"Hm"

I turned to face the girl standing by my locker.

It was Eva.

She twisted strands of her curled hair as she stared at me, waiting for something. I didn't say a word.

"Ahem," she repeated as if it would get me to speak to her. I saw her lips purse as a thin line of anger appeared on her face.

I just stared at her, looking bored.

"Are you going to say something?" she spat. It was so simple to get her angry. It was the trait she got from her dad; if one thing didn't go her way, the world ended.

I sighed as I grabbed my criminology textbook and shut the locker door. I spotted Anika down the hall with a grin on her face. She knew it was going down today.

Eva crossed her arms. "Anna, what is wrong with you? Can you even hear me?"

"Unfortunately, can you please go away now."

I heard her audible gasp. The sound irritated me. It was like a cartoon character was in the real world.

"What is your problem?" The anger bubbled up, her face reddening slightly.

I locked eyes with her, expressionless, "Take a guess, and go away."

At that moment, she looked as if she would scream and shout, trying to kick me to the ground. But she didn't get a word in before Anika was right beside me, pulling me to class.

"Guess who's queen bee now?" she said, bumping my shoulder. "Seriously, you definitely won that."

I shot her a sideways glance. "I don't lose."

A short laugh erupted from her throat, "Now I know."

—------------------------

I needed a break.

Everything was swirling around in my brain, connecting every little dot.

For my free period, I decided to work on my cold case. I had done every little research on Amerie and had finally nailed down three suspects for Daniel Brown.

Her ex-boyfriend, Kyle Jenkins

Her ex-best friend, Lisa Mayor

Or her history teacher, Sebastian Brawn.

I could not think straight anymore; everything just kept getting muddled up. I needed to sleep more. Or just have normal friends and an actual family.

I made my way to the top of the art block. It was quiet up there unless Jameson was doing something dumb.

As I climbed up the stairs to the door, I saw a man banging on the door, looking defeated.

I cocked my head and stared at him. I had heard Avery got a new private bodyguard for school. I didn't think he would be this depressing.

You had a job to do, and you failed again. If you had been smarted in school or put in effort, maybe you wouldn't have been here. You should have helped your sister, but you didn't. You left her alone. You still don't deserve this.

"Hello, do you know how you open the door?" He looked at me, slightly embarrassed.

I frowned. "I'm going to go in, and you're not going to follow me. You'll wait outside till Avery is done."

"Is my job-"

I cut him off, "You aren't very good then."

I unlocked the door and shut it before he could even get close. Something was off about that guy.

As soon I looked out on the rooftop, I saw Avery and Jameson sidled up together, hitting golf balls. What a cute couple of kids, right?

"Seriously, Jamie."

"What do you need, Anna?" he said, turning his head towards me, not moving his arms off Avery "I promise I'll tell you everything. Like how we are all one team now."

"And I agreed to this?"

He finally pulled away fromAveryy and walked towards me. "Yes, you're on my team, and now Heiress is too."

I shook my head. "Everything you are thinking right now is wrong."

Avery tilted her head slightly. She thought she had the answer. She didn't understand why I knew she didn't.

"I dare you to tell us why," Jameosne said at once. I could tell he had been thinking about something better. He was wasting it.

"Are you seriously using it for this?" I asked him, crossing my arms.

He smirked. "I'll have many more to use."

I huffed out a short breath. "First of all, it's completely illogical that Toby had a random kid out of nowhere, and your grandfather didn't do anything about it. Second, Toby was on the run because he was assumed to be dead. How was he supposed to casually have a child? Finally," I turned to look at Avery. "It seems like you might as well have no father than that man as your dad."

In a short moment, Avery looks completely determined. "What happens if he is my father?"

"If Toby is your biological father, I'll give you my inheritance; if not, you owe me a favor."

"Deal"

The challenge is utterly ridiculous. I will win, and Avery will be upset. The girl needs to learn when to stop.

Jameson lowers his lips to her ear, "You just made a deal with the devil."

I could see her body fight a shiver, and a look of pure attraction was plastered on her face. Disgusting.

"Where do we go now, Anna?" Jameson looks up to me, his face filled with the same hunger as usual. "I know you know."

"Back to the beginning."

I see the flash of understanding on Avery's face. "The old will."

A small smile slipped across my lips. "Time to call your lawyer."

—---------------------------

Once Avery got off the phone, we realised it would be a few hours before Alisa would let us see the outdated copy. I left shortly after, letting the couple deal with their other problems. It was painful to watch them or be in the same vicinity.

By the time I got back to the main part of school, my phone rang.

Grayosn. It's always Grayson. The person who claims that wants no part in the game.

"What do you want?" I ask with a teasing undertone. If the boy wanted in, all he had to do was ask.

"Why was your mother transferred?"

The question crushed part of my soul. I wanted to forget about everything, and there he was, bringing it up again. He doesn't understand how much I need him to pretend like nothing bad ever happens.

"She wanted to be," I replied with no emotion. I wish I was angry at her, but I just couldn't be.

His voice was sharp, "You didn't think to mention it."

"It is not that relevant."

I heard the clicking sound of a pen on his end of the line before he spoke, "It is very relevant."

I felt my eyes roll. "Not to me."

I wanted him to shut up. I wanted him to just say something else, tell me something I wanted him to hear. Grayson only ever spoke to me if he had a specific reason. It was always for this. It was always about something horrible.

"I need to go now."

I heard the same clicking pen noise. "Annabelle."

"Bye."

—----------------------

When I reached the firm, Xander was already out the front.

"Nice to see you here, Anna," he called out to me.

I frowned at him. "Are you going to be causing trouble?"

He smiled, "I think the question is are YOU going to be causing trouble."

"Take a guess." I moved to stand next to him to wait for the other pair. "It won't be too bad."

His smile cracked into a heartily laugh. Xander was something special. No matter how much he thought the world could hate him, anyone who spent a single second talking to him would see how amazing Alexander Hawhtonre was.

Together, we watch the SUV drive in, dropping Avery and Jameson off. They whispered to each other for a minuet before jameosn raised his voice.

"And he better not have me bugged."

He definitely did. I saw the pure excitement on Xander's face as it was mentioned. You can't hate the player, only the game.

"It's a wonderful day for looking at legal documents," Xander replied cheerfully, avoiding answering the previous comment.

There was not a single word uttered as we were led to the legal documents. It was a strange, comforting silence.

"I'll leave the door open," Alisa announced as she took a position right outside the door.

"Would you close the door if I promised very sincerely not to ravish your client?" Jameosn asked, an obvious smirk spreading across his face.

"Jameson!" Avery hissed, slightly embarrassed.

Alisa glanced back at him and rolled her eyes. "I've literally known you since you were in diapers," she told Jameson. "And you have always been trouble."

The doorways are not going to be closed.

Jameson cut his eyes to Avery, giving her a little shrug. "Guilty as charged."

"Shut up, puzzle boy," I said, pushing past the two of them to get to the will first. In the next seconds, everyone crowded around it.

I, Tobias Tattersall Hawthorne, being of sound body and mind, decree that my worldly possessions, including all monetary and physical assets, be disposed of as follows:

In the event that I predecease my wife, Alice O'Day Hawthorne, all my assets and worldly possessions shall be bequeathed unto her.

In the event that Alice O'Day Hawthorne predeceases me, the terms of my will shall be as

follows:

To Andrew and Lottie Laughlin, for years of loyal service, I bequeath a sum of one hundred thousand dollars apiece, with lifelong, rent-free tenancy granted in Wayback Cottage, located on the western border of my Texas estate.

The first section of the will was the same. The Laughins were always going to get the Wayback Cottage.

To my daughter Skye Hawthorne, I leave my compass, may she always know true north.

To my daughter Zara, I leave my wedding ring, may she love as wholly and steadfastly as I

loved her mother.

The second part was similar as well, excluding money for their debts. He had the puzzle ready for them if they ever wanted to solve it.

The remainder of my estate, including all properties, monetary assets, and worldly possessions not otherwise specified, is to be liquefied and the proceeds split equally among the following charities...

The list of charities went on for a long while.

"Your grandmother was in on it," Avery told us, scanning through the will.

"She died right before Grayson was born," Jameson said. "Everyone says the grief over Toby killed her."

"There are only two major differences between this will and the last one," Avery claimed, her eyes not leaving the page.

"You aren't in this one." Xander ticked off the first. "Which, barring time travel, makes sense, given that you weren't born until three years after it was written."

"And the charities." Jameson was in laser-focus mode. The possibilities of what came next raced through his mind. "If there's a clue in here, it's in that list."

Xander grinned, looking between the two of us. "And you know what that means, right?"

I sighed. "I don't feel like this today."

"What?" Avery asked, curiosity racing through her.

Jameson turned to Avery and sighed theatrically. "Don't mind me. This is what I look like when I'm preparing to be painfully bored and predictably annoyed. If we want the rundown on the charities on this list, there's an efficient way of getting it. Prepare yourself for a lecture, Heiress."

"Grayson."

A/n

Thank you for reading :)