End Of Lila Rossi
Marinette sat in the limo, her knees pressed tightly together as she tried to keep herself from shaking. The weight of what was happening pressed on her chest like a heavy stone. The dark streets of Paris blurred outside the window, giving way to open countryside as Sabrina, visibly trembling, kept the car on the road.
“Chloe, this is insane,” Marinette finally whispered, her voice breaking the tense silence. “You can't actually be serious about this.”
Chloe, seated beside her with a cold, calculating expression, flipped her hair over her shoulder. “It’s not like we have a choice anymore, Dupain-Cheng. She overheard everything. It's either this or jail.”
Marinette glanced at Lila, tied up and struggling against her bonds on the floor of the limo. Her muffled threats filled the car, each one chipping away at Marinette’s resolve.
“Chloe…” Marinette began again, but Chloe cut her off with a sharp look.
“Don’t start getting soft now. You’re the one who decided to join me on this little mission, remember?”
The car was silent again except for the faint whimpers of their captive. Marinette stared at her hands, twisting her fingers nervously. She didn’t know how things had escalated this far. It had started as a plan to scare Lila maybe even humiliate her. But now?
The thought of what they were about to do made her stomach turn.
Sabrina’s voice broke the silence. “Uh, Chloe?”
“What?” Chloe snapped.
“Where… exactly are we going?” Sabrina asked, her voice shaking.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Just keep driving. There’s bound to be a forest or a clearing or something. Somewhere private.”
Marinette’s breath hitched. “Private for what?”
Chloe didn’t answer.
The limo eventually came to a stop on the side of a deserted dirt road. Sabrina turned in her seat, her face pale and her hands gripping the steering wheel. “I… I can’t do this. I’m staying here.”
“Whatever,” Chloe said curtly, pushing the door open and stepping out into the crisp night air. She turned to Marinette, who hesitated.
“Are you coming or not?” Chloe asked, arching a brow.
Marinette looked between Chloe and Lila, who was now crying uncontrollably. The reality of the situation hit her like a truck. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t this person.
“I can’t,” Marinette whispered, shaking her head.
Chloe scoffed. “I guess I’ll handle it myself.”
As Chloe dragged Lila out of the car, Marinette sat frozen. Her mind raced, torn between her desire to end Lila’s reign of manipulation and the gnawing guilt clawing at her chest.
This had gone too far.
“Chloe, wait!” Marinette finally shouted, jumping out of the car.
Chloe paused, Lila still struggling in her grasp. “What now?”
Marinette took a shaky step forward, her voice firm despite the fear in her chest. “We can’t do this. This isn’t justice- it’s cruelty. We’re not like her.”
Chloe stared at Marinette, a mixture of disbelief and anger flashing across her face. Then, with a chilling smile, she tilted her head and said, “We’re not... we’re worse.”
Marinette froze, the weight of Chloe’s words settling in her chest. Worse? Was that true? The answer lingered in her mind, but as she looked at Lila, tied up and helpless, a dangerous clarity took hold.
Without saying another word, Marinette stepped forward. Her hands trembled as she grabbed Lila’s legs while Chloe took her arms. Together, they dragged her out of the car, her muffled cries growing louder as her feet scraped against the ground.
“Ready?” Chloe asked, pulling a small, cruel-looking smirk.
Marinette hesitated, but then nodded, helping Chloe undo the gag from Lila’s mouth. The second it was removed, Lila gasped for air and immediately began pleading.
“Please! Please, you don’t have to do this! I’ll leave, okay? I’ll switch schools! You’ll never see me again!”
Chloe crouched down to Lila’s level, tilting her head mockingly. “Oh, you’ll leave? Just like that? No lies, no schemes, no dramatic exit where you make everyone worship you even more?”
“I-I promise,” Lila stammered, her voice cracking. “You win, okay? You win!”
Marinette’s stomach churned as she stood frozen beside Chloe, unsure of what would happen next.
Chloe glanced back at Marinette, her gaze sharp. “Are you buying this?”
Marinette exchanged a silent look at Chloe, her expression said enough. Without a word, they began digging. The cold ground was unyielding, the chill biting their fingers through the gloves they hastily put on. Every scrape of the shovel against the dirt seemed deafening in the quiet of the forest, drowned only by the sound of Lila’s incessant begging.
“Please! You don’t have to do this! I’ll leave Paris, I swear! I’ll disappear!” Lila cried, her voice raw and desperate.
Marinette’s hands faltered for a moment on the shovel, her breaths coming faster. Chloe, however, didn’t stop.
“You hear that?” Chloe sneered, glancing over her shoulder at Lila. “Still lying. She doesn’t get it, does she?”
“She won’t change,” Marinette muttered under her breath, a hint of doubt creeping into her voice.
“And even if she does,” Chloe snapped, standing straight and planting her shovel in the ground for emphasis, “she’ll just run to the police the moment we let her go. It's not like someone will actually believe her, but... it's Lila, right?”
Marinette shook her head slowly, gripping the shovel tighter.
Lila’s voice grew frantic. “I'd never! No one even likes me! Please, I’m telling the truth this time! Please!”
Chloe’s face twisted into a grimace, clearly losing patience. She pulled the gag from her pocket and approached Lila, crouching down.
“Enough yapping. I'm sick of this b*tch,” she spat, tying the gag back tightly over Lila’s mouth. The muffled pleas that followed only seemed to irritate her further.
Satisfied that Lila was silenced, Chloe turned back to Marinette. “Keep digging. We don’t have all night.”
Marinette hesitated again but continued to shovel, each movement robotic as her mind swirled with conflicting emotions. How had it come to this? What were they even doing?
And yet, as she looked at Lila tied, gagged, and helpless a darker part of her whispered that there was no turning back now.
Chloe, however, seemed eerily calm. She wiped her brow and leaned against her shovel for a moment, smirking at Marinette. “You know, for someone who bakes cookies and designs frilly dresses, you’re not half-bad at this.”
Marinette shot her a look, her voice strained. “This isn’t funny.”
Chloe shrugged. “I’m just saying. You’ve got more grit than I gave you credit for.”
Lila squirmed against her bonds, letting out another muffled cry. Chloe sighed dramatically and walked over, crouching beside her.
“Save your energy, liar,” Chloe said, voice laced with venom. “No one’s coming for you. Not Adrien, not your adoring fans, and certainly not the police. You’ve dug this hole for yourself metaphorically speaking. We’re just finishing the job.”
Marinette winced at Chloe’s words, her hands tightening around the shovel handle. She wasn’t like Chloe. This wasn’t her. Yet, here she was, digging a grave for a girl who had caused her so much pain. Was it justice? Or had she become the monster she despised?
“Chloe,” Marinette said finally, her voice shaking. “Maybe… maybe this isn’t the way.”
Chloe turned sharply, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t go soft on me now, Dupain-Cheng. You saw what she did, how she turned everyone against you. She’ll do it again the moment we let her go. She’s a snake.”
“I know,” Marinette said, her voice small. “But… what if there’s another way?”
Chloe stared at her for a long moment, then sighed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Fine. What do you propose? We just let her go, cross our fingers, and hope she doesn’t ruin our lives?”
Marinette hesitated. She didn’t have an answer. The weight of the situation pressed down on her, suffocating. She glanced at Lila, who was staring back at her with wide, terrified eyes, tears streaming down her face. For a brief moment, Marinette thought she saw genuine fear, even regret. But could it be trusted? Or was it just another act?
Before Marinette could respond, Chloe’s phone buzzed loudly in her pocket. Both girls froze. Chloe fished it out and frowned at the screen. “Sabrina,” she muttered, answering the call. “What is it?”
Marinette could only hear Chloe’s side of the conversation, but whatever Sabrina was saying made Chloe’s face pale.
“You’re kidding,” Chloe hissed. “No, stay there. Don’t move. We’ll figure it out.”
She hung up and turned to Marinette, her expression grim. “We’ve got a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Marinette asked, dread pooling in her stomach.
Chloe’s jaw tightened. “Sabrina says someone saw us. We’ve got to hurry.”