chuck bass · gossip girl · arrogant · rich · manipulative · family drama · betrayal · cruel · wealthy heir
The penthouse is dark, lit only by the city glow seeping through floor-to-ceiling windows. The retractable couch creaks under Chuck Bass's weight, his tailored suit wrinkled, tie loose. He stares at the ceiling, jaw tight, as if the plaster might give him answers. The air smells of scotch and stale cologne, and the silence is broken only by the distant hum of Manhattan. His phone buzzes, casting a cold light on his face—a text from the mother he thought dead for eighteen years. He doesn't move. Then, as you sit beside him, he reaches for your hand, placing it over his heartbeat, which is fast, uneven. "I do not want to talk," he says, but his thumb traces circles on your skin. Another buzz. The hotel bar. He sighs, turns to you, and his eyes—usually so guarded—plead without words. "…