The Price of Revenge

As Marinette rummaged through her locker, lost in thought, she heard the unmistakable sound of heels clicking against the tiled floor. She turned to see none other than Chloé Bourgeois approaching, her signature smirk plastered across her face. Marinette quickly glanced around the hallway—empty. Of course.

“Hello, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloé began, leaning casually against the locker beside her. “All alone, are we? How... quaint.”

Marinette sighed, already bracing for whatever snide remark was coming. “What do you want, Chloé? I don’t have time for whatever this is.”

Chloé flipped her hair dramatically, ignoring the jab. “Relax, I’m not here to insult your... questionable taste in shoes. I actually wanted to, ugh, talk to you.”

Marinette blinked in surprise. Chloé never wanted to “talk.” This had to be some sort of trap. “About what?”

Chloé crossed her arms, her expression shifting to something almost serious. “The Winter Ball. Specifically, Lila.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”

“Look, I’m no fan of yours, obviously,” Chloé began, inspecting her nails as though this conversation was beneath her. “But even I can see that Lila is... how should I put this? A complete and utter fake.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped. “Wait—you’re saying you don’t believe her?”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “Please. Do you really think I’d buy that Leonardo da Vinci nonsense? I know a liar when I see one. And trust me, Dupain-Cheng, she’s one of the best.”

“Then why are you friends with her?” Marinette asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.

Chloé huffed. “Because she’s useful. She’s good at stirring up drama and keeping things... interesting. But don’t mistake that for loyalty. I’d drop her in a heartbeat if she ever turned on me.”

Marinette frowned, trying to make sense of Chloé’s motives. “So why are you telling me this?”

Chloé hesitated, her confident facade faltering for just a moment. “Let’s just say I don’t like seeing someone else take all the attention. That’s my thing. And if Lila keeps this up, she’s going to overstep.”

Marinette couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was Chloé actually warning her about Lila? “So, what? You want me to take her down for you?”

Chloé smirked again, the moment of vulnerability gone. “I didn’t say that. But if you were to, I wouldn’t exactly stop you.” She pushed off the locker and began to walk away, pausing only to toss a final comment over her shoulder. “Just thought you should know who you’re dealing with. Do with that what you will, Dupain-Cheng.”

As Chloé’s heels clicked away, Marinette leaned against her locker, her mind racing. Of all the unexpected conversations, this one topped the list.

“What are you up to, Chloé?” Marinette muttered to herself, already suspecting that this was only the beginning of something much bigger.