The Mess that is Chuck Bass- Chapter Twelve

The 일 had finally come to meet with the board and have them decide if Chuck was fit to take over the company in lieu of his father. He stood in his bedroom securing the cufflinks to his 셔츠 and praying that he had prepared hard enough for him to be able to make a success out of it.
Chuck had spent the last two weeks doing nothing but preparing for this day. He needed to show everyone that he wasn’t what they thought. He could actually make this company a success on his own without help from anybody. But most of all he just needed to prove to himself that he could do this. He needed to do this, so he could remember his father.
Blair walked into his bedroom. “Chuck.” She said softly.
He turned to face her.
She walked to him and wound her arms around his neck. “I know you’re nervous about today and I don’t blame 당신 one bit but I know you’re going to do great. I’ll be here for 당신 when 당신 get back.”
He kissed her softly on the lips. “Thanks, Blair. I’m glad we have finally gotten to the place we are in. You’re support means everything to me.”
She brought his lips back to her before saying, “I remember telling 당신 this once before, but I will stand 의해 through anything.”
He caught on to what she was saying. That had been the 일 of his father’s funeral when he had rebuffed her. “And why would 당신 do that?” He repeated the same words he had used that day.
“Because…I 사랑 you.” She said with a little grin on her face.
He wasn’t going to say the same thing that he had that day. “I 사랑 당신 too, Blair.”
A huge grin lit up her face. “It was well worth the wait, Chuck.”
He smiled despite his nervousness over the impending presentation. “I hope so. Did Serena tell 당신 the news?”
“About 당신 moving back in here?”
He nodded.
She took a 좌석 on his 침대 while holding his hand. “She did and I know we didn’t have a chance to talk about it but it’s the right thing to do. Serena, Eric, and Lily are your family and this is where 당신 belong.”
He sat down 다음 to her. “Eric is so excited about me living here again and I did miss him. Serena always tends to be a problem but we’re siblings so we fight.” Blair laughed. “And Lily is the hardest part, I still can’t trust her and I know she doesn’t want me to head 베이스 Industries. But most importantly 당신 are my family, Blair. 당신 are the person that I care most about.”
She laid her head down on his chest and she felt his rapidly beating heart. “You don’t know how overjoyed I am that 당신 finally have accepted them as your family. And I do understand your feelings about Lily; it’s just going to take time. And 당신 may never be ready to forgive her and that’s okay. Just so 당신 know, 당신 are the person that I care most about too, Chuck. Without 당신 there is just no point to either of us.”
He laced his fingers with hers. “Blair.” There were no other words to say other than that. She knew how much he meant to her but he was still uncomfortable with expressing his emotions towards her.
Blair understood that and he had said everything that he needed to say. “Is Lily going with 당신 to the meeting?”
“Yes, she is.”
Serena knocked and ducked her head into the bedroom. “Chuck, my mom wants to talk to 당신 before 당신 leave. Good luck today.”
He grinned at her. “Thanks, sis.”
Serena couldn’t help but laugh.
Blair watched their interaction with delighted eyes. Her best friend and boyfriend were actually going to get along. Who would know have thought that was ever possible?

XOXO
Chuck walked into the living room and saw Lily looking over some papers. “You wanted to see me?”
Her head popped up at the sound of his voice. She waved to a chair 다음 to her. “Charles, take a seat. I just wanted to tell 당신 something before we leave.”
He took the 좌석 and waited for her to say what she had too. He just wanted to get this 일 over as fast as possible.
Lily looked at him and sighed. “I just wanted to apologize to you; Serena has made me see the light about a certain something.”
“Serena?” He asked surprised.
She nodded. “Yes, I just need to tell 당신 that 당신 deserve the company, Charles. I will do everything in my power to make sure 당신 get it. I am still a little hesitant about it since 당신 are so young. But everyone seems to be behind 당신 one hundred percent.”
“What’s with the whole change of mind?”
“It’s your rightful place and if I know one thing about Bart, it’s that he would have wanted 당신 to have this over anybody. Including his own wife. And I know that 당신 feel like 당신 have to do this to prove your worth and maybe 당신 do. 당신 should know that if the board votes against 당신 today, that 당신 still will be running 베이스 Industries. I own the majority of the shares but I still want 당신 to wow the board with your presentation today.”
Chuck was shell shocked 의해 her sudden change of heart. “I don’t even know what to say. But I don’t want to run the company if the board outvotes me. I need to do this 의해 myself and not have any help from 당신 또는 anybody else.”
Lily nodded. “Alright, just make sure that 당신 do the best that 당신 can today.
He nodded tersely. “I will do the best that I can absolutely do.”
She reached over to grasp his hand and he tried to get her to drop it. She tightened her grasp. “Charles, we need to repair our relationship for the sake of your father. I don’t want to replace your mother but I am going to be the parental figure that 당신 so desperately need. I know 당신 haven’t forgiven me for your father’s death and I don’t expect 당신 to right now. But eventually I hope that 당신 will be able to see that I do 사랑 and care about you.”
It was him this time that tightened the grasp on her hand. “Lily, I haven’t forgiven 당신 and like I’ve said before, I really don’t know if I can. But I do need 당신 to be in my life, I need my family. And I consider 당신 part of it along with Serena, Eric, Nate, and Blair. But I can’t make 당신 any promises for anything right now.”
A smile lit up her face. “You’ve just made me happier than I would have ever thought possible. I don’t need 당신 to forgive me right now; all I want 당신 to do is try.”
“Alright.” He said in a low voice.
She decided to change the subject. “Are 당신 ready to get this over with?”
He looked at her with a sliver of mischief in his eyes. “I’ve never be as excited as I am now for a 일 to be over.”
Lily let patted his hand and let go of it. “Then let’s go make 당신 the CEO of 베이스 Industries.”

XOXO
Chuck walked into the board room with Lily behind him.
Lily addressed all of the men first. “Gentleman, I have the honor of presenting 당신 to Bart’s son. This is Chuck 베이스 and he’s interested in becoming the CEO of the company. As I believe 당신 know, he’s prepared a little presentation for all of you.”
Mr. Parker spoke up. “We already know Mr. Bass, Lily.” He said with a snide tone. “I was after all the one that walked in on him when he had a woman sitting on his lap and was snorting drugs.”
The rest of the board gasped with horror.
Lily was about to say something when he held up his hand to silence her.
He walked right up to the podium that was standing in the middle of the room. “Gentleman, I think 당신 should give me the benefit of the doubt and let me explain my presentation before 당신 make any decisions concerning my future here at 베이스 Industries.
“Why should we?” Another one of the board members spoke up.
He looked all of them directly in the eye. “Because it’s what my father would have done, he would have given someone a chance to explain how they can improve the company. And isn’t that why we’re all here, to make the company as best as it can possibly be?”
Chuck turned to Mr. Parker and addressed him personally. “Mr. Parker, I know that I have humiliated the whole company a few short months 이전 with the woman and the drugs. In my defense, all I will say is that I was devastated 의해 my father’s death. That is not an excuse but I am in a better place now. I am ready to take over 베이스 Industries and make my father proud of me.”
Mr. Parker let out a giant, “Humph!”
He gathered his material to make his presentation and began what would either make 또는 break his entire career with 베이스 Industries. Chuck explained many different ways that they could make the company better. Starting off with taking 베이스 Industries global. “I think it is time that this company opens a place overseas. We have proven time and time again that we are capable of anything and we need to up our game and compete with worldwide investors. We can talk about that at a later 날짜 if all of the board decides on it. I am also interested in having at least one meeting a day, so that we all can communicate on how the business is going and see the finer points of how to conduct some things better. I am not my father; I need everyone to understand that right now. Things will not be the same as they were with him. I also want each member of the board to get in touch with me at least once a day, which is crucial to the success of 베이스 Industries. If my father wasn’t good at one thing it was communicating with his employees. It’s time that changed. I do have many other ideas and I have created a flow chart for each one of 당신 to see what things I want to change here.”
He handed out the chart to each member of the board and let them study it.
He breathed a sigh of relief. His presentation was over; all that was left was for the board to decide if they wanted him to be a member of the team.
After everyone had studied the chart, Lily took a seat. “I think we’ve all had time to study the chart and hear Chuck Bass’s presentation. Is everyone ready to conduct the vote?”
All the members of the board nodded. Lily spoke to each one quietly and recorded their vote on a ledger. Chuck had his hands under his face, it seemed to take forever.
Finally Lily took her 좌석 again. His 심장 sped up quicker, he was about to find out his fate with the company. Lily looked at him directly. “The board votes in the favor of 12-1 to make Chuck 베이스 the CEO of 베이스 Industries.” She taped the gavel making the decision official. “All of us voted for 당신 to become the head of the company Chuck, excluding Mr. Parker.”
He felt his mouth drop open as Lily almost sprinted across the room and enveloped him in a hug, he returned her hug. He was the head of 베이스 Industries now. A wide smile spread across his face at the thought.

XOXO
Chuck and Lily walked into the living room to find Serena, Dan, Nate, Eric, and Blair sprawled on one of the sofas anxiously awaiting their return. Once they came in, all heads swiveled in their direction. Neither one of them said anything.
Serena finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Are 당신 going to tell us what happened 또는 are we going to have to wring it out of you?”
Chuck looked at them all solemnly. “I…”
Lily interrupted him with a pained expression on her face. “Just get it over with, Charles. They deserve to know.
All faces turned to him with a panicked expression on their faces, especially Blair. He tried again. “I’m just going to come out and say it.” Everyone waited anxiously. “I am now the head of 베이스 Industries.”
All of a sudden it was like a stampede had trampled him. Arms came flying out of every which direction trying to hug him. Serena and Eric threw their arms around him and Nate slapped him on the back, and even Dan managed a,”Congratulations.”
He hugged every one of them back and looked for Blair. She was still sitting on the 침상, 소파 and she looked 로스트 in her own thoughts. After he had talked with the others, he made his way over to her. “Blair?”
She looked up at the sound of his voice and threw herself into his arms. “Chuck.” She squealed as she wrapped her legs around his waist and crushed him into a giant 곰 hug. “What did I tell you? I knew that 당신 could do it.”
He grinned back at her. “You were right, Waldorf.” He crushed his mouth down on hers for a quick kiss. Except with them it was always 더 많이 than a quick kiss. Nate had to clear his throat so he could get them to stop.
Lily interrupted everyone’s excited chattering. “I think we can all agree that today has been a 일 of pure success. I think we all should celebrate with a party.”
All of them screamed with 글리 and Chuck used this opportunity to speak to Blair for a minute. “You have to come with me to my room for a minute; I need to discuss something with you.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to ask 당신 something.”
She nodded and followed him to his bedroom. He called out to the others that they would be back before the part started.
They both walked into his bedroom. “I’ve been thinking about something lately Blair, and I just need to know how 당신 feel about it.”
She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Okay, run it 의해 me.”
He led her to the 침대 and sat down 다음 to her. “The last three months that we have spent together have been amazing for many reasons, but most of all because they were with you. I never thought that I could be happy with just one person but you’ve changed my mind about all of that. I want to apologize again for all of the misery I’ve put 당신 through the last two years. But…”
Blair heard him say the word but and panicked. She gripped his hand. “Just tell me one thing; are 당신 breaking up with me?” The panic was evident in her voice.
He smiled. “Just the opposite actually. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I’ve decided that it’s the right thing to do. So, here goes. Will 당신 marry me, Blair?”

To Be Continued…

A/N: Sorry for the lack of 업데이트 on this story again, other things just seem to keep getting in the way of me 글쓰기 this story. I do hope 당신 enjoy and another little shout out to all of the people who have given me great 조언 over the past few days and who know about what has been going on in my personal life. Especially to Alicia, Lou, Meghan, and Jovi. Thanks, you’ve really cheered me up with your advice. :D 의해 the way, what do 당신 think Blair should say to Chuck’s proposal? Yes 또는 no?