𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 || 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

Six

❥ "𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌." Grayson said, sitting on the bed. He was still in a suit— don't ask me why— but I assumed he would be changing soon.

Like a normal person.

"Xander told me this one was nice," I looked around, acknowledging the fact that he'd been right about that. This room was amazing. The wooden walls had carved in designs on them, and antique furniture was littered all around the room. It felt warm.

"Right," Grayson cleared his throat. "We're all meeting downstairs in a few, would you like to join?"

"Yep." I said, popping the P. That was becoming a nasty habit.

Just as I thought Grayson was about to walk away, he spoke, "I don't want things to be awkward  between us." This conversation was not what I needed right now. He wasn't what I needed right now.

I didn't look at him. "Grayson—"

"Why are you running from me?"

Not for the first time with Grayson Davenport Hawthorne, I was speechless. He really said I was running from him?

He started running long before me.

And I had reason to run. Everything about my life was a lie, including the people I trusted. He clearly wasn't over his dead ex, so why should I be so trusting of him?

"I am not running from you," I turned around, finally looking him in the eye. "You know why this has to happen."

"Because of one forbidden kiss in a wine cellar?" Graysons patience was thinning the more we stood in this room that had suddenly become extremely hot. Didn't he get it? I had to do this. I needed answers about who I was and all he was doing was sidetracking me.

"Grayson," I said, attempting to make my tone as stern as possible. "If you were really over Emily, you would have stopped me that day in the wine cellar."

He said nothing. Grayson Davenport Hawthorne saying nothing was as rare as you could get. So instead of using words, he straightened out his suit, cleared his throat, and walked out of the room.

Seconds later, Jameson rushed into the room and replaced the spot Grayson had been in.

"Jameson, I swear—"

"This is serious," Jameson said, his eyes wide and desperate. He was hungry. And if he wasn't going to Avery about this, I knew one thing.

It had to be about my father.
—
❥

"You may not remember this, but me and the boys used to fight for your attention," Jameson said, skimming through the books on the wall. He said it as if it was nothing, as if it wasn't the one thing I had been clinging onto. Answers. The promise of them was the only thing keeping me sane.

"And?"

Jameson pulled a book out of the shelf. "You were always good at the old man's riddles. His games." Dammit Jameson, give me something.

"I told you i'm not going to play your game," I had made that apparent. "Unless you give me some answers." Jameson ignored my demand— treating it like a request. He began flipping through the pages until he stopped at the page with a pink sticky note attached to the top.

"Bingo."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Me and Avery found a riddle earlier," Jameson pulled a note out of his pocket. Handing it to me, I read each word on the page like my life depended on it.

Secrets, lies,
all I despise.
The tree is poison,
Don't you see?
It poisoned S and Z and me.
The evidence I stole
Is in the darkest hole.
Light shall reveal all
I writ upon the..

I re-read the passage over and over, hoping the last word would appear on the page. Upon the what?

"Look at this," Jameson took the note out of my hand, shoving it back into his pocket. He placed the book in front of me, and I took notice of the highlighted letters right below the pink slip.

Her name is power.

There were only three letters highlighted in the sentence. E, S, and R. (Her name is power.)

"ESR. What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned, looking Jameson in the eyes. His green eyes pierced through my hazel ones, and the look on his face was knowing.

Too knowing.

"Evangeline Sage Ruth," Jameson clarified for me. And just like that, my castles crumbled and everything I thought I knew once again was questioned. Jeopardized.

There was no more time for games. "Jameson, you need to tell me everything you know about my mother and father."

Jameson smirked, a very Hawthorne smirk that could send people spiraling. "I am so glad you asked."
—
❥

Here's what i've gathered:

My mother's name was Sage, which explains the middle name. Jameson didn't know much, but after years of sneaking around Tobias wing, he discovered more than he was supposed to.

She was an outsider. A complete outsider. She was poor, and had little to no money. Tobias hated it, everyone did. My father was Tobias Hawthorne's most trusted bodyguard. His father— my grandfather— was best friends with Tobias. So my parents union was not Hawthorne approved.

One thing led to another, and then my mom was pregnant with me. No matter how cruel Tobias could be— this was one of his most trusted guards children— and that changed everything.

I was taken out of my mother's hands at birth, and I grew up at Hawthorne House for seven years. Grant tried to sneak Sage visits with me, but Tobias caught wind of it and ended things.

"So, what happened to her?" I asked.

Jameson rand a hand through his hair. "I don't want to freak you out," he sighed, "but I think—"

"Are we interrupting something?" Graysons stood in the doorway, his legs and arms both crossed over each other. My body tensed. Avery was right next to him, and she held the same expression he did.

"We were just.. having a tea sesh."

Avery narrowed her eyes at Jameson. "A tea sesh? Since when did you two—"

"Xander is ready for all of us," Grayson said, cutting Avery off. Without another word, he exited the room in a Grayson Hawthorne fashion.

Kill me now.
—

a/n:

just living (struggling) through the graysonevelyn angst 🥲

also thank you all for 4.5K reads on this story 🩷🤞🏻 grateful that y'all have taken the time to read this!!