His father, however, focused his attention upon Lila, who approached them after clearly having been eavesdropping. "What do you mean?"
Lila bit her lip and averted her eyes. "Well, I didn't want to say anything earlier," she began, and Adrien scoffed.
"Quiet, Adrien," his father admonished. "Please continue, Miss Rossi," he said in a gentler tone. Adrien's jaw dropped at the change. Since when did his father go soft for anyone?
"Well, I was going to the back to use the restroom," she began, blinking tears away from her eyes, "when I saw someone by the set. I don't think they saw me, but they were crouched over the edge of the beam – the one that fell." His father nodded in encouragement, and she continued.
Adrien wanted to gag. How could his father of all people, the most cynical, doubtful person in the entire world, believe Lila's fabrications?
Lila fiddled with her hands for a second before taking a deep breath. "Well, they stood up and... I saw that it was...," her eyes glanced over to Marinette. Gabriel followed her line of sight. "I mean, I'm not entirely certain."
"There you go," Adrien cut in. "She's not certain."
"But she was wearing pink pants," Lila hastily added. "Do you have any other short, dark-haired models that wear pink pants? I'm sure it was just a coincidence."
"No." His father frowned and turned away. His eyes fell upon Marinette, sitting in her chair with her hands bandaged. "Nathalie." Instantly, his assistant materialized beside him. "Call security. Escort Miss Dupain-Cheng off the set."
Marinette's head snapped up as his voice carried over to her.
"Father!" Adrien cried.
"Silence, Adrien. Miss Dupain-Cheng, you are not to have any more contact with my son. I see now what I should have weeks ago: you are a bad influence at best, and an immediate danger to him at worst."
Without waiting for a response, Gabriel turned and vanished down the hallway, leaving Marinette and Adrien stunned. Marinette looked at him, aghast and confused.
"I'll go talk to him," Adrien said, attempting to reassure her. "Make him see that it wasn't your fault."
She sighed as she scooped up her book as best as she could with her bandages. "It's okay, Adrien. I knew this day was too good to last. I'll see you in class, at least."
As Nathalie escorted her away, a melancholic sigh came from behind him. He turned, his expression immediately hardening as Lila watched the two depart.
"You did this."
She had the audacity to turn to him, blinking in perfect innocence. "Did what?"
He wasn't buying it. "I don't know how, but you did this," he said. "I know for a fact that Marinette wouldn't have done anything to that set, accidental or otherwise. She was in her chair the entire morning."
She looked around to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied all the other workers were engrossed in their own activities, she turned back to him and dropped the innocent act. "You can't prove that," she said.
"I thought we were friends." There was a malicious emphasis on that word.
Her head tilted back and she released a loud burst of laughter. "Friends?" she repeated. "Oh, Adrien, I stopped being your 'friend' the moment I realized that there's only one person I needed to convince to get my way." She leaned forward, her lips sharpening into a cruel smile. "I have your father eating out of the palm of my hand. I could say anything and he would believe me. All to keep his precious little boy safe from the big bad outside world." She chuckled, and the sound sent shivers down his spine. "It didn't take too much convincing that Marinette was such a bad influence, and after today? Her dream of fashion designing is all down the drain."
26: A picture perfect revenge
Start from the beginning
