I keep having to remind myself of the crazy scenario that Im a part of right now. A billionaire left my sister all his money and we've never even met him? What the hell is going on? Now this is definitely a reality tv show, these crazy people are messing with us.

"He left everything to her?" Skye's voice went from the soft and calm one to this new loud aggressive blood thirsty one. Thirsty for my sisters blood. "Why?" The woman who'd was just talking about astrological sign and regaled us with tales of her sons and lovers. This Skye looked like she could kill someone. Literally.

"Who the hell is she?" Zara's voice is knife-edged and clear as a bell.

"There must be some mistake." Grayson speaks like a person used to dealing with mistakes. Bribe, threaten, buy out, I think. How far would the "heir apparent" go?

"He's right." Avery's voice comes out in a whisper, lost to voices being raised all around us. I  nudge her slightly to speak louder, so she tries again, louder. "Grayson's right." Heads started turning in our direction. "There must be some mistake." Her voice his hoarse. I don't think I've met this Avery.

This is not real. It can't be.

"Avery." Libby nudges her in the ribs in order to get her to stop talking.

"You see?" Skye emphasises. "Even Ava agrees this is ridiculous."

This time, she definitely got it wrong on purpose. 'The remainder of my estate, including all properties, monetary assets, and worldly possessions not otherwise specified, I leave to Avery Kylie Grambs.' Skye Hawthorne obviously new her name now.

They all do.

"I assure you, there is no mistake." Mr. Ortega clarifies "And I assure the rest of you, Tobias Hawthorne's last will and testament is utterly unbreakable. Since the majority of the remaining details concern only Avery, we'll cease with the dramatics. But let me make one thing very clear: Per the terms of the will, any heir who challenges Avery's inheritance will forfeit their share of the estate entirely."

Oh shit.

'Avery's inheritance.'

"No will is that ironclad," Zara's husband says, his voice acidic. "Not when there's this kind of money at stake."

"Spoken," Nash Hawthorne interjects, "like someone who didn't really know the old man."

"Traps upon traps," Jameson murmurs. "And riddles upon riddles." I can sense his dark green eyes trailing my sister.

"I think you should leave," Grayson told us curtly. Not a request. An order.

"Technically..." Alisa Ortega sounds like she'd just swallowed arsenic. "It's her house."

This clarifies to me that she wasnt lying when she said she didnt know what was in the will. Nobody did, this man just sprung it on everyone and left no warning. Why would you do that to your own family.

"I don't understand," Avery says out loud, shes pale and looks ready to collapse any second now.

"My daughter is correct." Mr. Ortega keeps his tone neutral. "You own it all, Ms. Grambs. Not just the fortune, but all of Mr. Hawthorne's properties, including Hawthorne House. Per the terms of your inheritance, which I will gladly go over with you, the current occupants have been granted tenancy unless—and until—they give you cause for removal." He lets those words hang in the air. "Under no circumstances," he continues gravely, his words rife with warning, "can those tenants attempt to remove you."

The room was suddenly silent and still. They're going to kill her, then probably me. Someone in this room is actually going to kill us. The man I'd pegged as former military strode to stand between us and Tobias Hawthorne's family. He said nothing, crossing his arms over his chest, keeping my sister behind him and the rest of them in his sight.

"Oren!" Zara sounds shocked. "You work for this family."

"I worked for Mr. Hawthorne." John Oren paused and held up a piece of paper. It took me a moment to realize that its his letter. "It was his last request that I continue in the employment of Ms. Avery Kylie Grambs." He glances at Avery. "Security. You'll need it."

"And not just to protect you from us!" Alexander adds to our left.

"Take a step back, please," Oren orders.

Alexander holds his hands up. "Peace," he declares. "I make dire predictions in peace!"

"Xan's right." Jameson smiles, like this is all a game. "The entire world's going to want a piece of you, Mystery Girl. This has story of the century written all over it."

"No fucking way this isn't some kind of fucking joke" I state. This whole thing is too unbelievable.

My brain kicks back into gear because there was every indication that this isnt a joke. Im not delusional. Im not dreaming.

My sisters an heiress?