologies for the hiatus, but the story is back now, and just in time for season five!