The paparazzi had crowded us in from the second we stepped out of the car. They continued to try and push past the bodyguards who were trying to get us safely through to the boutique. I could only hear the flashes of cameras and their barrage of questions.

"Avery, do you know what you are wearing to tonight's event?"

"Avery, why did you get the inheritance?"

"Annabelle, can you disclose any hidden terms that Mr Hawthorne gave you?"

"Annabelle, why did you get more money than the grandson for Mr Hawthorne?"

"Avery, how did you know Tobias Hathorne and his family?"

The flashes were becoming blinding as we walked through the crowd of journalists.

I felt Alisa grab my arm, "Once you are inside Oren needs to talk to you."

—--------------------------

"Oren, you wanted to see me," I state as I walk up to him once were get inside the building. 

His face remained stone cold. I could feel the different scenarios of everything going wrong today. He was a bit of an overthinker.

"We are letting today's car be a decoy for Avery's shooter. We should have an incident later today when we are driving back from the boutique." He continues not daring to show an ounce of emotion, "I trust you know how to keep things to yourself."

I nodded, "The shooter suspect is Drake Sanders. Am I right?" I shot him a sly smile, "Who am I kidding of course I am."

Oren scowled unimpressed with my unserious attitude, "Back to dress shopping Ms Casey."

"So serious Oren. Maybe you should start hanging out with Zara again." I watched as his body completely froze in place, "I really do know everything. Don't worry it will stay a secret unless you don't want it to?"

Oren relaxed and straightened up, "I trust your digression."

"And you have it. Bye-bye, Oren."

He didn't say goodbye back. He was instead walking past me to whisper something in another guard's ear.

Today was something.

—----------------------------------

"Anything you like Ms. Casey," The sales attendant asked politely. I could tell how thrilled she was that she was chosen to work today.

I was quiet for a second before responding, "Something navy blue and I would prefer an A-line dress."

She frowned for the slightest second before replying to me, "I'll see what we have."

"Thank you," I told the judgmental sales lady before walking towards Thea and Avery.

"Green," Thea told Avery pulling an evening gown from the rack. "Emerald, to match your eyes."

"My eyes are hazel," Avery replied flatly. She turned from the dress Thea was holding up to look at the sales attendant. "Do you have anything less low-cut?"

"You prefer higher cuts?" This sales attendant seemed to be even more judgmental than mine. However, high cuts tend to ruin some looks.

"Something that covers my collarbone," Avery spoke while shooting a stern look at Alisa.

"You heard Ms Grambs," Alisa said firmly to the sales attendant. "And Thea is right—bring us something green."

I stepped beside her to join the conversation, "Are we sure we should be listening to Thea? Something tells me she does not have anyone's best interest at heart."

Avery frowned and Thea stepped into rebuttal, "I Think green is a spectacular colour for Avey."

"Just something to think about." I walked off to see what the attendant had found for me. The longer Thea was here controlling everything the more time I would have to figure out what she had planned. It would be something devastating. Something That Thea would have loved to script. 

—---------------------------------------

As soon as the three of us slid back to our spots and the car started to head back to the house Thea began her question.

"Have you thought about hair and makeup?" she asked Avery.

Thea is controlling something that will happen tonight. The green dress. Avery's not-so-green eyes. Ideas for hair and makeup. Emily.

She wanted Avery to look like Emily.

I lean forward in my seat to see Avery's eye roll as she comments, "Constantly, these days, I think of literally nothing else. A girl has to have her priorities in order."

I watched as Thea smiled. "And here I was thinking your priorities all had the last name, Hawthorne."

She didn't seem to mind that her plan would have extreme effects on everyone. She didn't care how much this would hurt anyone. She wanted revenge. She wanted someone to blame but herself.

The problem was that I could understand her. I understood that revenge was something that had to happen for her to heal.

Maybe I would have to leave it alone.

"That's not true," Avery claimed in an extremely defensive tone. It seemed to prove the fact That Thea might actually be right. She didn't lie outrightly but there was hesitation in her voice.

I sunk back into my seat. In a few moments, we would probably be on the verge of a car crash. From what Thea and Avery are currently going on about and how Oren required my digression for both incidents I assume that neither of them knows.

With a sudden jolt of the car, It swerved. Panic seeped into both girl's faces as they put together what could be happening. The bodyguard next to Oren ready his gun in case of further damage and Oren gripped the wheel. Neither of them seemed to panic at all with training and fighting in the military setting keeping their composure relaxed.

I tightened my hand on the side of the car door to prevent further cashing around as Oren swerved again. He proceeded to speed up, switching into the left lane. As I looked through the window, I saw the flash of the car behind us. The car followed us mirroring our speed before going faster to crash into the back of the SUV. With one swift turn, we were headed the opposite way.

I looked back to see police had surrounded the car. They lost. To be honest they never even had a shot.

After Oren slowed down the pace of the car continuing our route home Avery stopped screaming. The panic stayed with her when she tried to utter the words, "What the hell was that?"

"That," Oren replied calmly, staring right out to the road, "was someone taking the bait."

Avery spun around to Alisa, "What is he talking about?"

"The point was to get you seen so everyone would know where you were," I explained cutting Alisa off. She tended to make things worse in situations like these.

"You used me as bait?" Avery yelled at the two of them.

There was a pause before Thea was finally able to speak. "What the hell is going on here?"

Oren exited the highway and slowed to a stop at a red light. "Yes," he told Avery apologetically, "we used you—and ourselves—as bait." He glanced toward Thea and answered her question. "There was an attack on Avery two days ago. Our friends at the police station agreed to play this my way."

"Your way could have killed us!" Avery didn't calm down but she seemed to be getting louder.

"We had backup," Oren tried to assure her. "My people, as well as the police. I won't tell you that you weren't in danger, but the situation being what it was, the danger was not a possibility that could be eliminated. There were no good options. You had to continue living in that house. Instead of waiting for another attack, Alisa and I engineered what looked like a prime opportunity. Now, maybe we can get some answers."

"You could have told me," Avery exclaimed roughly

I scoffed, "What, so you would panic even more and refuse to do something that could help solve your attack."

She stared at me for a second, "You knew."

Before I could respond Alisa interjected, "It was better, that you didn't know. Annabelle is right."

"Did Rebecca know about the attack?" Thea asked, her voice shaking the slightest. "Is that why she's been so upset?"

"Oren." Alisa ignored Them. "Did they apprehend the driver?"

"They did." Oren paused, looking directly at Avery in the rearview mirror, his eyes softening in a way that greatly affected her. "Avery, it was your sister's boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend," She corrected almost immediately, her voice catching in her throat.

"I knew it," I smiled.

No one commented. I only received a deathly glare from Alisa.

Oren continued to explain to Avery, "They found a rifle in his trunk that, at least preliminarily, matches the bullets. The police will be wanting to talk to your sister."

"What? Why?" She panicked.

"If Drake was the shooter, someone would have had to sneak him onto the estate." Alisa somehow spoke the sentence with such caution trying to tiptoe around Avery's emotions.

I looked towards Avery as Alisa placed her hand on Avery's shoulder, "If something happens to you—even without a will—your sister and your father are your heirs."

A/n 

I kinda hate this but it was going to be a little boring anyway. Sorry its short I could not write. 

My exam results are coming back and I actually did well on most of them. Ignoring geography because that is impossible. 

Thank you for reading.