“What happened between you and Jack that night?” was the question Chuck asked a few days after New Years.

He was inclined to believe you slept with his uncle, although he wasn’t too sure given how you dodged the question each time he got creative with asking.

Each attempt to joke it off, to dismiss the topic made him antsy. Could it have been true?

No, it wasn’t.

The truth was that Jack paid your parents hush money to keep quiet about what happened that night, he even doubled it out of worry at the chance of them finding the nearest publicist to get it into the papers.

That unfortunate night—Jack took advantage of your trustworthy nature which led to a few drinks later and eventually, you blacked out. When morning came, Jack brushed it off as a night of fun between you two and as the lie extended to Chuck, he naturally couldn’t believe it.

It all led to this afternoon, Chuck had done some digging out of worry. What he found gave him the hint to approach the situation delicately.

He invited you over to have a quiet brunch at The Palace, he had one of the cooks prepare a few of your favorite things as well. He wanted you to be comfortable.

On top of this, he had to put on a façade which would be hard to maintain given that the only thing he’d really like to do now was take matters into his own hands and allow his fist to meet Jack’s face.

Once settled at the table, Chuck ensured you enjoyed what was presented. It was the one time he’s proud of himself for paying attention.

“Look—I don’t care about what happened between you and Jack,” he said, speaking as if he had no clue of it all, “whenever you’re ready to tell me, I’ll listen.” He offered a genuine smile before sipping at his glass.