why do I do this to myself? this was supposed to be a short because I was having writer's block on ML 90's and M2S. I didn't mean for it to be a full blown AU.

oh well, I guess I have something else on my plate now. I'll still work on ML 90's and M2S, but I needed a break, a change of pace. a short... but this didn't turn out to be a short. sigh, I do have something planned for Marichat May... I just need to finish it.

as always, enjoy and review

~inudigifan201

Ch, 1. He really doesn't.

Everything was perfect. The flowers, the church, the guests... everything, but the couple getting married.

Chloe had everything planed down to the last detail, except for one. Adrien didn't actually love her. He only agreed to date and marry her because she was his childhood friend and he was kinda forced to. But, he wasn't happy.

"I do." Chloe smiled in her wedding dress fit for a queen.

The priest turned to Adrien and began his speech again, this time for him. "Adrien, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? For richer, for poor, in sickness and health?"

Adrien knew full well Chloe wasn't going to keep those vows. If he was disowned by his father and his assets frozen, Chloe would leave him like it was nothing. He didn't even propose. She just came to set one day, showed him the ring "he bought her" and said she said yes. He didn't have a choice.

They hadn't even kissed yet, but he knew he would feel nothing.

"Adrien?" the priest asked.

"Adri-kins?" Chloe's eyes darted around the room. "Say I do."

"I can't." He took a deep breath. Chloe was going to kill him, but right now, he didn't care. "I don't." He looked away. "I don't love you and I want to break up."

The guests gasped as he walked down the stairs and left Chloe in shock at the alter.

He just couldn't do it. He couldn't. She made him miserable.

That, that is not love. And he knew it from the beginning.

As soon as he got the the middle of the isle, he ran. He ran right out the door. Out of the church. Away from Chloe. Away from a loveless marriage. Away from misery... away from his father.

His feet hit the pavement outside and he began to fight with his tie. It was soon flying in the wind. He wasn't a fan of yellow anyway. His jacket fallow the tie in the air. He had never felt more free in his life.

Although, his freedom came to a screeching halt when he ran into a woman. He had never met this woman before, but he was on top of her. It was an accident. He wasn't looking where he was going. Although, he had to admit, she took his breath away.

Raven hair tied up into a bun with a pencil sticking out, fair skin with freckles dusting her nose, blue bell eyes that he couldn't help but stare into, a simple pink blouse with short puffy sleeves and a bit of the same fabric to look like a tie, a black pencil skirt that stopped just below her knees, and a pair of plain black heels.

She blinked at him a moment before she scowled and pushed him off her. "Watch where you're going." She stood up and dusted herself off.

"I'm so sorry, I was running away from my fiancee and I wasn't paying attention." he looked down at the ground to the papers she had dropped. "Here let me help." he bent down to get them. He picked up one sketch of a beautiful ballgown. "You're a designer?"

She snatched the sketch away from his hand and quickly picked up the rest on her own as he looked at her in bewilderment. "None of your business." she blushed.

"It was really good." He smiled at her.

She rolled her eyes. "And what do you know about fashion?"

Huh? Did she not recognize him. He scratched the back of his neck. "Well for starters, I've been a model my entire life and my father is a famous fashion designer." he rolled his own eyes, but kept his smile. "I'm Adrien Agreste." He held out his hand to shake. "What's your name princess?"

Her face went from annoyed to irritated. "You!" She poked him in the chest with her pointer finger. "Have some nerve!"

Him becoming confused was an understatement. "What did I do?"

"More like what you and your spoiled rotten brat of a girlfriend haven't done." she crossed her arms.

He gulped and suddenly felt small even though he was taller than her. Chloe... Chloe ruined everything.

She held up her right hand. "Paved over a library to build a mall." One of her fingers went down. She rattled off more until only her middle finger remained, he checked out of the yelling to think about how his name was attached to everything she listed. He didn't know any of that happened.

He felt like he deserved that middle finger she was giving him.

"I could go on, but I have to get back to work." She scowled at him. "For your father." She began to walk away.

"Wait!" he called out to her. She surprisingly stopped. "You never told me your name."

"I know." She turned around and continued on her way.

Well, that didn't go well. And the worst part was that she hated him.

Gabriel rubbed his eyes under his glasses and scowled back up at his son standing before him in his office. "How could you embarrass me like that?"

Adrien straightened up. "I'm sorry father, I just couldn't marry Chloe." it didn't help that the woman who hated him was the only thing on his mind since that encounter three days before. Her eyes haunted him. The way her nose wrinkled when she scowled. How she had no problem telling him off. How she treated him like a normal person. All he wanted was to know her name... and to apologize for everything Chloe did in his name.

"Is there someone else?" Gabriel sighed. "A mistress?"

Adrien blushed. "No." he gulped. "I just don't love Chloe. I couldn't marry her. I wasn't happy with her."

Gabriel groaned as he leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his eyes some more. "You couldn't have broken up with her in private before the wedding?"

"I've never had a moment alone with her to break things off. She always had an entourage. I couldn't break up with her without her making a scene." Adrien tried to explain.

"And you thought your wedding was the best time?" Gabriel took off his glasses.

"I'm sorry father." Adrien scratched the back of his neck.

"Sir, am I interrupting anything?" A familiar voice came to the Agreste men.

Adrien looked behind him and... IT WAS HER! Her hair was down and resting on her shoulder, her eyes sent him daggers, she wore a gray skirt this time with a matching jacket and a hot pink top under it, her heels today were the same hot pink.

He blushed.

"No, come on in Marinette." Gabriel waved her in.

She sauntered her way in and flipped her hair into Adrien's face, smacking him back. She then handed Gabriel a folder full of designs for him to go over.

"I expect nothing less than perfection like normal." Gabriel smiled.

She stood tall. "Nothing less."

"Marinette." Adrien breathed. Finally! A name to her face! Luckily, nobody heard him.

Gabriel flipped through her work. He pulled one aside. Her confidence faltered. He handed back the drawing. "This one needs something."

she nodded and took the drawing back. He didn't hate it.

Adrien peeked over her shoulder to see the same ballgown he saw three days before. He thought it was perfect as is. But, there was no arguing with his father.

"I want to see prototypes of the rest in two week." Gabriel handed back the folder.

"Yes sir." She nodded, grabbed the file and walked back out the office.

Adrien looked back at his father. "I know you're pissed off at me, but..."

"Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and just like you she is my employee." Gabriel explained as he turned to his tablet so he could get some work done. "She'll go far in this business."

Ah yes, Gabriel the workaholic Agreste.

How could Adrien forget he was his father's employee? And more importantly, the no dating co workers policy? He guessed it never really mattered before.

Well, he couldn't quit, his name was literately on the company. He even had a business degree and was slated to take over when his old man became too old... or died. Adrien knew his father wouldn't retire without a fight. And besides, she hated him.

But, there was something about Marinette that just drew him in. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he wanted to figure it out.

"You are dismissed." Gabriel glanced up at his son.

Adrien nodded and began to walk away.

"And make sure to at least apologize to Chloe." Gabriel barked one more time.

Adrien sighed when he closed the door behind him. He had nothing left to say to Chloe. How could he say "Sorry I walked out of our wedding because I was miserable our entire relationship and wanted to break up with you instead of marrying you" without sounding like an asshole? Besides, if she saw him again she'd give him no say and reset the wedding date. He really didn't want to go though that all over again.

It was then Marinette caught his eye. She was waiting on an elevator. Perhaps he could at least apologize to her. He quickly walked over and got on the elevator before the doors closed.

He gave her a warm smile while she scowled at him.

"Are you fallowing me?" She huffed.

"I work here too." He pressed the button to the floor where the giant closet was. "And I wanted to apologize about Friday."

"Congratulations on your marriage." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not married. I acutely broke up with Chloe. That's why I was in my father's office." He rubbed the back of his neck.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded.

She shrugged. "She said you two were madly in love."

He gagged.

"I'll take that as a no." She opened her file and flipped through the six designs Gabriel approved.

"I've never been in love with Chloe. I didn't have a choice when she asked me out in front of Father. And I didn't have a choice when she showed up to set one day while I was doing a shoot and said I proposed. I didn't." he tried to explain.

She rolled her eyes. "You could have told her no when she asked you out."

"Father said yes for me. Not knowing I didn't... I don't feel a thing for her." He shrugged. "I've always dreamed of marrying for love. But Chloe, Chloe had other plans. She only ever cared about my fame and money. And all that stuff you said she and I did... I had no knowledge of any of it."

She raised an eyebrow to him. "And why are you telling me all this?"

Actually, that was a good question. He didn't actually know. Something about her made him want to just tell her everything.

The elevator dinged, the doors, opened... it was her floor.

He watched as she walked out and almost disappear. He stopped the doors with his hand. "That one dress doesn't need anything! It's perfect as is." he called out. It was true... in his opinion anyway.

She glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow, but then continued back to her office.

He hoped the smile he gave her was red carpet ready and not goofy like his face felt. He sighed as he let the doors close and the elevator take him to the closet.

"That had to be the shortest wedding I've ever been to." Adrien's best friend Nino picked at his steak. "Chloe was livid after you left." He cut a piece and put it in his mouth.

Adrien fiddled his his salad, he wasn't hungry. "I bet. But I couldn't go through with it."

Nino swallowed. "I know. You were miserable. I glad you dumped her. Now you can focus on you. Date who ever you want. Chloe was a terrible match for you Bro." Nino looked his friend over. "Whats the matter Bro? You didn't sign a prenup did you?"

Adrien shook his head. "No, I met someone..." He sighed dreamily, but then frowned. "And she hates me." he sighed again, but this time it was in defeat. "and to make things worse she works for my father so if she didn't hate me I can't ask her out anyway because of a stupid office policy."

"The no dating coworkers policy?" Nino raised an eyebrow.

Adrien sighed once more. "That's the one."

Nino nodded. "What's her name? I could get Alya to stalk her on social media for you. She's really good at that."

Adrien rolled his eyes. Alya was a reporter, of course she was good at social media stalking. "No need. But, her name is Marinette... Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Nino lit up with a smile. "Dude I know her! We went to school together! She's actually Alya's best friend." He sank in his seat. "I used to have a crush on her until I got to know Alya better. In fact, all the boys in school liked her. Even some older boys."

This didn't make Adrien feel any better. "So does she have a boyfriend... a husband?" Why did that question hurt so bad?

Nino shook his head. "No bro, no man has been able to catch her eye."

That made Adrien feel a little better.

"Besides, you just broke up with Chloe, you should stay single for a bit. Try it out. Go to parties, clubs, and dance till you puke. I know you love to dance." Nino smiled.

Adrien smiled wide and leaned back in his chair at the cafe they were at for lunch, looking every bit like the model he was. "I do love to dance." he pondered for a moment. "Does Marinette like to dance?"

Nino chuckled. "Girl's got two left feet and is very clumsy."

Adrien frowned.

"But, even though she can't dance, she still has fun trying." Nino finished.

Adrien smiled.

"Hey guys." Alya waved as she walked up and sat down in Nino's lap because there were no other chairs available. She smiled up at Adrien. "Adrien I'm really proud of you. What you did took guts."

He nodded with a wide smile. "Thanks Alya."

"He met someone over the weekend." Nino kissed his girlfriend's cheek.

She looked back at Adrien. "Oh really, who?" she lit up with her reporter smile like she was on the cusp of a story.

Adrien sank in his seat. "She works for my Father."

"Marinette." Nino took a sip of his water.

Alya's face lit up with an ever growing smile. "OH MY GOD!" she looked back at Nino. "Didn't I tell you they'd make a great couple?"

Adrien smiled at this, Alya approved.

Nino shot her a frown and a raised eyebrow. "But he just broke up with Chloe, he needs time to be single. For his mental health. Besides, he can't ask Mari out anyway because of a rule at the office."

Adrien sighed. "And she hates me."

"No she doesn't." Alya giggled. "Trust me sweety the only person Marinette actually hates is Chloe. She's just taking her anger for Chloe out on you." She knew something... something he wanted to know. He could tell by the mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know Chloe's wedding dress was designed by Mari. Although if Chloe knew that she would die." she put an elbow on the table and leaned in. "Mari's slated to take over as head designer when your father retires."

This was news to him. He had to admit he did like Chloe's dress, but he didn't want to say anything. He knew Marinette was talented, but he didn't know she was in line to be lead designer of his father's company.

"Chloe wanted to make a point by being the first in our class to get married. Which worked, she would have beat Nino and I by two months." Alya got her own glass of water.

"Which we had to move anyway because you're my best man." Nino added. "If you went through with it, you'd be on your honeymoon right now."

Adrien shuddered at the thought of him and Chloe on their honeymoon. He really didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about Chloe anymore. "I'm glad I didn't go through with it."

"Us too. You were miserable." Alya nodded.

Nino squinted. "I think his color is coming back."

Alya squinted as well. "I think your right."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Ha Ha." He then smiled wide. "Tell me more about Marinette."

Alya smiled wide. "You can ask her yourself, she's joining us for lunch."

"Sorry I'm late!" As if on cue Marinette approached the table. "Mr Agreste liked most of my designs and I had to go down to the fabric department and... You!" She glared at Adrien.

He sank in his seat. So much for her not hating him.