After hearing Tobias Hawthorne's recorded explanation, Avery watches the Hawthorne brothers fall into stunned silence. Avery breaks the tension by noting that Tobias always tried to accomplish many goals at once, and Jameson grimly corrects the number to twelve, reinforcing how thoroughly Tobias anticipated and manipulated everyone around him.

Xander realizes that all of them behaved exactly as Tobias expected from the beginning. Nash, Grayson, and Jameson assess the threat of Vincent Blake: Blake is powerful, old-money, and dangerous enough that Tobias used Avery as a decoy to draw Blake's attacks away from the Hawthorne family.

Avery pieces together the deeper truth: Tobias left her the fortune so his enemies would descend on her after his death instead of on his descendants. Although Avery wants to hate or judge Tobias for making her a target, she also remembers his warning that she may be tested by flames but need not burn.

Avery leaves the brothers and calls Vincent Blake. Blake answers in a deliberately condescending way, but Avery hides her emotions, tells him Eve is gone, and suggests he no longer has someone inside Hawthorne House.

Avery tries to turn Blake's desire for answers about his dead son into leverage, asking what Blake will give her besides Toby if she delivers what Blake wants. Blake responds darkly that he is glad Avery asked, then hangs up. Moments later, Oren appears and tells Avery that a courier is at the gate, implying Blake has already made another move.