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Chapter Text

When Chloé receives the news, she's not exactly surprised.

Lila is that predictable. And don't you love it when your opponents are predictable?

It's 10 pm on a Thursday when she receives the call from a very nervous head editor of Le Monde in her black phone.

"Chloé Bourgeois speaking, I hope this is important."

"Ah, hello Miss Bourgeois. And, uh, yes this is very important."

Silence.

"Well? What are you waiting for? I don't have all night." It's late, and if it's that important she'll be working on it all night.

"Ah, yes, of course, Ms. Bourgeois!"

The man then explains the situation one of his journalists brought forth. An anonymous tip of Lila Agreste accusing her husband of cheating on her with France fashion sweetheart. Chloé keeps silent the whole time, mentally cursing the Italian woman. Thankfully the whole of the press has a healthy fear of Relation Publique Royale de Paris.

And thankfully Chloé has plans for anything Lila related.

"Thank you for the information. I'm right in assuming that you won't be publishing this?" This is the point Chloé is at her most polite. After all, you don't become the owner and president of the worlds foremost public relations company without developing a good informant network and a good working relationship with them.

The man chuckles, previous nervousness gone "That goes without saying, Miss."

"Excellent. Goodnight Jacques."

"To you as well Ms.Bourgeois."

Phonecall ended, Chloé gets to work. Sleep is for the weak.

She picks her other phone, the white one for more personal calls. Plans needed to be put in motion.

First, a call to Marinette and Luka, with instructions to be in complete radio silence until she tells them otherwise. Not hard considering that they wanted to spend some time alone with Linette before introducing her to the group.

Second, tell Kagami and Felix to meet at the office ASAP.

Third, open the page of Césaire's blog and wait. Lila will go to her when she notices that none of the newspapers she sent the information to (because it was her, Chloé is certain) are publishing the information. And Césaire never got into the habit of checking her sources after all.

Fourth, plan a press conference for when that happens.

Fifth, watch the world go down around the young Agreste couple.

For the whole of their adulthood, Lila Agreste nee Rossi has tried to one-up them.

The most memorable attempt had been the wedding.

Marinette and Luka announce their wedding? Lila and Adrien announce theirs.

If Lila had thought that the Agreste wedding would overshadow the other she'd been wrong. After all, who would pay attention to the wedding of the blandest model Paris had to offer and his nobody of a girlfriend, when a rising rock star and an established fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste's apprentice even, were going to marry?

Marinette had called her mean when she'd said that. Chloé shrugged and told her that it hadn't even been her words.

Audrey Bourgeois had never been kind after all, and Chloé had told her about the fact that Lila had tried to use her name to make herself seem important.

But this? Trying to ruin the life of her friend, because her husband had angered her?

A step too far. And Chloé had ways to counter it.

After she relays the information, the silence in the office is broken by Felix's groan.

"I warned that idiot that something like this would happen."

Kagami snorts "We all did. It's not our fault if he chose to ignore us. It's surprising that this is the way she's choosing to do this, but not that she's doing it."

Chloé nodded "We did. And now we have to deal with this!"

"Good thing we were prepared then."

She turns to Kagami "You have the files?"

Kagami pulled out a dossier from the messenger bag she had brought. She might not work for the PR company but she was the keeper of something very important: Marinette Dupain-Cheng's entire schedule and receipts of where she had been. It had been Sabrina's idea. 

"Keeping a record of where you are and who you are with might be able to keep yourself safe from She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named if she ever tries something."

She was paying for Sabrina's next Miraculous research trip/photography expedition.

"We have dates for the supposed affair, thanks to Césaire, let's get to work. We need to get this done fast."

It's a long day.

("They didn't even stay in the same hotel!")

Today was the day. A beautiful Monday afternoon, two days after Les Jour de Paris had published an article about the love scandal of the year, Lila's reign of lies would start crumbling down.

Chloé took a deep breath, her makeup was on point, her hair perfect, suit sharp, and her high heels could kill a person. She had nothing to fear!

Felix stood next to her, dressed as sharply as she was, reviewing his notes on the case for when he would present the libel lawsuit against Lila.

The rest would be up to the public.

The harshest of juries.

As the journalists were entering the conference room her phone beeped.

Morning Storm: Apparently people are not completely stupid. The comments on the article are fantastic.

PRB: Good. Serves her right.

Morning Storm: Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψ

Chloé snorts at that. Most popular talk show hostess in France and still using emoticons.

"Good news?"

She turns to Felix "Aurore was updating me on the comments in Césaire's article."

"Good for us but not them?" If their old classmates could see him, they would flee in terror at the smile in Felix's face.

"Indeed."

"I have to commend you" The nonchalant tone in his voice got her suspicious "I don't know how you did it but, good job in ruining Alya's chances in the journalism world."

She would never admit to having been the one responsible for that.

Chloé had started the PR game early, her father had been the Mayor of Paris for a good amount of years after all, but only had a real chance in a work week in her first year of Uni. It gave her the opportunity to start spreading the seeds for her career AND to destroy others. It hadn't even been hard. By chance, Césaire had chosen to work with a journalist, who'd been working with the PR company Chloé had chosen at the time. All it had taken was a suggestion to check the Ladyblog, and a mention on how she wasn't in the habit of checking the facts of the information she was given (even after she was told something was wrong) and watch it spread.

By the time they were starting to spread into their chosen fields of work, Alya Césaire was unable to get a job in any reputable newspaper in Paris.

Chloé suspected that it would be even harder after today.

She was taken out of memory lane by her assistant announcing every reporter was seated.

Chloé stood from her chair and smiled "Excellent Marie, thank you." She turned to Felix "You ready Grumpy Cat?"

He rolled his eyes at the nickname but nodded. Good.

"It's showtime!"

The end result is magnificent.

The next day the blog is shut down.

Shortly after her press conference, Aurore hosts a special interview with a seasoned and respected reporter in her show.

Marinette and Luka use their social media to thank the public for their support and announce the new arrival to their family. (The world goes WILD!)

Gabriel Agreste, as feeble as he was these days (the Retribution hit him so HARD, Chloé still laughs about it), denounced his daughter-in-law actions very publicly.

Sabrina sends her a picture of a newspaper in China with an article on the affair and a bunch of crying emoticons proclaiming she was proud. Marc does the same from Greece, in between autograph sessions.

Chloé sees Césaire once at a coffee shop with the rest of the old class but pays them no mind. They made their bed, now they have to lay in it.

All the celebrities Lila has claimed to know since school come forth explaining that they had no idea who she was until her wedding and/or the press conference.

No one sees or hears anything from the Agreste couple. Their lawyer, however, is very busy. The poor man appears like he wants to be anywhere but in the room with Felix. It's amazing to see this man with twenty years of experience cower in front of a practically fresh from law school newcomer.

It is decided that Lila Agreste should do a public apology to Marinette, in a weeks time, or else face court.

A day before Lila is due to make her apology, Adrien calls her office. 

"Chloé Bourgeois speaking."

A beat of silence, a deep breath and then "Hey, Chloé. It's... It's Adrien."

"Yes, my secretary already told me that. What do you want, I'm in a hurry."

"I just wanted to thank you for helping Marinette, but you could have done it less publicly."

"Like your wife did? You know she sent an anonymous tip to every newspaper in Paris?"

"I know, it's just affecting everyone and..."

"You need to understand something Adrien" Chloé interrupts him "This was never about you. I didn't CARE about you. I was honestly not even thinking about how this would affect you or anyone else. Your wife was going to ruin the life of a person who actually is important to me. So I dealt with it."

"Chloé..."

She picks up her purse "Honestly? I don't care about your relationship problems. I've stopped caring when you started dating her."

"I thought..."

"That she would change, blah blah blah. Adrien" She stops, checks to see if she has everything in her purse and grabs the little gift bag "Something you don't seem to realize. Actions have consequences. Now you, your wife and the little group of sycophants she had need to finally deal with those. Have a good day."

"Wait Chloé..." She disconnects the call and exits the office without a care in the world.

She has a goddaughter to meet.

Chapter Text

Alya stared at the computer screen. She didn't know why. It wouldn't change anything.

Her blog. Her entire work just... gone.

Instead, she had an e-mail informing her that the blog had been deleted on grounds of slander.

Her anger got worse. Why?! Why was she the one being punished when Lila had been the one lying?! 

The little voice in her head reminded her that Marinette had warned her all those years ago, and she had chosen to ignore her in order to get a good story so really it was her own fault.

Remembering Marinette she felt shame.

When Lila had told her the story of the affair, she had jumped at the chance to get ahead of the news world.

She hadn't been thinking about how this would affect anyone. Only about FINALLY being able to show all the ones that wouldn't give her a chance, what she was capable of.

So she had published the story in her blog and waited for the world to see that she was a good reporter.

And then, the conference was announced.

On the day, she and the rest of the girls were with Lila in order to support her. She'd been red-eyed and miserable looking, and thinking back Alya thinks she'd have made an excellent actress.

Seeing Chloé on the stage had been surprising. She hadn't really seen the blonde since that work week during their first year of Uni.

And boy had she something to tell! Alya had been dumbfounded after Chloé had presented evidence that Marinette hadn't even been in France when the supposed affair had started.

Lila had been pale when that had happened.

"And be reassured that everyone involved in this situation will be persecuted to the full extent of the law." That was when she had attacked Lila in rage. Because that? That meant Alya! She had been the one reporting the story. The only one!

She should have thought about that!

Instead, she had Chloé's words echoing in her head.

"Mrs. Agreste has had an effect on people since she was young. Tell them what they want to hear and people would love to listen to her. It didn't matter how many holes or how many inconsistencies a story had. No matter how much proof to discredit her showed up."

It got Alya thinking.

She hated what she remembered.

And it got worse, as the days went on. Jagged Stone, Audrey Bourgeois, and the recently crowned King Ali, amongst others, were coming forward to explain they had never met her before her wedding. Or at all.

She had been played.

So hard!

She had broken up with Nino at Lila's suggestion that she needed to concentrate on her journalism career!

She had met with the rest of the old class to talk about the whole situation.

Juleka wasn't there.

Neither was Nino.

Adrien wasn't even mentioned.

She caught a flash of blonde in the crowd that could have been Chloé but couldn't find her afterward.

The rest of that afternoon was spent awkwardly trying to explain to people who, while sympathetic, seemed to look at her as if they didn't really believe her when she expressed remorse.

It's only when she tries to catch up with Marinette two months later, having snuck into one of her shows to do so, only to have Sabrina intervene (had she always had arms that defined?!), that she realizes why.

"What are you sorry for exactly? That you believed Marinette would actually do something like that? Or that you finally realized you were a hypocrite?"

She left after that, leaving Alya staring blankly at the wall.

Because she was wasn't she? A hypocrite.

She demanded sources from everyone but, when she got the info she wanted, she published it. No checking. Nothing.

She gave a slightly hysterical giggle at that, before leaving.

She didn't really have the right to sneak into this place to give an apology that wasn't really wanted.

Juleka kept staring at the screen.

Juleka wouldn't lie. She hadn't liked the fact that Luka had started dating Marinette. But she kept quiet and was civil with her, whenever they met because her brother was happy.

Hadn't liked it when he proposed to her.

She hadn't liked the fact that Chloé had taken over organizing the wedding, on grounds of being the Maid of Honor.

Didn't like that nearly all of the ballads he wrote were about her.

So when she saw the article in Alya's blog, she did what she had wanted to do since Luka had started dating Marinette.

She called him, and when he didn't pick up, she left a voicemail detailing everything Lila had told about Marinette and the things she had 'done'. He didn't call back.

She called him again. The call was disconnected.

She had called a third time. His phone was disconnected.

The day of the press conference, Juleka and the rest of the girls had been with Lila, offering their support. They hadn't even wanted to watch the thing but Lila had insisted.

"I want to see what lies about me they're going to tell."

So, in the end, they watched it.

Juleka got concerned when she saw Chloé Bourgeois enter the stage. Even more when Felix Agreste followed.

And then they proceded to destroy everything Juleka though was true.

Juleka tuned everything out after Chloé had presented evidence of the fact that Marinette wasn't anywhere near Adrien when the supposed affair started. She doesn't remember what Lila said to that, doesn't remember anything after Chloé presented even more evidence of Marinette not having a relationship, other than professional, with Adrien.

She remembers the girls having to keep Alya from attacking Lila, as Felix explained that all the people involved in this scandal would be facing consequences. Only because of the fact that the bodyguard came and escorted Alya out of the house.

Later when she got home, she remembered the voicemails she had left her brother.

The things she had said...

She was sick for nearly an hour.

And then she called him again. The phone was still disconnected. 

And then today...

She stared back at the screen and replayed the video.

The video Luka had sent her was of Marinette and a little girl. Smiling happily while they played with what Juleka knew were Marinette's handmade dolls of Paris' heroes.

She smiled. Maybe she did have some hope of reconciling with her brother and apologizing.

For now, she keeps the video to herself. She'll apologize to her mother, for keeping it a secret, when the time arrives.

 "Nino, are you okay?" He turns at that. Adrien looks concerned and for some reason, Nino wants to punch him for that. Now he's concerned? After allowing this to go on?!

"How can you ask that?!"

He saw Adrien wince at that "I didn't think Lila would create a lie of this magnitude!"

"Adrien, just how long have you known that Lila..." Please, please say a few months.

"... Since she joined our class. But she wasn't hurting anyone." His friend was getting desperate "Really she wasn't!"

Nino laughed, sharp and cynical "Well you were wrong." He stood up "I have to go."

He feels a hand close around his arm "Wait, Nino!"

"Adrien" He stops and looks over his shoulder "Because we were friends once, I'm going to ask you to let me go before I do something I'll regret."

The other man let go of his arm, a look of hurt appearing on his face. How dare he?!

Nino was the one hurt.

Hurt because he'd been lied to.

Because Alya had ended their relationship with him because of the said liar.

Because the man in front of him, his best friend, had known for years and hadn't said anything.

So for once, Nino didn't let it affect him. He walked out of the hotel Adrien had been staying at without looking back.

Nino was allowed that at least.

Lila was fuming.

How dare they?!

How dare they?!

Everything had been going perfectly. According to the plan!

Sure Gabriel Agreste didn't like her very much, preferring to spend his time working with Marinette Dupain-Cheng of all people. But Lila was an Agreste!

She finally had the standing she deserved! She had won!

(But she hadn't, had she?)

It had started when she overheard her father-in-law discussing his retirement details with Felix. Finally! She could now take the reins of the company and make it her own!

And then... then he said something that had left her livid.

He was leaving the Agreste company to Marinette.

Later she had demanded Adrien to speak with his father, and convince him to leave the company to her.

He said no. Told her that his father had been planning to leave the company to Marinette since she had proven herself in that blasted internship.

And he agreed!

How dare he. She was his wife! He was supposed to be on her side!

So she had taken measures to make sure he would learn. Send an anonymous tip to the news about Adrien having an affair. With Marinette.

She had expected it to hit the news the next day. Only it didn't.

Neither had it happened the next day.

Not a problem really. She had dear Alya after all. Even after all these years, it made her smile, the fact that she had her personal news outlet. It wasn't very useful, the woman didn't manage to get a job in a newspaper after all, but her blog had some popularity as a result of sharing a creator with the Ladyblog.

So she had gone to Alya, all teary-eyed and heartbroken.

That night the article went online.

And still, nothing happened other than a press conference being announced.

Then two days later Chloé Bourgeois, of all people, entered the stage looking ready to ruin someone's life. With Felix Agreste, lawyer extraordinaire, following.

And Lila felt something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Dread.

She could physically hear her life being destroyed the longer the conference went.

By the end of it, her bodyguard had to escort the group that had come to 'support' her, after having to physically restrain Alya.

The next days were worst. The affair might have been the only lie debunked in the press conference, but her other lies didn't stand up much longer.

Which was how she got here.

She looked at Felix from across the table. Smug bastard. And her lawyer was completely useless!

So she bites her tongue and accepts the deal Felix presents, Gabriel looming from his position at the top of the table, having decided to keep the reins of the family affairs even with his health problems.

She'll have her revenge. However, as she's leaving the office however and catches Felix's eye, she sees the challenge in them and feels dread returning at the promise in them.

Just try. You won't win.