"Thank you, Adrien, you may return to your room now." Gabriel said curtly.

"Yes, Father," Adrien agreed, quickly slipping out of the office and quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Now then," Gabriel continued, turning to face his nephew. "We have a lot to discuss, Felix."

Gabriel walked over to the semi-circle of artsy and uncomfortable-looking chairs that formed a sitting area in the otherwise cold and functional office.

"By all means, remain standing if you'd like," Gabriel told Felix as he sat down.

Felix hesitated, staying standing near the exit into the atelier. Gabriel may have his amok now, but he had not used it against him. He could still leave, though he wasn't sure how far he'd get. Could he make it into the garden before a command was yelled at him? Through the gates? Even once he was out of earshot, would Gabriel still be able to control him?

Felix decided he couldn't risk it. Taking too many risks is what got him into this situation in the first place. He straightened his shoulders, took a deep breath, and made his way across the large office to join his uncle and take a seat.

"How was the train from London?" Gabriel asked conversationally. "I trust you had no issues?"

"Forgive me, uncle, but I don't think we need to waste time on pleasantries," Felix spat back. "I'm not really interested in making small talk with a supervillain."

Gabriel's expression shifted, and the false smile disappeared. He leveled a stern look at Felix.

"Felix, you can relax. You know I'm not going to attack you," Gabriel promised.

Felix knew it was unlikely for Gabriel to outright attack him, but that didn't mean he wasn't a threat. Gabriel was smarter than Felix had originally given him credit for, as his current situation was evidence of.

"You already have attacked me," Felix spat back at Gabriel. "Twice, actually."

Gabriel let out an exasperated sigh and lowered his head to rub the bridge of his nose, before interlacing his fingers and resting his forearms on his legs as he leaned forward.

"Felix," he started in a tired tone. "You know I care very deeply for my family. You and Adrien are my wife's legacy, and even though I didn't raise you myself, you have to know that I love you, just as I love my son."

"I know you love me in your own sick way, Gabriel," Felix countered, his voice dripping in contempt. "The way a collector loves the objects he acquires, or the way a puppeteer loves his marionettes."

"Oh, so dramatic," Gabriel chided, unphased by Felix's accusations. "I am not going to puppeteer you. Let's be realistic here, I'm just trying to have a conversation with you. I don't want to fight you, you don't want to fight me. We both want the same thing — for our family to be happy, healthy, and whole."

Gabriel was right, that is what Felix wanted, and it made him so angry that his uncle didn't see the hypocrisy of what he was saying.

"The only reason I even wanted to go against you in the first place is because you were threatening my family – with the amoks, with the peacock miraculous, with these ridiculous akuma attacks anytime we were in Paris…" Felix raised his voice as his emotions got the better of him.

"Calm down!" Gabriel snapped.

Felix felt his anger evaporate. He realized he had not been paying close attention to Gabriel's words. The ring was still in his palm, was it possible—"

"You're just a little confused," Gabriel interrupted Felix's thoughts.

Felix tried to blink away the fogginess that had invaded his brain. What was going on? He felt a strange sense of vertigo, like he was standing at the top of a tall cliff.

"Felix, I don't want to fight with you. Believe me, I only have your best interests in mind." Gabriel insisted.

Felix was sure Gabriel did, but he had no confidence in his uncle to actually achieve those interests.

"Tell me," Gabriel continued, placing a reassuring hand on Felix's shoulder. "How have you been since you lost your father?"

Felix still felt disoriented. His chest tightened at the mention of his father, and he could feel a well of emotions rising up. Since his father's death, Felix had kept his grief silent, private. He preferred to reflect on his own, and hid his mourning from everyone except his mother. But now he could feel all that he had suppressed flooding to the surface, and when he opened his mouth nothing could stop the confessions from spilling from his lips.

"So you agree," Gabriel prompted. "You're not prepared to make major business decisions for yourself!"

Felix hated him for it, but Gabriel was right. He had no training, no experience, nothing to prepare him for running his father's massive business empire. But he had every intention of gaining the necessary knowledge on his own, and he certainly hadn't planned on getting advice from a washed-up fashion designer on how to run his company.

"You know the best option for you is to move to Paris, so that I can mentor you in business practices," Gabriel insisted.

Was that his best option? It didn't seem like he really had any options at this point. Maybe Gabriel was right, having some kind of mentor had to be better than nothing, and he couldn't see—

"Wait," Felix interrupted his own thoughts, shaking his head in a futile attempt to shake away the fog that had settled there. "Why are you doing this to me? Messing with my head like this? If you wanted me to do something you could just order me to do it."

Gabriel did not reply for a long time. He sat, looking at Felix with an unreadable expression.

"I don't give Adrien direct commands for a reason," Gabriel finally spoke. His voice was hard and cold, and echoed ominously against the cold marble tiles.

Felix had always prided himself at not being intimidated by the Notorious Gabriel Agreste. Even once he had discovered his uncle's alter-ego, he was never tempted to acquiesce to his threats. But right now Felix was scared.

Gabriel flexed his neck as his miraculous flashed on his shirt collar, and Felix knew he had sensed the spike in emotion.

"What if I told Adrien to stay in his room, and there was a fire?" Gabriel asked rhetorically. "What if Adrien took my words literally, instead of doing what he knew I intended to ask of him? What if the situation changes in ways I am not aware of, so that my instructions are no longer applicable?"

Felix swallowed and tightened his fists, trying to remain focused. He would not lose his nerve now. He tried to reach for a comeback, a snarky reply, anything, but he was at a loss for words.

"It's much better to ensure that my family wants to support me." Gabriel continued his monologue. "Malicious compliance is not a threat when the compliance is willingly given."

At those last words, anger surged through Felix's chest and he lunged forward at his uncle.

"You call this willing?!" He demanded as he reached for the ring in Gabriel's palm.

Gabriel was faster. He cuffed Felix's wrist with his opposite hand and forcefully pulled his nephew downwards. Felix lost his balance and fell to the ground, his ears ringing and head pounding after he slammed down on the hard marble.

Gabriel stood over Felix, his face cast in his own shadow as the overhead lights shined unnaturally bright behind the man's silhouette.

"Listen to me," Gabriel instructed. His voice was firm but he spoke no louder than if he was having a simple conversation. Instantly, the ringing in Felix's ears faded.

"If your Mother asks why you want to move to Paris, you'll say?"

"That I want to learn how to run my Father's business into the ground the same way you're doing to Gabriel Fashion," Felix spat back. His heart was pounding out of his chest and he panted to catch his breath.

Felix tried to sit up, but when he raised his shoulders off the ground his uncle firmly pushed him back to the floor with his foot.

"You are no longer working against me, do you understand?" Gabriel hissed.

"I'm not working against you."

The words fell out of Felix's mouth before he even realized he'd said them. The fog that had invaded his mind thickened and every thought he had felt fuzzy and distant.

"When Nathalie or I want you to do something, you are going to want to cooperate."

Coldness spread across his chest like the first sip of icy water on a hot day. The sensation was shocking but quickly faded to comfortable relief. He had come to face his uncle, indignant and scared. But he knew now he didn't want to fight Gabriel.

"When we have a goal, that is now your goal as well. You will want to achieve it," Gabriel continued, his words dripping with the power of the amok.

"You will not try to find loopholes, or endeavor to outsmart me"

Why would he even try? Gabriel had clearly thought of everything.

"You will not lie to me, or steal from me, or hurt me"

Felix knew he wouldn't. He didn't even want to.

"You won't disobey me"

"You won't trick me."

"You will not betray your family."

Gabriels words echoed in Felix's ears. His mind reeled as he tried to get a grasp on his new reality. Gabriel took his hand and helped him back to his feet. Once he was upright, the blood rushed to his head and he stumbled as his vision adjusted. Gabriel provided a steady hand on his shoulder so he didn't fall again.

"You'll feel better once you get some rest," Gabriel assured him. "You may return to the guest room now."

Felix nodded numbly as he tried to blink away his daze. He slowly made his way back to the guest room on the first floor. He fiddled with the antique handle on the door, unable to grip it well enough to properly open it.

"Here, let me help you," Adrien spoke from behind him. Felix hadn't even noticed his cousin had joined him in the hallway.

"Thanks," Felix mumbled as Adrien easily twisted the handle, freeing the latch.

"Are you ok?" Adrien asked. Felix looked into his cousin's eyes and knew that the question was genuine.

"I'm fine, I'll feel better once I get some rest."