As usual, I'm a little iffy on this chapter. Tell me what you think on the reviews-which by the way have been amazing! I can't thank you again for all the wonderful support!

Chuck gritted his teeth, as Raina's nails dug into his sleeve. He was still shaken by the fact that Blair had run off so suddenly, leaving him with the mess that he foolishly started. Perhaps that had always been his plan, to hurt her and show her that he could just as easily move on like she so clearly did with Dan. But Chuck knew that his plan ended the moment he swooped in on her disastrous conversation with Bryn Harold and took on the role of her hero for once. He was always like this with Blair, constantly on his toes, constantly in a state of indecision. Whether he liked it or not, she brought the best and worst out of him.

When Raina's hands were now shamelessly playing with the buckle on his belt, Chuck instantly grew nauseous. He shouldn't be here, standing this close to her, feeling her hands travel below his waist. The second her fingers grazed the zipper on his pants, he instantly jerked away.
"Raina, not here," He warned harshly, taking hold of both her wrists.

"Such a gentleman," Raina said flirtatiously, as she wriggled her wrists out of his grip to wrap her hands around his neck. "But I prefer it when you're rough," She whispered, before pulling him down to catch her lips once more.

Momentarily stunned, Chuck was about to pull away again, when he felt someone do it for him. Like a crashing wave of guilt, a large hand met Chuck's chest and forcibly jostled him aside, effectively tearing him away from Raina.

"Dad!" She yelled instantly, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Staring daggers at Chuck, Russell Thorpe shook his head tersely. "Raina, get your things and go."

"Dad, what—"

"Raina. Now," Russell warned, his words resonating a piercing hiss.

Trying to compose himself, Chuck wiped his mouth, ridding himself of any trace of Raina. Though a small part of him was thankful that someone pulled him away before things could progress, Chuck realized that there was one overlooked benefit in dating the Thorpe heiress—that is, extracting revenge from her father. He narrowed his eyes at Russell and bit out a harsh laugh. "Come on now, Russell. She's a grown woman."
"You, come with me. Outside." Seething, the grown man did not give Chuck another second to respond, before pushing him towards the balcony.

"Don't touch my daughter again, you hear me?" Russell barked, as he released Chuck's elbow from his painful grip.
Hiding his wince, Chuck simply scoffed. "Then don't touch my company."

"Do you even know why I want to destroy your precious little legacy so much?" Russell yelled, his voice competing with the loud music from the party.

"If this is about your unrequited love for my stepmother, save me the therapy bills."

"Unbelievable," Russell said as he shook his head in disgust. "I thought you'd know me better by now. Did Raina ever talk about her mother?"

Ever the hostess, Blair plastered on her biggest society smile and pretended her life was not falling apart at the seams. Seething inwardly, she admonished herself for thinking that by some small, ludicrous chance, Chuck might have actually changed. But seeing him stick his tongue down Raina Thorpe's throat and the fact that he orchestrated this whole wretched plan to ruin her evening to begin with just reaffirmed how bent he was on hurting her. She quickly whisked a flute of champagne from a moving tray and tried to clear her head of any more thoughts about him.

Suddenly nauseous, Blair backed away from the crowds of guests, only to come into collision with someone from behind. Already mentally preparing her speech of apology, Blair sheepishly turned around, but her mouth fell, the moment she recognized the familiar face.

"S…you came," she said in disbelief.

Despite the pink, sparkly number Serena was wearing, the frown on her face told an entirely different story. "I'm W Blog's It-Girl of the week. I had to show up," She said dryly, as if it physically hurt to be in Blair's presence.
"No, of course." Blair instantly said, suddenly feeling foolish. If her icy greeting was any indication, her friendship with Serena was clearly still on a sabbatical. "Um, is Ben here?" Blair asked, desperately searching for middle ground.

"Ben is…nowhere," Serena said vaguely, refusing to meet her best friend's eyes. "What?"

"We broke up."

Blair's mouth gaped.
"Look, just save me the 'I told you so,' OK?" Serena's eyes flashed angrily before meeting the ground.

"Serena, stop it. Come here," Blair said seriously as she pulled her best friend in for a hug. "I've been a horrible best friend. Forgive me?"
Quickly unraveling, Serena nodded against Blair's hair and let out a soft chuckle. She missed this. She missed her. These last few weeks had been horrible without her best friend, and yet she couldn't quite summon the strength to face her. Especially after that revelatory bomb she had dropped on her about Dan.

Dan, Dan, Dan, Serena thought in anguish. She loved him; she really did, but everything was so confusing. Her feelings were scattered all over the place and she just wished she and Blair could travel back in time, back to the beginning of the year, when they were both in Paris, having not a care in the world.

"Do you want to talk about…it?" Blair finally asked, stroking Serena's back consolingly.

Serena sighed. "It was never going to work anyway—Ben and me. We just wanted to hold unto our pasts, you know? Back when everything wasn't so screwed up."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too," Serena mumbled sadly. She wiped her tears away and held Blair tighter. "The party looks great, B."

Blair smiled weakly. "Too bad our nights aren't."

Pulling away gently, Serena arched her eyebrow. "What's wrong with your night?"

"Chuck and Raina," Blair said with a sad smile.
Serena's mouth fell. "They're actually dating? I saw the Gossip Girl blast last week, but I didn't think much of it."

"They are." Blair said in defeat, as she tried to repress the image of Raina on Chuck's arm.

"Let's get some fresh air. What do you say?" Serena offered, as she interlaced her fingers with Blair's.

Smirking, Blair rolled her eyes as she let Serena drag her to the balcony.

"Oh New York, you're a city of despair!" Serena exclaimed in mock hysteria, as the cold air met her bare skin. Laughing, Blair followed suit and rested her arms on the concrete railing. She was about to let out her own witty response, when a loud booming voice emanated from the distance. Out of curiosity, the girls followed the voice and crept behind a corner. They noticed two dark figures standing erect in the night, but their faces were not visible. Squinting her eyes, Blair realized it was Chuck, who seemed to be having a very serious conversation with Russell Thorpe.

"Is that Russell Thorpe?" Serena asked, as if she were just reading Blair's mind.

"Yes." Blair gulped, as the color drained from her face.

"You're lying!" Chuck yelled angrily, unaware that Serena and Blair were listening nearby.

"Believe me. I wish I were. Because of your father, my wife is dead," Russell said, shutting his eyes in anguish.

Blair's body instantly trembled and Serena's jaw fell. They clasped their hands tighter and awaited Chuck's response.

"No, no, no. I confronted my father about the fire when he was alive. It was an accident. He owned up to the death of the security guard. He never mentioned a woman," Chuck rambled, as he paced back and forth.
Russell shook his head darkly. "Why do you think the security guard was in the building? He was trying to save my wife. No one knows the truth, not even Raina. She thinks her mother left me for another man."

Chuck suddenly stopped moving to stare at Russell, aghast. None of this made any sense. As calmly as he could, he processed all this information being thrown at his face. "When my father died, we were in a good place. You're trying to rob me of that. You'd say anything to hurt me."

"Perhaps," Russell said solemnly, his eyes no longer meeting Chuck's. "But I think you knew your father well enough to believe that he was capable of deliberately taking a life."

"He'd never—"

"Deny it all you want, Charles. You and your father—you destroy people's lives. And as much as I want to see Bass Industries fall apart, I care about my daughter so much more. Consider the company yours. I suddenly don't want to play this game anymore."

As though a knife had just pierced his heart, Chuck suddenly felt his world crashing around him. With his mind still racing and his chest rising and falling rapidly, he managed to turn his gaze away from Russell, only to come face to face with Blair. "Chuck?" She asked quietly, her grip on Serena's hand tightening by the second. Sadness was etched on her beautiful face and, for a moment, Chuck was enraptured by her presence that he forgot about everything else. But that moment quickly dissipated. He suddenly stormed off, ignoring her shrill calls, and strode towards the exit. He needed to run away—far away from his father's legacy, far away from New York and the strings that came naturally attached, but most especially from Blair, the only person who could break down the barriers he was fervently intent on bringing up.