Stellar Media Group CEO Julian Shaw
Zachary Bell sucked in a sharp breath, the sound cutting through the quiet of the car. Avery Hayes glanced over at him before turning her attention back to her call with Goodwin.
"Mr. Goodwin, have you figured out why the Sterling family is so desperate to get Bryce out?" A small frown line appeared between Avery's eyebrows. It was the one thing she just couldn't wrap her head around.
The story about Bryce making a scene at the hospital had blown up online.
For a family as powerful as the Sterlings, the smart move would have been to cut him loose to save the company's reputation and get public opinion back on their side as quickly as possible.
But from the moment it happened, the actions of Warren Sterling, the head of the family, made no sense for a veteran businessman.
Goodwin's voice was deep on the other end of the line. "Bryce is the only heir in Warren Sterling's branch of the family. Of course he's going to protect him."
Avery scoffed. "It's just three years in prison. Is the old man really that unwilling to let him serve time? Besides, don't the Sterlings also have Lorraine? How is Bryce their only heir?"
From the back seat, Zachary pursed his lips. "Lorraine isn't really considered part of the main Sterling family line," he chimed in. "She's Warren's granddaughter."
Avery's head whipped around to look at him, surprised.
He shifted, looking a little awkward under her direct gaze, and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, the Sterlings have been all over the news lately, right? My mom was just talking about it. She said if Bryce actually goes to jail, the family's pretty much done for."
He leaned forward slightly. "As much of a scumbag as Bryce is, he had an incredible mother."
Zachary explained, "Business has been rough the last few years, and the Sterling Corporation is trying to break into new industries. It turns out, their entire cash flow is propped up by a foreign trade company Bryce's mother left him. Basically, Bryce holds their lifeline.
If the family can't get him out, their money will dry up within two months."
The information hit Avery like a ton of bricks. She zeroed in on the key detail, her hand tightening on her phone as a cold glint entered her amber eyes.
"Bryce Sterling has a foreign trade company?" she asked, her mind racing. All this time, she'd thought that taking down the Sterling family was the key to making sure Bryce faced justice. But it was the other way around. Bryce *was* the family's Achilles' heel.
Zachary nodded. "Yeah. My family's in foreign trade, so I know a little about it."
Leo Foster, who had been listening from the driver's seat, let out a heavy sigh, probably thinking about the messy relationship between the Sterling brothers.
"No wonder that sleazeball Caleb is fine with being cheated on as long as he stays on Bryce's good side. I always figured Warren was bankrolling their crappy little construction company, but the real money was coming from Bryce all along."
Zachary glanced at Leo. "What do you expect? None of those Sterling guys are any good. They mess around way too much. Sooner or later, they're all going to end up in jail. You should probably hang out with them less."
Avery pressed her lips into a thin line. The conversation in the car had carried right through the phone; Goodwin had heard everything.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"That company is overseas, so it won't affect the verdict here. But since Bryce is this important to them, Dr. Hayes, you need to be careful until this is all over. The business world can get ugly, uglier than you'd think. You have no idea what people will do to protect their interests."
He wasn't just trying to scare her. "It's not like you read about it in the papers, but finding scapegoats, arranging 'accidents'... even making people disappear? It happens."
"I know," Avery said calmly. "I'm in New York City. The Sterling family's reach doesn't extend this far."
Goodwin sounded relieved. It was good she wasn't in Westlake City. After a few more words, they ended the call.
Avery hung up and turned in her seat, her gaze sweeping over the three guys in the car.
It really was all about who you knew. Goodwin had been digging into the Sterlings for days and only came up with public records.
These guys, on the other hand, had just laid out the family's entire power structure in a few sentences.
Without them, she and Goodwin would probably still be in the dark about why Warren was so desperate.
Leo turned the steering wheel, his eyes glancing at Avery as he rounded a corner.
"So that's why you were asking me about Caleb and Bryce the other day. It was for you. Are you really not going to take the money and settle? Warren's in such a hurry to get his grandson out, he'd probably pay whatever you ask for. Why not just take the cash and be done with it?"
Avery's gaze drifted to the windshield, her expression unreadable in the passing city lights. "Bryce Sterling committed a felony. It's not me who won't let him go; it's the law."
Her voice was quiet, but her resolve was unmistakable. The guys in the car seemed to get it. They just shrugged and didn't press the issue, all sharing the same unspoken thought: *Of course.* Spoken like a top surgeon's protege. That kind of confidence was on another level.
The car pulled into the Metropolis International Center, driving under a futuristic skyscraper where a massive screen played a promo for some new AI tech. The garage was a silent exhibition of luxury cars parked in neat rows.
As they walked toward the elevator, Avery's phone buzzed twice. She glanced down at the screen, a message from Owen Bowen. She didn't open it, just locked her phone and slipped it back into her purse, turning her attention back to Leo and the others as they all stepped into the elevator.
The top floor of The Empyrean Club held just a single private room, and the silence up here made the air feel cool.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a flicker of doubt crossed Avery's mind.
Her mentor had once told her the top floor of the Empyrean was the owner's private suite, permanently off-limits to the public.
Dexter was just a director at Stellar Media.
There was no way he could book this room.
*Could it be that Dexter didn't organize this dinner?*
While she was still hesitating, Leo pushed open the door to the private room.
The heavy sandalwood slid back silently, revealing cool, gray marble walls and an air of quiet luxury.
A man in a dark silk shirt was sitting on the main sofa, a single spotlight catching the sharp line of his jaw and his thin, unsmiling lips.
Dexter Reed was leaning in, whispering a report, while on the other side sat a woman in black-rimmed glasses who radiated professionalism.
"Julian, Dexter, we're here," Leo said casually, stepping aside to let Avery and the others pass.
The man on the sofa looked up, giving a short nod. He didn't bother to stand, his deep gaze simply sweeping over the four of them as they entered.
The moment Avery stepped inside, her eyes locked with his.
"You're here," the man said, his voice clear and crisp as his gaze lingered on her for a second. "Sit down."
Leo took the chance to make introductions. "Avery, this is the head of Stellar Media Group, Julian Shaw. We all just call him Julian. And this is Stellar's legal director, Veronica Warner. She's also Ethan Rhodes's girlfriend. You can call her Ms. Warner."
"Hello, Mister Shaw." Avery didn't follow Leo's casual lead. A polite, distant smile touched her lips as she greeted him, her tone perfectly formal.
After the pleasantries, her eyes drifted to Veronica Warner. Ever since she'd spotted Ethan Rhodes at the airport, Avery had known it was only a matter of time before her old life in the legal world caught up with her.
She just hadn't expected it to be this soon. Or here, of all places.