Going Head-to-Head Youll Be the One to Suffer
Leo Foster shot Avery Hayes a look, his face a tight mask of annoyance.
He knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn't a complete idiot, either. The second Caleb Sterling had cornered him earlier today, he'd put two and two together and figured out exactly where those photos came from.
"I took the fall for you, so get those pictures off the internet," he said, his voice low and tense. "You didn't even give me a heads-up before you posted them. If I wasn't thinking on my feet back there, I might've slipped up and said your name."
He was pissed that Avery had played him, but he couldn't just blow up at her. He had to suck it up and cover for her, just in case that sleazebag Sterling actually managed to track her down. Still, he couldn't stop the resentment from creeping into his glare.
"The Sterlings are a powerful family," Leo sighed, his anger deflating into weary advice. "I know you're mad, but you should just let this go if you can. If you go head-to-head with them, you're the one who's going to get hurt."
He had to admit, this Dr. Hayes was a cool customer. The pictures were a few days old, but she'd waited until yesterday to leak them, maximizing the damage.
Avery's eyebrow twitched. Listening to this guy give her such earnest advice, she felt a sudden, sharp pang of guilt for tricking him. But guilt was one thing; Caleb Sterling had started this mess, and she was going to see it through.
"I took the photos, but I'm not the one who posted them," she said, lowering her gaze just enough to sell the lie. "That same night, I sold them to a company in California, a direct competitor of the Sterlings."
The Sterling Group was headquartered in Westlake City, but its business stretched across the country.
In the domestic market, there were only two major players fighting for market share: the Sterling Group and a California-based company called Starbright Foods.
Anyone with a basic understanding of the industry knew they were fierce rivals.
It was the perfect scapegoat. It wasn't like anyone would bother to check if she was telling the truth, anyway.
"What?" Leo looked completely floored.
He'd just fed Caleb a whole story about getting drunk at The Empyrean Club the other night and having some jerk swipe his phone. He'd sworn up and down that as soon as he found out who did it, he'd get the photos taken down immediately.
And now, the whole thing had spiraled out of his control. If Avery wasn't the one who posted the pictures, how the hell was he supposed to get them deleted?
"So, what do I do now?" he asked, bewildered.
Avery shrugged. "Just tell Sterling that the photos were sold to an executive at Starbright Foods. Let him deal with them himself."
What a mess. She'd thought she'd dumped this problem squarely on Caleb's lap, but he'd thrown a boomerang that came right back and dragged her into it again.
Then again, Caleb was the one who had the photos posted in the first place.
No matter what Leo said, Caleb could have them deleted with a single phone call.
The fact that he was going to such great lengths to find an excuse told Avery that life under his uncle, Warren Sterling, probably wasn't a walk in the park.
All this trouble just to find a plausible explanation for a few photos.
Luckily, Caleb had kept her out of it. As a thank-you for his discretion, she'd tie this up in a neat little bow for him. Starbright Foods was the perfect out.
As Avery's logic clicked into place for Leo, his eyes lit up. He pulled out his phone, shot her a look of dawning respect, and texted Caleb, relaying the story she'd just fed him.
Feeling a little bad for teaming up with Caleb to dupe the guy, Avery decided to treat Leo to dinner at a nearby Texas Roadhouse as a peace offering.
Meanwhile, across town, Caleb Sterling's brow smoothed out the moment he received Leo's message. A soft chuckle escaped him.
"Keeping her around was the right call," he murmured to himself. "She's a fast thinker, coming up with an excuse like that. This story will definitely shut my dear uncle up. He won't have the nerve to go poking around Starbright."
"Honey, what are you talking about?"
The bathroom door creaked open, and a woman in a silk camisole stepped out. She was gorgeous, with wide, doe-like eyes that gave her a fragile, helpless look, the kind that made a man feel powerful.
Caleb glanced at her, tossed his phone aside, and casually pulled her into his arms. Smart women were interesting to admire from a distance, but he much preferred the type he now held, all beauty and no brains, completely dependent on him for everything.
Avery didn't know when the photos were finally taken down, but by the time she boarded her flight the next day, they had vanished without a trace.
After dinner, she took a taxi to the quiet residential community where her mentor, Elias Thorne, lived. Hiding in the shadows of the trees, Avery watched the middle-aged man who had guided and protected her ever since she'd started her career.
Maybe dealing with her funeral arrangements had completely drained him. It had only been a few weeks, but he looked more worn out than she had ever seen him. His steps, once firm and energetic, now seemed to shuffle.
Watching his retreating figure, Avery felt a crushing wave of guilt. This was the man who had spent two years patiently teaching her everything, how to handle case files, how to outmaneuver cunning defense lawyers, how to survive in the legal world. He had held nothing back.
And she had let him down. She hadn't been able to deliver the results he deserved. Instead, she'd only caused him more stress, making him run around to handle her final affairs.
He was the only person who had ever shown her real kindness in her life as an orphan. The mentor she couldn't stop worrying about, even after her own "death."
A heavy weight settled in her chest. She desperately wanted to step out, to just say hello, but her foot remained frozen in mid-air.
Her identity now was Avery Hayes, a doctor.
She wasn't the law student he knew. There was no way to explain the bizarre things that had happened to her, not that she was allowed to say a word about it anyway.
If that was the case, what was the point of bothering him again?
Avery sniffled, her eyes burning as she watched from the shadows while Elias and his wife finished their walk, entering their building hand-in-hand.
The night wind swirled fallen leaves around her feet.
She lowered her lashes, fighting back the sting in her eyes, then turned and walked slowly out of the complex.
The streetlights stretched her shadow long and lonely on the sidewalk. She found a bike-share and started riding, letting the cool night air wash over her. It took over an hour to get back to the hotel, but by the time she arrived, the storm of emotions inside her had finally begun to settle.
There was still a long road ahead. Maybe, someday, she'd have a chance to see him again.
Back at the hotel, Avery finished her skincare routine and sent a message to Dexter Reed, telling him she was heading to Hollywood tomorrow. If Stellar Media was serious about signing her, they'd have to wait until she finished shooting Owen Bowen's project.
Dexter was still awake. He replied almost immediately, his message tinged with caution.
PopsLovesCherries: Dr. Hayes, since you're planning to get into the industry, let me give you some advice: don't do too many short-form dramas.
Legal Person Does Not Sleep: Why?
PopsLovesCherries: Web series and real TV are two different worlds. The people who work on major TV dramas look down on actors who only do web shorts.
PopsLovesCherries: It's like how classically trained actors look down on people who are self-taught.
PopsLovesCherries: The pecking order in this business is brutal and simple. Even a small role on a major film set will get you more respect than being the star of a dozen web shorts.
Legal Person Does Not Sleep: Thanks for the heads-up. After I finish Owen's project, I won't consider any more web series.
PopsLovesCherries: The company's making a decision about you next Monday. I'll let you know what they say.
Legal Person Does Not Sleep: Okay, talk to you on Messenger then.
After sending the message, Avery stared at her phone for a moment before stuffing it under her pillow with a wry smile. Sure enough, every industry had its pecking order. It seemed web series were officially off the table.
Early the next morning, Avery took a flight straight to California.
Once the plane landed, she turned on her phone and texted Owen Bowen to ask where he was. He sent back a location pin, telling her to meet him there.
Back when she was a lawyer, Avery was a frequent flyer and had been through this airport a few times. One look at the pin and she knew exactly where Owen was waiting. She started walking, navigating the terminal from memory.
She was only halfway there when her attention was caught by a group of excited young women. They were whispering and walking quickly, saying that Owen Bowen was in the arrival hall and they had to hurry to get his autograph.
Even though he was just a web series actor, Owen had a pretty big following on TikTok. When someone you only see on a screen suddenly appears in real life, even non-fans get curious. The girls who had just rushed past her were exactly that type.
Hearing them, Avery blinked, and her steps faltered. She frowned, thinking for a moment.
Scrapping her plan to find Owen, she turned on her heel and headed straight for the taxi stand. As she walked, she sent a quick message to warn him he'd been spotted.
Her future career path was already mapped out.
Before she made her official debut, she couldn't afford to be linked to any actor, not even one from a web series.
It would be bad for her image down the line.
She could be known as a doctor, a lawyer, or an actress, but she would not let her name get tangled up with some guy.