Indecision is Hurtful

Chapter Twenty-one

   Gabriel had waited for her that night when she returned extra exhausted than usual. She entered the atelier with a curt "Good evening, sir," before sitting on the couch, her fingers massaging her forehead. Gabriel smiled and situated himself next to her, pulling her close to his chest where she rested. The fashion designer leaned them both back on the couch for them to be able to lay back properly. Nathalie soon felt too tired to even strike up a conversation with him and eventually fell asleep.

   Gabriel smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead. Not long before Duusu emerged beside Nooroo.

   "Gabriel," she called out earning a hum of acknowledgement, urging her to continue.

   "Keep your promise, okay? Ms. Nathalie needs to be able to know," Gabriel sighed and wrapped her arms around the said woman.

   "I will, Duusu. A promise is a promise."

   He eventually got up and carried Nathalie in the same way he always preferred to carry her. She just stayed limp as she slept, allowing him to peacefully walk through the hallway where the many pictures he had managed to get framed where now laid upon. It was no surprise when he crossed paths with Marinette. She was sleeping over here once more to assist Adrien for everything tomorrow. She would be attending the event with her family and Manon since Nadja would have to cover the event by then. He even managed to let her wear one of the dresses he had already released before— the most expensive and intricately made one before this new set he was going to release to the public tomorrow's event.

   "Marinette? Nathalie's not going home tonight and she's too tired to even wake up. Would you do me a favor and get her dressed?"

   "Sure! I don't mind."

   Whenever nightfall came and the four of them were the only ones in the house, their kwamis would no longer have to hide away every single time. That became their new constancy and it proved to be wonderful for the kwamis to have their own freedom to roam around the house.

   Once Marinette finished and offered one final "Good night," Gabriel immediately entered his room where Nathalie was placed, and called Nadja Chamack's phone number to ask if Nathalie already had dinner. Fortunately, the answer was yes and he thanked her for accompanying his beloved assistant.

   Tomorrow... Tomorrow was going to be a great day. But what follows after that, he was unsure. All he could do was snuggle close to Nathalie and sleep.

   Finally, the big event was for today to indulge in. Nathalie was sent in earlier than Adrien— Gabriel used "She needs to manage things. You know how she is," as an excuse to Marinette and Adrien's questions.

   The fashion show was to start at noon after everyone had taken their lunch. Gabriel was extremely excited to see his Nathalie walking down the catwalk— ready to blow everyone's minds. Adrien had to go earlier than Marinette as well to be able to prepare. He never saw Nathalie there but luckily, he just assumed that she was off taking care of matters that needed to be tended to. As noon came nearer and nearer, more and more celebrities and well-known personalities whose names were known worldwide arrived til the dark but elegant dimly lit room was filled. As they walked through the red carpet, of course, Nadja was there to interview them— getting a sentence or two out from them. Marinette, girlfriend of teen idol Adrien Agreste, was introduced as well as her family. Manon even gave Nadja a kiss on the cheek on live feed.

   And of course, who would want to miss Gabriel Agreste emerging from his car, walking down the red carpet. Cameras flashed here and there and questions were thrown out back and forth. Luckily for Nadja, Gabriel assigned only her to deal with the main interviews and backstage happenings.