Maybe Father was right and I should just keep away from all girls. If I do, not so much drama would enter my life. 

But he was still curious to find out more about Nathalie. He had heard that Nathalie Sancoeur was a businesswoman. He had even seen her about two times when he was driving back home. 

"Gorilla, let's go. I need to leave to have a talk with Emilie Dawson," He heard his father say. As soon as Adrien heard those words, he let out a sigh of relief. 

"Don't worry about Adrien. He's still asleep," Gabriel continued. "I trust that he wouldn't do anything rash."

Well, Father, I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Today, it's a time I become a bad son and snoop around a bit. 

Soon he heard the door closing and he knew his father and Gorilla had left the mansion. He got out of his room and walked downstairs, just making sure that his father and his bodyguard had really left. Once he was sure, he headed back upstairs. 

He opened Gabriel's bedroom door and stepped inside. Then he turned on the lights and looked around. 

He had been in his father's bedroom before, about 8 times, but soon his father abandoned him from coming into his room, so it felt like the first time once he stepped inside. 

I'm sorry I have to disobey you, Father. 

Adrien took a deep breath and went further inside the room. It was finally time to search around and find out who this Nathalie was to Gabriel. 

He started with the drawers, opening them and searching for anything that would help him know who Nathalie really was. He found a photo album, similar to the one he had in his room. He took it out and opened it. 

And there, the very first thing he saw was his father, holding a woman who was wearing a wedding dress. 

My father and Nathalie were married? How come I didn't know of this?! 

That's when he noticed his father's laptop on his desk. Gabriel never took his laptop to work, because there was already a computer there for him to use. 

Though he called himself a bad boy and tried to stop himself, Adrien still went over to the laptop and turned it on. 

Password. . . Password. 

He bit his lower lip and typed in the first name that came up in his head. 

Nathalie! 

"Correct!"

He widened his eyes to see that he had guessed it. Fist-bumping himself in his head, he quickly went online and searched up Nathalie Sancoeur and Gabriel Agreste, and he was quick to find out what he was looking for. 

                                                                               Gabriel & Nathalie:

                                   Gabriel and Nathalie were happily married for a year, but something 

                                                                happened, making them divorce. 

                               Gabriel Agreste refuses to talk about this. This happened about 17 years 

                                      ago, and he was able to get everyone to stop talking about it. 

                                 Nathalie was quick to move on and re-marry to another man, giving

                                          birth to two kids, while Gabriel remains a single father. 

Adrien sat down, staring at the screen for a while. Maybe the reason why he never knew of this was that everyone stopped talking about it, and his father refused to tell him of it. All his father said to him was to not talk about her in front of him. 

So does that mean that Nathalie is my. . . Mother? Adrien gasped at the thought. All this time, I thought my mother had passed away, but it turns out that she was alive. . . And re-married to another man with two kids. 

Those kids. . . Are they my siblings? Adrien turned off the laptop, feeling that he knew enough of what was going on. 

I have siblings? 

He never knew why, but the thought brought a smile up to his lips. 

                                                                                          ~~~

                                                                                    < Tuesday >

                                                                                     < Nino's place >

"Adrien really hasn't been helping, but that's fine," Plagg sighed. "He's probably still shocked at what he heard from those girls about Marinette. But you know what, I believe Marinette. She would never do that!"

"Are you only saying that because you want it to be the truth?" Nino asked. "Are you scared that Marinette might actually like Adrien? How did you feel about all those comments saying that Adrien and Marinette make an excellent couple?"

"I. . ." Plagg looked down. "Are you trying to make me feel better or worse? You know exactly how I felt!"

"Right, of course, I did," Nino nodded. "But don't hate on Adrien, okay? I don't think it's his fault. He was probably just helping Marinette with something, after all, he did tell us that they were partners in an art project."

"Right," Plagg nodded. "Of course I don't hate Adrien. It's not his fault."

"You know what you should do? I've seen boys do this and it worked for them," Nino suggested. "Maybe you should try to make Marinette jealous. Maybe if you fake dated another girl, and made sure Marinette knew of it, you could look to see if there are any signs that she's upset that you're dating someone else."

"You sure?" Plagg sighed. He didn't exactly like the idea, but with the news that 'Adrien and Marinette could be dating' and people shipping them together, he was willing to follow anything at this point. "Alright, I'll try."

"But please, promise me one thing, Plagg," Nino spoke and Plagg nodded for him to continue. "If she doesn't look upset, or if she doesn't like you, please don't force her."

"I promise."

"Good." Nino smiled. 

He was never going to tell Plagg that he thought Adrien and Marinette made a cute couple as well. 

"Anyway, I know the perfect girl I could fake date," Plagg exclaimed, grabbing his phone. "Tiki gave me her phone number after our third tutoring class."

"Are you sure about her? Lately, she seems to have been ignoring you," Nino asked. 

"Besides Marinette, Tiki is the second girl I feel very close to," Plagg spoke. "Just wait, let's see what she thinks first."

He dialed Tiki's number and waited for her to pick up. It took 7 tries for Tiki to finally give up and pick up the phone. 

"Hello?"

"Hey Tiki," Plagg gave Nino a thumbs up and continued talking to the girl. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Make it quick."

"I wanted to ask if you. . . If you're free this week," He cleared his throat and asked. 

"Yes, I am, except tomorrow though. Why?"

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out with me," Plagg spoke after a few seconds. There seemed to be silence on the other end as well, so he knew Tiki was thinking about it. 

"But what about Marinette? Didn't you tell me you liked Marinette that day?!"

"I.  .. Yes, I did, but I was. . . I was just bluffing. I don't really. . ." As Plagg spoke, he could see Nino shaking his head for him to stop. "But I want to go out with you."

"Plagg, what are you doing?! Make up your mind! You can't keep doing this, especially to me and yourself!"

"What do you mean?"

"I never really got a chance to tell you that day, because right after you told me you liked Marinette, I felt that it was over for me."

"Over for you?.  Tiki, do you. . . Like me?" It was a bit of a shock to Plagg, not that he knew the answer, but he could already guess what Tiki's answer was going to be. 

"Now you know? Why are you asking me out, Plagg? Really?"

"I just. . . Like you too," Plagg didn't know why he said that, but he knew he was going to regret all of it soon. 

"Really? O-okay. How about on Thursday, right after our tutoring?"

"T-that's perfect, Tiki. Alright, bye." Soon Plagg hanged up and faced Nino again. 

"Seriously?! Why did you say yes?! You're going to hurt her. She likes you!" Nino exploded with questions. 

"If I told her I was only planning on fake dating her, she would be even more hurt!" Plagg exclaimed. "Besides, I have a plan. If I go on a date with Tiki, I'll just show her that there's no reason to like me at all."

"So you mean . . .?"

"I'm going to be acting all rude and nasty to her, then she'll just hate me, and tell me that things between us aren't going to work," Plagg shrugged. "That's a great plan, right?" He waited for Nino to say something. 

"I . . . I mean . . . I don't know, sure." Nino didn't know what to say. "Do whatever you want, just as long as it works out all in the end with no one hurt."

Plagg nodded. "Got it."

                                                                                  ❣❣❣

"Where are you going again?" Nora looked over at her sister again as she watched her get ready. "A date, was it?"

Alya nodded. "I'm finally going to meet my secret admirer."

"Ugh, I hate secret admirers," Nora rolled her eyes. "You just never know who they are. It's always a mystery, and perhaps, in the end, you might even be disappointed with who it is. How are you so sure you know who he is?"

"I don't, but I have a feeling I know who it's going to be," Alya exclaimed proudly. "And I'm not disappointed with who I think it is."

"Whatever," Nora looked the other way. "Just hope that it goes well for you. Don't come back home looking disappointed because the boy wasn't who you thought it was."

"I won't. I promise." Alya chuckled. 

"Whatever. I remember when I had my first secret admirer. It went absolutely not how I wanted it to go," Nora sighed. "First of all, it wasn't who I wanted it to be. Second of all, he took me to the worst restaurant ever-"

"Okay, are you trying to bring down my hopes or what?!" Alya glared at her older sister. "Because it definitely looks like that's what you're doing!"

"Alright I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Finally, Alya was all ready and the next minute, she was getting inside her car to go to where she was meeting up with her secret admirer. 

She sat down on a bench and waited. 

A few minutes later, she looked up from her phone. She had just sent the secret admirer a message asking where he was, but he hadn't replied. It said that he read her message, so she was confused as to why he wasn't replying. 

She waited a few more minutes. She actually started to feel her eyelids getting heavy afterward, and she closed her eyes for a few moments. Once she checked her phone later again, she realized she had been waiting for 40 minutes straight.

Is he not coming? 

The thought upset her, just thinking that her secret admirer had set her up. What if this was all jokes? What if her secret admirer was just a prick that wanted to make her believe that someone actually admired her? 

She decided to wait another 5 minutes. And she did. Standing up with disappointment, she started walking back to her car, wanting to drive home. 

She was patient enough to wait 45 minutes, but it doesn't take a boy to get here in 45 minutes, right? And he could have texted her, told her he wasn't coming or something. 

Maybe she really did get set up. And now she looked like a fool as she stepped inside her car. 

Whoever did this to me is going to pay! 

Driving back to her place, she wondered what kind of a sick prick would do this to her and why. Did any boy have any hatred for her? Or what if it wasn't a boy? 

What if it was a girl? 

She did remember Marinette telling her about how she and Adrien had gotten set up. What if the same person that set them up was the exact person that set her up? 

The world is so cruel! 

She returned back home, stepped out of her car and locked it. Then she gloomily went inside her house, where she found Nora inside the living room. 

"Oh hey, Alys. Huh, I expected you to stay longer. Did anything happen?" Telling from Alya's disappointed face, she could tell that something was wrong. "Oh no! Let me guess. Your secret admirer wasn't who you expected it to be. Alya, I told you not to come back home disappointed."

"No, it's not that." Alya looked down. "He just . . . Didn't show up." And she headed upstairs after those words. 

                                                                                       ❣❣❣