Avery Grambs, Libby, and Alisa Ortega arrive at Hawthorne House, an enormous castle-like mansion on a hill. Alisa notices a battered motorcycle outside and says Nash, the oldest Hawthorne grandson, must be home. When Libby asks about Nash, Alisa explains that Tobias Hawthorne had four grandsons.

Avery thinks back to Grayson Hawthorne, the polished and arrogant grandson who previously came to get her. Alisa notices Avery’s reaction and warns her never to lose her heart to a Hawthorne. Avery responds that she keeps her heart locked away.

Inside the vast foyer, Grayson greets them in another impeccable suit. Alisa confronts him for interfering by fetching Avery, and their exchange shows that Grayson is used to acting older and more powerful than his nineteen years. Avery keeps her coat on, wanting the protection of another layer, while Libby hands hers over.

Grayson opens what appears to be a hidden coat closet by pressing a sequence of wall panels, revealing that Hawthorne House contains concealed mechanisms. Before he can close it, another boy emerges from behind the coats: Alexander Hawthorne, called Xander, Grayson’s younger brother.

Xander is rumpled, energetic, and talkative, contrasting sharply with Grayson’s controlled formality. He asks whether Jameson has arrived, and Grayson stiffens when he says no. After Grayson introduces Avery and Libby, Xander cheerfully explains that he was not in a coat closet but using one of the mansion’s many secret passages.