M4M Grayson Hawthorne x Reader The Inheritance Games

-- Chapter 28 --

Date posted: 2-4-2023. Update: finished editing >_<

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"Are you two turning in for the night?" You turned around to see Oren who just came out of nowhere.

"No." Avery replied, shaking her head.

He looked over to you.

"Nope, sleep is for the weak." You smiled.

Oren nodded without an objection.

You and Avery went to the the door, sadly without a race. From what you could tell since the room was dark, the room seemed to be some sort of performing room. Avery flipped a switch to reveal the entire place. You two continued wandering around until you ended up in another room connected to that one. You guessed it was a room for instruments, but a certain kind of violin looking one caught you eye.

"Hey Avery, look at this, what do you think it is?" You crouched down about to strum it with your hand.

"That's a Stradivarius." A voice that wasn't Avery's spoke. You looked to the door to see Grayson. "You should be careful, Mr. L/n." You spotted the flower you gave him earlier peeking out of his pocket, which he quickly hid with his hand.

"I'm not going to break it, Mr. Hawthrone." You said in a mocking tone.

"You also should be be careful, Ms. Grambs-"

"She's not touching anything." You instantly defended her.

"With Jameson," He continued, looking at Avery. "The last thing my brother needs is you and whatever this is."

"What is your point, Grayson?" You questioned, now standing next to Avery.

"This being me? Or the terms of your grandfather's will?" Avery shot back at Grayson.

"My mother hasn't left her room in days. Xander nearly blew himself up today. Jameson is one bad idea away from ruining his life, and none of us can leave the estate with being hounded by the press. The property damage they've caused alone..."

"Have you ever thought about how it's like for Avery?" You raised an eyebrow. "Do you think she wants these paparazzi watching her every move?"

"She wants the money." He was like a completely different person from the guy who was in a library. "How could she not, growing up the way she did?"

You could see Avery getting angrier by the second. "Like you don't want the money? Growing up the way you did? Maybe I haven't had enough everything handed to me my entire life, but-"

"You have no idea." Grayson said lowly. "How ill prepared you are. A girl like you? And your friend only acts on instinct."

"You don't know her." You spoke up.

"I will." Grayson promised. "I'll know everything about her soon enough." He definitely doesn't seem like the kind of person to go back on his word. "My access to funds might be somewhat limited currently, but the Hawthrone name still means something. There will always be people tripped over themselves to do favors for any one of us."

"Whatever you're hiding, I'll find it. Every last secret. Within days, I'll have a detailed dossier on every person in your life." He focused on Avery. "Your friend." He glanced at you. "Your sister. Your father. Your mother-"

"Don't talk about my mother." You could hear Avery's voice breaking.

"Stay away from my family." Grayson pushed past you and Avery.

You watched Grayson walk away, even you didn't know what to say in that moment.

"Or what?" Avery called. "or what happend to Emily happen to one of us?"

He stopped, and you instantly knew that the girl who died in the house was named Emily. Nothing else would've made him react like that.

"Neither of you will last a month in this house." Grayson said, after managing to pull himself together. "In fact, I'd lay money that you'll be gone within a week."

"We'll prove you wrong, Grayson." You retorted. As long as you were there, death wasn't going to lay a single finger on Avery.

He didn't say another word before he was gone.

"Damn." You said understand breath, surprised about how that went.

"I advise it's best not to bring up Emily again" Oren finally said something from afar, as he was watching the whole thing. "Especially around Grayson and Jameson."

"Was Emily the girl who died?" You asked both Avery and Oren.

Avery answered. "Yeah, Jameson told me earlier."

"I wonder why Grayson acted so weird when I mentioned her." You wondered. You knew she had to mean something to him, like a close friend or maybe closer.

"When were you with Grayson?"

"I was only around him for a like a minute or two." You lied as if you hadn't spent more time around him than her that whole day.

"You didn't really answer me, but fine." Avery accepted your lie.

"This is a rare thing, but I think we should go to bed." You needed it process the fact there was an actual death there.

"How come? I thought you said the sleep was for the weak." A small smile formed on her face.

"Well, I'm not as strong as I thought I was, alright?" You raised an eyebrow, like you were asking her if that was enough of an excuse to go to bed.

"Do you even know your way to your room?"

"I sure as hell don't but I'll figure it out." You walked to the same door you two entered.

"Perfect sense, Y/n." Avery said as you were leaving.

"I know, Ave, I'm a genius." You said before you slightly closed the door.

It may have taken some time but you had eventually found your room. Plus, all the search made you a bit tired.

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Grayson was walking down the halls, trying to not let his thoughts worry him as he twirled the flower you gave him in between your fingers. It was an unexpected gift from you, but it wasn't an unpleasant one. He was expecting you to do anything but apologize for bring up Emily.

"Gray!" Jameson said, both of his hands on Grayson's shoulders from behind him. "What's that?"

"Nothing." He hid the flower in his fist, holding it a little too tight.

"Come on, Gray, I know what's up. It's that friend of mystery girl huh?" Jameson grinned.

"No, of course not." He put the carnation in his pocket. "It's just that boy is making things difficult. I'm afraid that if he's exposed to the public, he'd only make everything worse. We can't have him becoming popular like how Avery is." Grayson had been able to take down THAT photo of you and him, but there was still theories out there about you and Avery.

"Oh, don't worry my brother. You still a chance with him, trust me." Jameson physically turned his brother around.

"That's not what I meant." Grayson said but he was quickly silenced by Jameson.

"Of course that's not what you meant, Gray." Jameson grinned. "Now show me what you were holding earlier, and I'll quit it."

"If that's what it takes." Grayson took out the now slightly crushed flower.

"I'm guessing y/n gave this to you." Jameson said, about to try to take te flower from Grayson until he saw the way his brother's hand moved back a bit. "You know what red carnations mean right?"

"I know, but I also know Mr. L/n doesn't." Grayson sighed.

"Poor poor clueless Y/n." Jameson pretended to frown before he smiled.

"It's not like I accepted it that way." He put the flower back into his pocket.

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*outro music*

Edit: Do you guys need me to tell you the meaning of red carnations, or would you rather search it up yourself?