HIRAETH [1] || Grayson Hawthorne

Chapter 6- Caramel

"It's your house isn't it?" -Grayson Hawthorne

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I threw the letter from Tobias Hawthorne to the back of my head while Mike and I were with my sister, Alisa, and Oren. We just finished talking about our joined security protocols when they mentioned Libby was on a plane. "Where's Libby headed?" I asked curiously. Mike answered, "To get your dog." I grinned excitedly, almost forgetting about the risks I have now, as a young billionaire. "And to get your things." he continued.

Oren cleared his throat to divert the attention back to the main topic. "The second this news gets out about you both inheriting this much money," Oren said, "you will be on the cover of every newspaper. You'll be the leading story on every newscast, the number one trending topic on all social media. To some people, you'll be Cinderella. To others, Marie Antoinette."

I sat there, confused that this was my life now. Alisa took out a paper bag and handed it to me, "Avery told us you got mugged and lost your phone, so we took the liberty of buying you a new one." I took the bag gratefully and opened it to see the latest iPhone in my possession.

I placed the paper bag by my legs, trying to hide my excitement. I couldn't wait to tell Ian and Jennifer everything. "Thank you." I said to Alisa.

"You both will be at risk of stalking, kidnapping, and threats. We need to stay vigilant and we need you both to mutually agree with us that if anything and I mean anything happens to one of you, the other twin will stay put and be safe no matter what." Mike continued for Oren.

My smile dropped immediately. If my sister was kidnapped, I couldn't just stay put. "Even if one of us gets shot?" I heard Avery ask and I stared at them, expecting an answer.

A voice piped up and this time it came from Alisa, "If one of you die, the other still gets to keep the inheritance. That is if they live at Hawthorne House for an entire year." I frowned, that didn't make sense. The will stated that we were meant to share it. If one of us died then it wouldn't be shared, meaning it wouldn't be ours.

"The firm and I will do our best to keep the inheritance with one of you girls if the other dies." she continued as if reading my thoughts.

The more we talked, the more my head hurt, and the more I needed to pee. Avery could sense my stress and opened her mouth to cut the meeting short. We both stood up and left the room with our bodyguards in tow.

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I laid on my bed as I tried to fall asleep. I couldn't. My head hurt, bad, and I needed some pain killers. I slipped out my bedroom door and was met with a different bodyguard, "Where's Mike?" I asked but he didn't answer. I guess bodyguards needed sleep too.

I walked down the hallway, not sure where the kitchen was. The bodyguard who stood by my door followed me and I tried to ask him for directions but he didn't answer. "You're a chatty one aren't you." I joked as we walked.

"If you don't stop talking, my ears might fall off." I tried to get him to reply as I walked down the stairs. The lights in the house were still on but I could see no one. I began looking for the kitchen and met with a door.

I looked around and I assumed that this was the back door of the kitchen and placed my hand on the knob. I hesitated and brought my hands up to my head, the pain even worse now. I opened it immediately and saw Grayson Hawthorne. God, I didn't really need this right now. I walked into the kitchen and straight to a bunch of cabinets, I opened each one and sighed when I couldn't find pain killers.

"Snooping now?" Grayson asked from my left. I glared at him and whipped my head too fast that everything spun. I turned my head back slowly and fixed my face not to show that I was basically dying. "The silent treatment, always fun." he continued when I didn't speak.

I looked for the bodyguard but found him standing at the entrance, I switched my gaze from him to Grayson and frowned at myself. "Where are the pain killers, Mr. Hawthorne?" I asked in my all-business voice. He reached to a drawer next to me and pulled out what I needed. I snatched it from him and popped one in my mouth before using a clean bowl for water.

"The glasses are right here Ms. Grambs." he pointed to a high cabinet. "You expect me to know that?" I asked, pissed from my migraine. "It's your house, isn't it." he said it as if to say that I stole it from him. I didn't steal anything, his grandfather gave it to me.

"Exactly, it's my house. So I kindly ask you to leave the kitchen." I narrowed my eyes at him and he carried what looked like a plate of cake with him as he left.

I brought the pack of pills with me and grabbed a glass to fill with water. I brought the medicine and water with me back to my room where I tossed and turned in bed.

I still couldn't sleep. I contemplated going into my sisters room but decided against it. I stood and took a lap in my new living quarters and noticed a bookshelf. I ran a fingertip as I scanned through the titles. All classics, I detected. I pulled one out that I have read many times in my small bedroom back in Connecticut.

I opened the cover of 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy and began reading the words I found comfort in through the years as I grew up.

I read up until chapter 10 when my eyes began to feel heavy. I marked my page with a leaf I plucked from a house plant and laid the book on my bedside table.

I kicked some pillows off my bed and got comfortable as I slept peacefully in a house I now owned.
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some lines were taken from the book. credits to jennifer lynn barnes for it. boom new chapter also i have a booktok acc 😳😳😳 (since like last yr but lets pretend i js made it today)