Avery resists the urge to photograph Hawthorne House, but Libby eagerly takes pictures. Xander interrupts Libby by teasing that the house has “not exactly” a roller coaster, then whisks her toward the back of the foyer, leaving Avery confused and intrigued by the mansion’s strangeness.

With Libby gone, Avery speaks with Grayson. He apologizes for Xander’s impulsiveness but calls him the best of the brothers. Avery asks about the Hawthorne grandsons, and Grayson explains that he has three brothers, all with the same mother and different fathers, while their aunt Zara has no children.

Grayson then warns Avery about his relatives just as his mother, Skye, arrives. Skye is dramatic, affectionate, and disarmingly candid, embarrassing Grayson with a childhood story and immediately misnaming Avery before asking about Avery’s birthday and speculating about astrology. Grayson uses Skye’s first name to rein her in, showing both irritation and familiarity.

Zara Hawthorne-Calligaris enters and contrasts sharply with Skye: formal, severe, and guarded. Zara asks Avery how Avery knew Tobias Hawthorne, and Avery answers that she did not know him. The admission creates a tense silence, confirming that the Hawthorne family also does not understand why Avery has been summoned.

Zara’s husband interrupts to say Mr. Ortega wants to speak with Zara. Skye lightly mocks Zara’s severity, then jokes about her own romantic past until Grayson cuts her off. When Skye calls Grayson the “heir apparent,” Avery realizes the family is deeply invested in the will’s contents and that none of them know what it says. Feeling as if she has entered a dangerous game without knowing the rules, Avery lets Skye guide her and Grayson toward the Great Room for the reading.