A/N: I apologize for the comparably much longer chapter, but it had to be done. A promo for this chapter was released earlier on my YouTube account, enunciiate. This is the first chapter of the story to have its own promo, although a trailer for the entire story was available quite a while ago. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! This chapter meant a lot to me and reviews for this chapter would really mean the world.

The Silence Of A Man


Rufus strolled into the lobby, his mind still heavy with thoughts of his rift with Lily. It had been a mistake, one that he would never commit again.

"Good evening, Mr. Humphrey. You have a visitor," said a pleasant voice.

Rufus smiled at the concierge.

"Thank you, Jeffery."

The concierge motioned towards one of the armchairs located at the far corner of the lobby. Allison. She was asleep.

"How long has she been waiting?" Rufus asked.

There was no reply as the concierge had moved on to more important matters. Rufus took a moment to weigh his options. He could walk out of the lobby now or be a man and immediately solve the problem at hand. His conscience seemed to approve of the latter, so he approached her, a grim expression still resting on his face. As if she could sense his presence, her eyes fluttered open.

"Rufus..."

"Allison, we need to talk about what happened," Rufus remarked.

He needed to make this quick and painless. That was his goal. Allison stood up slowly, seemingly unfazed by his stern voice.

"What are you doing here Allison? I'm in enough trouble with Lily as it is," he maintained.

Allison offered him a quiet smile and looked straight into his eyes. Rufus swallowed hard. She was absolutely helpless. He had never seen her eyes so empty before. The least he could do was hear her out.

"I know and I'm terribly sorry. I can explain everything to her. It was completely my fault. I want you to know that..." she trailed off as she noticed that they were currently the center of attention in the hotel lobby.

Rufus sighed, hoping inwardly that he wouldn't regret this.

"We can discuss this in my room, but this time..."

"Yes, I know," she interrupted, following him towards the elevator.

She knew very well that Rufus Humphrey no longer loved her. She had no one to blame but herself. After all, she was the one who had been unfaithful. She ended up having a wonderful second marriage until it had reared its ugly head. How was she to know that her lover would become not only possessive but abusive? Rufus was an honorable man and he had been there for her when she needed him. She honestly did feel guilty about what she had done. She had been vulnerable. He was conveniently there, so she had kissed him. How was she to know that Lily would have returned home at that exact moment?

Allison smiled a melancholic smile. No matter how much she wanted them to return to the way they were, it was all too late now. He was in love with Lily and there was simply no going back. An awkward silence fell between them as they waited for the elevator. At that moment, they would both agree on the fact that this hotel had way too many floors. Allison turned towards Rufus and began to speak in order to break the silence only to be disrupted by a commotion at the main desk.

"What do you mean they're fucking occupied? I want a fucking suite! I want it on the fucking top floor! Am I asking you to move mountains here? Do you know who I am?" shouted an irritated voice.

Rufus and Allison looked over at the young man, both seemingly perplexed by his behavior. A colorful mask concealed his identity, but he was evidently drunk. It must have been quite the party.

"I said I want a fucking suite! Are you deaf? My father will have you all fucking fired when he hears about this," the young man continued, showing no signs of letting up.

The concierge remained his composure, although he was now extremely mortified that he had crossed the heir of Fairmont Industries.

"My sincerest apologies, Mr. Fairmont. We will arrange a room for you right away."

Rufus calmly walked over to the main desk. The last thing he wanted was for the staff to lose their jobs.

"Jeffery, please arrange for Mr. Fairmont to stay in my room."

The concierge was grateful for his gesture. The suites on the top floor were really all occupied.

"Thank you, Mr. Humphrey. We will arrange a suite for you three floors down," the concierge stated, motioning for the staff to attend to this arrangement.

He then turned his attention towards Pete again.

"Mr. Fairmont, we have a suite for you on the top floor."

Pete smiled sarcastically in response. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

He took the card key and followed one of the staff up to his suite all the while singing at the top of his lungs. Yes, he was definitely drunk. Allison and Rufus decided to wait for the next elevator and followed another one of the staff up to his new room.

"Thank you for being so accommodating Mr. Humphrey," mentioned the young woman who was escorting them to his room.

Rufus smiled. "Yes, of course. The entire staff losing their jobs over this would have been quite tragic and unnecessary. Bart Fairmont definitely has his hands full with that one, although his sister certainly makes up for his lack of grace."

The young woman nodded in agreement. Vanessa Fairmont was much more pleasant. No one with so much as half a brain would disagree with that.


"Dorota!" Blair exclaimed as she stepped into the foyer.

"Yes, Miss Blair?"

"I need to bring another copy of my essay to Professor Humphrey. Please inform my mother that I will meet her at the Humphreys for dinner."

"Yes, Miss Blair. Why you need another copy of essay?"

Dorota had a look of concern on her face. She worried and cared a lot for Blair. Blair was like the daughter she never had.

"Serena," Blair stated. "She stole the essay from my purse this morning."

Dorota remained silent as Blair walked up the intricate staircase that led up to her room. She knew better than to dwell on the subject. Blair tossed her purse on her bed and proceeded to turn on her laptop. Serena smiled back at her. She loved that picture of the two of them together. They had been joyous and carefree. It was taken a little bit before the catastrophic events of senior year. She truly did miss Serena.

We need to talk, B. I'm sorry for everything. Call me.

- S

Blair stared at her phone in awe. The text message had been sent to her phone a while ago. Either a higher power was messing with her mind or she still shared a special connection with Serena. Blair smiled. It was a genuine smile. She missed her best friend. She had no doubt in her mind that this would mark a new beginning. She would talk to Serena at dinner tonight.


"What can I get you tonight, Mr. Bass?" the bartender asked.

"No drinking tonight, John. I have some important business to take care of."

Leave it to Chuck Bass to know the names of every bartender in town. John merely shrugged and prepared to serve another customer. Nate composed himself as he walked towards his best friend. He needed to act as normal as possible. He had made a terrible mistake. The consequences would be dire if anyone found out about this.

"No drinking?" Nate questioned as he took the seat next to Chuck.

"I think being sober is important when discussing a case," Chuck smirked.

"No way Chuck. I need a break from work. We are not discussing a case right now in the middle of a bar," he said, placing his order with the bartender.

"I suppose the lack of privacy could be a problem."

Nate knew his best friend well. He could sense that something was wrong. Chuck would never talk about a case after hours. Something else was definitely occupying his thoughts.

"You can tell me, man. Whatever is bothering you..."

"I was thinking about our conversation this morning and you were right. I really should be moving on. I've never told anyone the details of the accident, but I figured it was time to share this with you."

Nate was taken aback for a moment. Chuck Bass was prepared to share his feelings with him? Wow. He was certainly being possessed by some evil spirit. That had to be the only plausible reason for this.

"Alright! Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Nate asked, half-jokingly.

Chuck let out a tiny chuckle. "I am dead serious, Nathaniel."

Nate cringed as Chuck emphasized the word dead.

"Now, are you going to listen to me or not?"

Nate smiled. Truthfully, he was thrilled that Chuck would share this with him. He had always been curious about the details of the accident. He knew that his mother had been unfaithful, but that was all Chuck had let on about the accident over the years.

"You want to take a walk, man? This is hardly the place to talk about this."

Chuck nodded and the two made their exit after paying the bill. They walked in silence for a few moments. Nate knew better than to rush him into putting his heart on the table. This was probably hard enough for Chuck as it was.

"It was raining on the day of the accident, you know? I remember spending the day at home because the weather was so grim. Eric was with me. My father was at work, but my mother was home to take care of us. She was incredibly drunk from the night before, so I was left to take care of Eric that day. She spent the entire morning in bed," Chuck began.

Nate offered his best friend a smile, willing for him to continue. Chuck was more than happy to oblige. He could feel the weight of this nightmare dissolve as he forced out each word.

"In the afternoon, she came down. I thought we were all taking a vacation because she had several suitcases with her," Chuck continued, swallowing hard at the memory. "I abandoned Eric for a moment. I was so excited to know where we were headed to. My mother always planned the best vacations."

"Mommy!" he squealed, running towards her.

Evelyn Bass picked up her son and twirled him around. She would really miss him. She loved him more than anything in the world, but she was unhappy. She needed to leave.

"Are we taking a vacation mommy?" Chuck questioned, looking at his mother with his soft brown eyes.

Evelyn held him close, showering him with gentle kisses.

"This is a vacation mommy is taking on her own," she replied, shielding a tear from her son.

Chuck giggled and wiggled out of her grasp. Eric continued to play with his blocks unaware of everything around him. Evelyn Bass set Chuck back down on the ground.

"I will take care of Eric while you're gone mommy. Have a fun trip!"

Unable to control her emotions, Evelyn Bass burst into tears. She knelt down next to her eldest son and held him close again. Confused, Chuck tried to comfort his mother, petting her hair.

"Why are you crying mommy? Eric and I have been behaving ourselves this week," he stated, still confused by his mother's sudden outburst.

His mother caressed his cheek.

"Charles, promise me that you will take care of Eric. No matter what happens, the two of you need to take care of each other. One day you will understand Charles. I love you."

Even at that young age, Chuck could sense that something was really wrong. His mother rarely ever referred to him as Charles.

"Mommy?" he asked in a small whisper. "Are you not coming back?"

His eyes began to brim with tears. Unable to face her son, Evelyn Bass dragged her suitcases towards the door. Chuck panicked and refused to let go of his mother.

"Mommy! Where are you going? I promise to be good! I will! I promise!" he shouted, hoping his mother would decide to stay.

Evelyn Bass only shook her head at her son and headed out the door, making sure to close it firmly behind her. Chuck ran to the bay window and pounded on the glass with his tiny fists, but to no avail.

"Mommy! Mommy! Please!" he cried over and over again as tiny tears spilled down his cheeks.

A handsome man stepped out of the car and Chuck witnessed their embrace. His mother kissed him as he grabbed her suitcases to put them in the trunk.

"Not daddy!" Eric squealed as he joined his brother at the bay window, still holding his blocks in his tiny hands.

Eric was smiling, oblivious to the implications of that statement, but Chuck knew. His mother was leaving his father for another man. He had heard enough from his classmates to know this. Suddenly, he became angry with his mother. He wanted her to die. How could she leave him like this? She must have lied when she had told him that she loved him. His mother had lied.

Nate and Chuck were now sitting on a bench in the middle of Central Park as Chuck continued to pour his heart out. It was a relief to finally be able to tell someone. He had shut everyone out after that day. Women simply couldn't be trusted.

"What happened next?" Nate asked, prodding his friend to continue.

It had been a mere hour. Chuck sat there in silence. His father would be home soon. He always came home early on Fridays. Chuck smiled when he heard a set of keys jingling at the front door. It must be his father. He ran to the door. He knew he would find comfort in his father's arms. To his disappointment, he found their aunt standing before him.

"Hello, my bumblebee. Please fetch Eric for me," she announced.

Chuck could see that his aunt had been crying. Her hair was out of place and she looked completely distraught. He knew better than to ask questions, so he did as he was told. Aunt Carol took him by the hand and led him towards her car, carrying Eric in her arms. Evelyn Bass did not survive the accident and neither did her lover. Meanwhile, her own brother was hanging by a thread. The hospital had said that he could only hold on for a few more hours and Arthur Bass had demanded to see his sons before his inevitable death.

"Why was your father involved in the accident?" Nate blurted out, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"He was trying to stop her," Chuck explained, unperturbed by the interruption. "She had informed him of her decision to leave him. My father loved my mother like no other, so he tried to stop her."

Chuck took a deep breath. Thinking about the next part of the story was always enough to make him crumble. Nate remained silent, respecting his personal space.

"He was driving to the airport at full speed..." he trailed off for a brief moment to gather his thoughts. "He was going way too fast. He ran a red light and ended up crashing into a car at the intersection."

Chuck swallowed, unable to finish with the story, but he didn't have to. Nate was smart enough to piece the puzzle together. Evelyn Bass and her lover had been in that very car.

"It was still raining outside when I watched my father die, you know? I had prayed to God that he would allow my father to stay alive, but he ignored my prayers."

Chuck tried to suppress his tears, but a single tear coursed down his cheek as he finished the final part of his story.

He walked over to the bed and knelt beside his father. Eric had fallen asleep on the ride over and Aunt Carol was taking care of him.

"Charles," Arthur managed to choke out as his son approached him.

He knew he was dying. He could feel the world slowly fading away, but he needed to speak with his son one last time.

"Daddy?"

"Charles, I want you and Eric to know that I loved your mother with all my heart and that both of you mean the world to me. Your mother made a mistake, but she loved you too. She really did."

He gasped slightly as his wounds were taking a toll on his body.

"I want you to take care of Eric for me."

Chuck nodded numbly at his request.

"I killed mommy, daddy. I wanted her to die," he said, bursting into tears as he made his confession.

Arthur Bass held his son close one last time.

He whispered. "It was meant to happen Charles. One day you will understand. I love you."

Arthur Bass took his last breath holding his eldest son in his arms. Chuck was too afraid to move away from his embrace. He knew his father was dead. He prayed to God to keep his father alive, but he knew his prayer would not be answered. He peered out the window as his tears continued to dribble down his cheeks, which were now slightly smeared with blood. It was then that he realized that the sky had been mourning all this time. Yes, the sky must have known all along that both his parents would have abandoned him by the end of night. He snuggled closer to his father, willing for him to come back alive.


Blair rushed into the lobby and approached the front desk. It was unattended much to her dismay. She tapped her foot impatiently. She was already late for dinner. She had informed Dan that she would be slightly late, but it would probably be best if she dropped off the essay in person. It would be a lot faster than waiting here for the concierge and she certainly wasn't comfortable with leaving her essay unattended at the front desk.

It took her a while, but Blair eventually located room 584 at the end of the hallway. She knocked on the door, but there was no reply. A light flickered above her. Blair felt a chill creep up her spine as the quiet of her surroundings began to set in. It was definitely too quiet. She knocked harder this time.

"Professor Humphrey?"

There was still no reply. Trying her luck, she reached down for the knob. To her surprise, the door creaked open without any resistance. The key card system had definitely been tampered with. Professor Humphrey had even left the safety chain unhooked. Something was definitely out of place. She should probably just leave. The concierge had probably returned to his station at the front desk by now, but curiosity bubbled inside of her. Cautiously, Blair made her way into the room, fumbling around for the light switch.

"Professor Humphrey?" Blair called out again into the darkness, setting her purse by the door.

He was probably teaching a night class. She would just leave the essay on his desk and be on her way. She reached for the light switch and turned on the lights. She turned around as the light slowly illuminated the room before her. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the bright light. Blair let out a blood-curdling scream before she hit the floor, her world fading to a monotonous black.