Check Mate

Chapter 18

A shrill scream came through, reaching her ears. The sound of a phone being thrown and smashed to bits on the floor followed soon after.

She replayed the video again, almost entranced.

Nathalie. She would recognize that cold, stoic expression anywhere. She was standing in the court yard of Francois Dupont, holding a pale cream colored folder and a tablet. She held the tablet the way she usually did when Gabriel Agreste was on the other end of the screen.

She was approaching Lila. The yard was dead silent. Only her sharp heels were heard clicking against the pavement. Lila spotted her. Immediately her ear grating simper came through the speaker on her phone. "Mademoiselle Sancoeur! What a pleasant surprise, is there anything I can help you with?"

Ugh, gag me. She thought with bitter disdain as she watched what she knew was coming next.

Knowing and believing we're two different things though.

Hence, her watching the video four- now five- times.

"That won't be necessary." A cold voice stated flatly, coming from the tablet.

Gabriel Agreste. At her old school. Speaking to Lila directly. On a tablet, sure, but that was pretty much as "in person" as Gabriel ever got excluding the Style Queen incident. She still hated thinking about it.

Lila looked confused. Before she could open her mouth however, Gabriel spoke again. "Mademoiselle Rossi, it has come to my attention that you have not been meeting company standards. I have received several complaints about your... less than satisfactory behavior towards other staff and other models. As you contract states, the Gabriel Brand requires a certain level of decorum, which numerous witnesses state you seem to lack. Given the circumstances, due to your unseemly behavior I have no choice but to let you go. Your contract with us is terminated, and you will be receiving your final paycheck by next Friday."

Lila floundered, an outraged gasp barely audible escaping her. "Terminated?! As in, fired?!"

"That would be correct Miss Rossi." Nathalie spoke up now. Was that... a smile on the stoic woman's face?

"What?!" Alya. Alya. She was comforting Lila, enraged on her friends behalf. She had been like that for her once.

As Alya was about to go off on the two adults, brave and stubborn to the end, Nathalie handed the file to Lila, "These are documents containing copies of the complains. They've been kept anonymous as per their request. This folder also contains your terminated contract, and the formal papers regarding your termination. As you can see in the contract, even after termination your NDA stays in effect, seeing as that's what you agreed to when you signed the contract to work for the Gabriel brand in the first place. Good day, Miss Rossi."

Nathalie had turned and started walking away. Lila twisted harshly out of Alya's grasp, screaming obscenities at Nathalie's back. One thing stuck out though.

"We had a deal! You're not so stupid as to go back on our deal are you?!" She yelled, seeming to have forgotten there were other people around to hear her.

"Consider our deal terminated as well. Do not contact me, Nathalie, or my son again. I will not hesitate to take you to court."

That was when the two adults left the building. When Lila started screaming. Hateful outraged nonsensical screaming. She threw her phone at the ground and kept screaming. Eventually, and a bit too late, she realized where she was. She saw the very moment Lila realized it. Before she promptly started crying.

Lila got fired. Gabriel fired Lila. But he wouldn't have easily given up on spying on Adrien unless he thought it would help him.

Did that mean... Did Adrien..?