Cutting the Sterling familys flesh bit by bit
Zipping the bag closed felt like putting a lid on the heavy conversation, at least for now. The tension in the living room finally seemed to break.
Avery Hayes knew exactly where her work was taking her. The heart of the American film industry is Hollywood, and Hollywood is in California. That meant she was probably moving to the West Coast for the long haul, and she'd need a home base.
She packed the last of the items away and handed the old leather bag back to her uncle. "My work is probably going to be based in California from now on," she said. "I'll keep one apartment to live in and keep renting out the other three."
Cole Hayes stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly but didn't take the bag, his brow furrowed in thought.
"So you're really going to California... Your aunt's family is over there, too. You..."
He trailed off, biting back the rest of his sentence.
His worried eyes held a flicker of doubt before he finally managed to get the words out.
"If they find out you're there, I'm afraid they'll come looking for you."
"It's been over a decade. Even if I stood right in front of them, they probably wouldn't recognize me."
Avery's face was calm, but a cold glint appeared in her eyes.
If they left her alone, fine. But if, after all this time, they were still looking for trouble, she had ways to shut them down for good.
Her certainty seemed to snap her uncle out of his spiral.
He studied her face for a moment, and the worry lines on his forehead smoothed out.
"That's true," he admitted. "You look completely different than you did as a kid."
His mind settled, he finally took the leather bag, a look of relief washing over him.
"Alright then. I'll hold onto this for you."
He looked at her, really looked at her, and a swell of pride rose in his chest. This was the child he'd raised. Even after learning everything, she still trusted him, her uncle, to keep her inheritance safe. For a parent, there was no greater feeling.
Avery's eyes curved into a smile. "I looked at the property deeds. You've got great foresight, Uncle. All four apartments are in the Tech Corridor. That's a prime location."
The Tech Corridor in western California was a hotbed for new American companies, and now every square foot of land there was worth a fortune.
"You're telling me," he chuckled. "Back then, everyone said I was an idiot. Westlake City is so far from California, what was the point of getting apartments there? They said I should have just taken the money."
"They were just shortsighted," Avery said.
"That's what your father told me. When he bought the apartments, he said the area would be redeveloped eventually. He said property is always a better investment than cash."
Cole's voice was thick with memory. "He was a proper university graduate, after all. If my little brother said property was more reliable, then that's what I was going to do."
"You two, stop chatting. What's the use of digging up old stories?" Avery's aunt walked out of the kitchen carrying a steaming pot of gumbo, a warm smile on her face. "Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner."
At her call, Avery and Cole got up to help. Her uncle, however, carefully tucked the old leather bag into a hidden compartment in the TV stand, covering it with a few other things as if to be extra sure it was safe.
Soon, the small dining table was packed with food. A large bowl of gumbo sat in the middle, its rich, spicy aroma filling the air, surrounded by BBQ ribs, a roast chicken, sauteed green beans, and a pot of steamed blue crabs, all of Avery's childhood favorites.
Her aunt kept piling food into Avery's bowl. "Eat more," she murmured. "Once you leave, you might not be back until the New Year."
Even her uncle, who rarely ate much, helped himself to a second bowl of rice. The dinner table was full of life and warmth, a feeling that had been missing for far too long.
The next day, Avery said her goodbyes and boarded a flight to New York. Before she left, Cole had stuffed some of Westlake City's local specialties into her suitcase, telling her to go visit their old teachers when she got a chance.
The plane's engines roared as it climbed high into the clouds. A little over an hour later, it landed right on time. Inside the airport, flight announcements echoed through the terminal as Avery walked off the jet bridge, following the stream of people toward baggage claim.
As she walked, she pulled up her chat with a contact named Analysis Master and sent a message.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *Master, I need the inspection reports for every product line from Sterling Foods in Westlake City.*
She sent the message and waited a few minutes, but there was no reply. Not worried, Avery locked her phone and continued toward the baggage claim. Just as she spotted her suitcase on the carousel, her phone chimed.
She pulled her suitcase off the belt and opened the app.
**Analysis Master:** *The video from a few days ago just fell off the trending topics, and you're already making another move. You really going up against the Sterling family?*
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *Not exactly. Let's just say I believe in being prepared.*
**Analysis Master:** *Since you found me, you should know my rules. You want their inspection reports, that's a deep data investigation. It won't be cheap.*
**Analysis Master:** *What kind of data do you need?*
Avery paused, her fingers hovering over the screen for a moment before she typed back.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *Operations, supply chain, safety and environmental compliance, taxation, and funding channels. I need everything.*
Sterling Foods wasn't a public company, which made things much easier. The family's weak spots weren't on the stock market; they were the three pillars holding them up: cash flow, public reputation, and their government connections. Her plan was to smash those pillars to pieces.
As a former lawyer, Avery knew that turning public opinion was the first step to hitting them where it hurt.
But she couldn't just rely on bad press.
She needed hard evidence, enough to get the Sterling family's competitors, or even the authorities, to step in.
The video from the old town was her first test, and their response had been even slower than she'd expected. Perfect.
The second wave would be to overwhelm their internal PR and legal teams, keeping them so busy putting out fires that they wouldn't see the real attack coming. Finally, she'd unleash a full-blown media storm backed by concrete proof and watch the Sterling family sink.
In a dimly lit office in New York, a man of about twenty-five, dressed in a dark gray wool sweater, was slouched comfortably in a leather executive chair. He glanced at the messages on his phone, a hint of amusement in his deep-set eyes.
"Man, who did the Sterling family piss off?" he muttered to himself with a low laugh.
He scanned the list she'd sent. This wasn't just a request for data; it was a blueprint for dismantling a company.
Interesting.
He blew a stray piece of hair from his forehead as his fingers tapped out a quick reply.
**Analysis Master:** *Whoa, you know your stuff. You planning to hit them from every possible angle?*
Avery didn't answer him directly.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *Focus the investigation on their taxes. See if you can find any fraudulent invoices or tax evasion in their accounts with raw material suppliers.*
**Analysis Master:** *That's a lot you're asking for. It'll take time to dig it all up. This is also a cross-state investigation, which has its risks, so the price won't be cheap.*
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *How much? Name your price.*
She had over two hundred fifty thousand dollars on hand, all the rent money collected from those four apartments since she'd inherited them. It should be more than enough.
**Analysis Master:** *Thirty thousand dollars up front. The rest will depend on how deep the investigation goes.*
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *Fine.*
Avery immediately transferred the money. As the notification chimed, a cold look hardened her eyes. She quickly typed one last line.
**Legal Person Does Not Sleep:** *In two weeks, I want a safety accident report for the Sterling Foods processing plant.*
The Sterling family had been rooted in Westlake City for decades, with factories all over the state. She refused to believe a company that big didn't have at least one dark secret tucked away.
She would find it. And then she would use it to start a wildfire.
She'd promised to tear the Sterling family down, piece by piece. By the time she was done, she would strip them of everything they had.