𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓, gossip girl

𝟏𝟐. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧

"What are you doing here?" Nate squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"I'm going to buy some art at this supper cool gallery...?" Gwen meant to utter an affirmation but her tone made it sound more like a question.

"I thought you were at your grandparents' place in Hudson Valley."

"I was." the girl nodded trying to come up with a convincing excuse, but, honestly, it was a useless task so she just sighed and walked towards the gallery's door. "Let's just get in."

Nate couldn't be more confused, what the hell were Vanessa and Gwen up to? Since when the two girls even exchanged more than two words towards each other? Nevertheless, the Archibald boy followed his cousin only to find not just Vanessa but also Chuck waiting for him.

"You know, when you called I thought it was an emergency. Obviously, I was wrong."

"It's more like an intervention." Vanessa said with a worried glance.

"It's totally like an intervention." Gwendolyn muttered standing behind Nate with her arms crossed.

"There's someone you need to talk to." Chuck stood from the chair he was occupying and subtly pointed with his head towards a guy who entered the place looking like he had a lot to say.

"The FBI knows that your dad is in town and they think he's about to commit a crime even worst than fraud or embalmment." the Brooklyn girl explained.

"Like what?"

"Like extortion and kidnapping."

-ˋˏ ༻ 🎾 ༺ ˎˊ-

"𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 escaped to Dominica he could only get his hands on enough money to get himself set up." the FBI agent told the Archibald boy was the two of them plus the three worried friends sat at a round table. "He should've found a job, reinvented himself. But instead, he lived the way he'd always lived. Now he's got nothing left."

"Yeah, well, if my father's poor, what's the point of us going to live with him?" Nate argued. "We don't have any money."

"But the Vanderbilts do." Chuck added.

"Why would my grandparents pay us to go live when they can't even help us out here?" at this point all of Nate's brain cells were going insane with the amount of information about his family he was receiving. "I mean they hate my dad."

"Maybe that's why they would give him money." Vanessa suggested. "To live without you and your mom."

"You know the extends our grandfather would go to get what he wants, Nate." Gwen said in a low voice, she hated to talk about how ruthless William Vanderbilt could be. "And right now, he wants distance from the scandal that comes with your dad."

"We've been monitoring your father's calls." informed the FBI Agent. "He's trying to get in touch with your grandparents."

"If this is true, why didn't you come to tell me this yourself?"

"We didn't know if you or your mother knew what was going on." the man admitted making Nathaniel scoff. "After all, she helped him escape in the first place."

"But I told him I didn't think you would just leave New York."

"Especially without saying goodbye to your friends." the Bass heir arched an inquisitive eyebrow towards his best friend.

"And family." Gwendolyn added.

"I'll let the four of you talk it over." the FBI man stood and left the room.