Meeting the unwritten rules on my first day with the film crew
The medical malpractice suit had blown up online, and now the Sterling family had only two ways out.
First, they could track Avery down and get a letter of forgiveness to try and knock some time off Bryce Sterling's sentence.
Second, they could pull every string they had to get him out on bail.
But with this much public pressure, it was a long shot.
No one would be brave enough to stick their neck out for the Sterlings.
"We're going to push for the maximum sentence," Lawyer Goodwin's voice said through the phone. "But Dr. Hayes, the Sterling family is a big deal in Westlake. You need to understand that."
He paused, a hesitation hanging in the silence. "I heard from the director of your department that you've resigned," he finally continued. "Since you're free, why not head back to your hometown for a while? Lie low."
His words were careful, but Avery heard the real warning underneath. He was genuinely trying to look out for her.
She reached up, her fingers grazing the hairpin tucked into her hair, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
Honestly, she wasn't worried about the Sterlings coming after her.
She'd just been caught off guard at the hospital yesterday, that's the only reason she hadn't managed to record Ms. Sterling trying to bribe the victim and obstruct justice.
If she had, Ms. Sterling would be the one trending online today.
The next time she showed up, Avery would be ready.
Avery switched the phone to her other ear. "I'm still young. What would I do back home? I was actually planning on heading to New York in a few days to check things out."
The bar exam didn't have any residency or employment restrictions, so she'd registered to take the one in New York.
She needed to get there, to find out what was happening with the case against the man who'd abused and killed her in her past life.
She wouldn't be in Westlake for a while, and even if the Sterlings had clout here, their reach didn't extend to New York City.
"I'll leave everything in your hands, Mr. Goodwin," Avery said, her tone serious again. "If you need anything, just call." Then her voice lightened. "Once this is all settled, I'll have my brother take you out for a nice dinner."
"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," he replied quickly. "Your brother's in surgery all day. His time is way too valuable."
"Alright, I won't keep you then." After a few more pleasantries, he hung up.
Avery put her phone away and picked up the coffee resting on her suitcase, taking a sip through the straw. The warmth cut through the early morning chill. She tossed the empty cup into a trash can just as the rideshare she'd booked pulled up to the curb.
The driver got out and helped load her suitcase into the trunk. Avery slid into the back, and they headed for the film studio.
Half an hour later, a complex of vintage-style buildings with gray walls and dark-tiled roofs came into view.
The main street was bustling with people in period costumes and vintage dresses, a few executives in sharp suits sprinkled among them.
The whole place was designed to scream wealth and power, with sprawling mansions and private courtyards as far as the eye could see.
Avery got out, pulled her suitcase behind her, and found the address for the crew housing on her phone.
"Are you Dr. Hayes?"
A girl in a windbreaker holding a walkie-talkie waved her over as she walked into the housing area.
"Hi, I'm Avery Hayes," she said with a friendly smile.
"I'm the production coordinator, Jenna Shaw," the girl replied, smiling back. "Mr. Reed asked me to show you to your room." She smoothly took the suitcase from Avery and led her toward the building.
"The housing is a little basic," Jenna said, pushing open the door to a room at the end of the second-floor hallway. "You'll be sharing with the second female lead. Is that okay?"
Avery peeked inside. The room was small, with just two single beds. A few articles of clothing were tossed on one, but the other was perfectly neat. It seemed her roommate had a good sense of personal space. A small desk held nothing but a thermos. It was cramped, but tidy.
"No problem at all," Avery nodded.
"Great. Get settled in, and I'll take you to the set in a bit," Jenna said, glancing at her phone.
"Okay, thanks for your help." Avery rolled her suitcase in. She hadn't packed much, so she was done in minutes.
When she came back downstairs, she found Jenna on the phone, her brow furrowed and her expression strained. Avery didn't want to interrupt, so she waited quietly for the call to end.
"Why is he so high-maintenance?" Jenna suddenly hissed into the phone. "He's just the second male lead, and he's making more demands than the star! Everyone else is sharing a room, but he's too delicate for that?"
Her voice rose to a near shout. "If he's so particular, he can pay for a hotel himself! Why is he trying to squeeze into crew housing?" She yelled that last part and then angrily hung up. "Barely even in the industry and already pulling the diva act."
Jenna was muttering to herself, blowing off steam, and probably hadn't noticed Avery standing nearby.
Avery couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Jenna spun around. "Oh! Dr. Hayes, are you unpacked?" A flash of embarrassment crossed her face. "Sorry you had to see that."
Avery just shook her head with a smile. "It's fine. Let's head to the set. Things were so rushed yesterday that Director Duke didn't even give me the script." When she'd signed the contract, all she'd asked about was the genre and her character. She knew nothing else.
"Right, I'll take you there," Jenna said, relieved. She pulled herself together and led Avery toward the set.
Inside, lights blazed down on a temporarily constructed luxury living room.
The male lead was facing the camera, reciting his lines with a look of deep affection.
The female lead stood beside him, her expression happy and warm.
Not far away, Director Duke was chewing on a pastry while staring intently at the monitor.
Seeing the scene raw, without any filters or post-production, Avery had a thought: you really had to be dedicated to be an actor. Saying sweet nothings to a burly guy holding a camera had to be a serious mental workout.
Director Duke must have told his assistant to expect her, because the moment Avery arrived, the assistant trotted over and handed her a script.
"Dr. Hayes, please take a look at this. The makeup artist will be over in a moment," the assistant said, quickly explaining her role.
It was a classic "rich guy chases the girl" story.
Avery was playing the main character's family doctor, but she was also a prop, the female lead's guilty best friend.
Years ago, the female lead had fallen from a building because of her and was now paralyzed.
Racked with guilt, her character had given up her own dreams to study medicine, all to heal her friend.
In most shows, a supporting role like this would have fifteen, maybe twenty scenes. This one had sixty.
Avery finally understood why the director had warned her the filming schedule was intense. For the first half of the show, her character would be pushing a wheelchair around. Her screen time would only drop off after the female lead could walk again.
She took the script, nodded at the assistant, and found a quiet corner to read. Memorizing dense text was a basic skill for any law student. By the time her makeup was done, she had all her lines for the day down cold.
She had them memorized, but she couldn't help but think the plot was... something else. She was supposed to be playing a doctor, yet there wasn't a single line of medical terminology in the entire script.
When she came out of the makeup room, the atmosphere on set had shifted. It was tense. Director Duke was frowning, arguing with a man in a black shirt. The male and female leads were standing off to the side, hiding behind their scripts and sneaking glances at the argument.
Not knowing what was going on, Avery scanned the set, then walked toward the lead actors.
"You must be the doctor playing the supporting role. Hi, I'm Maya Laurent," the female lead said, her eyes lighting up as Avery approached.
"Hi, I'm Avery Hayes," she replied with a smile. Avery had been so buried in case files in her past life that she'd never even watched hit TV shows, let alone short online dramas. The name Maya Laurent didn't ring a bell.
As she spoke, Avery glanced over at the director. "What's going on over there?" she asked quietly.
Maya leaned in close. "The actor playing the second male lead wants Owen to tone down his makeup," she whispered.
Owen, the show's male lead, was sitting on a stool nearby reading his script. Hearing his name, he just shrugged, unconcerned.
Maya was a bit shorter than Avery and was wearing slippers for her role. To keep from being overheard, she stood on her tiptoes as she whispered.
"Oh," Avery said, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Was this really her first day? And she was already running into the industry's infamous unwritten rules. A small online drama, and there was already drama about an actor demanding someone else "tone down" their makeup, and it was a supporting actor making the demand of the main star.
This industry was a minefield.
She made a mental note: as soon as she had a free moment, she needed to research entertainment industry laws and find some case studies on crisis PR. You never knew when that might come in handy.