Lila's footsteps echoed through the hallway as she stomped towards her apartment, her half-empty drink tightly clenched in her hand. She muttered inaudibly under her breath, struggling to contain her anger. The nerve of that man! Who did he think he was?

"You've failed, Miss Rossi," his cold words still rang in her ears, and she gasped. "Exceptionally so. This circus should've come to an end a long time ago, and yet, here we are, still investing our time and money in this masquerade. And for what? The miraculous of the ladybug is completely useless, and so is the girl."

"Fucking idiot," Lila groaned as she unlocked the front door of her apartment.

"What about Dylan?" she'd asked, trying to deflect some of the blame. "If I failed like you said, so did he."

"My son is well aware of my thoughts on the matter," James Turner had claimed, standing up with an air of superiority and adjusting his tie. "Here's what you're gonna do. Call Doctor Duchaine, and make sure she knows everything. We will need her help. And as I said to Dylan, never leave Victoria's side. Be by her side all day, every day. These three idiots might be the key to our plan; be ready to act if that's the case."

Lila had nodded, but she'd remained resolutely silent, her eyes fixed on the wall in front of her. However, James's parting words, whispered close to her ear, had sent a shiver down her spine. "I would advise you to be very careful, Miss Rossi. We don't want to tell him what's going on over here now, do we? Fix everything."

"I'm not scared of him," she had retorted.

"Oh dear, you should be."

Entering the kitchen, she found Dylan sitting at the table, picking at an empty plate. "Hey," he greeted her, his voice low and concerned. "We have a problem."

"Fucking hell, what now?" Lila swore, kicking her shoes off.

"Your little French friends stopped by earlier," he began to explain, "and when I got inside, Vee was in a full-blown panic attack. She's asleep now, I gave her a pill, but it took a while to calm her down."

Lila could almost feel wave after wave of frustration crashing through her. Seriously, could this day, hell, this week, get any worse? Victoria had been making progress, and seeing her regress was a setback for all of them. A setback they couldn't afford.

"I managed to get her an appointment tomorrow," Dylan continued.

"She couldn't go earlier? Like today?"

"Not without looking suspicious."

She rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous. Do you know what happened for her to react this way?"

"No, but she's been acting weird since last night. I'm telling you, she was all over me all night long, couldn't keep her hands off me. I mean, I'm not complaining, but still. Oh, and Li, there's something else."

"Of course, there is," she muttered, placing her drink on the table.

Dylan stood up and gestured for Lila to follow him. "I think it'll be easier if you see it. By the way, where were you?"

"I was having a lovely chat with your dad," she explained as they moved to the living room. "I thought he could help us, but instead…"

He sighed. "Don't tell me. We've failed, he's disappointed, we need to fix everything before he has to call him?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Lila replied, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "He just told me to call the doctor and to keep an eye on Victoria like it's not what we've been doing for years anyway!"

"I know. We talked for hours last night," Dylan shared, frustration evident in his voice. "It did wonders for my self-esteem, truly, but I get it. He just wants us to succeed, and the clock is ticking. We can't make any more mistakes."

"I know. Wait, what is that?"

Lila's attention was drawn to the painting that stood proudly in the middle of the living room. She froze for a second, her eyes narrowing as she tried to decipher its meaning.

"Fuck …," she trailed off, stepping closer to the canvas. "This isn't good."

"Yeah," Dylan confirmed. "It's bad."

"We can't tell them. Not yet. We need to figure out what to do with this first," Lila stated, examining the details of the artwork. "Who are these four in the front?"

"Probably the heroes, right?"

"It doesn't make sense. There were a lot more of them in the fight."

"The last four standing, maybe."

"And how would she have this perspective?"

He shrugged. "It's just a painting, Li. It doesn't necessarily have to make complete sense."

"Maybe, but look, she planned a fifth person. You can see the pen, here," she pointed at the faint outline next to the last silhouette on the right. "It's just not done yet."

"Shit, you're right. Do you think …," he trailed off, unsure.

Lila nodded, confirming his fear. "It's us."

"We need to do something. If they hadn't come here, none of this would be happening."

"I know!" she barked, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just… Let me think for a minute."

She started walking in a circle, trying to find a solution. It was obvious, based on this painting, that Victoria's subconscious was trying to bring the truth to light; and they couldn't have that. They needed to work harder, pull her back to them. But how?

Dylan snorted, shaking her out of her thoughts. "You just had to date Reid, didn't you?"

Lila froze before slowly turning to glare at Dylan. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you weren't dating him, Vee would never have seen them and they wouldn't have triggered whatever that is. But you couldn't help but see the opportunity, uh? You just had to have everything, all at once. The miraculous just wasn't enough for you."

"I'm sorry," she started saying between clenched teeth, "but who, exactly, do you think you are?"

"I'm just saying, Reid's my friend, but I would sacrifice him in a heartbeat for the plan. Would you?"

The irritation gnawed at Lila. Was he serious? She had sacrificed her whole life for this damn plan. At nineteen years old, Lila had been certain that this was the answer to all of her problems, especially when she had realized that Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Ladybug were one and the same. Two birds with one stone, the perfect victory! She had been filled with ecstatic anticipation, eager to rejoice over her triumph over her nemesis. But as the years dragged on without any significant progress, she'd started to realize that this situation was bigger than her, bigger than all of them. It enslaved them, truly and fully.

Even though James Turner's very presence fuelled her hatred, particularly after he had rudely rejected her advances a couple of years ago—but that was another story entirely—she couldn't help but begrudgingly agree with him; it should have been over by now. Yet, here they all were, seven years later, too deeply stuck to find a way out.

But one thing was sure; she was in too deep to back off now. She was determined to win. And truth be told, the thrill of the game still had a hold on her. After all, the sweet taste of victory was worth any risk, and she wouldn't let anything or anyone stand in her way, Reid includes. Was he handsome, rich, good in bed, and with a lot of power, exactly everything she had ever dreamt of in a man? Yes. But the rest was more important, more powerful. It would give her everything she had worked hard for and rightfully deserved.

"Without a second thought."

"Hmm, if you say so," Dylan said, looking at his fingernails, clearly not believing her. "Anyway. Do you have a plan or not?"

She smirked, determined to prove him wrong. Oh boy, would he regret ever doubting her. "Maybe. Wanna go ring shopping?"

There was a moment of silence, soon followed by a laugh. "You're serious? A wedding?"

"It would be the next logical step. Think how much she would trust your love for her."

"I hadn't thought about it, but yeah, I guess it could be nice. A wedding, uh?" he trailed off, looking into the distance, before clearing his throat. "Yeah, OK, let's do it. Tomorrow while she's with Duchaine?"

"Perfect."

This was her chance to regain control of the situation. It was time to push forward, manipulate the pieces on the board, and reclaim the upper hand. They would seize this opportunity and lead the way to victory. No matter what.

—

Rena Rouge's heart pounded in her chest, her hand instinctively rising to her throat as if trying to calm the storm of emotions inside her. "So there's no doubt?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"There's no doubt," Pegasus confirmed. His voice might have been steady, but his eyes, filled with astonishment, betrayed his real feelings. "The DNA on the hairbrush belongs to Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Rena Rouge stumbled backward, her legs suddenly feeling weak. She caught herself and sank into a nearby chair as tears welled up in her eyes, a weird mixture of relief and sorrow washing over her. "It's her," she murmured, her voice choked with emotion. "I knew it, but … we were right."

"Rena, if I may ask… How is this possible? Is she… Marinette and I were friends when we were kids, you know? Is she alright? Did she leave, or was she forced to?" he asked, his words laden with genuine concern.

Lifting her head, Rena met his gaze, seeing her turmoil reflected in his eyes. "No, it wasn't her choice. We don't know what happened exactly yet, but I can tell you that it wasn't her decision. We will figure out the truth, I promise."

Pegasus nodded, once, as if trying to understand what he was hearing. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the results. I reread it fifteen times as though it would suddenly change."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Alya replied with a snort.

"What can we do to help?"

"Tell the others to be ready for a fight, we'll call you when it's time to act."

"Can I tell them about Marinette?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, please. We can't have the wrong people knowing that we figured it out."

"Noted. I'll keep it to myself for now."

"Thank you, Pegasus."

He didn't answer as he opened a portal, lost in his thoughts. He disappeared and Rena Rouge was left alone in the empty apartment.

Oh, Mari …, she thought, whipping away a tear. What happened to you?

"Babe," Nino's voice called, startling her. "We're back!"

Taking a deep breath, Alya called off her transformation before she opened the door to face her friends. Adrien, who previously had a small smile on his lips, was the first to notice her pale face and teary eyes. He was immediately on guard, frowning, shoulders tensed and jaw clenched. "What's going on?" he asked. "Did something happen to Marinette?"

"No, no, she's fine, but Pegasus just left," she replied, her voice slightly shaky. Both Adrien and Nino froze. "It's really her."

Adrien's world seemed to tilt on its axis for a moment, his mind grappling with the revelation. He stumbled backward, and Nino rushed to his side, offering support. "You're OK, you're OK, dude," Nino reassured him.

"I knew it," Adrien whispered, his voice barely audible. "Of course, I knew it, but it's just…"

"I know," Alya said softly, stepping closer to them. "Hearing it confirmed is crazy, but we have everything we need now."

Adrien nodded, still trying to process everything. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, "So what now? I can't… I can't think straight. The only thing I want is to go in there, murder everyone and bring her home."

"Yeah, I don't know how to tell you this dude, but I have a feeling she wouldn't like it."

Alya rolled her eyes and gestured at the boys to sit at the table with her. "I told you this morning, I have an idea. But first of all, how was your night?"

Adrien frowned. "Is it really important? I think we have bigger things to talk about."

"No, this is exactly what we need to talk about," Alya insisted. "You didn't kill Dylan, did you?"

Adrien was about to say something, but Nino interrupted him, "He couldn't, he wasn't there."

"Maybe the asshole has some common sense and knew coming would be a bad call," Adrien muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't think I would've been able to resist punching him square in the face."

"Hey, what about your cataclysm?" Plagg chimed in from Adrien's shirt.

"It would've been after. I want to feel his bones breaking under my fist first."

"Fair."

"So, the night was nice?" Alya persisted, eager to get back to the main topic.

"Yeah, it was just us two and Reid," Nino explained, shooting a worried glance at Adrien. "We ate and chatted for a bit. Dude's cool, I'm telling you."

Adrien sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I don't think he's involved in this. He's clearly an idiot because he's in love with Lila, though."

"So the night went well," Alya summarized.

"Yes, Alya, the night went well!" Adrien exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Seriously, what's with all the questions? Do you have a plan or not?"

Alya couldn't help but smirk. "Well, you see, it all depended on how you would behave tonight. If you acted like a murderous psycho–" she chose to ignore Adrien's indignant "hey!", "—it wouldn't have worked. But now, as you can see, our apartment is completely flooded."

The boys both looked around at the dry space, their confusion evident. Alya had to resist the urge to facepalm.

And that's the heroes of Paris, ladies and gentlemen.

"The water is at our ankles," she added, matter-of-factly.

Trixx chimed in excitedly, "This is a brilliant plan from my Alya! This is the perfect trick!"

"I'm not sure I'm following, to be honest," Adrien admitted, frowning.

"Ditto."

"Well, since our place is 'ruined' —" she emphasized the word with air quotes, "—and we don't know anyone else here, what other choice do we have? We obviously need to go to our old friend's place for a short while, don't we?"

Adrien's expression slowly shifted from confusion to comprehension. "You mean at Lila's?"

Alya nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Exactly. I mean, we considered staying at a hotel, but it's going to be so expensive, even though Adrien can definitely afford it. But we thought it was the best opportunity to catch up, didn't we?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Nino interrupted, raising a hand. "You want us to go live with them?"

"Alya, I don't tell you enough, but you're a genius."

"Well, as Trixx said, it's the perfect trick," she said, smiling, before becoming more serious. "Plus, it'll give us a chance to gather more information, while being closer to Marinette." She paused for a second, frowning. "We need to remember to call her Victoria, though."

"And what about Lila?" Nino asked.

Alya met his gaze, her determination unwavering. "We'll tread carefully. This is a risk worth taking."

"You know it's going to be hard though, right? She's living there with her best friend and her boyfriend, don't give me that look guys, that's what they are to her. We are the intruders. Are you really ready to see all that?"

"I don't care how painful it's going to be," Adrien said. "If I have to burn down the world to save her, then so be it. I'll do whatever it takes, no matter the cost."

"I'm somewhat surprised that you didn't say that you would die for her, giving the fact that you've been trying to for years."

"I would, without any hesitation. But I'd rather live with her, you see."

There was a moment of silence as the three of them stared at each other. Then Alya broke the silence, whispering, "Welcome back, sunshine."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Nino asked, a smile on his face. "Let's go pack our bags!"

—

This was the kind of night Victoria loved. It was late, a little before eleven, and the four of them were gathered in the living room. She was cuddled up on the couch with Dylan, while Reid and Lila occupied the adjacent sofa. They were all comfortably dressed in their PJs, bickering back and forth, eating junk food and looking for a new movie to watch. It was these moments, the ones that were so normal and relaxing, that she cherished the most. They reminded her of how lucky and loved she was. Even the voice in her head had quieted down, giving her a much-needed break.

"It's a shame you didn't come tonight, man," Reid said to Dylan, handing the bag of chips to him. "It was fun."

Dylan shrugged as he grabbed a handful of Doritos. "Meh, I felt like staying home with my girl," he said, affectionately kissing the top of Victoria's head.

"I love you," she told him, looking up at him.

"I love you more."

"Ew. They've been like that all night, don't mind them," Lila playfully whispered to Reid, laughing as she dodged the piece of candy Victoria threw at her. "Oh, how about 'How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days'?"

"Again?" Dylan groaned.

"Yes!" Victoria exclaimed, snuggling even closer to her boyfriend and wrapping the blanket around them. "Oh, I love this movie."

"Maybe we could leave the girls and go play the new 'Ultimate Mecha Strike'," Reid suggested to his best friend. "You got a TV and a console in your room, right?"

Lila turned to Reid, frowning. "Don't even think about it, mister."

"But—"

"You still want to have a sex life, right? Then you will stay here, watch the movie with us and love it."

He gulped, nodding in agreement. "Yes, ma'am."

"Damn," Dylan whispered in Victoria's ear. "Poor guy."

"Oh yes. And you will stay because you love me, right?" Victoria teased.

"Love, I—"

"Right?"

Dylan sighed. "Yes. I will suffer through this movie for you."

"Good answer," Victoria smirked, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "And after, maybe we could—." She was interrupted by loud knocks.

"What the fuck?" Lila exclaimed, sitting up straighter.

"Stay here," Reid said as he stood up, walking towards the front door and peering through the peephole. "Oh, it's Nino, Adrien and Alya," he said, opening the door without paying any attention to the hushed arguments of his friends, who were all whispering for him not to open it. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

No, no, no, no, not tonight, Victoria thought as she turned slowly towards them, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach.

There they were, again. Couldn't they just leave her alone? She had finally managed to chase them out of her thoughts, but they were like parasites, bringing with them chaos. It wasn't their fault, but she couldn't have them around; not if she wanted to be the faithful friend and girlfriend she aspired to be. And worst of all, it was back. The second her eyes had landed on them, the voice had started whispering again. It was low, inaudible, but definitely right there in the back of her mind.

"Oh, Reid, hi!" Nino greeted. "We weren't expecting to see you. Uh, we're having a small issue. Our apartment is flooded."

Reid gasped. "No way! Holy shit, how did that happen? Oh, God, come on in. Is it like, a burst pipe or something? Girls, do you think you can give them the guest room for tonight?"

"The guest room," Lila, who had stood up, repeated.

"It's a double bed, but there's also a couch in the room," Reid explained to Adrien, Nino and Alya. Confronted by Victoria and Lila's silence, Reid continued. "I mean, you could also come to my—"

"No, no, it's fine," Victoria interrupted. They couldn't stay at Reid's place; it only had one bedroom, for Christ's sake! "The guest room is great. I'll go put on some fresh sheets," she said, practically running out of the room, much like she had done earlier that morning.

Fucking hell, she thought as she took out the sheets from the wardrobe. Couldn't they just go to a hotel or something?

"Are you OK?"

Victoria jumped, having not heard Lila following her into the guest room.

"Oh, you scared me! Uh, yeah. I guess I just wasn't expecting visitors tonight."

"Tell me about it," Lila muttered, grabbing a corner of the sheets. "Men, just when we were about to start the movie."

Victoria laughed without joy. "I mean, we can still watch it."

"Yeah, it's just …," Lila trailed off, lost in her thoughts as they finished the bed. "I can deal with him being around us if we're anywhere else, but… I don't want him near me in my own house."

Oh, My God, Victoria thought, freezing. I really am the worst friend in the world. How could I forget?

"Oh, Lila, I'm so sorry, I didn't even think about it. Are you alright?"

Lila managed a weak smile, before signing and sitting on the bed. "It's OK, Vee. I'll be fine. It's just… It's my home, you know? The one place I'm supposed to feel safe."

"Of course."

"And, well… I haven't been completely honest with you," she confessed as Victoria joined her on the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I told you that Adrien was a bit, well, rude to me at school and when we did photo shoots together, even though he knew I had a small crush on him, but there's more to the story. After a while, he started bullying me," she claimed, her voice trembling, and Victoria gasped. "It was hard, seeing him act like this perfectly nice guy with everyone, before suddenly turning around and threatening me. But it's not all. The last time we worked together was here, in LA. It's been, what, six or seven years? I thought we could leave the past behind. But he … we…"

"Lila, what is it? You can tell me anything."

"We had sex," she finally admitted, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I was so lonely, Vee. You and I, we had just me, I didn't have any friends, any family and… He was nice. Gosh, I was so naive. It's like being away from Paris had completely changed him. I figured that, maybe he had changed and could finally see me. We got drunk and… I gave him my virginity. When I woke up the next working, he was gone from the hotel room. I tried talking to him on set, but he denied everything. Said he would never touch me even with a ten-foot pole. I stopped modelling after that. I couldn't work with him again, it was too hard."

There was a moment of silence as the words sank in Victoria. And then, she exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and anger, "Are you kidding me? What a fucking jerk!"

"Hush, please!" Lila pleaded, taking Victoria's hands in hers, her eyes darting to the hallway. "Reid doesn't know about any of it and I don't want him to. He's gonna pick a fight to defend my honour or some bullshit like that, and I don't need him to. I'm a big girl and I can deal with this."

"But someone should put this asshole in his place!"

"What's the point? And anyway, who's going to believe me over a powerful white man?"

"This is ridiculous," Victoria said, shaking her head. "I can't believe it. It's not fair."

"I know, but that's the life of a woman, I guess," Lila replied with a resigned shrug. "I'll be OK. What about you?"

"Me? I'll be fine," Victoria replied, waving off her concerns. "Things are just … messy in my head right now. But I'll sort them out somehow. I always do."

"OK, good," Lila said as she leaned her head on Victoria's shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too," Victoria replied, wrapping an arm around Lila.

They stayed like this for a moment, finding comfort in each other's presence. But after a couple of minutes, Lila sighed and stood up, steadying herself. "Alright, let's do this. Let's be the perfect hosts."

As Victoria stood up and followed Lila out of the room, she couldn't stop thinking about everything her best friend had just told her. Lila's story completely changed her perspective on Adrien. While she once saw him as an attractive guy, she now realized how untrustworthy, cold-hearted and selfish he truly was. He was a pathetic liar. She couldn't believe she had been blinded by his looks. Victoria had failed her friend before, but she wouldn't do it again.

While her thoughts on Adrien were set, Victoria still wondered what was up with Alya and Nino. If they were friends with someone like Adrien, it raised serious doubts about their character. Could she trust them? Were they aware of Adrien's true colours, or were they simply being manipulated by him?

Lila and Victoria both suddenly stopped, looking at the sitting arrangement. Nino and Alya were on the sofa next to Reid, who pats the space between his legs for Lila, while Adrien had taken the other side of the couch, leaving just enough room for Victoria between Dylan and him. She wanted to scream out in protest.

Better me than Lila, she reminded herself. I don't know if she could handle it.

"Uh, maybe we could—" Lila started, but Victoria stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"It's fine."

Lila looked at her for a second before nodding. "Alright. Don't forget your pills, by the way."

"Oh, shit, right, thanks! Be right back."

"Well, we were just about to watch 'How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days'," she heard Lila say as she walked to the bathroom. "And we have enough junk food to feed an army. Wanna join us?"

"Of course," Alya answered, before adding something Victoria didn't catch.

Damn, she's impressive.

It was crazy how Lila seemed to effortlessly suppress her emotions in the blink of an eye. She acted as though everything was fine when in reality, everything was excruciatingly wrong. Victoria had always been a bit envious of this talent, even though she knew it was likely a coping mechanism developed from some past trauma. Still, Victoria was an open book, and she hated it. Her feelings and thoughts were always so transparent, while Lila could fool anyone.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself, grabbing the bottles on the counter. "Everything's alright. If Lila can do it, so can you."

She glanced at herself in the mirror, gathering her courage, before going back into the living room.

I can do this, she thought as she walked through the hallway. I'm strong.

They're not a threat, the voice in her mind whispered and Victoria furiously shook her head.

Oh, my God, get out of my head, I don't need you!

Thankfully, Victoria knew perfectly well how to quiet the tormenting voice. She usually tried to do it alone, not wanting to rely on drugs for everything, but tonight, she was done. With one swift movement, she opened one of the bottles…

Don't do this!

And swallowed a pill without any hesitation.

There, that will shut you up for a couple of hours.

Returning to the living room, she noticed that both Dylan and Lila were watching her. They had clearly noticed her internal struggle, easily recognizing the signs by now. The shaking of her head, the furrowed brows, the pursed lips and most importantly, the haunted eyes.

"You're OK?" Dylan mouthed.

She gave him a thumbs up and subtly gestured towards the bottles. They both nodded, softly smiling. While she still had a couple more pills to take, she made a silent promise to herself that she'd have them with a glass of water this time. The one she took seemed to be lodged in her throat, which was pretty uncomfortable.

As she settled between Dylan and Adrien, clutching the pill bottles in one hand, she reached for her glass on the coffee table. Taking a quick sip, she then set her drink down, needing both hands to open the bottles. Just as she was about to do so, Reid asked her, "Hey, Vee, can you pass me the popcorn please?"

"Of course," she replied, setting the bottles next to her drink to hand him the bowl. "There you go."

"Thanks! Is everyone ready?"

Whispers of agreement echoed around the room, and a moment later, the movie began. She snuggled closer to Dylan and wrapped the blanket around them while he draped an arm around her shoulders. Victoria made a conscious effort to ignore how tense Adrien was beside her, the way he would open and close his fists repeatedly, or his glances in her direction. Even Nino and Alya sometimes stared at them, probably noticing the tension. But none of it mattered. He didn't matter. Adrien Agreste was nothing more than an idiot who had hurt her best friend, and she refused to give him her attention.

Not now, not ever.