(P. C- Me. So, I badly miscalculated. This is the second last chapter. Hope you enjoy. 😂)

Marinette was going through documents when a knock on the door made her look up. "Ma'am?"

It was Zena Holkar, her personal assistant ever since she became the new CEO of the 'Gabriel' label.

She felt that it all was a dream that she never wanted to wake up from. It was more than she could ever ask for...

She has gone from a intern fashion designer to a successful CEO.

In the last year, a lot has changed. Adrien and she started dating, Nino and Alya got married, Chloé is engaged, and Gabriel retired from the company, announcing her as the new CEO of the brand.

At the first few months, Marinette was often looked down upon by the senior board members, as they speculated that it was too much of a coincidence that she was promoted from Deputy Head of the Designs Department to the CEO at once, right after she started dating Adrien.

They had made no effort to mask their dislike for her and made rude comments, not following her orders openly sometimes.

Marinette hasn't given the rumors or the gossips a chance to break her heart, but had worked hard day and night.

The board slowly witnessed her dedication to the work and her natural brilliant leadership that led to the increase of the revenue in the first quarter of the year by 75 million euros.

"Yes, Zena?"

"Ma'am, you have a business dinner with President Lee from the Wanhe Corporation at 8:30 regarding the potential business deal for imported silk. Do you want to go, or should I ask Mme. Sancouer attend instead? "

Zena asked as she walked up to Marinette with a stack of files in her hand.

Zena became her assistant while Nathalie, who used to be Gabriel's assistant, was now administrative manager. She was in charge of various company matters, both big and small, and held a lot of power...

"And also I've made all the arrangements for the twins' birthday party, as requested by Sir. "

"Good. " A faint smile stretched on her lips as she remembered him.

"Ma'am, do you mind if I ask you something? "

Marinette shook her head, "Go on. "

"Have you seen the invitation list of the guests tomorrow?"

"Not yet. Adrien's taking care of everything…"

"We have several business partners who expressed their interest on coming after hearing about it. They've asked several board members multiple times about invitations to the party. So, if I may be…as bold as to suggest, I wanted to use this opportunity to network a little. " Zena smiled.

"This is a good idea. I've been also thinking about this and…um... you go and talk to Ronald from HR. We had listed some guests who are profitable for us, before the gala we had held a few months back. Make sure to invite them."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zena walked out of the office.

Tomorrow was Blue and Ames' 6th birthday…

Marinette originally wanted a low-key celebration, but all her friends and family thought otherwise. Their classmates, Adrien, her parents and even Gabriel wanted a giant party.
Since it was 19 against 1, Marinette gave in.

Adrien decided to put the hundred-million euro luxurious cruise liner that he had bought the twins when they were born into use...

He wanted to give the twins an unforgettable birthday, as if the entire world was celebrating it with them.
In the end, Marinette couldn't help but agree. She was never able to give the twins a birthday party as she was always busy. She regretted this very much...

But because there was too much going on with the company, Adrien took care of everything and she didn't ask him about it. She knew that the matter was in capable hands...
---------------------------------
Adrien was sitting in his office, reviewing the invitation list for the cruise dinner.

The twins' birthday party would be even fancier than the Agreste Foundation's anniversary celebration.
People like Gabriel, the mayor of Paris and Jagged Stone were attending, which would definitely make it an exclusive party for the famous and the wealthy.

Invitation letters could not be had even with thousands in cash. Lots of entrepreneur who wanted to fawn over Marinette and Gabriel spent large amounts of money just for the chance to get onto the board.

Adrien stood up and walked near the large glass window that stretched down the whole wall.

The sunlight seeped through the window, caressing his sharp features...

He took out a small brocade box from his pocket and opened it. The ring...
Adrien had secretly carried this box for almost one year now.

Tomorrow will be the twins' sixth-year birthday. He wanted to tell everyone how much he loved her and ask her to marry him, so that he could spend the rest of his life with her.
His lady would finally be his...

Adrien had never been this anxious.

As he was holding the ring, he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.
-------------------------------------
Adrien arrived at her house to pick her and the twins up.

He also brought several gowns to Marinette to choose from; little did he know that she was already prepared. When she opened the door, Adrien's gaze lingered. He rarely got to see her dressed up so gracefully - She wore a cherry red coloured long gown, with the collar design asymmetrically slanted, delicately revealing her right shoulder. Her outfit was a perfect combination of conservative and beautiful…

Paired with black heels, Marinette looked simple but prominent.

Her hair was braided into a half plait and she had propped a red daisy behind her ear, just enough to tie the entire look together...

As Adrien's gaze swept over her frame, bit by bit, his heart began to race. Her beauty was never grand nor glorious, but nonetheless, still soul-stirring.

"I've prepared a couple of gowns for you. But I guess that was unnecessary." Adrien chuckled.

"What do you think? I bought this set a while ago, but never had the chance to wear it. Since it was my babies' birthday today, I thought I'd give it a shot. "

Adrien didn't answer as his gaze on her grew misty, and his heart continued to beat rapidly.

"M'lady, you look ravishing tonight."
Adrien said slowly after a brief pause.

"Thank you. " Marinette grinned. "Haha, come in. "

Adrien stepped into the all too familiar house. The twins were nowhere to be seen.

He was wearing a black and white dress shirt with diamond cuff links and buttons. He matched it with a minimalistic pair of pants, however, the simplicity of his get-up only further complemented his born to be elite social status.

As soon as the twins appeared, the group of 4 boarded Adrien's signature black Maybach and it dashed through the night.

---------------------------------------
The cruise ship named 'The Prince And The Princess' was ablaze with lights, with all the most recognizable people in the city on board...

It was not a business conference, nor a celebrity concert, it was merely a birthday party of two six-year olds.
Gabriel had even personally bought the internet live streaming rights, and it was broadcasting live on only one platform.

After only five minutes, the number of people watching live was already over 2.5 lakhs. It was an unprecedentedly grand celebration.

"Wow, I think I saw Jagged Stone! Look, is he the one on the red carpet?"
Some fan typed on the live feed.

"Yes, it is. Oh my god! XY is here. I love you, XY! "

"I want to see Marinette! It's been almost a year now and now she is a capable businesswoman with exceptional talent and ability! She's so inspiring."

"Where are the twins? I want to see them... "

"Etiénne and Aimée, I am your superfan. Haha, I heard that these two cute little twins are super smart and good looking! "

To tell the truth, the twins had garnered quite a bit fan following over the years. They were often seen with Adrien on streets, or with their mom in the company and was stalked by the paparazzi since a very young age. Once they learnt to talk, they often interacted with the press and impressed them by their different personalities.

Etiénne usually didn't talk much, but often quipped in remarks when asked something and acted quite reservedly.

Aimée on the other hand, was very friendly and would make witty comments, making the crowd roar with laughter.

They were also often asked to model for different magazines and tabloids, but Marinette didn't allow them. According to her, the twins were very young and she wanted them to enjoy their childhood as much as they can. They were already very famous and modelling would just interrupt their normal life even more.

As the clock struck six, murmurs of anticipation filled the large room.
Marinette walked the red carpet holding the twins' hands with one on each side.

Ames was wearing a red gown like her mother, her hair pinned up in a messy bun, the blue of her hair contrasting the red.
Blue donned a red suit, with a white dress shirt inside and black trousers. The corners of his lips were lifted up into an almost invisible smile.

"Mommy, you look really pretty today," complimented Ames with a smile on her face.

"Mamma is always this beautiful, okay? " Blue responded in a bossy attitude.

Marinette carefully held their hands with a smile and strode towards the stage, with endless cameras flashing at them for pictures.

At this moment, everyone was quiet and nothing was heard except the continuous clicking of shutters.

Adrien, who was standing in the middle of the stage in a white suit, saw Marinette and the twins walking down the carpet. His felt his heart beating fast.
There was also another man, who stood at a quiet corner, feeling his heart drum in his chest.
Nathaniel looked at her from afar, and the look in his eyes also became more tender than ever.

"Netta..." He whispered in a low desperate voice, staring at her standing so far away from him, looking gorgeous as ever, as his voice trembled with unspoken emotions.

When Marinette walked to the center of the stage, Zena handed over a microphone.

The bluenette took it and looked around, "Thank you for coming to my kids' sixth year birthday party. I hope that you'll enjoy yourselves tonight. "
Rather than rambling on and saying touchy-feely things, Matinette spoke from her heart.

Soon, the celebrities started performing.

Jagged Stone started off the program and performed a song he wrote for his god-grandchildren called 'Wars and Roses'.

Everyone applauded loudly after the performance from the 'King of Rock And Roll'.

Marinette, along with her friends and Adrien, sat at the main table.

Her parents, Anarky, Gabriel and her friends' parents sat were sitting on the table, next to hers.

The twins huddled around their 'Grandpa Agreste' and chatted with Gabriel, making the man really happy…

Gabriel was the only person other than his sister, that Blue would acted cutesy around.

Over the years, the senior Agreste's wall has crumbled down, and the twins had conquered his heart, changing him from the stone-faced person to the humorous man that he harboured secretly inside his mask.
Kim, who was sitting next to Adrien, leaned in secretively and whispered, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes." The blonde nodded, feeling a bit nervous.

"Let me tell you, later, after the twins finish their scheduled song and their performance, just go up and propose to her. I think she won't reject you. There's like 0.0001% that she will. Don't be afraid." Kim patted his shoulder in encouragement.

After hearing this, Adrien bit down on his lip and didn't say a word, happiness rising in his heart.

If she accepts, then they can immediately move on to preparing their wedding after the kids' birthday party.

He never though happiness would be this close to him one day.

Everyone but Marinette knew about this proposal.

Alya and Chloé was enthusiastically cheering Adrien on. The others were more discreet in their good wishes.
"Monsieur Agreste, don't be nervous. You'll be fine. " Alya smiled.

"Yes, we will all watch this blessed moment together. " Mylene said as she held Daniel in her arms.

"Mommy, what are you talking about? What blessed moment? " The little boy was unable to understand anything and was confused.

"You'll see later. Your Uncle Adrien is going to do something unbelievable later tonight. " Alix leaned over and gently squeezed his cheeks.

The twins' name was announced on the speaker and the two walked over to the stage gracefully, Blue wrapping a protective arm around Ames' waist to prevent her from tripping over her long skirt.

Everyone felt their heart melt when they saw how caring the usually indifferent boy was being for his sister...

They confidently introduced themselves, one after the other.

"Hi everyone! My name's Aimée Couffaine and it's very nice to meet you all. Thank you for coming to our birthday party. "

"Hello. I'm Etiénne Couffaine and today we're going to perform a song for this special occasion."

An assistant passed her guitar to Ames and set two microphones up before them quickly, before disappearing behind the curtains.

Etiénne's dark blue eyes scanned around the room and settled for a moment on a certain girl who was sitting a few rows behind, fidgeting with her violet dress and looking down.

He smiled and gave a signal to Aimée to start.

Everything became quiet...

Lights shone on the two six-year olds and the audience waited anxiously for their performance.

A melodious tune was heard, the light strums creating a beautiful romantic atmosphere in the room.

Not soon after, Blue's voice accompanied the music, angelic and extraordinary,

'I've heard countless fairy tales,

They take place in beautiful kingdoms and beautiful sunsets...

At castles and on dangerous journeys,

I've heard countless fairy tales,

Heard of love at first sight...

Between Prince Charmings and Cinderellas…

And they are perfect and talented, just made for each other.

I know you want a fairy tale, baby,

And I know you love romance,

I love you,

And, I want to cherish you every chance,

And I... I know, '

His perfectly executed high pitch left everyone in awe...

'I'm not perfect,

I'm not a Prince Charming

I do not have a castle or the perfect looks,

But I love you more than my life,

Baby..... Oh, no, no, no,

Why won't you understand

And give me a sign,

That you'll come to love me,

And be my sunshine,

Let's spend our lives together,

Live in my small house, and get by anyhow,

And create our own modern fairy tale...

Create our own modern fairy tale….'

(Haha, so I wrote this horrible song when I was young and I thought that I'll use it here. ♥)

He ended the song in a near whisper and everything was silent for a while...

Just as he started to fear that his original song was horrible, a loud burst of applause flooded the room.

The twims bowed and thanked them for attending their birthdays once again.

After straightening up, he tried to look for Laura in a manner as subtle as possible, when Ames whispered, leaning nearer to him, still maintaining her smile for the crowd, "Just a friend, huh? "

Blue blushed and walked back to his mother, followed by his sister. To his surprise, Marinette's eyes were filled with tears as she clapped hard, a bright smile on her face.

Blue hugged her waist and she patted his head quite emotionally, "Good job, baby. "

Ames started pouting, "Mom, didn't I do well? Why we you only praising bro? "

Everyone laughed. Amidst all of this, no one noticed Adrien quietly sneaking off.

Suddenly, the speaker blared, "May I have your attention please? "

The audience was startled and they started murmuring among themselves.

Marinette looked up in surprise.

Adrien?

Gabriel grinned to himself. Finally…

From God knows where, a curtain dropped and shielded the stage. There were slight noises coming from behind it.

Other than their parents and friends, Marinette and the audience was quite amused.

What was that dork planning now?

Adrien's voice was heard again, "Um... So this is something that I have wanted to do for 12 years... Yeah... A decade, really... And I wanted it to be special. I had consulted two geniuses about this and they said that this was the best way that I could do this.... So, um," a sound of turning papers was heard and then a low grunt, "Uh, where did it go? I wrote it down right here... Tch! Grrreat Adrien, now you just ruined everything!" His low voice amplified in the speaker and everyone burst into laughter.

Then, Adrien cleared his throat, "Ahem, so, uh, here goes nothing, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it wouldn't be an understatement to say that you are the reason that I breathe everyday. You make me laugh, you make me like me better about myself, like, um, what was that song, mmm, oh, anyways, to hell with it. "

Another roll of laughter through the crowd.

"You are everything to me. My life and my death. You are the sweetest poison I've ever tasted, and my god, you are addictive. I feel empty without you. Hell can burn for a thousand infinities, but it still can't match my love for you for one second. As my best bud Nino told me many years ago, I was an oblivious fool for not realizing how much I love you. So, I want to make it up for it with the rest of my life... "

Marinette's eyes widened,
Was he....was he going to....?

The curtains lifted and there kneeled on one knee was Adrien with a ring in his hand. There were thousands of red roses behind him, covering the entire stage...

Marinette gasped.

Everyone waited with bated breath...
He smiled, "Marry me? "

The bluenette stumbled back, shock painted on her face, tears filling her eyes.
Was this a dream?

She wasn't quite sure... Because, she had had these dreams since she was a teenager...

Surely, this was just another one of those, right?

Her thoughts tore when Ames said with concern, "Mommy, are you okay? "

She gained a hold of herself and looked at the man kneeling on the stage, at a distance from her, with a nervous expression on his face.

Marinette started to walk towards him, with carefully masked emotions in her face.

Adrien couldn't meet her bluebell eyes.

It was over. She was going to hate him from now on. Good job, Adrien. You scared your lady off. Why did he even thi-

"Adrien? " Marinette's profile suddenly hovered into his view as she crouched down before him.

He looked up, into her eyes. They were so blue, like a deep calm ocean, like the sky on spring days. They held an exciting calmness in them while also the intensity of a tornado. They were filled with love and compassion.

He had fell in love with those eyes a long time ago.

And it makes him fall head over heels for her.

Yet again…

"Yes. "

Adrien's head snapped up, his eyes widened in shock, "Really? "

"Mhm. Let's get married. "

Everyone broke out in a thunderous applause... Aimée jumped up and down while Etiénne had a rare wide grin on his face.

Not far from them, in an undetectable corner, the wine glass in Nathaniel's hand broke into a million pieces, fresh blood spewing from his wounds.

His hand continued to drip blood from the glass shards, but he didn't feel the pain at all. The red wine mixed with the blood and flowed down his hands, a brilliant shade of red against his skin, and it became impossible to differentiate the two of them.

His hands covered with blood, but the artist couldn't care less about them.

Married?

When Marinette got married to Luka, the red-head felt uncomfortable but not anger and frustration like he felt now. He felt betrayed somehow.

Nathaniel had always felt that Luka did love her more than him, but with Adrien, his feelings were something else.

That blonde was oblivious to her feelings in high school, shunned her by telling 'she's just a friend' and hurt her so many times, and when he started dating, he dated another person who he doesn't even know more than Netta.

And now, he wants to marry her?

Luka had picked up her broken pieces but Adrien had no right to marry her and take advantage of her feelings for him.

Suddenly, a female voice was heard behind him, "Let's go."

Nathaniel turned around and saw a woman wearing a yellow short dress, and dark hair standing behind him.
He couldn't seem to remember her....

He frowned, "Who are you? "

The woman leaned forward and took his unhurt hand, before saying, "We need to talk," and pulling him and walking out..