Jaden's embrace was warm and firm, carrying a faint, reassuring scent of black tea.
Chloé buried her face deep in his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat.
His arms, wrapped around her waist, tightened forcefully, as if a drowning person had grasped the only piece of driftwood. Her feigned pitiful sobs, pressed against his body, seemed more real, more heartbreaking.
"There, there, it's alright now."
Jaden's voice was gentle as a spring breeze, softly caressing her taut nerves.
He didn't push her away; he simply extended a hand and, somewhat unskillfully, patted her slightly trembling back, one gentle pat after another, with the patience of someone comforting a small animal, waiting for her emotions to calm.
"Let's go inside first," he said softly, half-guiding, half-supporting her, leading her into the luxurious, palace-like suite.
The door slowly closed behind them, completely isolating the eerie silence of the hallway from the "post-disaster" mess inside.
He helped her to the edge of the large bed, covered with a velvet bedspread, and sat her down.
"I'll lock the door. You're safe now."
He gestured towards the lock with his eyes, his tone still calm.
Chloé nodded obediently, watching Jaden walk to the door and personally lock it. The crisp "click" sound seemed to place a solid security lock on her chaotic heart.
Only then did she truly seem to relax, but her tears flowed even more fiercely.
Jaden returned to her side, sitting on the edge of the bed, maintaining a polite yet not un-intimate distance from her.
He handed her a tissue from the bedside table and asked softly, "Now, can you tell me what exactly happened?"
Chloé took the tissue, haphazardly wiped her tears, and raised her ice-blue eyes, which were exceptionally piteous from the tears, beginning her tearful monologue, which she had rehearsed countless times in her mind.
"It's... it's Kim..." she sobbed, each word broken and filled with grievance and fear. "This afternoon... on The Bridge of Arts, he... he suddenly confessed his feelings to me, and gave me a gift.
I... I didn't agree, I just... I just refused him..."
At this point, her tears once again burst forth, as if she had committed some grave sin.
"But I didn't expect... he would be so sad, and then... then he got dark transformed!
That black butterfly... it just flew into the gift he gave me..."
She cleverly packaged the cause of the story into a tragedy triggered by her unintentional mistake, placing herself in the dual position of both victim and "culprit," the most sympathetic position.
"He turned into... a very scary monster, Dark Cupid...
He chased me, kept chasing me..."
Chloé's body began to tremble, as if she was back in that terrifying "chase" scene. "Sabrina and I... we ran desperately, all the way to my family's hotel. I thought it would be safe here..."
"But... everyone in the hotel got shot by him!
They all started mocking me, calling me the most horrible names!
Sabrina... Sabrina, to protect me, also got... also got shot..."
This was the most exquisite stroke in her entire story. She perfectly dramatized Sabrina's "betrayal."
"I thought... I thought she would be alright, but... but she also started scolding me, saying I deserved it, saying I was a young lady who only dragged others down..."
Chloé's voice was filled with the despair of being betrayed by her closest person. "That monster... Dark Cupid, he looked at my miserable state, and he actually laughed... He said I was already pathetic enough, not even qualified to be dark transformed by him..."
She looked up, her eyes tear-filled, at Jaden, her voice full of helplessness.
"I begged Sabrina to help me, begged her not to leave... But she... she actually took out her phone and said she wanted to take a picture of my pathetic state and post it online for everyone to see... Then... then she left, just like that, she left..."
"The whole hotel... everyone... was mocking me... I was alone... I didn't know what to do..."
At this point, she could no longer speak, simply covering her face, letting her sorrowful cries echo in the quiet room.
"Luckily... luckily I called you... luckily you came..."
She raised her tear-stained face, looking at Jaden with an expression that implied he was the only person left in the world.
"Knight... if you hadn't come, I really... I really wouldn't have known what to do..."
After saying that, she could no longer support herself and once again threw herself into Jaden's arms, transforming all the "grievances" accumulated over these days into hot tears, venting them freely.
Jaden quietly held her, letting her tears soak his jacket.
He patiently listened to the entire story, full of dramatic twists, without interrupting or questioning.
He was simply like the most loyal listener, responding to all her fears and helplessness with the gentlest embrace.
"It's alright."
He gently patted her back again, "It's all over."
After a while, he softly asked, "Ladybug and Cat Noir? Did they not appear?"
Chloé, in his arms, shook her head almost imperceptibly, her voice thick with a nasal tone:
"I don't know... they didn't appear.
Perhaps... perhaps they're somewhere else, stopping that monster..."
Her voice gradually calmed down, but the arms wrapped around Jaden showed no intention of loosening.
"Can... can you stay here with me?"
She requested softly, her tone full of dependence, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid he might come back..."
"Of course."
Jaden's answer was without hesitation, "I'll stay here with you until you feel safe."
He readily agreed.
From an angle he couldn't see, the girl with her face buried in his chest slowly curved her lips into a triumphant, satisfied smile.
Her tears had stopped, and deep within her ice-blue eyes, a victorious gleam flickered.
She had succeeded.
This grand play, directed and performed by herself, had come to a perfect close.
She hadn't waited long at all.
Dark Cupid? That simple-minded guy was probably still in some corner of Paris, venting his cheap anger at all the lovey-dovey couples.
On Valentines Day evening, how many couples were there in Paris? There were proposals, gift-giving, anniversaries... He was busy enjoying those heartbroken scenes, with no time to deal with her, the "culprit."
And the chaotic scene Jaden had witnessed when he entered the hotel earlier was nothing more than the result of her paying a hefty sum to her butler, Armand, to hire a group of professional actors for a meticulously rehearsed performance.
At this moment, downstairs in the hotel, Butler Armand was politely distributing thick stacks of euros to the actors who had just finished their "performance."
"Thank you all for your hard work. This is your payment, and an additional hush money from the Mayor."
He smiled, handing the last payment to a man who had played a malicious waiter.
"It was a pleasure working with you. I hope in the future... there will be no more opportunities for collaboration."
The actors, satisfied with their money, quickly dispersed and melted into the Parisian night, as if they had never appeared.
As for Sabrina... she was currently curled up in the wardrobe in Chloé's room, which emitted a high-end fragrance. Through the crack in the door, she dared not breathe, secretly observing the "touching" scene outside... The night had completely fallen over Paris.
A bright moon hung high, casting its cold light upon every rooftop of the city.
"That's the situation."
Ladybug stood beside a gargoyle on the roof of a Gothic church, concisely explaining the situation to her newly arrived partner.
Cat Noir landed beside her, his movements swift and devoid of his usual flashy embellishments.
He didn't look at her; instead, he frowned, surveying the chaotic scene on the street below.
What should have been a romantic and sweet Valentines Day evening was now replaced by the jarring noises of arguments, crying, and mutual accusations.
His emerald cat eyes, usually filled with playful banter and enthusiasm, now held only a cold aversion.
"Who is the Akumatized Person this time?" he asked, his voice flat and businesslike.
"His true identity is still unknown," Ladybug replied. She also noticed the unusual coolness in her partner, but now was not the time to dwell on it.
"His power is to shoot arrows that cause people to feel hatred.
Those struck by the arrows will develop intense loathing for the people or things they once loved."
She watched below as a couple furiously threw the gifts they had given each other onto the ground, then walked in opposite directions without looking back.
She couldn't help but tighten her grip on her yo-yo.
"Valentines Day..." Cat Noir squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, his voice filled with suppressed rage. "It should be a day of happiness and fulfillment... and this guy has completely ruined it.
Someone who distorts other people's feelings like this... is absolutely unforgivable."
"I agree," Ladybug echoed, her gaze equally firm.
Just then, a black figure, with a wild laugh, flew across the sky above them.
"Let hatred be the only theme tonight!"
It was Dark Cupid.
Ladybug and Cat Noir exchanged glances. Despite the subtle tension between them, their unspoken understanding as the Guardians of Paris remained.
They nodded simultaneously, and with a flash, they pursued the black figure.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Jaden was gently comforting Chloé, his patience and reliability enough to make any girl feel secure.
The atmosphere in the suite was tranquil, like a safe harbor isolated from all external storms.
However, just a few meters away, behind the heavy, gold-trimmed wardrobe door, was a completely different scene, filled with tension and agitation.
Inside the wardrobe, the space was small and dark, filled with the scent of high-end custom clothing fabric and expensive cedar wood.
Sabrina was curled up in a corner, her body trembling with fear.
She felt like a lamb that had stumbled into a wolf's den, caught between a rock and a hard place.
Just then, she felt her arm being forcefully poked by the person next to her.
"Shh—be quiet, don't let him find us."
A hoarse whisper, suppressing anger, sounded in her ear.
Sabrina turned her head and, by the faint light filtering through the door crack, saw Alya's face, somewhat distorted by anger.
Those once vibrant hazel eyes now resembled two deep, swirling pools of malice and hatred.
His lips, now ink-black, parted slightly, each breath carrying an ominous aura.
At this moment, Alya was completely focused, holding her phone up, its lens peeking through the door crack, precisely aimed at the two figures embracing on the large bed outside.
The phone screen clearly showed Jaden's gentle profile and Chloé's 'pitiful' tear-streaked face in his arms.
"Indeed… he really is a scumbag."
Alya muttered through gritted teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out, "What gentleness, what reliability… it's all a disguise! He uses this facade to deceive innocent girls!"
"Watch me record all of this… and post it all online!
I'll let everyone see his true colors!"
As she spoke, she adjusted the phone's angle, afraid of missing any detail.
Sabrina looked at her, then at Chloé outside, who, despite crying, would curl her lips into a triumphant smile when Jaden wasn't looking. A chill ran down Sabrina's spine.
She knew Chloé attributed everything that happened today to her flawless 'plan.'
But the truth... was... Sabrina's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to earlier.
In the afternoon, she had seen it with her own eyes.
On The Bridge of Arts, after Kim left heartbroken, it was Chloé who secretly released the Akuma Butterfly from her purse.
It was she who personally orchestrated Kim's Akumatization.
When they returned to the hotel, satisfied, they didn't expect to encounter a small commotion in front of the hotel's magnificent main entrance.
"I told you, I'm Chloé's classmate! Let me in!"
Alya was being stopped at the door by two bellhops in crisp uniforms.
His lips had turned that eerie ink-black, and his expression was gloomy and frantic, like an enraged, irrational beast.
After Alya was struck by Dark Cupid's arrow, uttered those heartless words, and ran off, he did not go home.
That arrow did not eliminate his reason, but infinitely amplified and twisted into a prejudiced, black-and-white hatred, the 'love' for Jaden and the slight dissatisfaction with Marinette's 'denseness' that were usually suppressed by friendship and kindness deep within his heart.
In his corrupted perception, Jaden's gentleness, treating all girls equally, was no longer kindness but a 'scumbag' behavior of toying with emotions, like a central air conditioner.
And Marinette's shyness and lack of self-confidence became incurable weakness and stupidity.
So, the first thing he did was post an article on his Miraculous Forum using his phone—
"EXPOSED! The True Face of François Dupont High School's Perfect Heartthrob, Jaden! A Complete Hypocrite!"
He thought his rallying cry would be met with a response from all the girls 'deceived' by Jaden.
But the result was that less than five minutes after the post went live, it was met with an overwhelming flood of mockery and insults.
"Is the OP crazy? Jealousy makes people unrecognizable."
"Another obsessive who slanders what he can't have. Diagnosis complete."
"If you have evidence, show it? If not, don't bark like a madman here!"
"Evidence…" Alya trembled with rage, looking at the stinging words on the screen.
Of course, he had no evidence. All his 'accusations' stemmed from his twisted intuition after his Akumatization.
"You will regret this! I will prove to you all that he is a liar!"
He replied bitterly, then abruptly stood up.
He needed a witness, a heavyweight witness that everyone would believe.
A name immediately surfaced in his mind—Chloé.
In Alya's twisted logic, Chloé was Jaden's 'official queen,' a 'special existence' publicly acknowledged by him.
If even Chloé came forward to accuse him, everyone would be speechless.
So, driven by a prejudiced impulse, he directly stormed the Paris Grand Hotel.
But he didn't expect to be stopped at the door.
"Miss, I'm sorry," the bellhop said in a formal, polite, yet unchallengeable tone, "If you are not on today's visitor list, we cannot let you in."
"Visitor list? What visitor list do I need? I'm her classmate!"
"Then, please show relevant proof, or please have Miss Chloé come down to pick you up personally."
At this moment, Alya's mind was filled with negative emotions fueled by hatred; how could he have any proof?
He was about to burst into curses when a voice, both familiar and detested, with an arrogant laugh, came from behind him.
"Oh, who do we have here? Look at this homeless 'four-eyed geek' daring to shout at the entrance of my family's hotel?"
Alya spun around abruptly, just in time to see Chloé's pretty face, full of triumph, and her obsequious follower, Sabrina, behind her.
"Chloé!"
Seeing her, Alya found an outlet for his emotions and immediately rushed over aggressively.
Chloé, seeing his fierce appearance, especially his eyes filled with gloomy hatred, couldn't help but show a hint of fear on her arrogant face.
She didn't know what this madman wanted to do, and instinctively pulled Sabrina, who was beside her, half a step in front of her, using her as a temporary shield.
However, what Alya said next left both Chloé and Sabrina completely bewildered.
"Jaden! He's a jerk! A complete liar!"
Alya pointed at the hotel door, as if Jaden was inside, loudly accusing, "He's not as gentle and reliable as you all see! It's all an act!"
The two opposite him looked disbelieving.
These words... were actually coming from Alya, the girl who usually, to help Marinette pursue Jaden, wished he could transform into Dark Cupid?
Alya ignored their expressions and continued his rambling, angry speech: "And those people online! They're a bunch of lunatics!
I said Jaden was a liar, and not a single one of them believed me!
So I came to you, Chloé! You were deceived by him too, weren't you? You come and testify for me! We'll expose his true colors to the whole world together!"
Chloé thought he must be crazy.
"Shouldn't you go to a hospital to get your head checked?"
She looked at Alya with disdain, "No wonder I didn't see that baker's daughter with you today; turns out she was afraid of catching your madness."
After speaking, she regained her usual elegance and, pulling Sabrina, intended to walk past Alya.
But just then, he heard Alya say in a venomous tone: "Don't talk to me about Marinette!
That dense idiot! She has hands and feet, but as soon as she meets that scumbag, she doesn't even dare to say a complete sentence!
It serves her right to only be able to watch from the sidelines her whole life!"
These words, like a thunderbolt, made Chloé and Sabrina, who were about to leave, freeze in place once again.
They turned their heads sharply, staring at Alya as if they had seen a ghost.
Who in the entire school didn't know that Marinette was Alya's best friend?
Who didn't know how much Alya had worried for Marinette's love?
But now... he was using such vicious language to describe his best friend?
A possibility simultaneously emerged in Chloé and Sabrina's minds.
Their gazes, by chance, fell on Alya's abnormally ink-black lips and the unyielding gloom on his face.
"Affected… affected by the Akumatized Person's abilities?"
Sabrina leaned into Chloé's ear, trembling as he spoke in an almost inaudible voice, "Could it be… Kim?"
"Shut up, Sabrina!" Chloé immediately whispered, scolding him, "Can you just blurt out such things?"
But her eyes sparkled with excitement and calculation.
His expression instantly changed, adopting a 'concerned' look.
He stepped forward, took Alya's arm, and said in a gentle, convincing tone: "Alya, don't get agitated yet.
There are too many people here, it's not convenient to talk.
How about… you come to my room first, we can sit down and talk slowly, okay?"
And so, Alya, still incessantly cursing the world, was coaxed and tricked into Chloé's presidential suite.
Once in the room, Alya again began to ramble on about Jaden's 'crimes' and Marinette's 'lack of ambition.'
Chloé and Sabrina sat on the sofa, patiently listening, gradually moving from initial surprise to impatience.
Chloé felt that this Akumatized Alya, though vicious in his words, seemed to have no actual aggression, merely turning into a prejudiced, complaining madman.
Just as she was getting bored and planning to find an excuse to kick Alya out, Alya suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had come up with a brilliant idea.
"…I know!" Alya's eyes lit up as if he had suddenly had an epiphany, "To expose his hypocritical mask, we must use the method he is best at!
Doesn't he love to play the role of a 'savior'?
Then let's find someone to play a 'victim' in front of him!
As long as someone pretends to be pitiful and asks him for help, that self-righteous 'knight' of his will surely come!"
"It's not that simple." Chloé still thought the idea was stupid.
"Then let's make it simple!"
Alya, blinded by hatred, displayed astonishing initiative: "We can hire actors!
Yes! Hire professional actors to set up the entire hotel as a chaotic scene, as if it had been attacked by an Akumatized Person!
Then, Chloé… Chloé! You will play the most pitiful victim, abandoned by everyone! You call him for help!
When he comes and falls into this trap, we'll hide nearby and film all the scenes of him comforting and embracing you!
By then, that will be irrefutable proof of him having multiple partners!"
This crazy plan, proposed by a madman, instantly made Chloé's eyes light up.
Thus, a 'fishing' scheme targeting Jaden, orchestrated by Alya behind the scenes but executed by Chloé openly, was decided.
And this is why Alya and Sabrina are currently hiding in this closet.