The Book
TW / Mention of Harassment /
"Excuse me, but this girl would like to know what she did to make you think such things." Marinette said, finally speaking.
"I don't see how that is your concern." Gabriel knew, in fact, that it was Marinette's concern. The man did not want to be proven wrong, which he was sure would happen if he let her get a word in edgewise.
Ever since the incident where Lila Rossi tried to get Marinette expelled from school, Gabriel had been keeping a close eye on her, as Shadowmoth, of course. He had never felt such powerful emotions before and was determined to make Marinette his masterpiece. He found however, that the girl was a most difficult muse. She rarely felt negative emotions, and when she did, they dissipated rather fast. This was just another one of Gabriel's attempts to akumatize the girl.
"OF COURSE IT'S HER CONCERN!" the now raging brunette stepped in.
Marinette glanced at her friend, "Alya, please," she said with a raised hand. Then she focused her attention on Gabriel.
"Mr. Agreste, this is most certainly my concern. I try very hard to maintain a good reputation for myself. If someone is talking ill of me, I have the right to know. I especially wouldn't want you to think bad of me. You see, I want to be an influential designer in the future, and I cannot have someone as powerful in the fashion industry as you thinking bad of me. Connections, you know? So please do tell me, who has been telling you that I am a bad influence on Adrien?" The secret hero concluded by crossing her arms and staring into the man's steely gaze.
To say everyone was taken back by Marinette's exclamation was an understatement. Neither Nino or Alya had ever seen the girl this upset before. They could tell she was at her wits end when she cocked an eyebrow at the seasoned designer.
Adrien was flabbergasted. He had never heard someone speak up to his father. The last person he would have expected would have been Marinette- at least in her civilian form.
"If you must know, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Gabriel said, still taken aback by the girl's tone with him, "Lila Rossi has been most beneficial in helping me decide who is good for Adrien."
Marinette let out a dry laugh, voice dripping with sarcasm, she said, "Lila Rossi? She is the best judge of character I know."
Gabriel once again was startled at the young girl. He knew she could hold her own in an argument, but he never expected this.
"In fact," Marinette said more pointedly, "I happen to have proof of what an amazing person Lila is. Let me go get that for you."
The bluenette left as soon as the last words were said, rushing into the school. The four remaining people looked at each other in shock and confusion. Even Gabriel forgot for a minute that he was still in the other three's presence.
As soon as the signature pigtails came into view, the group recomposed themselves. The young designer seemed to be carrying a book, maybe a diary of some sorts.
When Marinette forcefully thrusted the book into the grown man's hands, he looked at her like she had grown a second head.
"Gabriel, may I call you Gabriel? This is a book of separate encounters I have witnessed and have been logging for well over a year. These encounters being between Adrien and Lila. When you read through this book, you will find many different accounts of times Lila has tried to assault Adrien. These have always been unwanted by your son, and he has told her as much. Nobody until this point knew I was marking this down to keep it as authentic as possible. She is unrelenting, and it is sickening that I am the only one who has noticed this behavior."
Marinette said all this while Gabriel was flipping through the pages nonchalantly.
"What if I don't read this book Miss Dupain-Cheng? I am not inclined to believe you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't ruin your career before it even starts because of your outburst?" The man said, not showing his excitement for his next possible akuma. He was nearly giddy at the thought of finally getting his hands on the miraculous, that he could not possibly be prepared for what Marinette was going to say next.
"Well, Gabe," Marinette started, sounding even more bone chilling than Mr. Agreste himself, "if you don't read this book, I will ruin you. I have brought to your attention a serious problem that needs to be addressed , which also happens to be a felony. If you chose to ignore this, you would be purposely ignoring evidence of your son being harassed, and you would be enabling a crime. This alone can crumble your fashion empire, but when I mention how you have neglected Adrien for years, barely feeding him so he can have a 'model body', and threatening to pull him out of school if he misses a single note on the piano, you won't have anything left," she took a step closer, standing only a threatening foot away from the designer, "if you choose to ignore this, you will go down. Fast and hard. I have connections too, and with a few calls, everything you know will disappear right before your eyes. I also have video evidence against Lila which I will send to Nathalie when I get home. I hope you have come to see what a manipulative snake Lila is in this time. Just know through, whatever she's done to me, your son, or even you, will seem like child's play compared to what I will do if no action is taken. Now, my friends and I are going to get ice cream. Adrien is going to spend the night at my house tonight so you can collect your thoughts. Goodbye, Gabriel."
And with that, Marinette walked away with her three friends trailing behind her, their head's still wrapped in the words she just told Adrien's father.