𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 || 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

Eight

❥ "𝐒𝐎 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐆𝐎 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍, 𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐘?"

Landon stared at me until I spoke, "I'm very grateful and excited to be here." She frowned.

"You say that every time," She looked down at her notebook and scribbled something on the paper. She had been scribbling all freaking morning. "Listen, we don't have much time anymore so maybe Grayson can help you?"

Yay.

After we got back from True North this morning, i've had no time to relax. I was thrown into an interview. Avery just had hers with Jameson, and from what I heard these interviewers do not play nice.

There was a knock at the door. "That must be them," Landon looked between me and Grayson. "Do good please? You know what to do."

No. I don't.

Landon walked towards the door and the silence between me and Grayson was apparent.

"This shouldn't be bad." He said.

I scoffed. "For you," The Heir Apparent. "Haven't you been doing this since you were born?" Tobias Hawthorne had practically groomed them for this moment. Hawthorne's knew what to say and what not to say.

"If we're being technical," Grayson said, flicking a piece of lint off his shirt, "You were too."

Dammit. Luckily, I didn't have to respond to that because the interviewer walked in with a clipboard and pen.

Here goes nothing!
—
❥

"Grayson, how has it been for a mystery girl to snatch a foundation from right under you?" Ouch.

Graysons face remained the same. "It was definitely a shock, but, Evelyn has been amazing with the foundation," He gulped. "I don't think anyone could have done better with it."

I stifled the laugh threatening to leave my throat. I don't think anybody could have not done better with it. "Is something funny Ms. Grambs?"

Shit. "Um— no. Nothing at all."

The lady nodded. "So, how has it been to go from rags to riches? It's like a Cinderella story."

Something like that. "Well, me and my sisters were definitely shocked at first, but the Hawthorne's have been amazing to us." That was partly true, besides Skye trying to kill me and Avery.

"Right," The lady looked down at her clipboard again. "So— let's talk about your family life."

My shoulders tensed at the words. There was nothing to talk about there.

Still, two words rang in my mind.

Stop it, Grant Ruth is not your family.

"Evelyn, do you and your sister Avery still talk to Ricky Grambs?" Ricky.

My comfort level, which was about zero was evident to everyone in the room. "Ricky— yeah. Um, not much."

"Or perhaps.. Grant Ruth rings a bell?"

Grayson stood up. "You have no right."

How does she know? Grant Ruth was only something the core members of Hawthorne House had known about.

"There's circulation that he's alive, as well as his daughter. Funny enough that all roads lead back to her," She said the word her like I was some poison or disease.

She looked me dead in the eye. "Is it true? Do you have a connection to Grant Ruth? The man responsible for countless indictments, crimes—"

"Evie, let's go." Grayson gently grabbed my arm and without a fight I walked toward the door with him. The lady followed us out the door.

"Ms. Grambs, if you are hiding the truth about Grant Ruth, that could be a federal offense. Who is he to you? Could it be possible? Are you his daughter?"

It was like all time stopped. My body froze, and the words daughter had hitched a permanent ride in my brain. That was the first time someone had.. said it.

The cameras were all over us, and Alisa and Oren might hate me for this. For life.

In haste, I turned around and said, "Grant Ruth is my—"

Lips on mine.

Grayson Hawthorne's lips were on mine. His hand was on my cheek, pushing a strand of hair out of my face. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

It was so different than any other kiss we'd had— first in the bathroom, then in the wine cellar. They were all private and isolated where nobody would see us.

But now everyone would. Grayson Hawthorne had just kissed me in front of the public— the whole world. Picture after picture. Memory after memory—

"You two are..?" The lady had her mouth wide opened.

Grayson let go of me, his lips red and cheeks flushed. Unspoken words hung between us. There was nothing left to be said.

"Evelyn!" Avery came running out the side door. "We have to go, now."
—
❥

"Wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?" Oren said once the car door shut. Grayson sat beside me, looking like he had just seen a ghost. He would not look at me. Anywhere but at me.

Avery sat in the front. Concern was etched on her face. "Evelyn?"

I shook my head. "She started asking me about Grant Ruth. She said hiding the truth about him was a federal offense." It was too much, all of it. My brain could not catch up with my head and my heartbeat was accelerating.

"That's not what i'm talking about." Oren looked between me and Grayson in the mirror. The kiss.

"It was a diversion," Grayson finally spoke, but all the wrong words came out of his mouth. "I needed to do something. They were catching on too quick."

Way to fucking break my heart into a million little pieces.

Avery looked just as broken as I did. For me. "Jamesons already back at Hawthorne House, we need to hurry."
—
❥

"If that didn't send a message to Sheffield Grayson, I don't know what will," Xander said, scrolling through the numerous articles that had been posted in the last hour. Me and Grayson. Kissing. "These are good."

Grayson was at the other end of the room, staring at everything but me. He still looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Oren walked into the room right on cue, saving me from any more awkward interactions. "Evelyn, there's a package for you." Oren held up a a brown box.

I took the box from Oren and placed it on the table. Breathe. Opening it up, my heart rate accelerated. It was a note.

From Grant Ruth.
—
❥

a/n:

guys there's not many chapters left of this act omfg. then we have act 3 with the final gambit which is gonna be soooo fun. evelyn meets other (annoying, lesser) evelyn. also i'm posting my Jameson fic soon so PLEASEE check that out. I plotted it and it's gonna be good.