Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was so dark; all she heard was laughter echoing from all around her. Chloe, covering her ears, felt herself tremble as she desperately tried to dodge the harsh, chilling laughter that resonated in the darkness.

“…There is simply nothing exceptional about her…”  A cold tone sounded in one ear.

“I’m so sorry, Chlo-Chlo, but I have to be at an important event this evening…” A hurried tone sounded in the other ear.

“… Did you see how she was dancing?  The only reason she would be chosen is because she complains to her daddy…” She could hear the whispering following her as she continued running.

That’s when she first heard it, a sound that filled her with a feeling of relief. Amid the laughter, a loud noise emerged, quieting the laughter and whispering. Drenched in sweat, she woke up on her spacious queen-sized canopy bed, with the curtains tightly drawn around her, creating an enclosing space. She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she tried to calm herself down from the dream she had just had, not wanting to think about it as she shook her head.

The room was still dark, illuminated only by the softly glowing numbers on her alarm clock's small screen, which was still ringing loudly. Sighing, Chloe reached out to turn off the beeping alarm, stretched her arms over her head, and yawned as she did so. She rose from the bed, went to the bathroom, and pulled out some of the curlers from her hair. Entering and turning on the light, she walked to the sink, allowing her eyes to adjust before gazing into the large mirror momentarily. Seeing her tiredness on her face, she sighed and began her usual skincare routine, a routine she had perfected over the years to maintain her flawless complexion.

It was the first day of school after summer vacation, and like her grandmother always used to say, one should always prepare for a special occasion, no matter how small or insignificant it might be. Today, however, was special. Chloe felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Unlike the three years prior, today was special because her childhood friend, Adrikins, would be joining her class today!

They had been friends ever since the first time her father brought her to the Agreste mansion for a business meeting or something similar with both Adrien and Alice’s parents, which somehow led to all three of them playing together in the meantime.

Opening another bottle, Chloe squeezed some of the product out into her hand before applying it to her face. Chloe let herself think back to that day, and that even back then, she had been determined to make a lasting impression, although she couldn’t ever seem to admit to herself that Alice had properly bested her in that battle.

Now that she thought about it… was there ever a time in her life when she hadn’t been doing all this? Getting up ridiculously early, keeping up this routine … Glancing in the mirror, she sees herself with the expensive face mask on …

Chloe shook her head. What was she even thinking about?

“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous”, Chloe muttered as she continued. There was no way she could look anything less than impressive.

After all, she is Chloe Bourgeois, the only daughter of André (Anaximandre) and Audrey Bourgeois, granddaughter of Édouard and Aurélie Bourgeois. So, looking as anything but utterly amazing would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.

Taking a quick shower, she completed her morning routine early and put on her typical outfit. By then, her breakfast — a carefully prepared plate of fresh fruits, an omelette, yoghurt, and a croissant — was also neatly set out on a tray along with a tall cup of apple juice on the coffee table. Turning on the TV, she leaned back to enjoy her freshly made meal when her phone buzzed. She picked it up, her heart racing with anticipation as she opened her messaging app. She was always ready to take on the day, and today was no different.

Alice: Big day, how are you both feeling?

Adrien: A little nervous, but Father has a meeting this morning, so I should still be able to sneak out.

Alice: Amazing, and everything great on your end, Coco?

Chloe pouted as she read the texts, but at the same time, she couldn’t help the small smile before typing a message of her own.

Chloe: The car is already waiting for me downstairs, and how is New York, Cece?

Adrien: Wait, now that you mention it… Alice, isn’t New York like 6 hours behind Paris?

Adrien: What are you doing up so late?

Chloe blinked her eyes. Now that she thought about it, Adrien was making a point. Besides Alice’s name, three little dots appeared, meaning Alice was typing, but for some reason, it was taking longer than it usually would.

Alice: That, my dear Ace, is because I am currently aboard a boat, watching my brother show off on the dance floor while my parents are off talking about business somewhere else with someone important.

Adrien: Oh…

Alice: So yeah, I am having lots of fun.

Alice: Hope both of you will have a good time at school.

Chloe: *Have sent a star-shaped sticker* So jealous, send pictures!

Alice: You got it! *Have sent a heart-shaped sticker*

Chloe sighed as she looked over the text messages before throwing her phone into her designer bag. Finishing her breakfast and getting off the couch, she went back into her bedroom and took a seat by her vanity, where she made quick work of putting on some make-up: a lovely pale cerulean eyeshadow, pale pink lip gloss, and a light scarlet blush. She made sure to add a little mascara to frame her eyes. She did a last-minute check, making sure everything was in place. Hair: check. Clothes: check, and of course, Makeup: check.

She was ready for the day. Feeling confident in her choice of look, she left her suit and took the private elevator down to the lobby that, by now, had gotten busy with guests everywhere. Keeping her blue eyes peeled, she confidently walked towards the door.

“Back straight, eyes open, and make sure to smile.” Chloe thought to herself with each step, ensuring she looked like the picture of elegance, just like her mother always did. She made it outside and into the waiting car, which was right outside.

“Agreste mansion," she ordered the driver, taking out a compact from her bag to check her makeup and hair, and with a satisfied nod, putting it away. The driver only gave a nod, and off they went.

Suddenly, a sound came from her bag, indicating she had gotten a text. Pulling her phone out of her bag, she opened the app to find a message from an unknown number.

Unknown [random number]: Hope our prima ballerina is ready for the show to begin.

Unknown [random number]: The curtain is about to rise.

Unknown [random number]: Break a leg.

Chloe rolled her eyes as she read the messages. “How utterly ridiculous.” She whispered as she rolled her eyes and put her phone back in her bag, then went back to check her reflection in the compact. Before long, they arrived at the mansion, stopping right outside the front gate. The door to her left quickly opened as a young boy with blond hair and green eyes got in, closing the door after him.

“Adrikins!” Chloe exclaimed happily, hugging her childhood friend with a bright smile as the car continued on its way. “You made it!” She cheered.

Adrien only gave her a calm smile as he returned the hug. “Thanks for coming to get me. Luckily, Nathalie was busy helping Father, so I managed to sneak out while she wasn’t looking.” He sighed as he leaned back against the seat.

Chloe smiled as she nodded with understanding. Gabriel Agreste was a strict and ridiculous overprotective man … especially after what happened to his wife half a year ago now. Chloe couldn’t help letting out a sigh as she thought of Émilie Agreste. The woman had always been sweet to be around; even when she had fallen ill, she would always have the same lovely smile that could light up a room. Back then, even Mister Agreste had been nicer to be around, but after his wife took ill, he seemed to have closed himself off from the world outside, both figuratively… and literally.

Locking away whatever freedom Adrikins had with him, too.

“Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Daddy having connections on the school board, getting Adrikins signed up would probably have been more of a challenge.”  Chloe couldn’t help thinking as she and Adrien continued talking on their way to school.

Soon they arrived, and Chloe unbuckled her seat belt, but then noticed that Adrien hadn’t moved as he looked out the window.

“What's wrong, Adrikins?” Chloe asked as she noticed the look in his eyes. “Adrien?” Chloe asked again when he didn’t answer to the nickname.

The blond boy let out a sigh before he turned his head to her. “I don’t know about this Clo … it’s just… sneaking out of the house, disobeying Father’s rules and going behind his back … it doesn't feel right… even if I really want to go to a normal school.” He whispered, eyes downcast to his lap as he clutched his bag.

Great, and what does she do now? Alice was always the one who seemed to know the right thing to say in these types of situations, but calling her probably wasn’t an option, so the blond girl did the first thing that came to mind. She reached a hand over, placed it over his, squeezing it as she gave him the brightest smile she could before saying.

“Don’t worry, Adrikins! I will be right here with you the whole time, and I promise that I won’t leave your side!” She exclaimed in a cheerful tone. “Just like we do with all the parties and big events, stick together no matter what.”

Adrien met her eyes, blinked for a moment, then nodded and smiled at her —not his model smile, but an actual, genuine one. “Thank you, Clo. That does help a little.” He took a deep breath before nodding his head. “Okay, I’m ready.”

With that, he turned back to the side door, opening it before stepping out, and also helping her out. All eyes were on them in a matter of seconds, but that was, of course, to be expected when one goes to school with the heiress to a hotel empire, and now a world-famous model for the esteemed Agreste brand.

Chloe, noticing that Sabrina was waiting for her by the door as she always was, gave Adrien’s hand another squeeze. “Come on, let’s get going!” she smiled, but then noticed he wasn’t looking at her. Raising a well-groomed eyebrow, she follows his line of sight to an old man who seems to have fallen not too far away.

No one else seemed to be in a hurry to help him up, and given the look Adrien had in his eyes, Chloe could already tell what he was thinking.

“I will be waiting for you inside.” She said, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder as she let go of his hand and went over to where Sabrina was waiting, as their day's official got started. Chloe handed her bag over to her best friend as the two of them walked into the building. They made their way to their classroom, where only a couple of other students had shown up.

Chloe looked around, trying to determine where the best place to sit would be. In the front would probably be ideal, the middle as a hard pass … hmm, maybe in the back?

Turning her head, she noticed a familiar-looking redheaded boy who was busy drawing in his sketchbook.

…For a moment, everything just seemed to stop as she looked at him, but only for a moment…  she considered the idea of sitting in the back of the class; maybe a change of scenery wouldn’t be so bad…

However, before she could even think of acting on that thought, she was pushed to the floor by an inevitable raven-haired disaster in pink pants who would trip over thin air, just had to decide to enter the classroom, not only making a joke of herself, but Chloe too, as they both fell on the floor.

Of course, Marinella Dupain-Cheng always had to come along and ruin everything.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Miss Bourgeois.” The doorman greeted her as he held open the door for her. “I hope you have a pleasant day.” He says, eyes closed as he closes the door after her.

“Sure,” Was all she replied, knowing that the polite greeting was nothing more than for show. The man probably didn’t actually care how her day went; it was just routine, the same one every day.

Getting into the white limo, she told her driver to get going, before letting out a tired sigh, and leaning against the window as the car began to move. Chloe couldn’t help but think about everything that had been happening for the past few weeks. First, some weird stone monster (who turned out to be one of her classmates) attacked the city. Real-life superheroes appeared to stop it, which was so cool… but of course, it didn’t end there.

Every day, it seems like more people are getting akumatized for whatever reason those losers would allow themselves to turn into freaks.

On the positive side, seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir in action was so awesome that even Chloe couldn't help but secretly subscribe to the Ladyblog. Chloe had also noticed that the heroes even made waves in her world, which was amazing all in and of itself.

Suddenly, her phone went off again, causing the hotel heiress to let out another tired sigh. She pulled it from her back pocket to see the same kind of texts she had been getting for weeks now. It was so annoying, but it seemed like nothing more than someone trying to play some dumb prank on her by sending weird texts.

At least, that's what she had been hearing from some other kids around the school, who had received similar texts from unknown numbers since the first day back from summer vacation.

Didn't make getting them any less annoying, though.

While Chloe knew she didn't need to read them and could ignore them, a strange part of her still wanted to see what it was this time around, so she unlocked her phone to read it.

Unknown [random number]: In Swan Lake, Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette.

Unknown [random number]: But the chance of Prince Ali falling for you is as good as they were when you tried out for the role of Odette, but maybe this time you won’t fall off the stage.

Unknown [random number]: Won’t want to repeat such an embarrassing failure in front of an audience again, now would we?

Unknown [random number]: But I am sure you don't have to worry about that, seeing as no prince would go for the ugly duckling anyway.

“Huh?” Chloe blinked. That’s strange… how could the person know about that? “Ugh.” Chloe shook her head as she glared at her phone screen. By now, she had gotten used to the person insulting her in one way or another. It wasn't pleasant, but without knowing who this person was, there was little she could really do to set them right. Knowing that she has been taking ballet classes for the past eight years wasn’t a big secret by any means, nor was her taking acting lessons. Most of that stuff could be found easily enough if one bothered to open a magazine or look it up online.

No, what really surprised her was the fact that the texts mentioned the time she auditioned for the role of Odette in Swan Lake back when she first started Collège Françoise Dupont… only to fail miserably… funny, she could still remember the way everyone had laughed, even now.

“When I find this joker…” She muttered angrily to herself, ignoring the fact that the car had arrived at the school. The driver looked back at her but didn't want to deal with the spoiled princess, so he kept quiet. If she was late for class, that was her problem.

Not that any of the teachers at the school would be brave enough to try to reprimand the brat for fear of her father getting them fired for even daring to raise their voice to his pressure little princess. That man couldn’t be bothered raising his own voice to her, either.

Luckily for Chloe, her best friend noticed she hadn’t left the car and decided it wasn’t nice to leave her there, even though Chloe would never bother thanking Sabrina for something like this.

Luckily, they made it in time, but class was as dull as ever. Miss Mendeleiev was going over something about explosions when, of course, Marinette came stumbling in late again for class with another flimsy excuse, this time something about a dog and a sweater being eaten.

Luckily for Marinette, Rose decided at that moment to spray her letter with her perfume, catching the attention of Miss Mendeleiev and the rest of the class as the teacher made her way over to the back of the classroom.

“Here I thought someone packed a tuna fish sandwich, but turns out it’s just Rose’s perfume.” Chloe couldn’t help saying as she and Sabrina giggled to one another while Miss Mendeleive confiscated Rose’s perfume, phone, and earbuds before sending her off to the principal's office.

Afterwards, the class continues as usual, with their teacher demonstrating why one should not put on perfume inside a chemistry lab.

When classes finally ended, Chloe and Sabrina walked out as they usually did every day.

“Sabrina, what’s on the schedule again?”

“A toy drive at the children’s hospital.” She informed her while checking her phone.

“Oh yeah, completely forgot all about that.” Chloe sighed when she noticed a red colored toy lying on the ground. Kneeling, she picked it up. “What kind of stuffed animal is this? Who left this here?” She questioned, playing with it in her hands.

The stuffed toy was small, maybe around ten or some centimetres tall, with a big, round head. A brilliant crimson colour with a large black spot on its forehead, on each side of its head and on its back, along with a pair of antennae coming out of either side of its head. Honestly, it reminded Chloe of Ladybug, especially with its dark blue eyes.

It was a cute-looking toy, but nothing remarkable, to say the least, although it did give her an idea. “The prince would never have seen one like this before, and when he lays eyes on me, Prince Ali will forget all about anything else!” She laughed as she also thought to herself how she would prove wrong the dumb loser who kept texting her.

If Chloe Bourgeois wanted a prince, a prince was what she would get.

Chloe Bourgeois was not an ugly duckling.

Just then, her limo arrived, but before Chloe could get in, she was stopped by Rose of all people.

“D-did I h-h-hear you say prince Ali?” The shorter girl asked, holding a pink letter in her hands.

“Not to you,” Chloe replied smugly, arms crossed out in front of her.

“Prince Ali is staying at Chloe’s Dad’s hotel”, Sabrina helpfully added, equally as smug, while leaning against the open car door.

“The only hotel fit for a prince, and I am going to be the first one to meet him.” Chole continued, arms on her hips as she looked down at Rose. “Isn’t he lucky?”

However, instead of being impressed as Chloe had expected, or maybe even showing a hint of jealousy, Rose shyly handed the letter to Chloe while looking away, asking, “Oh, please, could you give him this special letter from me?”

This surprised Chloe. Sure, she and Rose have been in the same class for a while, but it wasn’t like they ever really talked to one another, the current conversation not counting, so to ask a favour so bluntly … that did take guts, Chloe would give the pink-loving girl that.

For a moment, Chloe thought about agreeing to bring up the girl’s hopes before bringing them back down to earth again. It would be funny, maybe even rip this dumb love note apart while she was at it, but she couldn’t do that, not while outside in the middle of a street where anyone could catch her doing it. It wouldn’t be suitable for her image as the major’s daughter… and the gossip magazines would love it if she did something like that.

But on the other hand, she didn’t owe anything to the other blond. Again, this might as well have been their first real convention in all the time they had gone to school together, so Chloe dropped the letter while making it look like she was handing it back to Rose.

“No.” She answered plainly with a smile. “You want to give to him, you can at the very least do so yourself.” She laughed as she got into the limo, Sabrina following right after her, closing the door behind her as the car took off. Inside, Chloe examined the wired red stuffed animal again. It didn’t look like anything too special, but it should do for the Prince.

Neither girl heard Marinette running after them as they began to talk about what they should wear, as she tried in vain to catch up to the moving car.

Meanwhile, Rose was left shocked by the rude response. As she knelt to pick up her letter, the wind cut it and carried it away. To her horror, she quickly got to her feet and followed it. Unfortunately for her, the wind carried it to the riverbank, where it landed in the water, leaving Rose sad as she watched the letter sink.

Somewhere else, however, a man in a purple suit smiled as he cut the feeling of negative emotion, blooming like a flower. So, using one of the many butterflies flying all around him, he used his power to make yet another akuma, sending it off.

“Hello, Princess Fragrance. I am Hawk Moth. Your perfume is now your secret weapon, and no one will be able to resist it, especially Prince Ali. All I want from you in exchange for this gift is Ladybug and Chat Nori’s miraculous.” He said, smirking when he heard her accept his generous offer, as the link appeared.

After dropping Sabrina off at her house, Chloe returned to the hotel to get changed. Despite not thinking a lot of Prince Ali, this was still a big event, so looking anything less than fabulous would be a crime against all that is good. So, Chloe took a quick shower, changed into the dress her father had gotten her for the occasion, and then got the stuffed animal before she left her room.

It wasn’t much, but she was sure the Prince would be happy with just about anything, since this whole event was pretty much just for show anyway.

She took her private elevator down to the lobby before going to one of the regular ones. After getting in and pressing the button, she noticed a weird-looking pizza delivery person running towards her just as the door was about to close.

“Pizza, ugh, no thanks. Way too many calories.” She said just as the door closed before the person could reach her. “Wait a second, I would never even order Pizza!” She says to herself, while pulling out her phone and calling security.

After calling security to be on their guard, she left the elevator and went to where the event was being held.

The event itself was boring, like most of the ones she had to go to, and the prince wasn’t anything special in Chloe's opinion; he couldn’t even give her a lousy kiss on the hand like a proper gentleman, but shook it like an overeager monkey and not someone born into royalty. But Chloe kept on smiling as the cameras flashed before handing over the random toy she had found on the side of the street, since offering him nothing would make her look bad.

She quickly pulled out her phone to get a picture with him, for social media, then let go and smiled for the photographers who were still snapping photos as a random news lady began talking.

But then tragedy struck as a weird smell filled the room.

“Where is that smell coming from? Like rotten fish.” Exclaimed the news lady, and to her horror, all eyes turned to her.

“What?” She exclaimed. “That’s not me.” It couldn’t be; she had made sure to take a shower and use her favourite perfume, but when she sniffed herself, she found that it really was her. “It… it is me! EW”

That was when another freak in a dumb looking costume showed up, calling herself Princess Fragrances or whatever, before pointing her weapon at Prince Ali. Luckily, someone fired off the confetti cannons, giving guests a chance to run for the emergency exit.

Chloe, following her father, the prince, and the prince's assistant into one of the hotel's specially reinforced rooms, had a moment of safety from the akuma… not that it did much for her situation. That’s right, she noticed how the prince and his assistant were covering their noses, stepping away from her! Even her own father did so, too.

However, they wouldn’t be safe for long as the villain filled the room with the same gas she had used on the reporters and photographers, singing “My prince, my prince” over and over again outside the doors. Luckily for them, something seemed to have distracted the villain outside the room, giving them a chance to escape. But the villain soon noticed, gave chase, and used the gas to follow them, swallowing the mayor of Paris as he held open the door to the staircase.

The three of them that was left made it back to the ballroom, out of breath, as they tried to look for another exit, but it was no use, as soon as the villain cut up to them before they knew it.

In that moment, it all seemed lost, but in the nick of time, as Princess Fragrance neared them, weapon pointed right at them, Chat Noir came to save the day.

Despite her admiration for Ladybug, even Chloe had to be amazed at the quick work the cat-themed hero made of the villain as he took her down, and broke her weapon, letting out the little butterfly. What happened next, Chloe wasn't sure how to describe. Still, she watched as the cat-themed hero called out, “Miraculous Chat Noir,” as he cut the flying bug before it could fly away. A dark light enveloped his hand. Still, when he opened his palm, letting the butterfly free, Chloe noticed the butterfly wasn’t purple and black anymore, but a glowing pearl white as it floated away.

At that exact moment, the akumatization faded from the Princess Fragrance, revealing the person to be … Rose?!

Then there was the usual beeping sound from Chat Noir’s ring. Chloe was officially done with the day and didn’t care anymore; she just wanted to return to her room. As she was about to go back to her suit, she was stopped by Prince Ali. At first, she expected him to thank her, followed by an apology for his rude behaviour all evening.

She did get an apology, alright … for dropping the stupid toy she had given him for the toy drive somewhere while they were running away, before he smiled at her and ran out with Rose hand in hand like it was some romantic movie ending!

Leaving her standing there, looking after them, wondering what in the world had just happened.

Chapter Text

"Yes ... no, push that meeting back to tomorrow..." André Bourgeois replied as he held the phone to his ear, just as the limo came to a stop at the red stoplight.

It was career day at her school, and after some persuasion, Chloe had managed to get her father to move his meetings for the day and come with her, as there was no way she would be one of those losers who showed up without anyone for career day; that would be utterly ridiculous and an embarrassment.

… well, for her, it would be … but she knew that for Adrien, it couldn’t be helped, seeing as his father rarely left their mansion, unless it was for work-related reasons, and even that wasn’t always a guaranteed reason every time.

Currently, she and her dad are sitting in their limo, both on their own phone, on their way to her school. Well, her father was on the phone with his assistant, while she was busy glaring at her screen. The secretive loser who kept writing to her had decided to send her an article about what happened with Timebreaker (who turned out to be Alex Kubdel, another one of her classmates who had gotten herself akumatized) just the other day, with the words, “Wish I had powers like these,” attached in a separate message at the below the link to the article.

Excellent, now the loser was also crazy, not that she was all that surprised. By now, Chloe had been attacked so many times by random akumatized people since the start of the school year that a threat like this didn't scare her at all, for even if this loser got themself akumatized, Ladybug and Chat Noir would save the day as they always did.

Although that didn't make getting these texts any less annoying.

“Chloe, dear.” Her daddy suddenly said, turning to her and pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Yes, Daddy?” She replied, putting her phone away for now.

“I was just thinking, you've been through so much with all these akumatizations, so here you go!” He smiled as he presented her with a gift box that he pulled out of his briefcase.

Chloe's eyes widened as she happily accepted the box, opening it to find a familiar-looking golden bracelet with a swirly pattern surrounding the sapphires, which sat between the loops engraved into the gold.

The reason it was so familiar-looking to her was that it was one of her mother’s bracelets, to be exact. One of the few beautiful pieces of jewellery that had been left behind when Audrey decided to leave Paris and move to New York, where her magazine's headquarters was located.

Of course, back then Chloe was only a few years old, no more than two or three, but the memory of seeing the golden piece of jewellery hanging around her mother's wrist was still somehow fresh in her mind.

After Audrey's departure, the bracelet, along with any other small items left behind, was transferred to her daddy’s personal safe, from which they rarely left.

“This is Mom’s!” She exclaimed, excitedly, but she didn’t pull it out of the box; she just admired it. Couldn't help but smile as she did so.

Her father also smiled, proud of himself. “Yes, I thought that you could use some cheering up; you seem to have been so down lately…” Her dad laughed, closing his eyes and missing the look that flashed in Chloe’s eyes.

While still holding the box and looking at the expensive piece of jewellery… all the joy it had just brought her mere seconds ago seemed to evaporate. It was a lovely gift, don’t get her wrong, something she absolutely wanted for so long… but looking at it right now, it just looked like another one of her father’s “I’m sorry" gifts that he would occasionally give her without much prompting from her side.

She knew them all too well by now, after all, she had been getting them for years. They were different from the gifts he would give her for her birthday, Christmas, or even to stop her from throwing a tantrum about one thing or another.

These types of apologetic gifts always meant one thing…

“I’m sorry.” … "I have a business trip, so I can’t come to your dance recital."

“I’m sorry.” … "There is another event —party, ball, or charity event — that we have to attend at the last minute, so please get ready now."

“I’m sorry.” … "but mommy wouldn’t be coming back home for a while."

… it meant he was either about to ditch her for something that took greater importance to him than coming with her for career day, or he was about to give her some bad news.

“… and unfortunately, I might not be able to come with you to career day after all, Clo – Clo, for you see my assistant just called to inform me that there has been a mix-up with my morning and afternoon schedule. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to go with you to career day at your school.” André continued with what appeared to be an apologetic smile.

And there it was, leaving Chloe with two options … throw a temper tantrum like she would every time she wasn’t getting her way, or … do nothing.

For a moment, Chloe weighed her options, staring at the bracelet, before nodding her head. “Sure, Daddy.” She muttered, her tone bored and uninterested, as she pulled the bracelet out of the box before putting it on, and then closed the gift box, stuffing it into her bag in one fluid motion.

Her father, however, seemed happy enough with the answer, smiling as he pulled out his phone and called his assistant once again.

So, once again, Chloe started her school day by thinking that it would have been much better if she had just stayed in bed, while watching the limo drive away with her father still in it.

“Good morning, Chloe!” Normally, Sabrina’s cheerful, chipper greeting wouldn’t annoy her so much, but as she and her dad, Roger, approached from the sidewalk, a feeling of envy slowly grew in the blond girl's heart as she watched them come closer.

Sabrina’s dad, Roger Raincomprix, is a lieutenant in the Paris police office. Chloe had seen him around town or at some of the events she attended with her dad, but had only really met the man, along with his wife, Gwen Raincomprix, the few times when she had been over at Sabrina's house. If Chloe remembered right, Sabrina's mom worked as a nurse at the local hospital.

However, to avoid making a scene, Chloe put on her camera-ready smile and turned to greet her best friend and her dad. With that, all three of them entered the building.

Deciding to lift her own mood, Chloe lifted her arm, making sure that Sabrina noticed the golden bracelet.

“It’s beautiful!” Sabrina exclaimed as Chloe showed off her mother’s bracelet, which made Chloe smile. It might not have been the direct praise that she was craving, but it was okay for now. Sabrina’s outburst had also gotten the attention of a few other students around them, who turned their heads to see what the fuss was about. This time, Chloe couldn’t help but notice more students right back… maybe it was because some were standing with their parents.

Suddenly, all the attention on her felt more suffocating than anything else...

“Need to retouch my makeup,” she muttered to Sabrina before heading to the bathroom, needing to be alone for a moment.

It was ridiculous, feeling like this. Who cares that her father didn't show up? Who cares that he had just left her standing on the sidewalk? So what if he only gave her her mom’s bracelet, which she's been wanting for years, as another dumb “I’m sorry” gift?

His inability to make an appearance at career day was just another one of those things she didn’t have any control over, unfortunately.

"Mother would probably never have let something like this happen to her,"  the thought echoed in her mind.

Entering the girls' changing room, she went to the bathroom, playing with her mom’s bracelet as she did so. Suddenly, she heard the familiar sound of her phone going off.

Picking it out of her bag, she unlocked her phone to see it was from a different, unknown number than the first.

Unknown [random number]: What’s wrong, princess? Is the attention getting to you? *The sender has attached a sad emoji*

Unknown [random number]: By the way, where is your dad? Is the Mayor too busy doing real work to be there for his spoiled brat of a daughter?

Unknown [random number]: But hey, look at the bright side... At least your taste in jewellery isn’t as bad as your fashion sense, or the lack thereof. *The sender has sent a sticker*

“Seriously?” She muttered to herself, rolling her blue eyes as she put her phone back in her school bag, exchanging it for her makeup to do a few touch-ups. The bracelet feels a bit heavier and tighter around her wrist than it did before.

Turning her gaze to look down at it, it no longer looked as lovely as it had before, like the beauty had decreased with every second she wore it. In her frustration, Chloe yanked it off her wrist just as the door to the bathroom opened right beside her, and there stood the last person the blond felt like seeing.

“Dupain-Cheng”, Chloe says, her tone uninterested and bored, as she drops the bracelet into her school bag along with her makeup bag.

“Bourgeois,” Marinette replied, sounding as excited to see Chloe as the mayor’s daughter was to see her, clutching her little pink purse in one hand, her phone in the other.

Chloe, not wanting to deal with the baker's daughter, hurled out a random insult before leaving the bathroom with her head held high, while the raven-haired girl rolled her eyes at the petty remark.

When class started, Marinette and her dad went first. Meanwhile, Sabrina took notice that Chloe was no longer wearing the bracelet and, unfortunately for Chloe, questioned it. Not feeling like explaining herself, the blond reached back into her school bag and pulled it out to show it off again, even letting the redhead girl hold her mother’s bracelet, but pulled it back when Sabrina tried to put it on.

“Only look. Don’t put it on”, Chloe commanded in her usual tone.

By then, Marinette’s dad finished talking, and Adrien had even retaken his seat, looking down at the table, which Chloe could only guess meant his dad wasn’t answering the phone and, like hers, wouldn’t be coming because of work.

Chloe then put the golden piece of jewellery back into her bag, as Marinette placed down one of the croissants her dad had made for the class before Sabrina, but seeing the pastry, Chloe couldn’t help but say out loud.

“Ew, no thanks.” She grimaced. “Way too many calories.”

Marinette just rolled her eyes at the comment. “Well, your highness, obviously, you don’t need free croissants then.” She said as she continued to the next person.

Chloe just huffed in response as she turned her attention back towards the front of the class.

The next parent to speak was Marlena Césaire, Alya’s mom, who is also the head chef at the Le Grand Paris hotel, owned by the mayor of Paris himself, André (Anaximandre) Bourgeois.

Chloe, as she sat there and listened, hadn’t actually met the woman personally before, but only knew the food the head chef made wasn’t bad, at least.

While everyone was listening to Madam Césaire, no one conveniently noticed the little black cat-shaped stuffed toy looking thing flying into Chloe’s bag. The little Kwami of destruction had seen the shining bracelet, and apparently, like any other cat, was also drawn to shiny objects.

So he did the only logical thing… he began playing with it, balancing it on his head, throwing it up and down in the air … until he accidentally moved a little too far to one side as the circular object came down, getting itself stuck on his overside head, so in a moment of not being able to see Plagg ended up bumping into the side of the bag, tipping it over and making a few of Chloe’s things spill out, including the gift box, while Plagg rolled out and quickly flew in the direction he though Adrien’s bag was in.

Unfortunately, due to the Kwami of destruction accidentally tipping over the designer bag, the aforementioned gift box ended up right in the path of Marinette, who was coming down the stairs, and of course, tripped on it, sending the remaining croissants flying.

“Ugh, seriously, is there a day when you are not tripping over something?” Chloe asked, annoyed, before noticing that it was her things that had been spilt all over the floor, forcing her to kneel and gather her things together.

After Alya’s mom, it was Officer Roger's turn, and Sabrina went to stand proudly beside him.

“I've been a police officer for fifteen years, and firmly believe that every citizen is innocent to proven guilty,” the man said with pride in his voice. But before he could continue, he was interrupted by the hotel heiress, who loudly exclaimed, “Where is it? Where is it?” as she frantically searched the floor, unable to find her mother’s bracelet among the items that had spilt out of her bag.

“Is something wrong, Chloe?” Ms Bustier asked, stepping closer to the frantic girl.

“My bracelet! It's gone! It was right here in my bag a second ago!” Chloe exclaimed as she began searching her bag, checking every pocket, but she didn't find anything.

Sabrina, worried at seeing her best friend acting like this, stepped over to help her search the floor, only by some miracle not noticing the little black thing with the bracelet stuck on its head rolling around by Adrien’s shoes.

Adrien, feeling something hitting against his shoes, looked down, eyes widening as he noticed his kwami having the golden object in question stuck on its head. Luckily for him, but unluckily for his raven-haired friend, Sabrina took notice of the now ruined gift box, which Marinette had slipped on, which turned Chloe’s attention to the raven-haired girl.

And from there, everything seems to go down the drain.

Chloe started by accusing Marinette of taking her bracelet. Marinette, of course, denied the claim and threw back that Chloe probably just misplaced it, which seemed to make Chloe angry.

“I put it in my bag before you decided to trip over it.” She shot back, not knowing the fact that Marinette had, in fact, tripped over the gift box that had fallen out of the bag, and not the bag itself.

From there, the whole class somehow got involved as Marinette accused Sabrina of having taken it, seeing as she was the last one who had it, which Sabrina didn’t appreciate, turning and accidentally knocking Nathanial’s sketch book out of his hands as he came closer, revealing a sketch of the bracelet, so suspicion turned on him.

But to the surprise of everyone, Chloe disputed that before throwing suspicion back at Marinette, and so their argument continued.

All the while, the attention was on the two girls arguing, Adrien took the opportunity to sneak out of the classroom, with Plagg clutched in his hand.

Now alone in the hallway, he let Plagg go.

“I won’t bother you with the story, it’s a long, boring –“ The Kwami began.

“Yes, you will explain and fast. You realise we could have a big problem here, don’t you?”

“If by big you’re referring to my rock-hard abs," the little kwami pet his soft stomach. “Why, thanks for noticing.” He said all while not being able to see a thing, as the bracelet was still covering his eyes.

Adrien was about to say something when suddenly the door behind him opened, making the model grab and hide Plagg quickly behind his back as Chloe stormed past him, not even saying a single word to him as she made her way to the stairs before descending them. At the same time, all Adrien could do was look on as she did so.

Before he could even think of moving, Sabrina came running out right after Chloe in a panic, calling her name as she hurried to follow his childhood friend.

All Adrien could do was stand there as he watched them both disappear into the girls’ changing room. He just stood there, unsure what to do or even think after what had just happened, after seeing how the girl he thought he knew so well acted so differently from who he knew her to be.