"Perhaps" Nathalie uttered under stress.
She looked to her left and then to her right awkwardly to avoid eye contact. The assistant even sat up on the bed and put a significant distance between herself and her boss in order to ease the tension.
Except all this did the opposite because in a couple of second the grey haired man grabbed the woman, pulled her closer and after taking a firm hold of her face, he forced it to face him.

"Explain." Said he, keeping his cold hands pressed tightly against her cheek "I want to know it Nathalie!"

The man's voice became more demanding and so did his glare as their eye contact went on.

Despite it the assistant wouldn't tell her boss what he wanted to know, she instead shook her head and attempted to break free from his hands.

"I can't sir!" Nathalie whispered "I-I c-can't-"

"Why not? Is it that bad? Is Adrien hiding something terrible from me? Should I be concerned?"

"S-sir it's just best if you don't tell him."

"B-but-...I wanted to be honest for once. I wanted to make sure he doesn't feel as if I was hiding something. I-...I wanted to be a good father. But I can't?"

"Gabriel-" the woman's heart broke as her superior's hand slowly slipped off of her face and then he was only staring at her with a hurt expression.
A tear even dropped out of the man's eye, surprising the both of them.
"Sir you know that I've always wanted you and Adrien to be happy. With my every choice I hope to help you two, however now I cannot let you tell him about your secret identity. Trust me Gabriel."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Nathalie why-"

"Please" she begged with her voice breaking and tears slowly flowing out of her eyes "Trust me."

"Trust is a weak word-"

"Believe me then!" The woman grabbed onto her superior's arm desperately. "I know it would go badly."

"But why? You still haven't explained."

"And that's for the better." Nathalie sighed "I couldn't tell you." Her gaze fell to the ground as she herd her boss take in an annoyed breath, before exhaling in an annoyed manner.

"So you want me to trust you whilst you can't even trust me with the truth? Nathalie that seems a bit one-sided."

"Gabriel I'm doing this for-"

"For you and Adrien" the designer said with a high pitched voice, trying to act as if he was the woman in front of him "Yes I've heard that many times Nathalie!" Now he switched back into his normal voice and became more aggressive "...b-but I-...what if for once you wouldn't interfere!"

"P-pardon?"

"You always tell me what is right and what is wrong to do, so all I'm asking is that for once you don't act like my mother!"

"Gabriel all I am trying to do is keep this family alive! W-without me Adrien would've left you!"

"Oh stop it! Enough! I'm just trying to be a good father!"

"Which means keeping your child safe!" She argued "But if you expose him to too much of the harsh truth then that can seriously hurt a teenager. Adrien can't handle everything you know! That boy is fragile! Even some words can cut into him deeper and make him feel worse than ever intended. I should know, I was next to him for most of his breakdowns and all of them were from actions of others which have left a big impact on him! Trust me Gabriel. I know!"

"Oh you know everything, don't you!" The man spat as he turned his head away in disgust.
He had gotten fed up with all of Nathalie's lectures that made him feel like a little boy getting told off. Even though she probably was right, Gabriel still became annoyed.
"You always know it!" He ranted on, until he got unexpectedly cut off-

"Well yes I suppose." A softer voice came from the assistant " I know almost everything...
except what you made me forget by erasing my memory!" she suddenly said, shocking her superior and also causing a brick of guilt to hit him like a bus.
Now Nathalie's voice became fainter and fainter, weaker and weaker before slowly forming into a cry "...I don't know my past, I only know a little of that...only what you told me...but I can't even trust you to know if that's the truth."

"Nathalie-" the man wanted to say, except she interrupted.

"It's fine!" The assistant sighed "You don't need to care. I am being dramatic."

"Oh but I do care" he quickly pulled her close "...and I am very sorry...you know I never meant to-..." the designer wrapped his arms around the woman tightly "...b-but I guess that doesn't make you less sad."

"It does a bit."

"A bit?" He asked with a low whisper.

"A tiny bit yea" she smiled weakly "at least you feel sorry."

"I feel terrible. I've caused all this. I-...I know I am the problem, I am aware. I just don't know how to reverse it all."

"I doubt you can."

"Yes." Gabriel's expression dropped in shame, and he was about to let his hands fall off of Nathalie, except she held onto them.
And by this unexpected gesture the man suddenly gained a little more courage to speak.
"...I greatly doubt that I could reverse it" he explained "...a-and that's the issue...I now know that you and Adrien are suffering from what I've done, plus Emilie, but I guess she doesn't feel much as she's dead."

"She's not dead-"

"Oh but she will be. Once I let go I-I-" the designer couldn't finish his sentence as a wave of emotions washed over him and Gabriel could no longer speak without his voice breaking or him falling into tears.

"Sir you don't have to." The assistant wanted to help, but she immediately got hushed.

"I need to." Weakly the man's voice answered in a shaking manner. "I must let go. It's the only way for me to move on and focus on you...Adrien...and...a-and our-..."
Gabriel laid his hand on the woman's stomach to fill in what he couldn't say with words.
"Him or her." A whisper added "...I must focus on the present and let go of the past."

"But it's causing you so much pain and I don't want to be the reason as to why your life is ruined."

"I was the reason why yours was ruined" Gabriel cut her off "...so now I must make the most of what's left of the both of ours."

"Well-...if that's what you would like to do-...then it's fine by me...just don't change your mind half way though."

"I won't." He reassured by grabbing the assistant's hand and placing a gentle kiss on it "I promise you that."

Nathalie's eyes lit up to the last words of her boss.
'I promise you that.'
However she didn't quite know how true that promise of his would be.

Without noticing herself, the woman's lips curved downwards creating the opposite of a smile, and when Gabriel came across that, he couldn't let it slide.

The designer hurried to reach out his hand and lift up the fallen look on his assistant's face, yet regardless, nothing seemed to ease the sorrow in her eyes.

"Nath? What's wrong?"

"I just-...it's still quite new to me that-" she placed her hand on her stomach "...that this is happening." Nathalie finished her sentence, still in the same misery as she was in before.

"Oh." Her boss answered "Is it because you don't like it or-"

"I'm not sure Gabriel. I don't want to think about that, though it's always on my mind!"

"I see." He thought for a little while before coming up with a plan and then curling his lips into a smile in an attempt to already cheer up the woman "Well how about we get some breakfast and make you forget that! Or is food worsening the situation?"

"No actually." A more joyful tone answered "That sounds great. We could even invite Adrien if he would feel like joining."

"Great idea! I'm sure he'd love it."

Like that suddenly all of their worries were gone and in a matter of second Gabriel was pulling Nathalie out of the bed.

"Come on" he cheered "We need to wake up the kid!"

"He isn't such a baby anymore." Nathalie ranted as she was on her feet in seconds and almost fell over from the sudden action, but thankfully her superior was there to stabilize her every move.

"Careful Nath!" Said he letting go of her, although the assistant wished that he hadn't. Despite it, with a quick shake of her head Nathalie forgot all that and made her way towards the door where she stopped before pressing down the handle.

"Come on sir, what are you waiting for?"
The woman asked turning towards him.

To be continued-...