My One, My Only

Chapter Nineteen: Ride Home

Hello Dear Reader,

It's me, the writer :) I just wanted to say two things really quickly. First, this chapter is super short (I'm sorry!! \(T 3 T)/ ). Second, I just got some of my first comments ever on this story! It was really great reading them, you have no idea what it meant to me, getting to see those reactions to those certain parts in the story. It really made my day. So I invite you to continue commenting (of course only if you'd like to). I really enjoyed seeing those. I also promise that I'm gonna start working on the next chapter tonight! So stick around cuz I plan to post it at some point tomorrow.

Thank you for reading!

"That Miss Lila Rossi put on quite a show." Gabriel laughed to himself.

The carriage ride out of the Dupain-Cheng palace was rough, hectic, and crowded. The staff escorted everyone out in under twenty minutes after Lila's chaotic outburst, so the traffic out was a nightmare.

Adrien had pulled back the curtain in the carriage to watch in regret as the Dupain-Cheng palace faded from sight. He hadn't even been given the chance to say goodbye to Marinette.

"-falling into place without me even having to lift a finger!" Gabriel rejoiced, interrupting Adrien's wallowing in self pity.

Gabriel looked at his uninterested son, and decided to include him in his one man celebration. He cleared his throat and began. "I presume, based on what the Rossi girl shouted at the princess about the "pretty recluse", that I should be congratulating you on how well you did currying favor with the young Dupain-Cheng heir."

Adrien didn't respond so Gabriel went on. "I'm glad to see that it went rather well. Now no one will have even the slightest inkling that we were involved, once the princess goes missing. Not one person will even think to suspect us. Especially now after Miss Rossi publicly attacked that girl, not once, but twice!" The laughter started again.

"The poor thing looked like a horrified mouse getting pounced on by a fox!" He laughed so hard his face went purple.

Adrien tore his eyes away from the window, and watched in disgust as Gabriel relished over Marinette's misfortunes. He couldn't believe that this was the man who raised him.

"Has he always been like this? A self-centered, sadistic man who steps on anyone in his path?"

"No." Adrien challenged himself. "He couldn't have been this way when mom was still around, she never would have been with someone this narcissistic. He must have been a completely different man before she died."

His mother was too kind hearted to ever be with someone who behaved and acted the way Gabriel did now. A small part of him wanted to believe that his father was good, could still be good.

Adrien watched Gabriel intently as his laughter died down. "You look like you have something to say Adrien."

"I do." The words came out more timid than he had intended.

"Pray tell." Gabriel focused all his attention on his son.

Adrien felt his hands tremble, and tightly knit them together hoping his father hadn't seen. "I spent nearly the entire day along-side the Dupain-Cheng Heir." Adrien chose his words carefully, not wanting to give away how close he had become with Marinette.

"Yes, I noticed." Gabriel narrowed his eyes.

Adrien swallowed hard. "She truly lives up to her reputation. She's kind, caring, and generous-"

"Adrien." Gabriel interrupted sternly, but Adrien continued.

"The entire kingdom is enamored with her."

"You sound as if you speak from experience." Gabriel shut the carriage curtain.

Adrien began to sweat, but ignored the comment and continued talking. "Her disappearance would cause outrage throughout the land-"

"Which is exactly why I chose her." Gabriel's tone was growing more and more impatient.

"The perpetrators would suffer a fate worse than death once caught."

"Is that what you're worried about? Being the one who gets caught. The one who gets punished?" Gabriel's voice was dripping with contempt.

Adrien was surprised that his father didn't revisit the "enamored" comment, but it was better this way. Better that his father think he was trying to save his own skin, than him finding out how much he'd come to care for Marinette.

"Y-yes." Adrien let a stutter slip, and mentally cursed himself.

"I take it that means you're not worried about what happens to the princess then, just what happens to you?" Gabriel sneered.

Adrien stayed silent. Anything he said now could give him away.

"Son if that's the case then the solution is simple. I'll hire someone else to take care of her highnesses abduction. Obviously any outside hire won't be as trustworthy as my own son, so the job won't be done as cleanly. You know how hired ruffians never fully follow instructions, but as long as the job gets done, right?" Gabriel shot a cruel smile in Adrien's direction.

He shook his head. This wasn't the way the conversation was meant to go.

"No?" Gabriel said, sarcasm lacing his tone.

Adrien tried again. "Kidnapping her is wrong, father. She's innocent in all of this, and if someone were ever to discover we took her they'd have our heads. I think it's best that we initiate the war in some other way, we could interrupt trade routes, or even impersonate the Rossi's trade ships and-"

"I've heard enough!" Gabriel shouted, making Adrien flinch backward.

Gabriel glared down at Adrien, then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "Adrien, the princess will be abducted. Her disappearance will be the catalyst to start my war between the Rossi's and the Dupain-Cheng's. Now whether she's taken by someone who can guarantee her safety or someone who will do as they please with her is of no importance to me. All I need is for her to disappear and stay gone until I've gotten what I need." He sat up straight adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves.

"So I leave the decision to you, Adrien. Either you abduct the princess, or I hire some cheap low-life scum to make her disappear by any means necessary."

Adrien sat there silently, at a complete loss for words.

Gabriel held back a smile, knowing very well that he had won this discussion. He pushed Adrien into a corner knowing very well that his good nature would never allow him to knowingly let someone, especially someone as well adored as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, enter a dangerous situation if he could help it.

Adrien looked up and saw the ghost of an arrogant smile on Gabriel's mouth. Whatever goodness he had hoped still lived buried deeply within his father clearly didn't exist. This man was cruel and uncompromising, hardly a man at all.

There was no other way Adrien could save Marinette from this fate, the only way he could protect her was by conceding to his father's demands.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll be the one to kidnap the Dupain-Cheng princess."