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Chapter 23

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"Come on Bree! Do you seriously think that this is where it's going to end?" Briley asked as Bree threw herself down on the couch of her sister's apartment. Bree nodded and covered her face with a pillow. She had lost count of how many times she had cried in the past week. Too many too be exact.

"Bree-"

"No! I'm done with this! I can't keep goin back and forth. I love him, and he loves me, but I had to go and screw everything up! I should have quit when everything got to complicated. The I wouldn't have to deal with all of this. Love is to complicated, if that's even what I can call it." Bree rambled as she sat up straight. Briley sighed and sat down on the coffee table in front of her sister.

"Brett almost broke up with me." Briefly spit out. Bree's eyes widened as her sister hung her head low.

"Briley!" Bree shrieked.

"He got mad because he knew I was keeping a secret from him, so he said either I told him, or it was over." Briley continued. Bree followed on every word.

"What secret were you keeping?" Bree asked.

"That I was pregnant. I thought it would be a nice surprise after we got married, but he apparently thought otherwise." Briley finished. Bree frowned in sorrow for her sister.

"Did you tell him?" Bree asked warily. Briley nodded.

"He was upset at first. I actually slept here last night instead of at his place. But he called me about half an hour before you came over and told me he couldn't be happier." Briley said. Bree smiled happily as she stood to bring her sister into a hug.

"So everything's okay?" Bree asked. Briley shook her head.

"Oh no. We still have the wedding tomorrow, and you, my lovely sister, do not have a date. We need to find Chase-"

"No, we don't. Like I said. We need time apart... Unless that was it. Then I guess it was fun while we lasted." Bree mumbled. Briley rolled her eyes at her sisters dramatics.

"Please! You two are perfect for each other! No doubt about it." Briley said with a smile.

"You don't even know him." Bree countered. Briley shrugged.

"I don't need to. He seems to tick you off and keep you happy at the same time. Seems perfect to me." Briley assured. Bree rolled her eyes.

"Let's just get some sleep, and get you ready for the wedding tomorrow." Bree stated simply. Briley nodded and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch for Bree. She had gotten a taxi back from San Francisco and had gotten back about ten minutes ago.

"Bree?" Briley asked as she stopped in the doorway of her bedroom. Bree turned to face her sister.

"Yeah?" Bree asked.

"You do realize that this little conference your boyfriend is having, just so happens to be right next door to the church I'm getting married at?" Briley finished with a smile. Bree closed her eyes and threw her head back. It was almost like fate was continually pushing them together. And Bree didn't know if she minded it or not.

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Chase took a deep breath as he pushed his father into the house. Tasha and Leo followed the two business partners with their luggage from the trip. Donald sighed as he saw the couch. He had missed the comforts of home.

"Tasha, I'm sleeping here tonight." Donald announced. Chase nodded and pushed the wheelchair over to the long, off white couch, that sat at the center of the living room. Tasha shook her head as Donald threw himself over and onto the couch.

"No! You are staying upstairs where I can keep an eye on you." Tasha ordered sternly.

"Dude can even get up the stairs." Leo scoffed as he tossed the bags onto the floor. Chase laughed quietly as he walked down the hall to get blankets out of the closet. He opened the door to find Tasha had organized the blankets by color. Chase had a feeling that she got bored during the day. She was a tv reporter, but she wasn't on as much as she used to be with all of the company drama going on. They just had to get trough the conference tomorrow. That was it. Then he could relax and let the numbers rise of people willing to invest in the bionic chip. Chase settled for a blue blanket and a pillow off the top shelf. He calmly made his way back to the living room where Tasha was practically pouting. Chase knew that she would be worried about this for the rest of his father's injury time. Chase threw his father the pillow and blanket while Leo stacked up pillows behind his head and under his leg. Tasha sighed and walked into the kitchen to get her husband a glass of water. She filled it with ease and brought it over to Donald. He gladly took the glass and set it down on the lamp table. Leo smiled at his job well done and headed over to the counter to wait for official dismissal from his mom. Tasha nodded over at Leo and Chase.

"Thank you. Both of you. I think I've got it from here." Tasha said as she sat down next to Donald. Chase and Leo walked over to the door and waved goodbye as they made their way out to the driveway. Leo had offered to drive Chase since he had his car parked at Davenport Industries.

"What's going to happen with you and Bree?" Leo asked as he stared the car. Chase sighed and leaned back against the seat.

"I don't know." Chase answered honestly. Leo nodded.

"You do like her, right?" Leo wondered aloud. Chase nodded quickly.

"Of course. I love her actually." Chase responded simply. He knew it was true deep down. Chase had always had problems with these types of things. He was perfectly polite in the business world, but relationships like his and Bree's, stomped him to the greatest degree. He hated not knowing where everything was going. All he wanted was to have a plan, and that was one thing that wasn't guaranteed. With Bree, everything was spontaneous.

"Then win her back." Leo said happily, as if all the problems in the world were fixed like this.

"It's not that easy." Chase mumbled. He and Bree had so many unmarked problems that Leo didnt even know of. They'd have to sit here all night if they were to go through every little detail.

"It might be." Leo said as he pulled into the parking lot of Davenport industries.

"How exactly?" Chase asked sarcastically.

"Flowers and chocolate." Leo answered with a nod. Chase laughed as he stepped out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride, Leo." Chase said.

"Don't sweat it big bro. It's what I do. See you at the conference tomorrow. Nine sharp?" Leo asked. Chase nodded and shut the car door. He waved to his step brother as he pulled out of the parking lot. Chase sighed and looked up to see the sky was dark and gloomy again, even at two o' clock in the morning.

7 hours. That was it. Just seven hours till this was all done, and over with. Chase turned to see a car pulling over next to his. He waited patiently as it stopped just in front of his. The driver got out, wearing all black. Chase was honestly expecting a mugger to appear under that hoodie. But to no avail, when the hoodie was taken off, it appeared to be Marcus Greenberg.

"Hello, Chase Davenport." Marcus greeted as he stepped forward. Chase felt his eyebrows raise as he took in the sight of his business rival. They hadn't spoken officially since high school.

"Hello, Marcus Greenberg." Chase hissed. He couldn't even stand to say his name, let alone stand here and have a conversation with the creep.

"I hear you and Bree are talking again. Last I heard you dumped her lying ass." Marcus said snidely. Chase almost jumped the second he spit out her name. He had no right to call Bree a lier.

"Bree and I have talked this whole time." Chase said simply, neither leading onto the fact that they were broken up, nor were together.

"Oh, is that so? Did you hear her sister is getting married tomorrow? Are you still her date to this glorious event?" Marcus asked with a smirk. Chase shook his head.

"I've got family commitments. Bree understands that." Chase said, trying to hint at the fact that his father was now in a wheel chair because of the earthquake. Practically the whole world had heard what had happened to the Davenport duo.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You two went down to San Francisco for that conference. Your father broke his leg. Oh, well. Maybe Bree will fall in love with the next guy she sees. She does that you know. The love who you're with kind of thing. She's kind of a slut in that sense." Marcus said with a smirk. Chase clenched his fists together. He would not stand for Marcus to go around and say something like that about his Bree.

"Don't you dare call her a slut! Or a lier! You of all people-"

"Me of all people what? We've already won Chase. There's nothing you can do about it. I thought calling her names would help you through it. Help you through the denial stage. She never loved you! She was simply there to do my dirty work. That's all she was. A spy. She pretended, Chase. She never had feelings for you, and never will." Marcus yelled back. Chase shook his head and opened his car door.

"That's where you're wrong, Marcus. I love her, and she loves me just as much back. I don't care if you see me as delusional, crazy, or anything else, because I probably am. That's what happens when you're in love. And you wouldn't know that." Chase countered. Marcus scoffed.

"Do you seriously trust her after all of this? After all that she's done to you?" Marcus yelled. Chase rolled his eyes.

"I didn't think I ever would again. After all that you've made her do. And that's just it. You made her do all of that. She wanted to protect me this whole time. So yes, Marcus, I do trust her. And I will believe every word she says from this moment forward."

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~Shay