♡×♡×♡
It was one of those moments where after getting back home, she didn't want to leave her house for a week. Lila wanted to pass out right then and there, but she managed to trudge to her room and kick her heels off. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she felt something brush against her leg. She looked down and smiled. "Leo, I didn't know you wanted to see me that badly," she teased, picking up the cat and gently petting him.
Leo just meowed in response and continued to purr while Lila stroked his black fur.
"Lila! Oh--there you are," Ms. Rossi said as she appeared in the doorway. Lila realized not only had she been zoning out almost every word, but she closed the door in her mom's face. She forced a smile and tried to seem like she knew what the conversation was about.
"Hey, how was---"
"Oh, our talk went great, but I'm going to have to head back for a bit. I figured it would be best to take you home, though." Ms. Rossi quickly kissed her daughter on the forehead and ruffled Leo's fur. "Ciao Bella, I'll try not to be home too late!"
And with that, she was gone just as quickly as she entered. Lila sighed as her mom rushed out and the door closed downstairs. She was alone.
Again.
"Typical. I can't even hold a conversation with her these days," she muttered. No one was there to listen except her cat, but she didn't care. Not even ten minutes home and her mom was already thinking about the next fancy outfit and type of champagne she needed to get on someone's good side.
A fashion designer's work is never done, I guess.
Lila looked into Leo's yellow eyes and sighed. "I can never tell whether you're annoyed at me. Maybe you just tolerate me because I feed you."
The cat just purred, and Lila couldn't help but smile. "I don't mind though. As long as you stick around," she said.
Suddenly Leo jumped from her arms, but not before leaving a scratch on her wrist.
"Dammit," she said a little too loudly. Luckily, the scratch wasn't as deep as others she'd gotten in the past, but her cat still made a mark. Leo hissed in response and curled himself into a ball on top of her bed.
Even though he's adorable, he still knows how to annoy me. Now I have a--wait.
Forgetting about her scratch for a second, Lila looked around her room.
When she didn't see what she was looking for, she picked up her backpack from the corner and dug
through it as well. But she found nothing. "Well this is great," she fumed. "First you scratch me Leo, and now I can't find one of my bracelets. I swear I had it on this morning..."
Before she could dump out the pieces of old homework, a memory hit her like a wave.
Well Lila, I look forward to seeing you again," he said as she shook her hand.
When she finally realized what had happened, she could instantly feel the anger rise inside her. "That piece of---"
Before she could go off about all the horrible things Felix was, she took a deep breath. "It's not like he's worth it anyway," she said slowly, even though she could feel her ears burning.
Don't you hate it when the cousin of the person you want to use steals something from you the first time you meet?
She needed to relax, so she put her hand behind her and pulled out the hair tie that was holding the rest of her long hair back. As her hair fell lightly down her shoulders, she thought of Felix.
"Chloe had a point. He seems a lot colder than Adrien is," she said as she brushed her hair. "But then again, Adrien would never steal my bracelet. I'll just ask for it back tomorrow. Simple as that."
But it wasn't that simple. Even as her hair smoothed out against her shoulders, Lila still couldn't help but ask some questions.
How did he manage to steal it anyway? I thought it'd be much more obvious if he tried to take something like a bracelet. So how did he do it so effortlessly?
All of a sudden, something dawned on her that she didn't think about before.
What does he get out of stealing it at all?
The gears in her brain turned, trying to figure out the next answer. A few seconds later, it came to her as unexpectedly as the question.
If there was one thing he got, it was her attention.
×××
She said she was going for a walk.
Instead of walking down the streets of Paris, she headed in the direction of the Agreste mansion. Her mom was busy, and she didn't mind walking. It gave her more time to clear her head.
No matter how many times she stood on front of it, it never failed to make her nervous. But this time, her nervousness was outnumbered by her anger. Whatever Felix had in mind didn't matter. She was going to make him regret stealing from her.
She rang the doorbell. At first she thought that no one was home, or maybe she was just simply being ignored. But then a woman's voice spoke through the speaker, making her flinch. "Can I help you?" the voice said.
Nathalie.
Blunt and intimidating, Gabriel's assistant was someone Lila didn't want to annoy, even just for fun.
"I am so sorry for the trouble, but I let Adrien borrow my notes, and I need them back," she said into the speaker.
"Why would Adrien need your notes?" Nathalie asked bluntly.
Lila fought the urge to roll her eyes. "He was double-checking them for me while I was out of class. But I seriously need them back. Like, as soon as possible."
Nathalie went quiet before a moment, before she let out an exasperated sigh. "Make it quick."
The black gates opened, allowing Lila rare and temporary access to the mansion. Even as she walked to the door, she had to remind herself to stay calm and collected. Nathalie was waiting in the foyer, her presence just as intimidating as Lila remembered.
Even so, she couldn't help but ask, "Where's Adrien?"
"He has fencing today," Nathalie replied as they headed up the stairs. "I can leave a message for him if you'd like."
"Adrien fences on weekends?"
"On occasion, yes."
Lila brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, recovering from the brief surprise. The question had been more for herself--she didn't expect Nathalie to actually answer it. She shook her head and regained her composure. "Actually, if it's alright," she started, "before I get my notes, I'd like to talk to Felix."
Nathalie stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes at Lila. "Felix, you say?"
"I'll be quick, I promise."
The woman sighed, already annoyed. "I don't make exceptions, Miss Rossi. You already stated your purpose. Don't go changing your mind once you step in here," she said harshly. Lila pouted, and Nathalie's look softened. "Don't be here any longer than you have to." Her voice was laced with a mix of annoyance and intimidation. It was subtle, but it worked. She gestured down the hall, where Felix's room was. Lila didn't waste a second. She hurried down the hall, counting her number of steps in her head.
When she reached the white double doors, she knocked twice. For a second, she wondered if he wouldn't answer. She prepared to knock again, harder this time, when the door opened.
It was a surprise to see Felix more informally. He had ditched the suit for an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, and his hair wasn't as combed back as it was the night before. She stared for a bit, familiarizing herself. Blonde hair. Green eyes. And somewhere, a bracelet that wasn't his.
"Rossi, was it? What brings you here?" Felix asked, casually leaning against the doorway.
"I'll be straightforward. I want my bracelet back."
Felix just raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Don't tell me Erin Rossi's daughter came all this way for a bracelet."
Lila wanted nothing more than to snap, but she knew she had to keep her composure. It wouldn't look good if she suddenly started yelling at Adrien's cousin.
"Sorry, I guess you need context. I lost something. I just wanted to ask--"
"You can drop the act you know," Felix said boredly.
There was a sudden silence between them, as the gears quickly turned in Lila's brain. Felix's words stopped every sentence she wanted to say in its tracks. Seconds passed. She'd been quiet for too long. "What are talking about?" she asked cautiously.
Felix reached behind him and took something out of his pocket.
"I'm talking about why you're acting like this, when you can be much worse," he said, twirling the bracelet in his hands. "This good girl act is pretty boring in my opinion."
Annoyed didn't even begin to describe what Lila was feeling at this point. Not only did this guy have the audacity to steal from her, but he wanted to talk after she found out?
She took a step forward, forcing him to back up and let her in his room. "Don't waste my time," she said, her voice low. The softness in her voice replaced itself with her usual biting tone.
"What do you want Felix?"