Marinette laughed so hard she began to cry. She was so unbelievably happy and unbelievably sad at the same time. She chose not to hear him out or believe him. Why hadn't she? Did she have that little trust in him? Alya sat next to her on her bed as she rubbed comforting circles onto her side. "Mari, are you okay?" She asked. Marinette wiped under her eyes and tried to pull herself together.

"I don't know." She mused and turned to face her best friend. "I honestly don't know. He said he didn't love Chloe, that he wouldn't marry her. What does that mean?" She asked her best friend.

"You know exactly what it means." Alya's words were sharp but her voice was soothing.

"Is he being forced to marry her?" Marinette was almost too scared to ask. She almost didn't want to know the answer. If she did then she would regret what she said to him.

Alya nodded and smiled a bit. It was a bittersweet smile. Marinette was sure it was because she didn't know what to say. Alya's silence was worrying for some reason. It proved to Marinette that things were really messed up. The silence grew intolerable and Alya coughed just to break it, "You get your eavesdropping tendencies from me." She joked.

"They were yelling..." Marinette deadpanned. "It wasn't that hard to listen." Alya ruffled her hair as she spoke. The dancer swatted her best friend's hand away as she tried to fix her hair.

"So what are we going to do?" The belly dancer asked. Marinette tried to think but the conversation between Adrien and his father kept drifting into her mind and interrupting her thoughts. She let out a frustrated sound. Alya didn't seemed to mind.

"What's the plan?" Marinette asked. She stretched under her warm covers. Anything to distract herself from her growing heartache. What was Adrien Agreste doing to her?

Alya's eyes held confusion as she played with her best friend's midnight hair. "What plan?"

Marinette sighed. "The plan that Adrien has? I saw something written on the card that came with the flowers." She looked at her friend with wide eyes, trying to convey how much she wanted to know it.

"I don't know the plan..." Alya said quietly. Marinette laughed again and Alya soon joined her.

"So we just have to wait for Adrien?" Marinette asked aloud. Alya nodded. That alone was a frustrating thought. Some part of her was still mad at the blonde man while the other part wanted to help him with his plan. She sighed because there wasn't anything she could do without revealing the fact that she knew too much. She just had to trust Adrien.

Marinette hoped whatever he was planning turned out well and brought a happy ending.

"Anastasia said she missed you..." Alya's voice broke her train of thought and Marinette instantly felt guilty.

"Tell her I'm sorry..." She breathed out. "I crashed when I got home and totally forgot to set an alarm..." Marinette hoped that Alya would pity her and her excuse. She looked up, hopeful, but with Alya's stare she knew it didn't work.

"You can tell her yourself when we go get lunch with her tomorrow." Marinette tried to think. She knew she had something to do tomorrow. She had a practice tomorrow. She felt guilty

"I have a solo practice tomorrow... Gabriel changed his mind about me practicing by myself. He wants everything to be perfect." She reminded her friend. She knew it was because of his fight with Adrien. "Plus, the last dress rehearsal is coming up soon-."

"And before you say something about your last dress rehearsal," Alya rushed out and then paused to catch her breath. "I know for a fact that Gabriel scheduled it a week from now and your practice isn't until later tomorrow night. There's no excuse not to go."

Marinette groaned. "Let me sleep!" She whined. "I'm tired and Gabriel has been working us nonstop because he promised the ballet soon! That's not my fault." Marinette crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

Alya only rolled her eyes. "Your very dear friend and let me remind you boss, has been very understanding these past few long, very long, months." Alya reminded. "Plus she's letting you dance for another company so you better go to this lunch. " Alya was right and Marinette knew it.

"Okay. I get it," She smiled at her best friend. "But don't wake me up before noon." Both girls shared a laugh.

Before she knew it, Marinette found herself at the small diner with all her best friends. "I didn't know so many girls would be showing up!" Anastasia's bright emerald eyes shone with excitement and joy.

Juleka smiled as she sat down. "Sorry for crashing your lunch date. I was hoping to practice with Marinette more." She said sheepishly. Juleka blew her lilac bangs out of her face and motioned for a petite blonde to sit next her. Rose said a polite greeting before she settled next to her girlfriend.

"I thought the more the merrier." Lila exclaimed as she hugged the older woman across the table. Marinette sat next to her boss and tried to stifle her laughs.

Alya flicked the dancer's forehead. "You wanted to come for the food." She scolded Lila. Marinette watched the older woman, she seemed genuinely happy. Marinette was glad. She introduced each of her friends after they ordered food. That was of course when Juleka brought up Adrien.

Anastasia perked up at his name and seemed interested. "So wait..." Lila sipped her soda. "We're just going to forgive Adrien?" She asked the group.

Juleka scoffed. "No. I don't forgive him. He's a liar." Anastasia looked at each girl with confusion.

"I'm sorry, I'm not following... Why are we upset with Adrien?" The brunette woman asked.

"Sorry we haven't been able to talk much... Some things happened and they shouldn't have gone down the way they did." Marinette's gaze traveled away from Anastasia. She felt bad because the older woman became much more than an mentor or boss. She had become Marinette's second mother. It just felt off talking about the Agrestes with her. Marinette felt like Anastasia was hiding something from her.

Rose broke the silence and clarified the situation. "He broke Marinette's heart." Rose said as she played with the sugar packets at the table.

Juleka cleared her throat. "Actually Adrien Agreste tore her heart in two and then left her in pieces." Marinette grimaced at her angry tone.

"What?" Anastasia asked. "Last time I spoke with Alya everything was fine." She looked distraught.

"Last time we had a conversation that wasn't about the ballet was months ago." Alya reminded. "A lot has happened since then. Marinette found out the Adrien was engaged to Chloe. She ran out on him and then he told me everything when we met up after the fact. " Anastasia leaned back and seemed to have trouble taking it all in.

"I haven't seen anything about their engagement anywhere! I don't believe Adrien would marry her." Anastasia exclaimed. Alya hushed her before continuing.

"That's because Gabriel is keeping it quiet. It's an arranged marriage and I'm pretty sure he is planning on announcing it after the first show. His future daughter-in-law is the lead and it makes sense." Alya stated in a quiet tone.

"What?" Everyone at the table exclaimed. Anastasia looked like she was going to faint.

"This is the first I'm hearing of this." Rose said quietly. They watched Marinette carefully.

Marinette shrugged off the dancer's stares. "I just figured it out yesterday when I overheard Gabriel and Adrien arguing." She realized there was really nothing she could do for the blond male even if she wanted to help him. It was all up to him now.

"So that's why we're forgiving him." Juleka mused. "I guess it makes sense but still doesn't explain why he decided to keep it from you." She motioned to Marinette.

"It's obviously because Adrien knew that Marinette wouldn't want to make-out with an engaged man." Lila said nonchalantly. Marinette choked while Anastasia laughed. "Even if it was an arranged marriage, you wouldn't want to introduce yourself to someone you genuinely liked as taken. So I guess I see why he didn't want to tell Marinette." She shut up as soon as the food arrived and started eating her fries.

"I still think a heads up would have been nice." Juleka argued. "I mean if he knew he was going to break it off he should have just told her. Secrets don't make friends." Alya stifled her laugh at the last comment but Marinette didn't know what to think.

"Is Adrien okay with all of this?" Anastasia asked as she stared down at her food. It seemed like it took all of her energy processing what had happened to the pianist. "I mean if he's fighting with Gabriel then things must not be looking good." Marinette had the same sinking feeling. "What is Gabriel doing?" The woman asked aloud and Marinette wondered the same thing.

Lighter conversation fell over the table for the remainder of their lunch and Marinette was happy with it. She forgot all about the late practice that she would have that night and the fact that she would have to see Adrien alone.

Anastasia excused herself to the bathroom and that was when they talked about splitting the bill. "What do you mean you're not paying for me?" Lila latched onto to Juleka's arm, the other ballerina began to shake her off. "I didn't bring my wallet." She added like that fact would change Juleka's mind.

"Sucks." The lilac girl stuck out her tongue. "I'm paying for Rose and I. Go bug Alya." Rose smiled brightly at Juleka.

Lila soon jumped on the belly dancer. "No, no, no." Alya brushed Lila away. "Rent is due in a week and this month has been a little tight."

Lila began to beg and Marinette laughed. "Looks like you're going to have to wash the dishes to pay off your meal." The understudy teased.

"I saw that you bought more candles from Bath and Body Works! Buy a poor striving dancer one meal." Alya turned away just as Anastasia approached them.

"What are we talking about?" She asked as she gathered her purse. She eyed the customers around them and that was when Marinette realized that her friend didn't seem uncomfortable in public with them. Marinette was proud of her. This was the first time the Anastasia had gone to an open place to eat with her. It made Marinette think she once led a double life.

"The bill." Alya said as she was bringing her wallet out.

"I took care of it." Anastasia said simply. All of the dancers looked at her in awe. "What?" She asked after being stared at. She shifted wearily under their gaze.

"You're a goddess." Lila exclaimed as she hugged her. Anastasia laughed and motioned for all of them to join. The group hug was comforting even if it got them stares from the people in the restaurant.

"You're all welcome at my studio anytime." Anastasia broke the embrace to take a careful look at each girl. "I have a plan of my own."