tricks of time ― grayson hawthorne [the inheritance games]

002. COLD WELCOMING

As the car door opened, my mouth fell agape. Hawthorne House was perched up on a hill. Massive. Sprawling. It looked like a castle— more suited to royalty than ranch country. There were a half dozen cars parked out front and one beat-up motorcycle that looked like it had been from hell and back. 

"This is your house?" I asked Grayson in clear disbelief. With him by my side like this, I only now realize how tall he really is.

"So now you talk to me," he said with a smirk. 

"Not funny," I responded. 

As I entered the house, I was taken aback by the majestic inside. It looked nothing short of a palace. 

The moment Leslie and I walked past security, a dark-haired lady in an all-white power suit greeted us. "Ms. Adler," she said. She nodded at me first, then to Leslie, before repeating the greeting. "Ms. Adler." She turned, clearly expecting us to follow, and we did.

"I'm Alisa Ortega from McNamara, Ortega, and Jones," she introduced herself. She took another moment before casting a sidelong glance at me. "You are a really difficult young woman to contact."

I shrugged with a grin. "I live in my car." 

To the side of me, Leslie went beet red. "She doesn't actually live there," she said, but as Alisa's eyebrow raised, she drew in a breath. "Tell her you don't," she whispered, but I didn't pay attention. 

"We're so glad you could make it." She didn't wait for me to tell her anything. "During your time in Texas, you're to consider yourselves guests of the Hawthorne family. I'll be your liaison to the firm. Anything you need while you're here, come to me. Got that?" 

We both nodded at her, synchronized. She turned back to both of us, locking eyes with me again. 

"Is there anything I can do for you?" 

I grinned, taking my chance. "What's does the will contain?" 

She laughed lightly at me, but oddly, it seemed fake. 

"That, I do not know," she said. "But you'll find out what's in the will soon enough. Once you freshen up a bit, the will's set to read." Alisa told us, "You'll have your pick of bedrooms. Mr. Hawthorne purchased the site on which the House stands more than fifty years ago and spent each of those years building to the architectural masterpiece he created there. I've lost count of how many bedrooms there are, but it's at least thirty. Hawthorne House is special." 

I pressed my luck, hoping for more details. Do you have any idea why I'm here?" I asked. "Why he'd leave me anything at all?"

"Are you the world-saving type?" Alisa asked, like that was a perfectly ordinary question. 

"No?" I guessed. 

"Ever had your life ruined by someone with the last name Hawthorne?" Alisa continued.

I stared at her, then managed to answer more confidently this time. "No."

Alisa smiled, but it didn't seem quite naive. "Lucky you."

Just at that moment, Grayson appeared again. Yet this time, he was fully changed in a black suit, rather the grey one he was wearing just minutes ago. 

"You." Alisa greeted him with a steely-eyed look. 

"I take it I'm not forgiven for interfering?" Grayson asked.

"You're eighteen," Alisa retorted. "Would it kill you to act like it?"

"It might." Grayson flashed his teeth in a smile. "And you're welcome."