A/N: Forgot to write this due to school and personal issues. I have no promises of an updated schedule. But I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Happy reading!

Previously on Destruction. . .

"I..." A sob escaped from the blunette. "She twisted everything... It didn't matter what I told my friends... She would always twist it to her advantage. I don't think there's anything you can do..."

The female investigator knew there was nothing she could do for Marinette. She wasn't a licensed psychologist. So, she made the difficult decision to turn off the recording device and exit the room.

Blackmire thanked the nurses on duty and allowed them to take care of Marinette from there. It broke her heart when she heard Marinette cry like that. She almost wanted to pull that poor girl into her arms and protect her from the horrors this world had to offer. But she had to keep a professional standing. Marinette wasn't her daughter. Yet, she sure felt like she was after hearing some of those same words her daughter said before she passed.

She twisted everything.

Those thoughts weren't going to help Blackmire. She couldn't allow them to take over her mind while she worked on the case.

There were tasks she needed to handle. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to solve anything. "Did you figure out where her mother works?" She looked at her partner.

"Yeah. Her school records indicated she works north at the edge of Paris. Long drive, if that's fine."

"Why are you asking me if I'll be fine when you're the one who's driving?"

Crow smiled at her. "I know the interview with Marinette hit you pretty hard. I want to make sure you're okay."

Blackmire was touched. Since the beginning of this case, Crow had been nothing, but kind and caring towards her.

Together, they could understand each other's pains and anger. They had mutual respect.

"I appreciate your words." Blackmire sighed. "Marinette... she reminds me of my daughter, Nebula. My daughter was a strong-spirited girl. I'm very happy she's alive to tell her what happened. It broke my heart to see her break down. I honestly wanted to hug her back there, yet I couldn't. We have to hold ourselves to be professional."

Crow listened to her. "To be professional is difficult. I'm proud of you for keeping yourself together. Say, would you like to get some breakfast from the Dupain-Cheng bakery?"

Her stomach rumbled. She looked away with a sheepish look. "Sounds good."

The drive there was short. Crow had parked the car a few feet away.

Both of them got out of the car.

Detective Crow locked the car. Then followed Blackmire inside.

There wasn't much of a line. There were only a couple of people who got what they wanted, paid and left.

A short woman with dark blue hair stood in front of the register. She gave them a small smile. "Hello! What can I get the both of you today?"

Blackmire took in the scents. There were breads, cookies, and pastries, galore. How could she pick just one? She wanted to buy out the whole bakery.

"I'll take a croissant and a cookie, please." he looked at his partner.

"I'll have a croissant as well and a box of macaroons, please."

Sabine gave them their total and called her husband.

Both were surprised to see the size difference. But, they gave their smiles and left. They got into Crow's car. A napkin sat on their laps. Both took a bite of the fresh, buttery croissant. They were astounded by how the croissant melted in their mouths. Coffee went well with it too.

Blackmire decided to save her macaroons for later while Crow practically shoved the cookie he got in his mouth and licked his lips off the crumbs.

He started the car.

Both put their seatbelts on and off they went.

Driving through Paris would be a wonderful trip as a tourist. However, they weren't here as tourists and here to do their jobs.

As Crow had said, the drive took a while. Yet, the sights as always were beautiful. This embassy Lila's mother worked at was on the opposite end of the country. Far, which was understandable. And surrounded by other critical-looking buildings.

Crow had parked his black car near the embassy.

They both unbuckled their seatbelts and exited the vehicle. Each of them had their gear on them for this questioning.

The embassy building looked similar to the school where they had just interviewed those students yesterday, but it was smaller. It stood as a white building with a gray roof that seemed to match the rest of the roofs all across the country. A top of the large gum drop-shaped windows sat a couple of figures covered in gold. With the height of this building, it was hard to tell what they were, but on the left, a man was holding a basket with a woman sitting down next to him. On the other side, there were also two figures. Two women were sitting under a tree on the right side.

Blackmire and Crow made their way to the entrance.

Once inside, they were met with a large reception desk, and around this reception desk were large stairs that led up to other offices. These stairs sat across from each other around the reception desk.

There was one receptionist in particular whom Blackmire recognized. It was the woman in question who had raised a monster. She approached the desk.

These people were busy making calls, probably overwhelmed with paperwork, and running around on a day-to-day basis.

"Isabella Rossi." Blackmire didn't phrase her tone into a question. Rather, this tone could have been controlled because it was one filled with coldness.

There was fear in Mrs. Rossi's eyes as she looked up from her computer to see Investigator Blackmire and Detective Crow.

"My partner and I would like to ask you a couple of questions if you're alright with that. It's about your daughter." she showed her badge while Crow did the same. There were some glances from the other receptionists, but they didn't whisper among themselves.

"M-my daughter? Did she do something?"

Blackmire had to hold back her scoff. She had to stop herself from narrowing her eyes at this woman. "Could we just question you in an empty office?"

"Y-yes. Of course." the Italian receptionist let her supervisors know where she was headed. Then she excused herself from the desk and guided the two European officials to an empty office on the right. She kept her hands in front of herself, but it was clear she was fidgeting nervously.

Investigator Blackmire smiled throughout this. It was forced, but she needed to make sure she wasn't bothered by all of this.

As for Crow, he followed Blackmire.

"H-here we are." Mrs. Rossi held one of her arms out. She smiled too.

Both European officials went into the empty office room.

The door closed behind them as Mrs. Rossi took a seat across from them with her hands on her lap. Her eyes looked down at the glass table that would separate herself from the two officials.

Blackmire and Crow took a seat.

Crow took out his notebook for notes and clicked his pen. "Mrs. Rossi, are you alright if we record our conversation?"

"O-of course."

He took out the recording device and placed it on the glass table. His index finger pressed on the record button.

"I don't need to introduce myself to you again, Mrs. Rossi. However, you don't know my partner. Let me introduce you to Detective Crow."

"It's n-nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Crow responded.

"N-now did my daughter do something?"

"Mrs. Rossi, your daughter has been responsible for the cause of multiple students taking their own lives. As well as a couple of other heinous crimes."

"Y-you can't prove she was the one who did that! She... she just has a hard time fitting in. Moving has... it's been hard for her. Think of that!"

"Are you aware of what your daughter has done?"

"I haven't kept up with the news due to my job. You said she's done some heinous crimes, yet why aren't you here for Ladybug and Chat Noir? They can't even do their jobs right. My daughter has been unable to even go to school because it's been shut down for months."

"Have you ever called the principal and asked about that situation yourself?"

"I trust Lila!"

"Would you like to know where Detective Crow and I were yesterday?" she didn't let the woman answer. "We were questioning all of Lila's classmates about another one of your daughter's classmates. At her school."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not sure if you think I'm stupid or not." Blackmire stood up from her seat. She was sick of this person feigning innocence. She knew Mrs. Rossi was hiding her daughter away from the trouble she was in. "I could bring you to the school your daughter attends and show you she is lying. You can feign innocence all you want. You can tell me a thousand times Lila isn't lying. But can I ask you something? Don't you feel guilty for those students who took their own lives? I'm sure you have nightmares. Perhaps her victims haunt you."

As Blackmire grilled her down, she knew her words were right. Yet, she thought her Lila could change. The moving, her husband leaving them when Lila was young... it wasn't her daughter's fault. This was all due to unforeseen circumstances. She had her doubts, yet she had seen her daughter's behavior before. She couldn't keep protecting her. She couldn't keep making up excuses. Mrs. Rossi knew her time was up. "You know my daughter is protected-"

"Is she? You're merely a receptionist. My partner and I," Blackmire got in her face as she leaned forward. "We'll get what we need from our end and arrest your daughter. Stay put, now." Her tone of voice held a threatening tone. She was tired of this. And she was also surprised her partner hadn't stopped her when she broke free of her professionalism.

Crow took the prolonged silence afterward to end the recording.

Mrs. Rossi sat in her seat with a scared look again. She was silent.

Both European officials left the office, satisfied with the answers they wanted. They had their special weapon and several more recordings from their interviews with the students who aided them yesterday.

As soon as Marinette was released from the hospital, they were going to work with her and a couple of her classmates to take this girl down.