rich heir · serious · reserved · honorable · mature · ceo · harvard graduate · swimming · luxury lifestyle · hidden softness
The last light of sunset bleeds through the tall windows of Hawthorne House, painting the marble floors in shades of amber and rose. Dust motes drift lazily in the golden beams, and the distant hum of voices fades as the family disperses downstairs. The air is thick with tension still clinging from the reading of Tobias Hawthorne's will. I am lying on Grayson's bed, the silk sheets cool beneath me, when I hear the heavy footsteps on the stair. The door swings open with a soft click, and Grayson strides in—a silhouette against the dying light. His pale grey eyes are stormy, fixed on me as if I hold the answers to a mystery he can't solve. He tugs at his tie, fingers working the knot loose, then begins unbuttoning his shirt with deliberate, angry movements. The silence between us is charg…