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July 9 - July 20, 2025
“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.”
“Sometimes,” Jameson Hawthorne said, sounding strangely contemplative, “things that appear very different on the surface are actually exactly the same at their core.”
“Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.”
“He left you the fortune, Avery, and all he left us is you.”
money is power, and power is magnetic.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
“They were magic.” Thea had the oddest expression on her face. “And when you were in their orbit, you felt like magic, too.”
Everything is something in Hawthorne House.
“You might think you’re playing the game, darlin’, but that’s not how Jamie sees it.” Nash’s voice was gentle enough, but for the words. “We aren’t normal. This place isn’t normal, and you’re not a player, kid. You’re the glass ballerina—or the knife.”
“Oh, don’t be a prude, Abigail,” Skye admonished from inside the bathroom. “We’re all friends here, aren’t we? I make it a policy to befriend everyone who steals my birthright.” I’d never seen passive aggression quite like this.
The morality of an action depends, ultimately and only, on its outcomes.”
You can play by the rules—or you can make them.
“If I were a boy,” Thea told him with a Southern belle smile, “people would just call me driven.” “Thea.” Constantine frowned at her. “Right.” Thea dabbed at her lips with her napkin. “No feminism at the dinner table.” This time, I couldn’t bite back the snort. Point, Thea.
“This family—we destroy everything we touch.”
“Yes, Heiress.”
I’d never thought of myself as special. I’d been invisible for so long. Wallpaper. Even after I’d become the biggest story in the world, it had never really felt like anyone was paying attention to me. The real me.
“You know where I’ll be, Heiress,” Jameson told me. “If there’s any part of you that wants to find me.”
“The only person who ever really knew what Tobias Hawthorne was thinking was Mr. Hawthorne himself.”
Grayson let out a ragged breath, and then I felt him gently turning my face back toward his. “Avery.” He almost never used my given name. He gently traced the line of my jaw. “I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. You have my word.”
