For You

Chapter Nineteen

As Adrien made his way back home, a huge smile appeared on his face, because he was feeling absolutely ecstatic.

He unconsciously rubbed a finger along his bottom lip, in order to savor the sweet taste of raspberries.

Everything about Marinette was just so perfect, it was almost too good to be true. It felt like a dream. And maybe, just maybe it was...

Blue faded into bright shades of red and orange, as afternoon transcended into dusk. Adrien knew that he should have been back hours ago, but he had completely lost track of time. His father was probably furious, but the teenager just didn't care anymore.

As the blond opened the front door, his eyes continued to beam with happiness. He took in a deep breath, and closed his emerald green eyes for a while before turning around.

At that exact moment, his face immediately fell, and his joy was snatched away and replaced with fear and distress that seemed unwavering.

Without moving or even saying anything, the middle-aged man continued to stare at his son, with nothing but disapproval in his condescending eyes.

The atmosphere was so dense, it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe. The anxious teenager swallowed as he tried to approach his cold-hearted parent.

"Father..?"

For a moment, nothing but silence seemed to consume his entire body. He wiped the sweat away from his forehead as his heart rate began to accelerate.

"Adrien."

Gabriel Agreste took a few steps towards the boy, but stopped when his body was half illuminated in the artificial light. His jaw was sharp and his cold blue eyes seemed dark and they were empty.

The second he locked eye contact with his son, Adrien slightly backed away. Cold shivers ran down the boy's spine as he cautiously waited for a response.

"Pack your bags. You're going to Spain."

Adrien could feel his stomach twist and turn with uncertainty. He gave his parent an unsure look as he attempted to comprehend the unexpected news.

"Wh... What, Father?"

The older man gave his son an unimpressed glare, "You're going to Spain for a photo shoot. Do I make myself clear?"

Adrien hugged himself as the negative emotions continued to intensify. He didn't have another modeling shoot for at least a month, so this was definitely a surprise.

"May I ask why?" He tried to sound confident, but the nervousness was still evident in his voice.

Gabriel's face was emotionless. He merely glanced at the boy, "You brought this upon yourself, Adrien! Because of your... relationship with Mlle Dupain Cheng, the Agreste Brand is in jeopardy."

The model clenched his jaw in anger. He should have known...

Adrien had constantly tried to be there for his disheartened father. His efforts were relentless. Time and time again, without even a second thought, he would do everything that was expected of him. He was forced do so many different extracurricular activities, and not once did he complain.

Gabriel gave his son everything he could ever want. Everything except for the things that really mattered. He told his son that he loved him, but Adrien knew better.

His father was so focused on his own pain and suffering, that he was completely oblivious to the fact that Adrien needed him now more than ever before.

He longed for a meaningful relationship with his father, yet his father didn't even want him...

The reality was just too much to bare. He had to take in a deep breath in order to repress those memories for just a moment.