A/N: First of all I want to thank all the views, alerts and those who put the story in your favorites list. Thank you so much! A special thanks to the reviewers too, and please review more! I would really like to know what you guys think of the story.
This is a short chapter between Victor, Victrola and Seventeen Candles. Enjoy!
Chapter II – Like brother, like brother
Gregory Bass entered his office with that usual reckless look in his eyes. In reality it seemed he never wanted even to know what was going on around him, if for some reason whatever was going on didn't have anything to do with him. Problem was: with Gregory Bass around, it always had to do with him.
"Good morning, Mr. Bass," Lacey, his secretary, said in a mist of fear and excitement. "How was Finland?"
"Terrible," Gregory answered apathetically without even acknowledging her presence with a glance. It was as if he was talking to the walls.
Even with this blunt and automatic answer, Lacey felt as if her stomach turned upside down and sighed discreetly, drooling inside as she observed him still carelessly flipping the morning newspapers that she left over her table for him everyday.
Gregory Bass was by far the most charming and handsome man she, and many other women, had ever known. While Chuck bore an incredible resemblance to their deceased mother, Greg was a perfect younger version of their father.
As his father once was, Greg's hair was blond and short, but always looking a little messy as if someone had just turned a blower in front of his face, and this was one of his signatures: the messy hair that always brought him that young look. His eyes were of a vivid light green and his face features were strong, while he used a scruffy beard, trimmed really short, which involuntarily have him a bad guy look.
And hell would freeze over before you saw Greg Bass not using a suit outside. That particular day he was wearing an exquisite black single-breasted Armani suit that fitted perfectly in his slim, slightly muscled body. Accompanying the black jacket, he used a black pair of trousers with two pleats forward each, a white shirt, a black skinny tie and a pair of black Armani formal shoes. In his right hand he carried a small simple bag with only his laptop.
"Mr. Chuck called and asked you to call him back as soon as possible," Lacey attempted again to make him glance at her.
While she tried helplessly to be noted, all the other employees remained in complete and absolute silence in their desks since he stepped out of the elevator. Those who had to talk, on the phone or even with each other, did so in whispers.
The office located right in the business core of London was very exquisite and modern. The big room was filled with ten glassed tables with details in metal, the chairs were all made of black leather and the office was decorated with modern pop art among some metal sculptures. The black floor had small white carpets and the reception side had white sofas. Everything in the office was either made of glass, leather, metal and in black or white.
The big wall windows illuminated the whole place and Gregory's own room, obviously separated from the others, followed the same theme.
"Right, forward his and all other calls I missed in these two days to my e-mail," he said taking a copy from the New York Times, The Sun and business newspapers with his free hand before turning to walk to his room, again completely ignoring Lacey.
As he walked from his secretary's desk outside his room and entered his office, he noted she kept everything cleaned. The black and white curtains were open to reveal the also glassed walls behind his desk that showed all of London at his feet.
After closing the door behind him, Greg walked towards his desk and found his coffee already waiting for him. He took his laptop and turned it on as he threw himself in the comfortable chair with a sigh, opening the The New York Times in front of him and glancing at his screen to find an e-mail from Lacey already there waiting for him. Some calls from his father, some from Chuck and hundreds from his business deals.
He took a sip from his coffee before taking the phone and dialing Chuck's cell phone number. He glanced at the silver Rolex in his pulse to check the hour as it started ringing: 12:30 PM. He quickly counted the hours in his head and deduced it was 7:30 AM in New York and smiled with himself thinking Chuck wouldn't be very pleased to be wakening up at 7:30 on a Saturday.
"My God, don't you sleep?" Chuck's tired and sleepy voice answered annoyed after the fifth ring.
"It's past midday here, but actually, no," Greg answered with a half laugh. "I don't sleep much."
'Who is it at this time? OH MY GOD!', Greg heard a clearly female voice screaming on the other side of the line.
"Have you been putting drugs on girl's drinks for them to sleep with you?" Gregory asked playfully as he heard the girl still screaming on the other side, but he couldn't hear the words properly.
"Blair, for God's sake," Chuck said lazy on the phone as the girl, Blair, kept on screaming.
"Blair?" Greg asked impressed, raising his eyebrows. As far as he knew, the untouchable Blair Waldorf was Nate Archibald's girlfriend. Tsc, tsc, he thought to himself.
"Yeah, well," Chuck said slyly as he observed Blair blabbing annoyed to herself as she got dressed. "I will tell you later. For now, go to gossip girl, there's something there you would like to know."
"Gossip girl?" Gregory asked with certain incredulity. "That stupid blog you showed me once?"
"Yeah, that one," Chuck said still half laughing at Blair getting dressed and fixing her hair. "Trust me, you will love the girl once you see one of the latest news she published."
"Right," Greg said not sounding very interested. "Take care of that screaming girl. You know it's not good when they're screaming after the sex, right?"
"I can handle it," Chuck said with a smile on the other side. "Talk to you later."
Greg laughed with himself after hanging up and turned to his laptop, typing the Gossip Girl blog address and waiting for it to load, while he flipped through some papers that were placed over his desk, with a note for him to sign all of them. He then glanced at the screen for a second and stopped everything he was doing.
A picture with Howard Archibald guarded by two cops, with his wife, son and daughter behind completely caught his attention.
Bad News for the Archibalds
Is it only coincidence or it was just the oldest Archibald arrive back in town and their family is, again, torn into pieces? We think not!
Yesterday at 5th Avenue we spotted a father and son showdown and next thing we know, the Captain Archibald is charged with fraud, embezzlement and - hold your breaths - drug possession.
It was only five years ago, when we weren't even here, that a big Archibald drama took place: the recent graduated oldest N from Constance left for LA when her parents pressured her to go to college. We were young, but we remember it wasn't only her parents and little brother that stood clueless at her empty room. We wonder what GB thinks of that?
Greg stared at the screen for a few seconds, before choosing to scroll down to see if he could find out when Nicole returned. After passing through some unimportant stories, he found the news of her arrival in New York: the day before, in the morning. She surely knew how to cause some trouble.
And this Gossip Girl wondered what he was thinking? He wasn't really sure himself, but one thing was certain in his mind: how dared she to go back like this and not tell him?
x
"Oh, look at this," Nicole stated in an annoyed tone as she flipped through the business section in the New York Times and found a big picture of her father leaving the police station that morning.
"I told you not to come," she continued as Nate walked by her side holding his cup of hot chocolate and hers as they left the elevator to the floor she stayed on The Palace. "Now your face is printed all over the papers."
They left the police station early that morning when the sun hadn't even come out properly yet and she couldn't believe the papers had time to catch a picture and make it a first page on the business section.
Their attorney was able to get their father out of jail, but their mother freaked out when she got at the station and found out the hole was much deeper than they thought; embezzlement and fraud, with the costs up to one million dollars. However, Anne was able to pay his bail and the attorney was already arranging a trial.
When they left, Anne asked Nicole to leave. Nate, of course, went with his sister. They both looked extremely tired, with big spots under their eyes for not getting any sleep, but they hanged on and went for breakfast at the closest Starbucks they found, then heading to the hotel.
"The papers can't be worse than gossip girl," Nate commented sincerely while she put her card on the door to open. "At least they're not as cruel."
"Well, it's there too." Nicole said opening the door for him to enter. She threw the card and the paper on the little table beside the door and shouted the door after Nate entered.
"Is it?" Nate asked, looking surprised at her. "I mean, wait a second, did you check gossip girl out?"
"Briefly, while you ordered at Starbucks," she said, taking off his coat that she was using and taking her hot chocolate from his hand as he stared at her with half a smirk. "What? Curiosity killed the cat, I know. Whoever the fuck she is, she knows more about myself than I do."
"Yeah, you get used to it," he said and walked with her towards the black leather couch in the sitting room, only in time to find an enormous bouquet of red and blue roses over the coffee table in front of it. "Whoa, what the hell are these?"
Nicole glanced at the coffee table, only noticing the flowers because Nate stared at them. She felt a strange cold in her stomach before reaching for the note above them.
Heard about your father. I'm sorry.
You know where to find me if you need anything.
- James.
"Oh, James," she said with a smile after reading the note, with a mist of relief, disappointment and fear.
"James?" Nate stood clueless as she left the note over the flowers and threw his coat with her other messy clothes over a bag, cleaning space for them to sit over the couch.
"This guy I was uh… With." She half explained, sitting beside him and taking a sip of her drink.
"With?" Nate couldn't hide his curiosity, trying to hide his smirk by also taking a sip of his drink.
"Yeah, we met in Vegas about a year ago," she said carelessly. "Since then we've been kind of on and off— Speaking of that, what's up with you and Blair?" she successfully changed the subject.
"Well, we broke up last night," Nate replied, looking away from her and sighing. He still wasn't sure if he did the right thing.
"Really? Why?" Nicole asked arching an eyebrow. She didn't really have the time to talk to him about what happened last night before they headed for the police station, but she didn't imagine it was this bad.
"Serena," he glanced at her just in time to catch her almost choking with her chocolate.
"Did you tell her?!" she asked in a complete surprise. Of course she knew about him and Serena at the wedding, in fact after it happened, she was the first and only person he told about.
Nate sighed and noted his sister had a lot of catching up to do. Well, he could simply tell her to check out the last few archives tagged with Blair, Nate and Serena on gossip girl, but he proceeded on telling her his true version of everything involving his relationship with Blair and Serena.
"… So I guess Jenny did tell her and we broke up last night," he finished a bit before they both had also finished their chocolate.
"Well, I think it's best that way," Nicole said thoughtfully.
"You do?" Nate asked in a surprise. "I thought you liked Blair."
"I do, very much," she explained fast. "Look, Blair is beautiful, sweet and nice, well, at least with me she's nice," she specified when he shot a doubtful look at her. "She's a real good girl behind that bitch shield she carries around. But I honestly don't think she is the girl for you. Neither is Serena."
"Well, you're my sister," Nate said with a laugh, lying against the couch. "There will never be a girl in the entire world that actually is for me."
"That's quite true," Nicole replied sharing his laugh. "But seriously, maybe you should think more ahead. You said Serena's not interested and is in love with this Dan, so forget her and move on. As for Blair…"
"Sometimes I think things could work between Blair and I," he confessed. "But it's so hard."
"It's called a relationship, honey," Nicole started but heard a buzz coming from her cell phone that was in one of Nate's coat pockets. She lazily threw herself on the couch and reached for the coat over the bag, taking the cell phone and checking a text message.
From: Unknown Number
Back to NY without telling me? – Greg
Nicole felt again that same cold in her stomach, only this time much stronger. She glanced quickly at Nate that remained where he was, silently observing the nervousness in her.
To: Unknown Number
How did you find my #? Btw, why should I tell u?
"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered after registering Greg's number in her contact list. "What was I talking about?"
"Nothing," Nate said observing her; her hands were shaking very slightly and her pupils were only two little dots in the beautiful bright blue of her eyes, not to mention she looked just like she had seen a ghost. "Wow, something's got your attention there. Is it this James guy? Tell him roses are really dorky."
"I actually wished it was him," Nicole said with a slightly relieved smile. "And it's not dorky, it's cute."
"It's something some old dude would do, like our dad or something," Nate said playfully and Nicole laughed, hearing again to her cell phone buzzing and vibrating on her hand.
From: Greg
I just know things; you should be used by now. Btw, because you left leaving only a note, remember? Think I deserved another one.
To: Greg
Get the fuck over yourself. The world doesn't spin around u.
From: Greg
I beg to differ. If it didn't you wouldn't be replying these so fast.
"Motherfucker!" Nicole said after the brief minutes in silence on which she exchanged the messages.
"Totally," Nate agreed playfully, glancing at her, he got distracted counting how many clothes were out of her bags and all around the room.
"No, I mean, it's just… UGH! I can't believe this!" she exclaimed annoyed, taking her free hand to her hair, messing it like a mad woman. Gregory got so much on her nerves.
"Will you tell me what's going on or do I have to guess?" Nate asked, observing his sister almost pulling her hair out. As far as he knew, only one person left her like that…
"I bet you'd get in the first guess," she glanced at him, sighing as she stopped, fixing her hair back.
"Gregory Bass contacted you?!" he asked in a mist of shock and excitement, he almost laughed when she nodded her head and looked totally defeated and helpless, but he stifled his laugh quietly to show support. "You have got to be kidding me."
Gregory Bass didn't contact anyone, people went to him. It was just the way it always been. People got used to it, even if unconsciously. And he certainly wouldn't contact Nicole after she left him clueless of where she was, two days after graduation night. She never contacted him back, he found out she was in Los Angeles because Nate told Chuck and Chuck told him, but he would never go after her. But now he did.
"No, wish I was," she said throwing the cell phone to him, so he could read the messages. She observed as his eyes grew while he read and an unstoppable smile took over his lips.
"Well, we can totally understand why Chuck is the way he is," Nate said with a laugh when he heard the buzz and the phone vibrating in his hand. "One more," he said, handing it to her.
From: Greg
See what I mean? Now you won't answer to prove me wrong.
Nicole rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed, but trying hard to hide it. She then turned the screen for Nate to read, who couldn't help a sincere laugh.
"It's not funny," Nicole said annoyed.
"Well, he was pretty upset when you left," Nate said carefully, they never talked in details about the day she left. And he remembered clearly at his parents and him staring at her empty closet in her room, all her personal possessions also gone. A few minutes after they found out, Greg Bass arrived in their house, saying she left a note with the concierge of his building with a simple 'Goodbye' in it. They all had no idea of where she had gone… Indeed, he was very upset.
"He was?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, very," Nate nodded. "He even left for England."
"Yeah, and came back a month after engaged," Nicole said rolling her eyes. She heard of Greg's sudden engagement to this British girl over the social columns in paper. She still couldn't believe he would ever get engaged. Not Greg Bass, while friends he always said marriage was a waste of time, and suddenly he's engaged?
"Since when do you care?" Nate asked, raising his eyebrows. As far as he knew, Greg and Nicole were simply really good friends, but then he snapped. "Wait, oh my god!"
"No," Nicole replied almost automatically at her brother's suggestive look. "No, no, no, no, NO! He was my friend, he should've told me."
"Well, it's not like he knew where you were back then…" he said, again carefully.
"He had my older cell phone number!" she said defensively, even though she was more than sure that she wouldn't have answered. "Anyway, this reminds me, I have buy a New York chip for mine." She added standing up and taking again his coat. "Come, we're going to Times Square."
"Oh, but Greg just found that one out," he said teasing and she shot a look at him.
"Well, don't worry," she added sarcastically. "I will tell him the new one. Now stop laughing and let's go!"
x
"So, Blair birthday's party is tonight, right?" Nicole said after pressing send with a message for all of her contacts, informing her new number, as she stepped out of the store with Nate. "I've got an invitation at the hotel, you coming?"
"I don't know if I should," Nate replied shrugging his shoulders, with his hands on his pants pockets.
"Why not?" Nicole asked, keeping her pace beside him. "I think that even though you guys are not together anymore, she deserves it. You've been together since forever."
"Yeah, I—" Nate started but his cell phone started ringing. "Wait a second," he added, taking the cell from his pocket and answering when he read 'Home' in the screen.
"Hey mom," he answered.
"Hi Nate," Anne said on the other line. "Where are you?"
"Times Square, with Nicole," he replied as he and his sister kept walking.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine—"
"Well, could you come home now?" she cut before he continued, her voice sounding serious and concerned. "I need to talk something important with you. And please don't bring your sister this time."
"Ok," Nate said glancing at Nicole for a second. "I'll be there in a few."
"I'm always impressed by how she cares if I'm okay," Nicole said dryly when Nate hung up. She could note their mother trying really hard to avoid her discreetly.
"Oh Nic," Nate replied, glancing at her. "Mom can be self-centered and selfish, but you sort of created this," he stared back at her when she glanced at him. "You left and it took you almost two months to tell us where you were. And after that, you barely told her about yourself."
"Of course, she didn't ask," Nicole replied defensively, looking straight again as they walked. There were a lot of things Nate really didn't know about their family, but this wasn't the right to talk about them.
"She doesn't have the guts to," Nate replied. "But anyway, I gotta go. She said she needs to talk to me."
"Wanna me to go with you?" she stopped at the subway entrance with him.
"No, no need," he said with half a smile. "You must be so jet lagged, you need some rest."
"You need too," she said, hugging him. "Call me if you need anything and text me later about Blair's party."
"Yeah, I'll see you later," he said before entering the subway station and Nicole kept her pace, entering a gallery at Times Square.
She walked slowly in the gallery, observing the stores and windows before she actually stopped in front of Tiffany's to check the new diamonds on display. She stood there for a second amazed by then and glanced for a second inside the store, only to find no one less than Chuck Bass waiting for one of the girls of the store to finish his payment.
Nicole smiled mischievously and walked towards the rotating door, entering the store. As soon as she stepped inside Chuck caught a glimpse of her and discreetly turned to the girl.
"Could you hurry up a little?" he said lowly. The girl glanced at him and nodded, but not even if he was the The Flash he could escape Nicole now. She approached him and lied against the glassed counter, looking at his eyes.
"Well, well, well…" she started sarcastically and Chuck simply glanced at her. "Chuck Bass at Tiffany's," she continued. "If you really turned up like your brother, I could bet this is an 'I'm sorry for fucking you last night and not calling you today' gift. Good choice, works like a charm."
"I wonder how you would know it works," he replied not less mischievously than her. She smiled, not offended.
"And I wonder how the fuck your brother found out I'm back," she replied, this time not smiling. He looked down to her, since he was also taller, and half smiled.
"I told you," he said. "Gossip girl."
"Well," she took a step closer to him and continued lowly. She just knew it was him to told his brother. "It's not like your 'vice-fucking-president of Bass Industries' brother checks up Gossip Girl every fucking morning, is it?"
"You'd be surprised," he replied as calmly at before, nodding for the girl that handed him his credit card and listened to the conversation with an arched eyebrow, he then took the necklace box and turned again to Nicole.
"By the way, you tend to use the word 'fuck' quite often when you're mad," he said with his usual low sarcastic tone, approaching her. "Some trauma you'd like to talk about? Maybe work it?"
She couldn't believe how much Chuck was like Greg, so she just stared at him for a second before replying.
"You're unbelievable," she said in a scoffing tone, while he smiled.
"That's what they all say," she said, faking a humble gesture with his hand. "But usually after I've already worked them. I'm flattered," before she could reply he blew her a kiss and turned away, heading for the exit.
"I'm onto you, Chuck," Nicole said and he turned at the exit, smiling at her.
"I'm not sure Greg will like to know that you're on me, though," he said winking at her and confirming what she already knew; it was him who told his brother. Then he left the store and Nicole shook her head, leaving a little after.