"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. No further developments with the trial of Chloe Bourgeois have been revealed, but we will have Jagged Stone on the show later today for an exclusive interview. With the famous rockstar will be the fashion designer MDC, who will finally reveal their true identity today. Stay tuned for more news."

Lila, the female version of Mysterio I didn't know I needed

She woke up, showered and got dressed. Her mother already left for her work, leaving a note on the kitchen table for her to have a good day. Lila threw it in the garbage, the same place she threw every other note her mom left her. She pulled out some frozen waffles and placed them in the toaster. As she waited, Lila poured herself a cup of coffee.

She had a busy morning with Alya expecting her at the school and breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Thinking about deceiving her classmates could wait.

Marinette

For once, she was eager to wake up. Marinette felt a little bounce in her step as she got down from the loft. She had about two hours to get breakfast, get ready and get to the studio. Jagged had told her it would be a simple meet and greet. She wouldn't have to answer any difficult questions, just say her name and talk about working with Jagged.

Adrien would be there soon, but she still had time to get dressed before he showed up. They had spent the beginning of the day hiding out at the bakery, playing Ultra Mecha Strike 3 without stopping until lunch. It was at that point that she declared they needed to do something else. Adrien had also explained the plan he made with Alix to reveal Lila, who had recently been woke to the truth behind Lila.

The pair had decided to go for an early patrol, racing across city rooftops as civilians shouted out in awe. They agreed the status quo between Ladybug and Chat Noir would not change, the rule that dating is only allowed as civilians. This prevented Hawkmoth from trying to use their romantic relationship against them. On the other hand, they still couldn't go public as a couple before talking to Adrien's father to avoid stepping on any toes. Long solution short: no relationship stuff in public, especially around Alya.

As she headed down the stairs, she smiled as she heard her mother greet Adrien. Today was the last day before his father returned, and Marinette wished she could spend the whole day with him. But they both had their jobs cut out for them to ensure the downfall of Lila's lies. She starts making breakfast, setting out some cookies and cheese on a plate for the kwamis. The second she set the plate down, a black blur zipped past her. "CHEEEEESSSE!" Plagg scooped up a piece, twirling around in the air as if it was a dance partner. "Oh, how long it's been since I smelled your glory! It has been a horrible empty…"

"Twenty minutes," an annoyed Adrien interrupted. "Twenty minutes since I fed you a full wheel of cheese."

Marinette did her best not to giggle as Adrien continued to glare at the kwami, who did what she could call the kwami version of a shrug. "Marinette's cheese is better. She offers it with love and concern, you just use it to bribe me."

Marinette couldn't hold it in anymore, bursting out laughing. Adrien turned to her, a look of betrayal on his face. "I'm sorry, it's just you look cute when you were annoyed with Plagg just now."

"My lady and my kwami against me? What has this poor stray done to deserve this treatment?" Adrien wailed, sagging in defeat.

Marinette walked over to him and went on her tippy toes, planting a kiss on his forehead. "You are not a stray, you are my kitten and always will be." Adrien grinned, scooping her up in his arms and off the ground. Marinette giggled, "Adrien, put me down! I need to get back to the stove!" He kissed her, then set her back down again.

"So interview?" he asked curiously.

"At eleven, so make sure you have the stream ready to go so you can play it when Alya is live streaming. That should tie everything together nicely."

Adrien nodded as he texted the details for the news live stream to Max, who replied with a thumbs up. "Then we are all set. After breakfast, I'll meet with Alix and the others to make sure everything is set up for the surprise. Hopefully, Alya keeps streaming when it starts."

Marinette pursed her lips as she turned off the stove, bringing the eggs and bacon over to the table. "Alya is a journalist at heart, if she smells a story, she won't give up until she finds out all of the details. Then she will post it for the public to see and know." She looked him in the eyes and nodded at the food, the unspoken message clear: eat or I ram it down your throat. She smirked as he immediately began wolfing down the food, knowing full well he did not want to face her wrath. If only exposing Lila's lies was as easy as getting Adrien to eat.

Jagged Stone

The rock star was pumped, excited to announce his album and world tour to the world, as well as showing off the talented Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As far as Jagged was concerned, she was family and no more cared for family than Jagged Stone. "Marinette! How is my favorite niece?"

Marinette grinned, Jagged's enthusiasm was contagious and hard to resist. "I'm doing great! A little nervous, but excited!"

"Don't worry, if that reporter tries anything underhanded, I shut them down and end the interview on the spot." Marinette smiled at him thankfully, feeling the tension ease a little. Jagged always stayed true to his word she knew and would keep her safe from any journalist looking for juicy gossip. She hoped Adrien and the others were ready.

Adrien

"Ready to go?" Max turned to Adrien and gave him an affirmative nod before double-checking the video. The minute it was over, it would close and the live stream would open to the MDC reveal, digging Lila's grave a little deeper. Mylene was outside on lookout duty while Ivan was outside the school. His role was to follow Lila and Alya in the school once they were ahead of him enough so he wouldn't appear suspicious. Once the two girls were inside, he would keep the doors shut so they wouldn't leave before the presentation was over.

"Unless she has an E.M.P., she won't be able to do anything without creating more suspicion," Max inputted.

"E.M.P.?" Adrien gave Max a confused look, not at all following the tech genius. Alix also tilted her head, more lost than Adrien.

"Electromagnetic pulse," Max explained.

Adrien's eyes widened with understanding, exclaiming, "Oh you mean an emp!" Behind him, Alix started nodding as well.

Max shook his head, used to the rest of his friends being unfamiliar with such terms. "No, it's E.M.P."

"No, it's emp. Your way sounds weird," Alix interjected.

Max opened his mouth to reply, only for Mylene to burst in. "Guys, Lila and Alya are almost at the school entrance," she warned. Without another word, the lights went out and Alix took her hiding place next to the projector, ready to pull off the cover once Alya closed the door. The others hid along the back wall in the shadows, ready to block the exit should Lila try to run before Ivan gets there to hold the door shut.

"I am always willing to tell you more about Ladybug and our friendship, Alya. I know how important it is to your blog." Everyone scowled at the sound of Lila's voice, relieved that her lies will soon be revealed.

"Thanks, Lila," We just need to go in here." Adrien felt a buzz, no doubt a notification that Alya had begun live streaming. He wondered what she titled the stream. The door opened and as it closed, Alix removed the cap off the projector, revealing the thumbnail of their video: Lila's travel log. They could hear the two girls gasp, both no doubt realizing the document was authentic. Max pressed play on his laptop and the video started with the Jagged Stone interview.

"Mr. Stone, what can you say about Lila Rossi?" Adrien's voice came from off-camera.

The rock star gave a confused look. "Who?"

"The girl who saved your cat on an airplane runway and you wrote a song about her to thank her."

"Kid, I've never owned a kitten, I'm allergic. And I certainly will never write a song about a minor, that would get me in a lot of trouble."

The video cut to Thomas Astruc sitting behind his desk in his office. "Mr. Astruc, when you were writing the Ladybug movie, is it true that Lila Rossi helped write the Ladynoir scenes?"

Astruc blink, clearly confused by the question. "I know no Lila Rossi, the Ladynoir scenes were actually influenced by the affection Chat Noir clearly has for Ladybug. I had a team of A-list writers helping, but no one by the name of Lila Rossi."

As the final clip with Clara Nightingale played, Adrien confirmed that Alya was still streaming the whole thing. On the screen, Clara was clearly confused by the question asked. "I know no one named Lila Rossi, I wrote the song for Ladybug and Chat Noir alone." With that, the video ended, leaving the room in a moment of silence.

Alya started to turn towards Lila when Max switched to the news broadcast, causing Alya to turn back to the screen. "And I hear you brought the secretive MDC with you today," Nadja Chamack commented. "Any chance we will get to meet them?"

Jagged Stone nodded, a wide grin on his face. "You bet and I'm very excited to introduce you to her." Nadja motioned for him to continue so Jagged leaned back and stretched his arm back towards backstage. "Presenting Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, also known as MDC, my favorite fashion designer and the one who created my awesome album covers."

Marinette walked out and sat on the couch next to Jagged, waving shyly at the crowd before turning to face Nadja. Back in the classroom, Alya screamed, "What the fuck?"