The Sterling Family is Interfering with Judicial Sentencing
"Who was it?"
The hallway was empty, and Avery's voice was a soft whisper in the quiet. She just knew this call from Cole had something to do with the Sterlings. Otherwise, her brother wouldn't be using that tone.
On the other end of the line, Cole was quiet for a second.
"It was Bryce Sterling's sister again," he said, his voice tight.
"She's so damn arrogant. She made a huge scene in the hospital director's office, threatening that if you don't take a private settlement, she'll make sure you can never work in medicine again."
"Threatening me?" Avery almost laughed.
She wasn't even a doctor anymore. What could they possibly hold over her head now?
Ever since her lawyer, Goodwin, told her the case was officially in the court system, she'd known the Sterlings would come after her again.
They were definitely going to try and pressure her.
A cold feeling settled in her gut, and she pursed her lips, a spark of irritation flaring inside her.
Her fingernail found a tiny crack in the wall, picking at it until a fleck of white plaster fell away.
"Okay," she said softly. "I'm not going back to the hospital for now. After I finish filming this show, I'm heading to New York City. I probably won't be back in Westlake for a while."
She took a breath. "Can you find some time to handle the lease on my old apartment? I already packed everything up the other day. Just mail my stuff back to our hometown and ask Uncle to hold onto it for me."
Right now, she didn't have the resources to go head-to-head with a family like the Sterlings. But since they weren't playing by the rules, they couldn't blame her for giving them a taste of their own medicine.
Cole let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Don't go back. But...what are you going to New York for?"
"I'm going to take the Bar Exam," Avery told him.
"Whoa, the Bar?" Cole was stunned for a beat. "You're changing careers? You're going to be a lawyer?"
It made sense, he realized. His little sister had always been tough. After the malpractice suit shook her faith in medicine, changing careers was probably for the best.
"I'll go find Goodwin later and ask him what books you need," Cole said, already fully on board. "I'll get him to make a list, then I'll text you a picture."
Avery smiled. "No need. I already bought them."
The law was part of her now, burned into her in a way that felt more intuitive than the medical knowledge she'd spent years learning. They chatted for a few more moments before hanging up.
Avery stood alone in the shadows, her amber eyes glinting. She raised a hand and rubbed her temples, and then an idea hit her. She unlocked her phone, opened her messenger app, and typed a username into the search bar.
In the friend request, she typed a single, cryptic sentence: *There's a rule-of-law dessert in the cafeteria today.*
The strange message must have worked, because the other person accepted her request almost instantly. Avery opened the chat and got straight to the point.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** I need a video of a middle-aged woman threatening a doctor in the director's office at Westlake General Hospital today.
**Analysis Master:** Ah. Has my reputation already reached Westlake City?
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Who in our circle doesn't know the famous Analysis Master? Everyone knows you.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Same old rules. One video, three thousand dollars. I need it by tomorrow morning.
**Analysis Master:** Do you need it edited?
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** No, the raw footage is fine. Preferably with audio.
Every industry has its own surprisingly capable people, and the legal world was no different.
Avery had met this "Analysis Master" in her past life as a lawyer.
He ran an information analysis company that, on the surface, provided data for major law firms.
In reality, it operated in a legal gray area, using all sorts of methods to collect information and sell it to the highest bidder.
She really hadn't wanted to contact him.
His fees were outrageous. She hadn't been a doctor for long, and she didn't even have three thousand dollars to her name.
If it weren't for this last-minute TV gig, she never would have been able to scrape the cash together.
She had to hustle, to make more money. To bring the Sterlings to justice, she needed money.
You couldn't make a move without it. She didn't even have enough to hire an online mob to stir up public opinion.
**Analysis Master:** Okay, I'll have it for you tomorrow morning. By the way, we also offer a full-service package. Here's the price list. Take a look and let me know if you need anything else.
A dense price list popped up. The so-called "full-service package" meant they could analyze the video, authenticate the voices, and even help post it online to create a media storm. They offered everything she could possibly think of, and then some.
But damn, it was all ridiculously expensive. Avery wanted the full package, but she was flat broke.
She pressed her lips together. Ignoring the message, she just transferred the fee. A text notification with her new bank balance popped up a second later. The sudden drop in the number on her screen made her breath catch in her throat. That was almost everything she had.
She locked the screen, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before shoving the phone in her pocket and walking back to the private dining room.
There was a hard glint of anger in her eyes.
This was all the Sterlings' fault. If they hadn't pushed her so hard, she wouldn't have had to waste this money.
*Playing dirty with a lawyer?* she thought. *I hope you're ready for my first counterattack.*
"You were gone for a while. We were about to send out a search party."
As she pushed open the door to the private room, the rich smell of food hit her. Leo Foster raised an eyebrow and teased her. Avery just smiled and sat down next to Maya Laurent, picking up her fork and starting to eat.
After dinner, Leo suggested they go up to the fourth floor for karaoke, but Avery and the others had to be on set the next day. They turned him down and headed straight downstairs.
The October night air was getting chilly.
Leo went to get the car while Avery and the others waited in the lobby of The Pinnacle Club, where the light from a massive crystal chandelier lit the lounge with a warm glow.
Avery curled up on the sofa, pulled out her phone, and logged into the official Bar Exam website.
She confirmed the date for printing her admission ticket and set a reminder.
Just as she did, she looked up and saw a few well-dressed people near the elevators, laughing as they stepped inside. Avery hadn't really noticed them, but right as the doors were closing, a woman who had been turned away happened to face forward.
Avery caught a glimpse of her face from the corner of her eye. She'd been curled lazily on the sofa, but now she went rigid, a sharp, cold look flashing in her eyes. She pursed her lips, her brow furrowing.
"Maya, I'm going to the restroom," she said a moment later, then got up and walked toward the elevators.
She watched the numbers on the display. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
Without hesitating, she turned, pushed open the heavy fire door, and slipped into the emergency stairwell, heading straight up. The fourth floor was the main dining area, the same floor where they had just eaten.
Stepping out of the stairwell, Avery ducked behind a fire hose cabinet and scanned the area. When she saw a waiter going in and out of a private room not far away, a cold smile touched her lips.
She turned on her phone's camera. Pretending to be on a call, she stepped out from behind the cabinet and walked slowly toward the room.
This was getting interesting. Bryce Sterling's case was already in the court system, and yet, at this critical moment, his sister was meeting with staff from the Court's Case Management Office.
The Sterlings were trying to interfere with the judicial process.