Inheritance Of Secrets

Punctual

"I think not," Grayson replied. "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." He let those words hang in the air. "Or is it? Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I felt my gaze then immediately rest on Jameson. His body completely stopped moving, like he was frozen in some way.

"He left you the same message," Jameson said finally, pushing off the doorway and pacing the room. "The same clue. Annabelle, what about you? Did you get the same letter?"

"No," I say bluntly.

"It's not a clue, Jameson," Grayson countered. "It's an indication that he wasn't in his right mind."

Jameson whirled at him. "You don't believe that." He stared Grayson down, reading into the reaction of the words he spoke. "But a judge might." Jameson shot a look at Avery to warn her, "He'll use his letter against you if he can."

I wanted to say something to both of them. I didn't know what to say, so I watched them. I watched their expressions and how they changed throughout the conversation when something was said.

You need to figure out this puzzle. You need to know he did care; it wasn't all for nothing. You need to know that he didn't just do this because you disappointed him.

"There was another will before this one," Avery says while looking between all of us. "Your grandfather left your family even less in that one. He didn't disinherit you for me." She stared deep into Grayson's eyes when she said it, "He disinherited the entire Hawthorne family before you were even born—right after your uncle died."

Jameson stopped pacing. "You're lying." His entire body was tense.

"She's not Jamie," I say. He turns to me, and I see the confusion and hurt in his eyes. "Avery hasn't lied once. Well, she did lie once, but it had nothing to do with Hawthorne stuff."

The room is so silent. Feel as though you could hear any small noises. I see Grayson studying me. His head tilted slightly, and his left eye squinted a tiny bit. He wonders what Avery did lie about and why I didn't think it was relevant to tell.

Grayson breaks the silence. "You may as well tell me what you think that godforsaken letter means, Jamie."

"And why," Jameson said through gritted teeth, "would I give away the game like that?"

"You do realise, Jamie, that I am capable of staying here with the two of you in this room indefinitely?" Grayson said. "As soon as I see what you're up to, you know I'll reason it out. I was raised to play, same as you."

Jameson stared at his brother, then smiled wide. "It's up to the interloper of dubious intentions." His smile turned to a smirk.

He wants Avery to decide. He wants to know how she feels about the people in this house and if he is her favourite.

"He can stay," she says in a whisper. I don't really understand why she would want him here.

Before the room can fall into silence, Jameson says, "All right, Heiress. As you wish."

"Are you two going to be civil?" I ask, knowing that the answer is one that I do not want.

Jameson gives me a wide smile and replies, "Only mildly."

"Better than nothing," I mumble. I stand up and start pulling out books and flipping through them.

"What are you doing, Anna?" Jameson asks.

"If I'm going to have to supervise this endeavour, I might as well help look." Jameson smiles wide. This is a true Jameson Hawthorne smile. He is actually happy that I am helping.

A/n 

Ethan gets better okay. I'm trying to make him the loveable little brother who hates all the Hawthorne's  (Especially Grayson and Jameson). First he has to be worried to set it up for the next part. 

Thank you all so much for reading. It makes me so happy to know that people actually like what I am writing and this storyline.

Hope you liked it.