His Mute Princess

Chapter 59

On the drive back home, Adrien held the miraculous in his jacket. He didn't have his ring on because he had just been with Marinette and Jasmine, but he had it along with the earrings.

He had pierced his ears over the weekend and somehow no one had noticed. His driver was paying attention to the road so Adrien took this opportunity to put on both his ring and the ladybug earrings. His hair covered the earrings surprisingly well. 

Tikki and Plagg both appeared, hidden away from the driver's view and Adrien. Tikki turned to Plagg with a horrified look. Plagg reached for her and took her small paw in his. He gave her a reassuring look but her face didn't change. The kwamis couldn't do anything. If they tried anything, they'd be exposed and be in even more danger, so they were forced to keep quiet. They hid in Adrien's jacket and he could feel their movement but he didn't say anything or even move. 

Adrien wasn't sure what he was going to do. Not exactly anyways. He knew he wanted to use the wish, but he wasn't sure how things were going to play out.

The car stopped in front of the mansion and Adrien got out. Nathalie was standing outside the house doors. The gates opened and Adrien walked towards the door. 

As he neared her, he swore he could see the fear in her eyes, but she quickly turned away, opening the door and stepping inside. Adrien followed in, closing the door behind him.

Without turning to look at him, Nathalie muttered, "Your father is waiting for you. He is in his office. He wants to see you immediately so I suggest going in now. Waiting will only make things worse."

Before Adrien could think of a response, Nathalie turned to the side and quickly walked away to the other side of the house. Adrien stared at her. Did she know? Did she know her father was Hawkmoth and that's why she was scared?

Of course, she would know, she was his assistant, she knew everything about him. It made sense for her to know. How else would he be able to sneak around to be Hawkmoth? He owned a fashion empire and someone had to run it while he was busy preying on innocent people. 

Adrien turned to look at the office doors. The house felt awfully quiet and cold. Granted, it was always cold and quiet. That's why he so deeply enjoyed the warmth of Marinette's house. Despite being mute, she made more noise than his entire house did. Her place felt more like home than his house did. 

This time, however, his place felt different. Much colder. You could hear a pin drop with how quiet it was. 

Adrien took in a deep breath and walked over to the door. He opened it, opting to not knock. 

Adrien peeked inside before fully stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Gabriel had his back to him. The older Agreste was standing in front of Emilie's portrait, his hands behind his back.

Neither uttered a word at first. The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating. Adrien felt his body tense as Gabriel finally turned to face him, pure anger in his eyes. 

That was when Adrien noticed the state of both Gabriel and the office. Things were thrown across the room and even a few vases were shattered on the floor, dirt scattered across the floor. Gabriel himself look disheveled. His suit was a mess and his usually gelled hair was unkempt and wild. 

"Where are my things?" Gabriel asked, surprisingly calm.

"Father I don't understand what things?"

"Don't play dumb boy. Where. Are. My. Things?"

"Father, what are you talking about? You said it was important things over the phone. Is it important documents?"

Gabriel stared coldly at Adrien. Adrien took in a deep breath, "Just tell me what is it...