A Ruthless Game | Grayson Hawthorne x reader

07

Jameson and I had been working for 15 minutes when Grayson walked. He was wearing a white button down that was lazily tucked in with the sleeves rolled up. All I could do was stare at him.

"What are we doing here?" he asked Jameson, refusing to acknowledge my presence.

"There is no we," Jameson said pointing at his brother then at himself.

"Can't an older brother spend time with his younger brother and an interloper of dubious intentions without getting the third degree?"

"He still doesn't trust me with you," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yes, because I need you to protect me. As history would tell, you're not very good at protecting people."

Was he talking about Emily? I wondered.

"What are we doing?" Grayson repeated. His body was tense now.

"Heiress and I are following a hunch, doubtlessly wasting sinful amounts of time in what I'm sure you would consider to be nonsensical flapdoodle."

"Nobody talks like that," Grayson looked to be over Jameson's inability to be serious. "What are you two looking for?"

"We think that your grandfather left a clue as to why he...well you know," I answered.

Grayson had daggers in his eyes as he looked at me for the first time since entering the room. "I didn't ask you."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Jameson spoke first. "Think about it, Grayson, this is the exact thing that he would do." His tone was hopeful. "One last game."

     Grayson didn't say anything. The wishful tone was tone in Jameson voice when he spoke again. "You can leave whenever, Grayson."

     Grayson didn't move. "Better the devil you know the devil you don't, right?" He shot me a quick glance. "Or is it? Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

      Jameson looked hopeful once again. "He left you the same clue."

     "It's not a clue, Jamie."

      "Oh, but you don't really believe that." Jameson looked at me. "A judge might though."

     Jameson was telling me that Grayson would use his letter to challenge the will, but it didn't matter. Alisa told me there was nothing any of them could do. "There's a second will," I spoke. "One your grandfather had for the last 20 years. In that one, he left your family even less." I looked at Grayson as I continued. "He didn't disinherit you because of me. He had done in long before any of us were even born. After your uncle died."

      Jameson looked at me. "That's not true."

     "It is," Grayson said. We had been staring each other for a minute or so now. He quickly looked away and over at Jameson. "Tell me what you think the message means."

     "Oh where's the fun in that?" Jameson questioned.

     "I can stay here with you two the entire night and watch what you do. I think you forget, Jamie, I was raised the same as you."

     "I think it's up to the interloper with dubious intentions if you can stay here," Jameson pointed out. The pair were looking at me once again, and I just stood there with a dumb look on my face. "Well, Heiress?"

"He can stay." I didn't want Grayson to dislike me anymore, and quite frankly we could use the extra set of hands.

"Well that's disappointing," Jameson voiced.