The Shrewd Caleb Sterling
Cole's heart sank. He shoved down the ache in his chest, squared his shoulders, and got out of the car to help Avery with her suitcase, heaving it into the trunk.
The car door slammed shut, sealing them in a suffocating silence.
Avery sat in the passenger seat, slowly pulling the seatbelt across her body until it clicked. "How did Aunt and Uncle find out?" she asked, her voice low.
Even though the whole mess had blown up online, they still used flip phones. They shouldn't have seen any of it.
Cole turned the steering wheel, pulling away from the curb.
"Some Good Samaritan uploaded a video of Lorraine Sterling making that scene at the hospital. It started trending on X."
He sighed. "Uncle Silas was home for a visit and asked them if they knew what was going on. When they called me, I just told them the truth."
It's not like they could have hidden it forever. And now that Avery was healed up and studying for the Bar, he figured there was no harm in them knowing.
"By the way," Cole said, picking up a business card from the dashboard and handing it to her. "Another Sterling came by the hospital looking for you this morning."
"This is his card. He was actually... decent. Didn't say a word about a settlement or trying to pay you off. He just dropped off some get-well-soon gifts and left." Cole paused, glancing at her. "Before he left, he said that if you want to see Bryce Sterling go to jail, you should give him a call."
Cole hadn't wanted Avery to have anything more to do with the Sterlings, but this guy had a completely different vibe. Especially with that cryptic line he'd dropped on his way out. He didn't act like a Sterling at all.
Avery took the business card. Her eyes landed on the name printed in clean, sharp letters.
Caleb Sterling.
She didn't recognize the name. She was pretty sure there was no Caleb on the executive board of the Sterling family's food company.
"Bryce Sterling is going to jail," Avery said, her voice flat. "With or without his help."
She unlocked her phone, opened her messaging app, and pulled up her chat with Leo Foster.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Hey Leo, do you happen to know Sterling the Mangy Dog's real name?
Her brother knew how she felt about the Sterlings. He never would have given her that card unless he thought this Caleb guy was different from Bryce. It had to mean something.
She thought back to what Leo had said about the relationship between this "Mangy Dog" and Bryce, connecting it to the fact that the Sterlings had waited a full day to do damage control after the video went viral. Suddenly, things that hadn't made sense were starting to click into place.
Leo had called the guy a mad dog. If that was true, how could he possibly stand by while his wife was cheating on him?
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** Well, well, look who it is. You never call, you never write. What's up, Avery? Why the sudden interest in Sterling the Mangy Dog's name?
Avery's lips twitched at Leo's ridiculous new display name. It was a definite eyesore.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** I'm asking for a former coworker.
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** Holy crap, that whole thing just died down, and the Sterlings are already harassing your coworker?
Leo was completely missing the point. Avery rubbed her temples and decided to just be direct.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Who is Caleb Sterling, and what's his relationship to Bryce Sterling?
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** So he *did* go see your coworker. Caleb Sterling is Sterling the Mangy Dog. He and Bryce are thick as thieves. They even share wives, so you tell me.
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** But, I heard from a buddy in Westlake City the other day that he's changed his tune. Says he's not going to bother your coworker anymore.
Avery stared at the messages, connecting them to what Cole had just told her. It wasn't adding up. Tapping her fingers on her phone case, she typed carefully, trying to sound casual.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Didn't you say the Mangy Dog has a nasty temper? You really think he'd be okay with Bryce Sterling sleeping with his wife?
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** Who knows what kind of messed-up stuff goes on with that family. All I know is, if it were me, I wouldn't stand for it.
Avery was speechless. It was like trying to get a straight answer out of a brick wall. She honestly wanted to crack his head open and see what was inside, nothing but useless gossip, not a single helpful detail.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Just clarify the family connection for me. You said they're cousins, but my former coworker's lawyer said there's no Caleb Sterling in the Sterling family.
That matched her own search of the Sterling family's corporate roster. There were plenty of Sterlings, even Lorraine, the woman from the hospital. But no Caleb. She had to understand the real connection between him and Bryce.
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** Who says there isn't? Caleb Sterling's grandfather and the current head of the family, Warren Sterling, were brothers. Warren's side of the family runs the food company. Caleb's is in real estate.
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** Look up Keystone Construction in Westlake City. That's the company Caleb's father started. He basically rode Warren's coattails to get it off the ground.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** Thanks.
So, not one big happy family after all. Their grandfathers were brothers.
*That* made more sense. She knew it. No man would tolerate being cheated on like that.
Leo had said the woman who'd had the miscarriage was the Mangy Dog's wife, but the records her lawyer, Goodwin, had pulled showed she was legally married to Bryce.
And yet, in public, the two cousins acted like best friends.
It's always the quiet ones.
This Caleb Sterling was miles smarter than that brother-sister duo.
He was hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.
From the way he was acting, he'd probably planned to use her all along to take down Warren's side of the family.
He'd put the word out that he was coming after her, so if anything else happened, Warren's family would be thrown right back into the spotlight.
Then the online mob would start digging again, and everything they found would lead straight back to Warren, not him.
The guy was clever. Once Lorraine's hospital meltdown started trending, he'd gotten what he wanted and backed off, secretly reaching out to her brother instead.
It was obvious who the real brains of the operation was.
Even now, Lorraine had only caused a scene at the hospital; she hadn't even tried to approach Cole directly.
But why was Lorraine so desperate to get Bryce out of jail? It hadn't been that long. Even if the Sterlings wanted to bail him out, now wasn't the time.
Avery sneered to herself, the cold blue light of her phone screen reflecting in her icy eyes.
The Sterling family was a giant. She knew she probably couldn't take them down on her own, not yet.
But if Caleb could use her to throw Warren's family to the wolves, then she could damn well use his influence to drag the entire Sterling empire down with them.
While she was lost in thought, another message from Leo popped up.
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** By the way, what time do you get into New York tomorrow afternoon?
The message pulled her out of her scheming. "How do you know I'm going to New York tomorrow?"
**My Dad Was Made Bald By Me:** Dexter told me.
Avery glanced at the screen, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. She didn't reply, just flipped her phone screen-down on her lap and turned to watch the city lights blur past her window.
Dexter Reed really wasn't giving up on signing her.
He'd even told Leo her travel plans. Fine.
She was going to be in New York for three days anyway.
Since he was being so persistent, she might as well meet with them.
She'd hear what kind of deal Stellar Media Group was offering before she made any decisions.