"I-" she stared at her boss absolutely speechless.
Those words which he had uttered last completely caugh the woman off guard, in addition as the man kept his cold gaze directed at her with no fail Nathalie began to get worried.
She tried not to show a significant reaction but the assistant couldn't help to blush a little.

It was almost inevitable to feel such a way when his mesmerizingly blue eyes locked in the eye contact with hers and the tension of his stare increased by ever second which passed.
So needless to say that Nathalie wasn't quite herself by then.
However the moment that she felt her face overheat the assistant quickly turned away from facing her superior and covered her profile with her hands.

This almost instantly caused a reaction from her boss who suddenly felt the need to make sure she was alright.

"Nathalie." Gabriel was about to reach after her

"Sir I'm fine!" She distanced herself from him "N-no need to w-worry!"

"O-okay but why did you-"

"I-I-I a-actually just realized that I-I need to meet w-with my friend-" Nathalie completely lied to his face, well not quite, because the dark haired woman's embarrassed expression was still tilted towards the ground, not her boss.
"-s-so I should g-go-"

"This late at night?" He questioned "With 'just' a friend?"
The designer's sly smirk began to show as he knew he obviously had his assistant totally flustered and overwhelmed right in that moment.

"Well sir as I've mentioned before we-..."

"Wasn't he your enemy?"

"Excuse me!" She exclaimed in shock, however the man didn't change his expression. In fact, the slight smirk on his face only became more visible.

"I thought you two didn't get along...or did I misunderstand?"

"I-..." she didn't know what to reply.
All these different lies which Nathalie made up were getting too complicated to follow and even she herself couldn't keep up with what she'd told her superior.

So being in a tense and frustrating situation the woman vigorously shook her head
"I-I won't just spill each and every detail of my relationship with this man to you sir! I-It's private!"

"Oh I see." He chuckled in an arrogant manner, knowing damn well that with his every word he pushed his assistant's limits further and further.
But regardless of knowing that, he didn't plan on stopping, so with another pitying look on his face and a grin hiding under it, the man hissed:
"It's complicated, isn't it?"

"Very!"

"Alright, then will he pick you up from here?"

"What?" She looked at him all confused, like that giving the designer exactly what he wanted.
The confused face of his assistant which had no clue what to lie next.

"Nathalie you said you two had plans for tonight, so if he wants you then I assume he'll drive here to get you...no?"

"W-well I-...I can just go home myself and meet him there. It's easier."

"Oh" Gabriel gasped dramatically, making his employee anxious, precisely like he wanted her to be.
Frowning and shaking his head in disappointment whilst playing the concerned boss, the designer whispered "...he isn't a gentleman, is he?"

"Pardon?"

"He is making you work for it."

"Work for it?"

"Nathalie" Gabriel chuckled "are you genuinely clueless with this guy's intentions?"

"What do you mean by that?"

There it was again, the question which granted him so many great opportunities to play around with the woman's mind.
And the designer didn't hesitate one bit.
He almost immediately took a deep breath, pretending to be super scared for his employee and then with pure looking eyes the man stared down into his assistant's eyes.

"I-...look..." he began slowly "...this bastard is making you, a vulnerable little woman walk all alone on the dark, scary, dangerous streets of Paris late at night! And then he wants to just use you for his own pleasures?" Gabriel sighed "I'm so sorry, he is terrible."

"I-...he doesn't 'use' me-"

"Are you sure about that?"

"I-...sir I know what I'm doing!" Nathalie lost it as she no longer knew what to answer.
She had to put a stop to the questions otherwise she would've been exposed.
Although little did she know that to her boss it has been clear from the start the this 'friend' wasn't a real one, or at least the reality of it has been altered too much.

"There is no need to give me relationship advice!" She spat "P-plus! We're just friends!"

"With benefits! But it's quite one sided if you ask me. You are getting the short end of the stick in all the ways possible."

"I-..."

"Just a warning! Otherwise do as you please because clearly I am no one to tell a smart, independent woman what to do with her own life."

"Thank you-" Nathalie thought this hell of an embarrassing situation would be over, so she sighed in relief. But once looking up at her superior and seeing his judgmental glare still staring at her, she knew she had underestimated the situation.
Gabriel barely even waited a second before he cut her 'thank you' off with another rant.

"-But if I were you I wouldn't give in no matter what he offers you! Especially not to someone who doesn't even treat women right!
The bare minimum would be to drive here and get you, give you flowers, potentially a box of heart shaped chocolates, but no, this 'thing' doesn't even do that!" He rolled his eyes "...And to be fair, what he has to offer surely can't be that unbelievably good. Can it?"

"I-...I d-don't k-know-"

"Oh, well bless your soul, you'll be disappointed."

"Okay sir may I just leave now!" Nathalie interrupted, tears almost flowing down her cheek as she not only felt degraded but also beyond humiliated
"Thank you for absolutely destroying my night with this friend whom you don't even know!
It was a pleasure to listen, but unfortunately I can no longer take being tortured like this so if you allow me-"

"Feel free to go." The designer smiled in approval of achieving all of his goals, that being crushing any possible sparks between his assistant and her acquaintance.
Now Gabriel proudly watched Nathalie make her way to the door with all hope lost, her heart just as broken as her last name emphasized it to be.
Nevertheless he couldn't help to add:
"but just saying-"

"Please don't!" She turned around being filled with rage so pure that she could've twisted the man's neck off.
Despite that with a sigh the woman managed to keep herself in a state where she wouldn't commit manslaughter. Thought the never disappearing grin on her superior's face frustrated her with every second that passed.
He looked like he was ready to say it.
He looked like he wanted to see her cry.
"...I beg you sir say no more!"

"Alright."

"Thank you."

"But he isn't worth it! Especially not for such a-"

However before he could've finished his sentence the door slammed shut and Nathalie was headed home.
She was more than angry. One couldn't even describe the immense hatred which she felt for every man alive right that minute.
So to summarize Nathalie wasn't in the best state of mind.

Not only did she lie to her boss which turned into an exhausting and awkward lecture, but now she also had come to the realization that there was absolutely no one waiting for her to get home.
Not a soul wanted her.
Or at least that would've been if she wouldn't have had that little blue 'thing' care about her more than anyone has ever had.

"Miss Nathalie!" Duusu flew out from her hiding place "What was all that about?! And who is this friend we're meeting tonight?! I didn't even know you were with someone, yet I'm always around you."

"Oh Duusu I lied!" She admitted "I'm not meeting anyone! And that friend isn't at all real! It was just a terrible lie as I thought of that villian guy and how we-...never mind."

"Hawk Moth?!?!" The little peacock screamed excitedly "You like him?! Is he our friend?!?! Is he something more than a friend?!?! Are we meeting him tonight?!?!"

"Well-...I don't think we are exactly on the friendship level, b-but-...if you're up to making me Mayura then-"

"OOOOO OF COURSE! IT WOULD BE SOOOOO ROMANTIC! Just say the words!"

Nathalie smiled, and whilst nodding at her tiny friend she transformed into her more scandalous villian self.
Mayura.
The one who was actually wanted by many.

"Alright! Let's find you now Moth boy!"

She jumped higher and higher, from one rooftop to another in an attempt to search the entirety of Paris for her long lost acquaintance.

Yet Hawk Moth was nowhere, however that wasn't because he disappeared, or that he didn't want to meet the queen of villains, but instead because the man behind the mask was not even transformed yet.

He was sitting on his bed, his head directed down at the floor, tears forming in his eyes while his kwmai tried to lighten up the designer's mood.

"Nooroo why can't I have her back?" Gabriel sobbed "Why?"

"Master it's only a matter of days and I promise you'll be once again united with Miss Emilie."

"I hope, I can't take this loneliness anymore! It's killing me!"

"Well then master why don't you try to ease your mind as your alternative ego? Some exciting emotions which I'm sensing are telling me that you'd have company tonight."

"Company?" He chuckled in disbelief "Tonight? For me? Don't be pathetic, that's impossible."

"Not with a little magic!"

To be continued-