A Fox Within a Doomed Henhouse
Lila approaches Adrien, who brushes her off, declaring that he's not going to contribute to any of her 'causes' and suggesting that she apologize to everyone, since that would fix things faster and help Marinette be less mad with him. However, Lila spins a sob story about receiving death threats: people are accusing her of aiding Hawkmoth, just like they're doing to him. Adrien's horrified by the latter news, and she begs him for help — the police recommended they get a security system, but her mother doesn't make enough money to afford such a thing.
Despite her pleading, Adrien's ready to walk away... until she declares that she'll confess to everything. That just like he suspected, she only lied out of a desire to impress everyone and make friends. If he agrees to help her out, she'll tell everyone the truth on Friday. He agrees, volunteering to give her more than she needs — enough to repay the whole class for everything she bilked out of them, even offering to let everyone think it came out of her own pocketbook.
Adrien then gloats to Plagg that he was right — Lila gave up on her own accord; he never had to do anything about her. Once she admits the truth, Marinette and the rest will forgive her, and things will be back on track. Despite his kwami's desperate warnings that he's completely ignoring all the warning signs, he's confident in his assessment.
After school, he takes her home, using an underground passage to avoid being blocked by all the protesters surrounding the mansion. When The Gorilla brings him up to date on the situation, he's horrified to learn that his father is being held without bail, facing thousands of murder charges, all of which he insists are null and void thanks to the Miraculous Cure. He's also aghast that Gabriel is being held responsible for one of the akumas nearly starting a nuclear war, declaring his father shouldn't be blamed for that either.
His bodyguard then reminds him that he still needs to get paid, and Adrien agrees to take care of that by wiring him enough money to cover his next few paychecks. Taking Lila upstairs, he stuns her by accessing the bank's website right in front of her, typing in his passwords while she's got a clear view of his keyboard. Watching him type intently, she starts formulating a brand-new plan... and once he's given her the money he promised, she thanks him profusely for offering her a second chance, leaving him blissfully unaware of what she actually means by that.
This chapter contains examples of:
- 419 Scam: Adrien once again insists that all of Lila's scams take the form of her inventing false causes, and that he'd easily be able to identify any of her lies... even while preparing to pay her whatever she claims will be enough to cover the cost of the security system the Rossis need along with repaying what she bilked from the others.
- The Atoner: Lila pretends that she wants to become this, because she knows that's exactly what Adrien wants to hear.
- Bad Liar: Adrien sees Lila as one, blowing off Plagg pointing out how the rest of his class fell for her fibs.
- Betrayal Insurance: Lila offers Adrien this; if she breaks their agreement to meet up on Friday, he can expose her. Adrien declares that if she doesn't show up, he'll be going straight to the police.
- Cassandra Truth: Plagg desperately tries to get Adrien to realize that he's being duped, and that "This is not going to work the way you think it will!", only to go completely ignored.
- Disappointed in You: The Gorilla is clearly upset by Adrien’s insistence that Gabriel shouldn't be charged for anything he did as Hawkmoth, since the Miraculous Cure 'fixed everything' and effectively made it as though none of it ever happened.
- Everyone Has Standards: Downplayed; when Lila backs up Adrien's claims that most of the charges against his father should be dropped, it's specifically noted that she's lying through her teeth.
- False Reassurance: When she thanks Adrien for helping her out, Lila declares that "I feel like you've given me a second chance." He thinks that she's referring to the money he's given her; she's actually got something else in mind.
- The Farmer and the Viper: Adrien knows that he's dealing with a Con Artist, yet he lets her flatter him into believing his 'do nothing' method has worked wonders on redeeming her. Not only was she already planning to set him up as The Scapegoat, she ends up with the opportunity to do even more damage.
- Guilt by Association: Lila suggests to Adrien that they're both facing this, much to his alarm, as he hadn't considered the notion that anyone might blame him for what his father did.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Lila 'confesses' to Adrien that this was why she lied to everyone, confirming his theories about her... or so he thinks.
- It's All About Me: When Lila tells him that she's being harassed by people who think she assisted Hawkmoth, Adrien is far more alarmed by her suggesting that he is facing similar suspicion. Her manipulation efforts only succeed when she subtly switches gears more towards flattery and offering him everything he wants: namely vindication that he was right about her all along.
- Kansas City Shuffle: Lila requests a significant amount of euros to fund the protection of her and her mother's home, and in return, she will confess to her lies and apologize to the rest of the class. Adrien is aware of Lila's scamming nature and immediately recognizes this as potentially another, so while he's won over by the Appeal to Flattery, he declares that if she doesn't hold up her end of the deal on Friday, he'll tell everything he knows to the police. Adrien is unaware that him going to the police is actually what she wants, and exactly how he'll ensnare himself in her bigger scheme.
- Lack of Empathy: Even when Lila claims that she and her family are facing death threats, Adrien is perfectly happy to walk away and leave her imperiled. He only reconsiders when she agrees to give him what he wants and confess everything to their class, buttering him up with claims that he's the one responsible for her wanting to atone.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Adrien is convinced that Lila isn't that good at deceiving others, and that she won't be able to trick him since he's already aware of her true nature. Lila deliberately plays into that, letting him think that he can't be fooled while luring him into her trap.
- Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: The Agrestes have so much money that Adrien thinks nothing of giving Lila ten thousand euros for the sake of her fictional security system. He also gives his bodyguard an advance of fifty thousand euros, with the implication that he doesn't know how much The Gorilla is actually paid for his work.
- A Shared Suffering: Lila appeals to Adrien this way by claiming that they're both being Convicted by Public Opinion and Guilt by Association.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Adrien's bodyguard doesn't appear for very long, but plays a critical role when he reminds Adrien that he still needs to be paid for his service. This leads to Adrien casually accessing the Agreste emergency account right in front of Lila...
- Tempting Fate:
- Adrien tells Lila that he's not going to contribute to any of her false causes. She promptly convinces him to do just that.
- He then reassures Plagg that everyone will forgive Lila, and that Marinette will be so grateful for the opportunity to make amends with everyone that she'll practically fall into his arms.
- Too Clever by Half: Lila's go-to tactic with targets who cotton on to her true nature is to manipulate them into thinking that she's not as skilled as she thinks she is. Adrien falls right into this trap; he's so convinced that he's smart enough to avoid anything she might attempt that he fails to see that she's tricking him into paying her ten thousand euros.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: When Adrien starts entering his passwords right in front of her, Lila can't believe her luck.
