I wake up later than usual, yet I feel as though I got no sleep at all. I reach for my phone for any messages. Grayson sent me a message. But there is also a missed call from my brother. I decided to call him back instead of replying to Gray.

"Hey, Ethan," I said while yawning.

"Finally, you talk to me. Anna, do you realise that you haven't talked to me in ages? Or come home in around a month, probably more." Even on the phone, I know he is annoyed. Maybe I should have just responded to Grayson first.

"I have been really busy lately, E. I am not trying to ignore you. Plus, I texted you yesterday, and the last time we spoke was like four days ago."

"Siblings are supposed to talk every day."

I feel angry at that comment. He understands that he is the only person in that house who I truly consider to be family. He is my brother, but our mum is no mother to me. He is the only reason I have even gone back to that house.

"I'm really sorry I haven't been home. It's harder when I'm there, Ethan, and you know it. I get how you want me there, but your parents don't."

"You mean our parents."

"Same thing; you get what I'm saying."

I hear him take a sharp breath from the other line. "I had to hear from the news that my sister is now a billionaire and the owner of some library. I should have heard it from you."

"I'm sorry, E. I should have told you. I'm still trying to work it out myself."

"Well, you could at least try and tell me." He continued, "Our house has some reporters outside, and it's driving mum crazy. I think I saw her with the meds again An."

I flinch when he says 'mum'. I know I need to be there for him right now, but I don't think I can walk into that house again. When I do eventually go back, I always make sure my mother or Ethan's dad isn't there. Or at least my mother isn't there. I want to be there for him, but I just can't. It's too hard.

"I'll call the clinic to see if they can do a search of the house and drug test her. Talk to your dad and see if he sees anything either." I try to slow my breath to stop my hands from shaking, but it doesn't seem to work.

"Okay, don't call them till I've spoken to dad. She'll get mad at me if you do."

"Of course, E., call me when you've talked to him. Okay." I try to steady my breathing again, and this attempt is much more successful.

"Okay. I'll do it now. Bye Anna,"

"Bye Ethan."

I hang up the phone and drop it immediately. My hands don't stop shaking, and I can't seem to get a hold of my breath. I keep trying to slow down and focus, but I feel so out of control. I can't breath. I try to stand up, but I slip back down to my spot on the floor. I keep trying to get my breath back, but my heart rate just keeps speeding up. I feel like I'm having a heart attack. I hear the ring of my phone that pulls me back to reality, and I am finally able to let out a low, steady breath.

I looked at the caller ID. It's Grayson.

"Hello," I huff out.

"You haven't replied to my message," he said, sounding very annoyed.

"I have been sleeping; I haven't had time to deal with Hawthorne drama." I reply.

"Meet me in the library at 9:32."

"9:32? Why so exact?" I know Grayson likes punctuality, but an exact number.

"It's important, please, Annabelle." Grayson was nearly begging me to go to the library. Strange occurrence.

"Fine." I hung up on him as soon as I could, and I answered him. I really hope he didn't want to talk about the other night.

—————————————————————————————-

When I got to the library at exactly 9:32, as expected, I found Grayson, Avery, and Jameson there too.

Grayson didn't wait a second and turned and asked his brother, "What are we doing today?"

"We?" Jamie shot back at him. He was mad that Grayson would think he even thought he had a right to be here.

Grayson cuffed his sleeves, putting on a face that I could only see as serious, with a mix of excitement. "Can't an older brother spend time with his brother?" he turned to me. "A family friend," he turned back to Avery and Jameson, "and an interloper of dubious intentions without getting their degree?"

I scoffed, walked over to a bookshelf, and pulled out a book. I don't really know what I pulled out. It seemed to be about the serial killer Everett Banks. He killed 14 men and women before being caught. Less than some, but still a lot.

"He doesn't trust me with you," Avery translated from the gibberish that Grayson just spoke.

"I'm such a delicate flower." Jameson's tone was light, but I could see how he was disgusted by the sentence, "In need of protection and constant supervision."

Grayson was undaunted by sarcasm. "So it would seem." He gave a small smile that seemed to force a razor-sharp gaze over the two of them.

"Why am I here then?" I don't know why I am asking. I know it's to check for lies and emotional changes and to profile certain individuals.

"Well, we have to ask Jameson about that. What are we doing today, brother?" His tone seems forced and almost unreal, but it is something you cannot ignore.

"Heiress and I, possibly Annabelle too," Jameson replied pointedly, "are following a hunch, doubtlessly wasting sinful amounts of time on what I'm sure you would consider to be nonsensical flapdoodle."

Jameson was excited. I watched his face carefully. He always had the same face when solving his grandfather's puzzles. His right eye squinted the tiniest bit, and he would bite on the tip of his tongue.

Grayson frowned. "I don't talk like that." He was getting more annoyed at Jamie by the minute.

"You definitely do." I laughed, and Grayson turned to glare at me now.

Grayson then proceeded to narrow his eyes. "And what hunch are the two of you and possibly Annabelle following?"

There was a second of silence before Avery finally spoke. "We think your grandfather's letter to Jameson included a clue about what he was thinking."

She was feeling a little nervous when she said it. I could see it in the way her right eye squinted the tiniest bit as she said it.

"What he was thinking," Grayson repeated, his head tilted the tiniest bit as his gaze stayed on Avery, trying to study her, "and why he left everything to you."

Jameson leaned back against the doorframe. "It sounds like him, doesn't it?" he asked Grayson. "One last game?"

In some way, Jameson wanted his brother to agree with him. Jameson needed to be right sometimes. He was hungry and needed to win, and he needed to beat others to show that he was just as good as his brothers.

"Frankly, Jamie," Grayson commented, "I'm surprised you still feel you know the old man at all."

"I am just full of surprises." Jameson's eyes shifted in a way that let all the excitement he just had disappear. "And you can leave at any time, Gray."

"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.