Marinette hesitated, her hands gripping the edges of her lunch tray. She wasn't proud of what she was about to say, but the sight of Lila cozying up to Adrien during class had reignited her resolve.
"She needs to be exposed," Marinette said firmly. "We don't have to do anything cruel or illegal, but we can make her lies unravel in front of everyone. The truth will do all the damage we need."
Chloe pouted slightly, clearly disappointed at the lack of drama in Marinette's suggestion. "Truth, huh? That's... boring."
Marinette frowned. “Then what do you suggest?”
Chloe’s grin widened as she reached into her designer bag, pulling out a small vial. “Something... dramatic. Maybe we should poison her?”
Marinette’s eyes widened, and she instinctively leaned back. “Are you insane?”
“Relax, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said, waving the vial casually. “It’s not gonna kill her.. I think. It’s just a little something to upset her stomach. Imagine Lila, mid-monologue about her fake connections, suddenly turning green and, well... losing it. Right there in front of everyone.”
Marinette hesitated. She didn’t like Lila, but this felt... extreme. “Chloe, I don’t know. Poisoning her? That feels wrong.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s harmless. She’ll have a bad day, sure, but she’ll survive. Besides, this way, she’ll embarrass herself so badly she won’t even want to show her face here again. Problem solved.”
Marinette bit her lip, her mind flashing to all the moments Lila had humiliated her, all the lies she’d spread. Maybe this wasn’t the worst idea. It wasn’t like they were hurting her permanently.
“How does it work?” Marinette finally asked, her voice quieter.
Chloe’s smirk deepened. “Leave that to me. All we need is an opportunity. Lunch tomorrow, I’ll handle the logistics. You just make sure she’s sitting in her usual spot.”
Marinette hesitated again but nodded. “Okay. Just... nothing that could actually hurt her.”
“Scout’s honor,” Chloe said, raising her hand mockingly.
The next day, Marinette sat with her usual group at lunch, her heart pounding in her chest. Across the room, Chloe was weaving her way toward Lila’s table, a tray in hand and a calculated smile on her face.
“Hey, Lila,” Chloe said sweetly, placing the tray down. “Thought I’d be nice for a change and bring you something. You’ve been working so hard with all your ‘charity events’ and ‘celebrity meetings.’”
Lila blinked, caught off guard by Chloe’s sudden friendliness but quickly recovered. “Oh, wow, Chloe, that’s so thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
“Of course,” Chloe replied with a smirk, watching as Lila took a bite of the meal she’d tampered with.
Marinette watched from across the room, her stomach churning with guilt. This felt wrong too wrong. She was about to stand up and call it off when Lila suddenly froze, her face paling.
“I don't feel so good..” Lila murmured, clutching her stomach.
It was too late. The poison Chloe had slipped into Lila’s food took effect quickly, and within moments, Lila bolted from the table, barely making it to the trash can before she began retching violently.
The cafeteria erupted into chaos students gasping, whispering, and even laughing.
Marinette sank into her seat, her face burning with shame. Chloe, on the other hand, looked positively triumphant.
“Well,” Chloe said as she passed Marinette on her way back to her own table. “Mission accomplished.”
Marinette didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Watching Lila run out of the cafeteria, humiliated and sick, left a sour taste in her mouth. She’d wanted justice, but this? This didn’t feel right.
And yet, it was done.
The morning sun bathed Paris in a golden glow, but for Marinette, the brightness did little to lift the weight on her chest. She sat with Adrien, Alya, and Nino, the lively conversation at their table feeling distant. Across the courtyard, Chloe and Sabrina were perched like queens on their own bench. And Lila? Nowhere in sight.
Everything was going according to plan.
Marinette’s heart fluttered with relief, thinking of how seamlessly they had orchestrated the previous day’s events. But just as she allowed herself to relax, a ripple of murmurs spread through the courtyard.
“Is that… Lila?” Alya’s voice broke Marinette’s thoughts.
Marinette whipped her head around, her stomach dropping. Lila walked into the courtyard, pale but undeniably dramatic, with a delicate hand resting on her forehead. Her voice, though faint, carried across the space like a siren’s call.
“I was so sick… but I didn’t want to miss school. Everyone’s been so supportive, and it gives me strength.”
Within moments, students gathered around her like moths to a flame. Her weakness, real or exaggerated, made her seem more beloved than ever. Marinette could practically see the adoration radiating from her classmates.
Chloe, sitting on her bench, locked eyes with Marinette from across the yard. They both knew this wasn’t part of the plan.
-
The school bathroom echoed with the faint drip of a leaky faucet. Marinette leaned against the cold tiled wall, arms crossed, while Chloe paced back and forth in front of her.
“How is she doing this?” Chloe hissed. “We gave her the most humiliating moment of her life, and now she’s- ugh!” She threw her hands up in frustration.
Marinette, biting her lip, finally spoke. “We underestimated her. She’s… smarter than we thought.”
Chloe stopped pacing, narrowing her eyes. “Then we stop playing games.”
“What do you mean?” Marinette’s voice wavered.
“I mean,” Chloe said, her lips curling into a devious grin, “we make her realize that messing with us is the biggest mistake she’s ever made. My dad’s the mayor of Paris. We could ruin her life, her family’s life. Maybe… threaten them. Nothing major. Just enough to scare her away for good.”
Marinette’s heart raced. This wasn’t what she’d signed up for. But before she could protest, a loud gasp echoed from the doorway.
Both girls froze.
They turned toward the sound and saw Lila standing there, wide-eyed, her face a mask of fear.
“F*ck,” Marinette whispered.
Lila bolted out the door. Without hesitation, Marinette and Chloe followed.
The chase through the school hallways felt endless. Lila’s frantic footsteps echoed against the walls, but Marinette and Chloe were faster. Just as Lila turned a corner, Chloe lunged forward, grabbing her arm.
“Gotcha!” Chloe snarled, yanking Lila back.
“No! Let me go!” Lila screamed, twisting and thrashing.
Marinette looked around, panic rising. Students could appear at any moment. “Chloe, we can’t do this here. Someone will see!”
“Fine,” Chloe snapped. “Then we take her somewhere private.”
The two girls dragged Lila, kicking and screaming, out the school’s back exit. Chloe’s limo was waiting nearby, Sabrina obediently holding the door open.
“What are you-?!” Sabrina started to ask, but Chloe silenced her with a glare.
“Just drive,” Chloe barked.
Sabrina blinked, her face pale. “But… I don’t know how to drive.”
Chloe threw up her hands in exasperation. “Ugh, Sabrina! I don’t care! Just get in the front and figure it out!”
“But-”
“No buts!” Chloe snapped, pointing toward the driver’s seat. “Get to driving already!”
Sabrina gulped, clutching the car keys like they might burn her fingers.
The car ride to Chloe’s mansion was a blur. Lila, still struggling, hurled every insult and threat she could muster. But Marinette and Chloe ignored her, their focus singular: silence her before she could ruin them.
Once Lila was shoved into the back seat, still struggling against her captors, Chloe slammed the door shut. Sabrina climbed into the driver’s seat, her hands trembling as she inserted the key into the ignition.
The engine roared to life, and Sabrina nervously gripped the wheel. “Uh… how do I make it go?”
“Gas pedal, Sabrina!” Chloe shouted from the back. “It’s not rocket science!”
Sabrina hesitated, then slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The limo lurched forward, throwing everyone inside against their seats.
“Not so hard, you idiot!” Chloe shrieked.
“Sorry!” Sabrina wailed, easing off the pedal.
The limo swerved erratically as Sabrina struggled to keep it on the road. Marinette clung to her seatbelt, her stomach churning from the wild ride. Lila, meanwhile, had fallen silent, her face pale as she stared at the chaotic scene unfolding around her.
Chloe, however, looked more annoyed than concerned. “Sabrina, if you don’t figure this out in the next five seconds, I swear-”
“I’m trying!” Sabrina snapped, a rare burst of defiance in her voice.
Once inside Chloe’s sprawling bedroom, they shoved Lila onto the floor. Chloe gestured toward a tall, ornate closet in the corner of the room.
“Perfect,” Chloe said, pulling the doors open.
Marinette hesitated, watching as Chloe and Sabrina hauled Lila to her feet and dragged her toward the closet.
“You can’t do this!” Lila screamed. “Everyone will know I’m missing! They’ll find me!”
“No one will find you,” Chloe said coolly. “You’ll sit here and think about what happens to liars who mess with me.”
Marinette looked away as they tied Lila’s hands and feet with ribbon from Chloe’s craft box. They stuffed a scarf in her mouth to muffle her protests. Finally, they pushed her into the closet and shut the doors.
Chloe turned to Marinette, a triumphant grin on her face. “Now what?”
Marinette stared at the closed doors, Lila’s muffled cries piercing through the silence. Her heart pounded. What had she gotten herself into?
“I… I don’t know,” Marinette admitted, her voice barely a whisper.
For the first time, she realized the plan had spiraled completely out of control.
Marinette’s heart pounded as she stared at Lila, tied up in Chloe’s closet. She could hear the muffled sounds of Lila’s panicked breathing and the occasional thump as she struggled against the ropes.
Chloe, on the other hand, looked utterly unbothered. She flopped onto her velvet chaise lounge, twirling a strand of her perfectly styled hair. “Well, that was easier than I thought,” she said with a smirk.
Marinette paced back and forth, her hands trembling. “What have we done?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “We can’t keep her here! This is insane, Chloe!”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Relax, Dupain-Cheng. We’ll figure it out. She’s not going to be able to tell anyone anything while she’s in there, is she?”
Marinette stopped pacing and glared at Chloe. “And then what? We can’t keep her locked up forever!”
Chloe sighed dramatically. “Obviously not. But we need to make sure she gets the message. Maybe a little visit from my daddy’s security team will remind her to keep her mouth shut. Or...” She trailed off, her eyes narrowing in thought.
“Or what?” Marinette asked, dreading the answer.
Chloe stood, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she walked toward the closet. She opened the door slightly, peeking in at Lila. “Or we get rid of her for good.”
Lila’s muffled voice rose in protest from inside the closet, but the gag Chloe had stuffed in her mouth kept her words unintelligible.
Marinette felt her stomach churn. “No, Chloe. We’ve already gone way too far. What if someone finds out?”
“No one’s going to find out unless you tell them,” Chloe snapped, her voice sharp. “And you’re not going to do that, are you?”
Marinette hesitated. She wanted to back out, to run far away from this mess...
