The Final Gambit

“We’ll figure out what the disk was. […] The world is the board, Heiress. We just have to keep rolling the dice.”

Games and puzzles are a constant motif throughout the trilogy. This is established in the first book, when Tobias names Avery as heir to his fortune and drags her into his games. With these words, Jameson articulates the book’s view that all things in life are a game.

“‘And who,’ Eve bit out, ‘is going to believe a girl like me?’”

Eve says these words to Avery when she first arrives at Hawthorne House, after Toby’s abduction. Avery, knowing that Toby (who is still presumed dead) wanted to keep Eve away from the Hawthornes, asks why Eve sought her out instead of going to the authorities. With these words, Eve reiterates her lack of power, wealth, and connections—things she craves. In this sense, Eve aligns with the old version of Avery, before Avery inherited Tobias’s fortune.

“I wondered if this was what Pandora had felt like the moment she opened the box.”

Avery thinks this after Grayson meets Eve and is struck by her resemblance to Emily Laughlin. Grayson was deeply in love with Emily, Toby’s deceased half-sister and Eve’s half-aunt. At this point, Avery doesn’t know that Eve is working for Vincent Blake, but she knows that Eve’s arrival—and its impact on Grayson—is a dangerous new element in their lives. The allusion to the Greek myth of Pandora, who opened the box containing the world’s evils, provides valuable foreshadowing. Allowing Eve into Hawthorne House does indeed bring evil and danger into the household.

“‘[W]e owe that girl our protection.’

‘Because of the way she looks?’ Jameson threw down the gauntlet.

‘Because she’s Toby’s daughter,’ Grayson replied, ‘and that makes her one of us.’”

Grayson argues that they must protect Eve—not because she resembles his dead beloved, but because she is family. His words suggest the importance of belonging, which is something Eve seeks. They also foreshadow Grayson’s illogical defense of Eve, even when it becomes clear she’s a threat.

“They wanted me to be invisible.”

Eve says these words of her family as she and the Hawthornes prepare for a real-life version of Chutes and Ladders. Each member of the group shares a secret; Eve describes life as a child who was ostracized for being the product of an affair. Her reference to being “invisible” again aligns her with the “old” version of Avery, who was invisible to the world until she acquired great wealth.

“My darling little brother ran off and took that as a parting gift. Based on our father’s reaction, Toby chose his revenge very well.”

Skye Hawthorne, mother of the four Hawthorne boys, says these words about Toby stealing a Blake family seal. The topic of revenge is one seen throughout the book, as the main narrative is a revenge plot orchestrated by Vincent Blake. Repeatedly, others are unfairly impacted by the fallout of one person’s attempts at vengeance; these instances are often tied to major themes like The Dangers of Wealth and Power and The Tricky Nature of Inheritance.

“Toby didn’t want me to be a part of this. […] The mansion. The food. The clothes. […] He hated this place. Hated it. And when I asked why, all he would say was that the Hawthorne family wasn’t what they appeared to be, that this family had secrets.”

Eve tells Avery about Toby’s views on the Hawthorne legacy, reiterating the theme of The Dangers of Wealth and Power. Toby, who knows that his father allowed William Blake to die and covered up the crime, knows how dangerous wealth and power can be. He has sought to protect Eve accordingly, but he never told Eve the truth, leaving her feeling ostracized and hurt.

“We were to deliver this to you in the event that you ever met Evelyn Shane.”

Alisa gives Avery a leather bag filled with Tobias’s final clues. It’s a pivotal plot twist, as Avery learns that Tobias knew of Eve’s existence. The revelation shows Tobias in a bad light: He let Eve stay with a family that treated her poorly even though he knew about her plight.

“‘You have the box,’ he said. ‘You have the phone. You’ll figure the next part out. [….] Tick tock. The timer’s counting down to our next call. You won’t like what happens to your Toby if you don’t have an answer for me by then.’”

Vincent (at this point known only as “Luke”) says these words to Avery. They encapsulate one of the primary elements of a thriller: time pressure for the protagonist to crack the case. This moment is also an example of The Dangers of Wealth and Power; Vincent, head of his household and master of a fortune of his own, does not seek Avery out as an equal and explain his situation; instead, he feels entitled to force Avery to search for answers by kidnapping her friend.

“I will talk only to the heiress. The one Tobias Hawthorne chose.”

Vincent (“Luke”) says this when Eve tries to talk to him, showing that he sees no value in her. The verbiage hints at the narrative concept of “the chosen one.” In The Final Gambit, which uses The Bible as a clue, this acts as a biblical allusion: a reference to Jesus Christ, known as the savior of humankind. It’s fitting, as Avery will ultimately become the Hawthorne family’s savior—by giving away its fortune.

“No man has ever built an empire without doing a thing or two they aren’t proud of.”

Nan, Tobias’s mother-in-law, says this when Avery and the others ask her about Tobias’s background. This sets off the string of events that help Avery discover just how corrupt the man was. This quote also epitomizes the book’s argument regarding The Dangers of Wealth and Power—the idea that no one can amass a fortune like Tobias’s without causing harm to other people.

“This was Tobias Hawthorne, billionaire, balancing his ledger. That’s not balance.”

Avery thinks this when she sees a record of Tobias donating money to a children’s cancer research hospital—after learning that one of his employees, whom he fired and thus robbed of health insurance, lost a daughter to cancer. It highlights Tobias’s cold and calculating nature. He thinks that by writing a check, he can make up for the life lost and improve his own public image while he's at it. Avery, who is highly empathetic, knows that no amount of money can make up for the harm Tobias wrought.

“By the time this is over, you’ll know what kind of man I was—and what kind of man you want to be.”

Xander reveals that these were Tobias’s final words to him. They foreshadow the book’s conclusion, which shows the Hawthorne brothers turning away from their grandfather and his wealth and power, and pursuing humble paths (e.g., Xander becomes a mechanic). Instead of riches and influence, they choose happiness.

“It was supposed to be me. […] I was the one who was supposed to take the reins once he was gone.”

Grayson laments the fact that he was supposed to step into Tobias’s shoes—and, presumably, become just as corrupt in his role of protector of the Hawthorne family fortune. Grayson has struggled with the idea of Avery stepping up as head of the Hawthorne household in the past, but he’s beginning to see that Tobias was not the man Grayson thought he was. The idea that Grayson was meant to inherit his grandfather’s corrupt attitudes troubles him.

“DON’T TRUST ANYONE.”

This is a clue that Tobias leaves Avery, which she discovers after solving yet another one of his puzzles. It foreshadows the revelation that Eve is working against Avery. This is Tobias’s final clue to Avery: It also encapsulates his perspective on the world, as he himself did not truly trust anyone, even his own family.

“She seemed so normal. I hadn’t found anything on her phone. But I had to keep my guard up. Didn’t I?”

This is an internal thought of Avery’s. Again, it foreshadows the fact that Eve is a villain whom Avery shouldn’t trust. Tobias’s final warning keeps Avery on guard against Eve, even though Eve has seemingly done nothing to warrant suspicion.

“Mallory stiffened like a marionette whose strings were suddenly pulled tight. ‘He left.’ Her voice was calm—too calm. ‘Liam left.’”

Mallory Laughlin says these words to Eve when Eve asks what happened to her grandfather, Liam. This is a small bread crumb, a clue, left by the author. Later, the reader will learn that “Liam” is William Blake, Vincent Blake’s son, and that he didn’t leave—Mallory attacked William after he physically assaulted her, and the Laughlins and Tobias let William die.

“I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, FATHER.”

This is the inscription Avery finds inside the altar. Toby left it for Tobias when Toby left Hawthorne House; with these words, he tells Tobias that he knows about the murder of William, Toby’s biological dad. The use of the word “father” emphasizes the familial twist—Tobias, Toby’s adopted father, helped kill and cover up the killing of William, Toby’s birth father.

“He will also underestimate you. You’re young. You’re female. You’re nobody—use that. My greatest adversary—and yours now—is an honor-bound man. Best him, and he’ll honor the win.”

Tobias leaves this instruction to Avery in a recording. These words speak to the strange juxtaposition of Vincent, an immoral and evil man, still having a code of honor he adheres to. Tobias is presented in much the same way: He was undoubtedly corrupt, but he, too, drew certain lines for himself. This shows how powerful, wealthy people like Tobias and Vincent have a dangerous amount of freedom and can follow their own rules.

“I was never a Hawthorne. I will never be a Blake. So what does that make me? […] Complicit.”

Avery and Jameson discover this message from Toby in the underground tunnels. It’s one of the only times the book raises the topic of complicity and its dangers—epitomized by Tobias hiding William’s body. With the reveal that Toby has long known about William’s murder, his attempts to keep Eve away from Hawthorne House gain depth.

“I circled back to the Queen’s Gambit. I thought about how it required ceding control of the board. It required a loss.”

Games, especially chess, are a major motif in the book. The Queen’s Gambit is the move that Avery ultimately uses to win over Vincent: She purposely loses, ceding a battle to win the overall war. This is a testament to the fact that games can be meaningful and practical in the real world—they aren’t just for fun.

“‘I’m staying for both of you,’” Toby replied, and for a moment I could see the two of us, hear the last conversation we’d had.

You have a daughter.

I have two.”

Toby says these words to Eve and Avery when he stays with Vincent instead of running away, as Avery suggests. Avery feels somewhat hurt by this, but she understands Toby’s decision. Toby’s sacrifice suggests a father’s love—love for Eve, his biological daughter, and Avery, the girl who he likewise loves and views as a daughter.

“I see so much of your mother in you.”

These words are written on the carved wooden cube Toby gives Avery as a farewell gift. They remind Avery of her humble beginnings and of the link between Toby and Avery (through Avery’s mother, Hannah, whom Toby loved). This is the final instance of the games/puzzles motif in the book; unlike Tobias’s puzzles, which were laced with danger, this final message is one of acceptance and love.