Early the next morning, Oren tells Avery that Skye Hawthorne is leaving Hawthorne House. Grayson has instructed security not to allow Skye back on the property. Oren seems to suspect Avery knows the reason, but Avery lies and says she has no idea.

Avery finds Grayson in the hidden staircase with the Davenport and confronts him about forcing his mother out. Grayson explains that Skye left by choice, but only because Skye was made to understand that leaving was preferable to the alternative: being reported to the police.

Avery points out that Grayson won their wager and did not have to protect Avery from Skye. Grayson insists that he did. His choice matters because he had previously claimed he would always choose his family over Avery, but in this case he chose Avery’s safety over his mother.

The closeness between Avery and Grayson deepens on the staircase. Avery touches Grayson, thinking about his flaws, his lingering feelings for Emily, and the pull Avery has felt toward him since they met. For a moment, Grayson allows the intimacy.

Grayson then turns away and sets a boundary. Grayson promises to protect Avery, help her with the foundation, and teach Avery how to manage her new life, but says that a romantic relationship between them cannot happen because Grayson has seen how Jameson looks at Avery. Grayson does not explicitly mention Emily or the brothers’ history, but Avery understands that Grayson refuses to let another girl come between Grayson and Jameson.