━━━━━━━━━

Chapter 16

━━━━━━━━━

"Thank you. We'll see you at the conference." Chase said as he hung up. He sighed. He hasn't been able to concentrate all day. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in." Chase called. The door opened slowly to reveal the very person that had occupied his thoughts all day.

"Make it quick Bree. I've got a lot to do." Chase bit out. Bree looked hurt as she heard his words.

"It will take more than a quick talk Chase." Bree started. Chase looked up to see the tears already drying on her face. Chase looked worriedly up at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he came over. Bree shook her head and motioned for him to sit back down. He moved back down to his desk as she stayed where she was.

"You hate me. You think that I only dated you for Marcus. And to top it all off... We kissed this morning." Bree whispered. Chase back up and fell against his desk as he heard those words. Chase felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, like all the air had been knocked out of him.

"You kissed him?" Chase hissed as he let his mind wander to his Bree, and Marcus. Bree barely nodded.

"Technically he kissed me. I was so upset about you though, I know that isn't an excuse, but I kissed him back because it made me forget about how I was hurting you. I love you so much Chase. I'm in love with you, and I've been crying all night and morning because of how I've treated you. I got myself into this though, and if you never want to see me again... I'll leave, both you and Marcus, and neither of you will see me again." Bree finished. She began sobbing about halfway through her speech. Chase sighed as he looked up to her. He couldn't bear to lose her, to never see her again. But he also felt like he couldn't trust her again. He had to do this.

"Look, Bree. I love you so much. But after all of this... I don't think I will ever be able to trust you again. I think it would be for the best if we just..." Bree nodded as Chase left off. He didn't have the gumption to come out and say it. Chase felt himself nod as he went back to work. He had to keep a straight face, act as if this wasn't affecting him. Act as if he was willing to lose Bree forever.

"Chase?" Bree whispered. Chase looked up with sadness in his eyes.

"What?" He stated, the bitterness evident in his voice. He got up and walked around his desk to face Bree head on. Something must be wrong, either that or she wasn't able to say everything she wanted to.

"I'll miss you and... I'll never forget about you." Bree said just above a whisper. Chase smiled as she began to walk out of the office.

"I won't forget about you either." He whispered as she shut the door. Chase could hear her take a breath before packing up her things.

Everything had been going so well. Why did she had to work for Marcus? Chase fell hard for her. He was so in love with Bree it hurt. It hurt so bad to watch her leave. He looked out the window to see Adam talking to Bree. He frowned as he watched Adam help her with her boxes. What could they be talking about? Soon enough, Adam was hugging Bree. Chase could feel the jealousy coming over him.

Stop it!

You told her to walk away. You told her that it was for the best. You have no right to be jealous about her hugging your best friend, who just so happens to be married. He saw Bree look over as she pulled away from Adam. Slowly but surely, Adam looked over to him and went back to Bree. She smiled and nodded before getting into her car and driving away. Chase sighed and Adam made his way back into the building. Chase closed his eyes and sat back down at his desk. There was another knock. He sighed, he knew exactly who was on the other side of the door.

"Come on in, Adam." He called. His best friend appeared almost instantly closing the door behind him.

"What are you up to?" Adam asked as he took a seat. So much had changed in the past four months. The two friends had barely talked since Bree started working here. Chase spent every moment he got with her, or his dad, now. Then, there was Adam, who had a baby coming any day now.

"Nothing. Just doing paperwork." Chase said simply as he rearranged his mess of a desk. Adam rolled his eyes as he sat up to face his friend.

"Why did you let her go?" Adam asked suddenly. Chase looked up at Adam with a stern look.

"I didn't let her go, Adam. She's been fighting to get out since the second she got here." Chase replied.

"You've got it all wrong man." Adam said as he moved to leave. He knew that Chase was not changing his perspective on this one. Chase got up to stop Adam before he could leave. He had to know what he knew.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked. Adam turned slowly only barely looking up at his best friend.

"I mean, she loves you. She messed up. And now, she's gone. Did you hear that Chase? She's gone. She thinks you're completely over her. She never meant to hurt you." Adam explained before reaching for the door handle. Chase sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Why would you believe anything she says? She's been lying to all of us this whole time." Chase mumbled. Adam sighed and turned back to face his clueless best friend.

"She gave us the truth today, didn't she?" Adam countered. Chase nodded glumly before returning to his desk. Adam opened the door but staying in the doorway for only a moment.

"You want to know how I know?" Adam said simply. Chase frowned in confusion.

"Sure, why?" Chase said sarcastically. He was so done with all of this.

"You didn't see the way she looked when she told me all of this. When she heard you knew, and she wasn't able to tell you first, she cried. She cried until I told her how talking to you would be. When she heard that, you could practically hear her heart break. She's broken, Chase. And no one is going to be able to put the pieces back together, except for you. That's how I know." Adam stated before he walked away and left the door open. Chase closed his eyes and let his head fall to his desk. How could he do this? How could he trust Bree again? And if she really did love him... Why did she kiss Marcus?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Please state your name and business." The security guard stopped her just outside of the building. Bree sighed and nodded.

"Bree Henderson and I'm supposed to be meeting with Marcus Greenberg." Bree said simply. The security guard looked her up and down before referring to his clip board. While he searched he continued talking.

"What do you mean supposed to?" He asked showing no emotion. Bree rolled her eyes.

"I mean that if you don't let me in, I was supposed to. If you do, then I am gong to." Bree explained. The guard nodded before stepping aside.

"Sorry for the inconvenience." He said. Bree nodded before walking past him. She quickly made her way back to Marcus' office only to see the door was wide open, and he was talking with a woman. Bree knocked on the door as she walked through the doorway. They each turned to face her.

"Oh, Bree. This is Danielle. Danielle, this is Bree Henderson, my old assistant. Could you give us a minute?" He asked with a smile as he slid his hand up and down her arm. She smiled brightly at him and nodded.

"Of course, sweetie. Nice to meet you by the way." Danielle said happily as she walked out of the office and closed the door behind her. Bree faced Marcus to see him laughing at the confused look on her face.

"What was that-"

"Let me bring you up to speed. That, is my girlfriend. She dumped me four months ago because Donald Davenport got her a date with the one, and only, Chase Davenport. When Chase treated her like shit, she came back. We've been dating for the past three months or, if you ignore that two week interval, we've been dating for 2 years." Marcus explained quickly. Bree shook her head as she tried to wrap her mind around this new information.

"Wait, I thought you liked me." Bree asked simply. Marcus laughed whole heartedly. Although, it had an evil sound to it.

"Yeah, you fell for that, hook, line and, sinker. I never liked you, Bree. I could have, but I didn't. You were just stupid enough to leave the flash drive behind. Now, here we are having our press conference pushed up to Tuesday, and we, will reveal the bionic chip, before your little boyfriend and his daddy can." Marcus said happily as his eyebrows rose to a creepy state. He held the flash drive out in front of him before he dropped it to the ground, and crushed it with his foot. Bree stared down at the broken piece of technology in disbelief.

"So this whole time..." Bree left off motioning between the two of them.

"Yep. There was nothing there. Like I said, I simply needed you to be a double agent. The best, and most entertaining part of this though, was the fact that you and Chase actually fell for each other. How's that going by the way? Because, by the dry tears on your face, I'm getting the feeling that whatever you two had, is long gone. He found out about us, didn't he?" Marcus said maniacally as he threw his head back with a smile.

"Why did you have to kiss me this morning?" Bree hissed as she thought back to just hours earlier.

"Because then it would confuse you about your little relationship. The more confused you were, the more careless you would be, and the faster they would catch on. You were so careless last night, that you left your trusty pen behind, only for Chase to find it and follow your tracks. He figured it out in a minute flat. I've got to give the kid credit." Marcus said as he looked out his window and over to Davenport Industries.

"You know he's older than you right?" Bree bit back as she made he way out of the office.

"That just means he'll die first." Marcus said simply. Bree shook her head and slammed the door behind her. She looked over to see Danielle filing her nails. She looked up happily at Bree.

"How was your meeting?" She asked. This girl was a bit too perky for Bree.

"Why are you dating him?" Bree asked simply.

"Because, he's the one guy who's never hurt me." Danielle said just above a whisper. Bree shook her head. Marcus ruined her true love, now she would trash his.

"You know Marcus and I made out this morning. For two hours. I just came here to tell him it meant nothing to me, but he felt something." Bree said simply. Danielle's eyes grew wide. She stood up and looked like she was about to slap Bree.

"Wait! I had no idea he was dating anyone." Bree whispered as she closed her eyes and, waiting for the impact. When it never came, Bree opened her eyes to see Danielle lowering her arm.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. Thank you for telling me he would be willing to cheat on me. Can I do anything for you in return?" Danielle said simply.

"Not unless you know how to win back a major CEO." Bree mumbled. Danielle's face brightened as she heard those words.

"You're the girl that's got Chase Davenport? Man, you've got him wrapped around your finger. Was this because of Marcus?" Danielle asked growing more worried by the minute.

"Yep. He made me be a double agent to gather information. I didn't think I'd fall for Chase, though. He found out last night." Bree explained. Danielle sighed and brought Bree into a hug. Bree stiffened at first but soon relaxed and hugged her back. She must be a hugger.

"I don't know if I can do anything. But if I come up with something, I will definitely tell you. Can we be friends?" Danielle asked. Bree nodded happily. As Marcus overheard the last part of the conversation, he opened the door.

"What's going on with you ladies?" Marcus asked warily. He wrapped his arm around Danielle's shoulders and waited for an answer.

"Oh nothing. Could I put my number in, Bree?" Danielle asked as she motioned for Bree's phone. Bree nodded and handed her phone to her. Danielle handed her phone to Bree as she put her number in. After each girl was done typing, they trade their phones back.

"I'll call you later. Oh and Marcus. I wanted to tell you something." Danielle said simply. Marcus smiled as he turned to Danielle.

"What is it honey?" He asked happily. He reached into his pocket and played with a box. A box! He was going to propose?!?

"We're done." Danielle said emotionlessly. She walked over and linked her arm with Bree's as they walked down the hall.

"Danielle!" Marcus yelled as he raced after the two girls.

"Don't even try. You're a cheater, liar, and a relationship wrecker. I want nothing to do with you. And return the ring, you'll be needed the money after the Davenports put you out of business." Danielle said as she pointed to Marcus' pocket. Marcus' eyes grew wide before the girls brushed past him again. As they walked out of the building, they stopped just outside the doors.

"Thank you, Danielle." Bree said as Danielle reached in to hug her again.

"Thank you. If it wasn't for you, I could be getting married to that creep. I'll see you later, Bree." Danielle said as she walked down the sidewalk. Bree sighed and turned to get into her car, waving to the security guard as she did so. He waved back with a wary smile. Bree drove down to a gas station and parked her car before getting out her phone and calling a very important person.

"Hello?" He asked. Bree sighed.

"You have to move the conference to Monday." Bree said simply. He sighed.

"Why?" Chase asked.

"Because Marcus just moved his to Tuesday, one day before you guys are scheduled to do yours, and I'm playing a double agent for you now. And I have help." Bree explained. She heard Chase begin to move around.

"Bree can you come back over here? To help?" Chase asked desperately as he opened and closed his office door. Bree smiled slightly.

"Of course, Chase." Bree said before she hung up and began to drive over to Davenport Industries. She was only down the street aways. She pulled into the very parking spot she occupied earlier today and made her way into the building. Bree walked up the stairs but stopped abruptly by the door leading her knot the fourth floor. She took out her phone and dialed Chase's number.

"Hey. You can just walk up to the top floor? I have the door propped open." Chase said simply before he hung up again. Bree looked down at the phone in disbelief before she walked up 6 more flights of stairs. As she reached the door she had snuck through just hours ago. She walked in and closed it behind her. She looked over to see Chase sitting on the couch.

"Hey." She called as she walked over. Chase stood up as she walked over. She could see him begin to breath a bit quicker.

"Hey." He said as he motioned for her to join him on the couch. She smiled slightly as she sat down next to Chase. She looked closely to see him smile discretely off to the side.

"So, how did meeting with Marcus go?" Chase asked. Bree sighed and leaned down into the couch. She leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Apparently, kissing me would throw me off and make me more careless to the point where I would leave the flash drive behind. He has the plans and he's moved the conference to Tuesday, which, is why you have to move yours, to Monday. Otherwise, it'll be too late." Bree explained as she sat back up and looked to Chase.

"So you have a connection to Marcus now?" Chase asked warily. Bree nodded.

"You dated Danielle?" Bree countered. Chase's eyes grew wide at mention of her.

"She wouldn't leave me alone for weeks." Chase groaned as he leaned back. Bree laughed and looked turned to face him.

"She and Marcus have been dating for two years, only stopping when she wanted to date you. So I told her about this morning, and she broke up with him. He was about to propose." Bree whispered the last part. She felt horrible about that and event though Danielle seemed fine, she knew she was hurt.

"He was going to propose and you broke them up!" Chase exclaimed with a smile. Bree laughed and nodded. Chase shook his head happily as he pictured the scene at Greenberg Enterprises.

"Wow. I never thought he would propose to anyone. He seems more like the lone wolf type." Chase stated simply as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Are you the lone wolf type, too?" Bree wondered out loud as she leaned against the back of the couch again. Chase thought for a second before looking over to Bree and sitting up. He rested his elbows on his legs before answering.

"No. I used to kind of be, but now, things are different." Chase replied. Bree looked up to face Chase who was inches away. She smiled as she caught him looking intently a her.

"What's changed?" Bree asked with a smile, already knowing the answer. Chase smiled and looked down at the floor before turning to look at her.

"Y-" but Chase was cut off by the elevator. His dad walked into the top floor looking down at his feet. He glanced up momentarily to see his son and Bree sitting very close on the couch.

"Oh, hey guys." Donald acknowledged. Chase laughed at his father. He was so scattered lately.

"Hey dad." Chase said. Bree smiled over at Donald. Suddenly, Donald became worried.

"Wait, have you... You know?" Donald asked. Bree sighed and looked to Chase.

"Yes, dad. We've talked. And we're back to being friends. Right Bree?" Chase asked with a smile. She nodded before looking to Donald with a smile.

"Yep, were friends again." Bree said happily. She couldn't breath. Her chest felt strained at the mention of them going back to being friends. They had been friends four months ago. They had been so much more and had been through too much to just be friends. Donald smiled and made his way to the back room.

"Oh wait dad! I need to tell you something! I'll be right back." Chase said reassuringly to Bree before he ran down the hall to his father. Bree held back every emotion she wanted to show. The only thought running through her head, was the same thought Chase had had so many months ago.

I just got friendzoned.

━━━━━━━━━

Thanks for reading!

Vote, Comment, or Follow either me or music501 when you can!

~Shay