Pretty Liar

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲

Present

Y/N sighed as she looked at the map displayed on her phone. She's in her destination. But something prevented her from moving, maybe the rational side of her brain yelling 'Why would you come here as soon as you got in Paris?', she ignored it once more.

She took a good look at the huge house before ringing the doorbell. She was quite nervous but her pride wouldn't let her show that. Ironically, she flinched slightly when the CCTV camera was shoved right in her face, asking who she was and what was her business, that was unexpected. "Good morning, I'm here to visit Gabriel Agreste. I'm an old acquaintance." Y/N said calmly.

Without any other word, the camera went back to the hidden place it was in and the gates slowly opened the path leading up to the mansion. On the other side, Nathalie called her boss through the tablet she was given: "Sir, there's someone who'd like to have a chat with you. I've just let them in." Gabriel sighed and responded with a "Thank you, please prepare two cups of tea and some biscuits for our guest." Nathalie nodded and hung up, walking to the entrance to greet the newcomer.

Y/N put one of her hands in her trench coat's pockets as she waited for the door to open. "Welcome, Miss...?" said a questioning voice. The stranger quickly looked up from the ground: "Y/N Vessalius, pleasure meeting you." She entered the house and nodded to the woman who greeted her: she had a stoic poker face painted on her fair skin, glasses on the bridge of her nose, short and neatly combed hair with a tinted strand of ruby red and she wore a business attire. "I'm Nathalie, Gabriel's assistant. He's waiting in the living room on the right" she raised her arm and showed the way. "I'll be back with a cup of tea."

With that, the assistant left the scene and the woman slowly walked to the living room, each step seemingly hard to make. The first thing she noticed upon entering were the numerous chairs and a long dining table, on its left there was a fireplace with a few white armchairs. As soon as she got in, her eyes searched, no yearned for the face of Gabriel she hasn't seen in so long, and her wish was fulfilled: there he was, unmoving and serious, his eyes on the coffee table in front of him as he was seated on the spotless, white leather couch.

Her eyes softened and a small smirk made its way to her lips. "Greetings, Mr. Agreste-" she started, taking a step towards him as the man looked up, his eyes widening.

"Missed me?"

Y/N inhaled deeply to calm her nerves and her heart since it suddenly started beating just a little bit faster. 'Well, isn't this awkward?'

The silence engulfed them both as the Agreste stared at the woman in front of him with a baffled reaction for approximately five, long seconds.

'She disappears and comes back almost two decades later like.. that?' He thought. He regained his composure and stood up, his hand raising up to reach his mouth as he fake coughed. "Good morning. How has life been treating you?"

He didn't know what to say even though he's used to small talk. Maybe speaking through a tablet is different than talking to people in real life.

She let her lips turn up in a sweet smile as she got closer to him, just one feet apart from each other. "Wonderfully! Just came to Paris to establish my company here too." 'That too, but I can't tell you I've wanted to see you for a while now'

Gabriel's eyebrows slightly raised at that. "You run a business?" He was unaware, he didn't inform himself about the new trending markets in the other countries, since he was so occupied by his own.

Y/N giggled at that. "Yes, I do. It's been very successful recently, so Bourgeois thought it would be a good idea to come here. How about yours? I've heard so many splendid things from people about your brand." She said, looking up once again to see his icy blue eyes. 'It was hard not to think about you when your name was on everyone's mouth.'

He nodded, as a wordless thank you and commented "I've been putting a lot of hard work and time in it, so far I'm pleased. My son contributes to it too, he's the face and main model of the brand."

"Ah, I see, I'm afraid I've never had the pleasure to meet or him. I'm sure I'd see a younger you in him." she commented, not breaking eye contact with the man.

She raised her hand to caress Gabriel's left cheek only to put it back down, realizing what she was about to do. 'God, that was embarrassing'

That action didn't go unnoticed by the other.

"You haven't changed much, apart from that cold glare of yours" she pointed out as she took two steps away from him to give him more personal space.

He used to be more... approachable. The woman knew what could've caused the other to become so cold, but she didn't want to bring that subject up. She wasn't here to make him mad, just to catch up.

Gabriel's gaze softened but his emotionless expression didn't morph. "People change. Especially during such a long period of time." In the last sentence, his tone became slightly bittersweet, Y/N noticed.

She pouted a bit and looked at the windows on the left side if the room. "It's not like I wanted to go away from Paris on my own free will." 'Would your tone change if I said I came here partially for you? It would become so awkward'

A fake cough was what caught the attention of both as Nathalie was standing there with a tray in her hands. She put it on the coffee table and walked out to finish her work, without a single word but with a sharp stare that pierced right through Y/N.

Did she do anything wrong? Her thoughts were shaken away as Gabriel poured lavender tea on both cups. "Would you mind a cup of tea?" he asked, looking up. She gave him a small smile, "No, that'd be 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚"