Blair had little time to obsess over her clash with Chuck as the gala got underway; she was far too busy being the perfect hostess. The first part of the evening had gone off without a hitch, everyone had been seated and enjoyed a fabulous seven course menu hand picked by Blair to fit both the traditional tastes of the older board members but still maintain the nouveau cuisine feel the younger generation were accustomed to. As Blair sat at the head table enjoying what she believed to be a well-deserved cocktail she finally allowed her mind to wonder to the thoughts she had desperately wanted to suppress.

From the corner of her eye Blair watched as Chuck's female accessories draped themselves all over him as he continually plied them with bottle after bottle of champagne. Chuck could feel Blair's eyes on him and was putting on quite the show for her. Blair clicked her tongue in disgust; Chuck had no sense of decency. Here they were, on one of the most important nights of Bass Industries with the most powerful figures in New York society and he was acting like it was just another nigh at one of his sleazy gentlemen's clubs.

Blair saw the suited figure of Nate approach Chuck's table clutching a bottle of scotch, Chuck quickly shooed his whores away to the bar to make room for his best friend. Blair relaxed slightly in her seat and surveyed the rest of the party once more but quickly tensed up as she felt both Chuck and Nate's eyes boring into her. Why the hell were they looking at her like that? It was making her increasingly uncomfortable as they continued to stare and mutter in her direction, down shot after shot of the scotch Nate had carried over. Finally after another ten minutes of staring Blair had had enough. She clung to her martini with intense vigour as she stormed toward their table. Neither dropped their foolish grins as she approached. It was Chuck who spoke first;

"Ah my dear Blair, to what to we owe the pleasure of your company?" he asked sipping another shot.

Blair glared at him, "As if you don't know Bass. Now I'm telling you to stop whatever the hell it is you're doing."

Chuck exchanged a confused glance with Nate. "I'm sorry Blair but I'm afraid we'll require more information as to what the hell you are talking about."

"Why the hell are you two staring at me and whispering as though you're plotting something?" she growled back. Nate looked even more confused but Chuck's grin immediately returned to his face.

"Actually me and Nathaniel were simply appreciating Abiliana and Oksana's…assets." He said with a sneer, indicating to the direction Blair had just stormed away from.

Blair had forgotten the bar was situated on the other side of the ballroom, behind Blair's table. Slowly she turned and saw both Chuck's dates lounging languidly but so beautifully at the same time against the marble bar. Blair could feel her cheeks flushing crimson as embarrassment flooded throughout her body. She turned back to Chuck who leaned back against his seat in the most smug manner, revelling in Blair's mortification. Nate shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Oh my darling Blair, so very insecure." Chuck sneered as he refilled his glass.

Nate cleared his throat and stood up. "I just remembered I need to …err…go away." He mumbled before fleeing into the crowd in search of a less uncomfortable conversation.

Chuck sniggered and returned his attention to Blair, who stood with her arms tightly folded against her chest, her eyes glowering down at him.

"Poor Nathaniel, he never really was man enough to face the wrath of Blair Waldorf…" Chuck said swigging his drink. "…or satisfy her."

Blair continued to glare, fuelled by a mixture of embarrassment, anger and something else…something deep and feral inside her that roared through her body whenever she was too close to him. Chuck merely laughed at her evident animosity toward him and continued,

"Although I do have to say you're a little off your game Waldorf?"

"How so?" she finally said.

"The very idea of Nathaniel and I plotting against you is preposterous. Especially when it appears you have other deceptions much closer to home to concern yourself with." He said almost gleefully, nodding to the bar behind Blair again.

Blair eyes now turned not to Chuck's two streetwalker companions but to the other end of the bar. Her eyes swept over the couple standing there. Although they were not actually touching one another the emotion between them was tangible. The young woman stared up at the man with adoration and yearning whilst he returned his own looks of desire and want. Slowly the man bent down and whispered in the woman's ear, skilfully tracing his arm around the woman's waist only for a moment, as though he didn't wasn't anyone to see. Blair could fell the electricity of the moment between them as she stood watching her husband and his assistant. Cautiously Blair turned away, she knew she should feel anger, hurt something at the image of Jack and Cassie so close and intimate with one another but she felt numb towards it. Any anger Blair did feel was toward the smug man sitting in front of her.

"When are you just going to admit defeat Blair?" he asked.

"About what?" she asked casually.

"About your husband and his extremely personal assistant. They're making a fool out of you."

Blair felt embarrassment surge through her as she did her best to compose herself, "I have no idea what you're talking about Bass. The only fool here is you."

Chuck leaned forward, still grinning, taking Blair's hand in his. "Well then let's do something foolish together…"

Blair went to respond but was distracted by the sound of a champagne cork popping loudly, followed by two ear-splitting screams. The entire room turned to see Abiliana and Oksana cackling loudly as they drained more glasses of champagne.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Can you pleas try and keep those things on a leash. They're completely lowering the tone!"

Chuck shrugged, "They're enjoying themselves." He pulled Blair closer to him, "You should try it sometime Waldorf..." He said as he gently stroked her hand which was still clutched in his as his other settled on her hip. Blair knew she should pull away but she couldn't. "…let loose."

"I think you're loose enough for the both of us Bass." She spat back. "You're jeopardising Bass Industries with your little performance tonight."

Chuck arched his eyebrow, "How so?"

"The company is trying to promote a more conservative and traditional direction…"

Chuck cut her off, "you mean boring."

Blair ignored him, "Regardless. You and your…friends," she said nastily tossing a glare to the drunken girls at the bar. "Are hardly the appropriate image Bass industries wants to promote."

Chuck scoffed, "And you and my dear uncle are? Talk about hypocritical."

"Excuse me?" Blair snapped.

Chuck's grin returned, tilted his head slightly his eyes boring up at hers. "You're right Blair, sorry, you're the perfect poster-girl for the new domestic bliss image..." he said softly as he forced her closer to him. "…you certainly know about keeping it in the family." He snarled as he dug his other fingers into her hips.

Blair whimpered briefly, she could feel her knees wanting to give way to launch herself on top of him. But she pushed the desire back and finally snatched her hand away. "You're heinous."

"Only for you Waldorf."

Blair tutted in disgust and stormed away. Chuck locked eyes with his uncle across the bar as she did so, and raised his glass in a toast before Jack launched off after his wife. Blair felt a rough tug on her arm as Jack rounded her toward him as he had done earlier that night.

"What the hell was that?" he snarled.

Blair sighed snatching her arm back, "What now?"

"Chuck." He snapped. "He had his hands all over you."

"I could ask you the same thing." She replied. Jack scrunched his face in confusion, then Blair explained. "You and Cassie looked very cosy at the bar."

Jack rolled his eyes and gave Blair an irritated look, "Not this again!" He hissed. "Cassie was giving me some updates and…"

"You thought you'd whisper sweet nothings in her ear?" Blair muttered.

"No." Jack replied sternly. "The music was loud I could barley hear, and to be honest I didn't want anyone to hear what we were talking about."

"Which was?" Blair asked.

"I don't want to tell you." Jack said simply.

Blair scoffed, "Oh but you can tell Cassie?"

Jack was becoming increasingly agitated. "Blair…"

"No, you're right with this music being so loud I probably wouldn't hear you." Blair snarled sarcastically.

Jack had had enough; he pulled Blair roughly by the arm away from the crowd to a more secluded seating area.

"Blair for once shut up and listen to me!" He said harshly. "If you'd have let me finish back there what I was going to say was I didn't want to tell you there." He paused. "Or if I'm honest at all…but I guess I have to now…before you hear it from someone else…" Blair took a deep breath and she braced herself for Jack's confession. "…Bass Industries is in trouble Blair, serious trouble and I'm not sure how we're going to get out of it." His face fell with every word.

Blair felt as if the wind had been knocked right out of her, this was not the sort of confession she had been expecting. "Jack I…" she wasn't sure what to say, she'd known things had been tighter lately, but she had no idea it was this bad. "…why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was ashamed Blair! I'm your husband I should be able to provide for you, give you the life you deserve…and I've failed." Jack's voice choked in his throat. Blair gently placed her hand on his leg. "That's the real reason I've been so stressed and difficult these past few months, and why I've been gone so much. I've been trying to save this company but…"

"What can I do?" she asked. "I could talk to mother about a potential investment…"

Jack placed his hand atop of hers, "Blair, I cant ask you to do that, besides I think I'd need a hundred times what Eleanor would be able to invest."

Blair sighed and realised it was more serious than borrowing money of her family. Sure she was wealthy but she wasn't a billionaire, not like Serena or Nate, her family didn't have the same expansive wealth as the Waldorfs. Then it occurred to her.

"What about the proposal you made to Lily?"

"What about it?" Jack asked.

"Would it be enough?"

Jack paused and nodded, "More than. But like Lily said it would be a big risk and she has made her feelings more than clear about it."

"But I could talk to S like you said; convince her to see the benefits." Blair said hurriedly.

Jack shook his head, "Blair I know how uncomfortable that would make you." he squeezed her hand gently. "You were right before, it would put you in the most awful position."

"Not if it works." She said smiling softly at him.

Jack did his best to return it but his smile was so weak, defeated almost. "And if it doesn't?"

Blair paused. "Well then we'll loose everything, be poor and never see any of them again." she joked with a nervous laugh. She was trying to make Jack feel better but was really voicing her worse fears.

"Thank you." he said lifting Blair's hand and placing a gentle kiss on it.

Blair smiled, "I'll go find S."