"ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ, ᴡᴇ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʀᴅᴇɴ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ."
~~~
Lorelai Hawthorne is perfectly content, it seems as though she has everything. That is until her whole world is turned upside down when a mysterious stranger inherits her grandfather's billions. Twist...
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chapter two - "money, money, money"
...
"To my only granddaughter Lorelai Alice Hawthorne..."
"I leave three hundred thousand dollars payable on her twenty first birthday, until such time to be managed by Alisa Ortega, trustee.
I also leave her my last remaining glass ballerina, my late wife's locket; may she always lead us home."
"The boys may drift away from each other in time, Rory. But you are their bond. It is down to you to bring them back together," her grandfather looked down to her, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Of course," she had replied.
Rory released a breath she didn't even realise she had been holding. She looked down, not meeting her family's gazes.
Damn that old man.
He had left her more than her cousins. Her equals.
Yet... if not her, then who?
Tobias Hawthorne was worth forty-six point two billion dollars, and he left his grandsons a million dollars, combined. Three hundred thousand to Rory herself. A hundred thousand total to his daughters. Another half million to his servants, an annuity for Nan...
No... how? Why?
Her chest tightened at her conclusion.
One by one, the other occupants of the room turned to stare at the unknown brunette.
"The remainder of my estate," Mr. Ortega read, "Including all properties, monetary assets, and worldly possessions not otherwise specified, I leave to Avery Kylie Grambs."
"He left everything to her?" Skye's voice shrill, "Why?"
If looks could kill, Avery Kylie Grambs would have been buried six feet under by everyone in the room.
"Who the hell is she?" Zara's voice was knife-edged and clear as a bell.
"There must be some mistake," Grayson insisted firmly.
"What the actual fu-"
Rory was cut off by voices being raised all around her.
"Well, that was an interesting turn of events," Jameson said to her.
"How are you so calm?" she asked incredulously.
"Grayson's right," Avery told the room, and heads began to turn in her direction, "There must be some mistake," her voice was hoarse in disbelief.
"You see?" Skye latched on to what she'd said. "Even Ava agrees this is ridiculous."
Rory was sure she got the girl's name wrong on purpose this time.
