Dr Hayes Is My Lucky Star
The sight of Caleb Sterling sent a jolt through Avery Hayes, and for a split second, her carefully constructed composure faltered. She recovered instantly, turning her head away and pretending she hadn't seen him. With a practiced smile already in place, she started walking toward Maya Laurent.
It wasn't that she was afraid of Caleb, she just didn't want a confrontation. Not here, not with so many people milling around the audition site. He had no idea she was even in town, let alone trying out for a role. He probably wouldn't even notice her in the crowd.
As for whether he'd recognize her... please. Caleb was no brainless idiot like his cousin Bryce. He had used her as a pawn back in Westlake City; of course he would have done his homework.
Avery was sure her plan to slip by unnoticed would work, but she hadn't factored in Maya's sheer, unfiltered enthusiasm.
Sure enough, Maya polished off her ice cream in two bites, tossed the wrapper in the trash, and grabbed Avery's arm, beaming. "Avery, I showed your photo to the casting director yesterday! He said you have the perfect look for the dancing spy and told me to bring you right over."
Her voice, bright and full of energy, carried.
Caleb, who had just gotten out of his car and was grabbing his bags from the trunk, froze. He poked his head out from behind the vehicle, his eyes zeroing in on the sound. By then, Avery and Maya were already walking side-by-side toward the production's temporary office, their backs to him.
He couldn't see their faces, but he squinted, his gaze sharp and focused on the two women. "Who's that with the film crew?" he asked the production assistant who'd come to pick him up. "The one in the silk dress?"
Even from a distance, he recognized the distinct style of the crew's costumes.
The PA glanced toward the office. "That's Maya Laurent. She's the third female lead."
"And the woman next to her?" Caleb pressed.
The PA shook his head. "Never seen her before."
"Go find out," Caleb said, his lips tightening into a thin line.
The assistant nodded, grabbed two large suitcases from the trunk, and headed toward the audition site.
Caleb slammed the trunk shut but didn't follow.
Instead, he leaned against the back of the car, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
He took a long drag, his thoughts swirling like the smoke that curled up from his fingertips, obscuring the mischievous glint in his eyes.
A knowing smile, however, was easy to see.
This Dr. Hayes was getting more and more interesting.
He'd spent the better part of two weeks tearing apart Westlake City and then New York, looking for any trace of her, and had come up with absolutely nothing. He never expected to run into her here, of all places.
Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time they'd just missed each other. He remembered hearing someone call out "Avery Hayes" downstairs at the Yunding building, only to look and find no one.
Still, he had to admit, the woman was his lucky star.
He'd been gearing up to use the medical malpractice buzz to completely crush Bryce, but she'd beaten him to it by exposing Lorraine Sterling.
Then, he'd been trying to dig up dirt on Lorraine bribing the Audit Office and came up empty, only for Avery to somehow get her hands on the evidence and deliver it right to him.
Twice now, she'd accomplished what he'd set out to do before he could even make a move. If that wasn't a lucky star, what was?
An unofficial partner that good deserved a proper thank-you.
Besides, he had a feeling she might have more dirt on his uncle, who had been in suspiciously high spirits the last few days.
Even laid up in a hospital bed, the man was finding ways to make his father's life hell.
An exhausted father was one thing, but a bored one just caused trouble.
It was better to keep him worn out. And a bedridden uncle was far more respectable than one running around making a mess of things.
While Caleb waited for the PA to return, Avery was already in her audition. Maya may have gotten her in the door, but whether she landed the part was all on her.
A "featured actor" was basically a glorified extra, a few lines, a couple of close-ups, and a paycheck two or three times bigger than a background player's.
Whenever a call for a featured role went out in the extras' group chats, anyone who fit the description rushed to try out.
So even though Avery was only auditioning for a minor character who'd be killed off after a few lines, she was still up against hundreds of other hopefuls.
Luckily, Maya's connection meant she didn't have to wait in the massive line. Better still, Avery's appearance was a huge advantage. The second the casting director saw her, his eyes lit up. He didn't even ask her to read.
"She's got the looks to be a leading lady," Avery overheard him say to his staff as she was walking out of the office, contract in hand. "But Maya's still so young. This actress is going to be on screen with her, and she's probably going to get outshined."
"She's definitely good-looking," someone else replied. "But so what if she outshines Maya? It's not like she's stealing scenes from the main star. In a show like ours, a beautiful supporting character might just become a highlight."
The drama was a low-budget web series. Aside from the male lead and the second and third female leads, everyone was a newcomer.
They were all hoping the show they were working so hard on would at least make a splash.
If that splash came from a minor character whose name no one even knew, that was still better than fading into obscurity.
Avery found a quiet corner to chat with Maya for a bit.
It turned out Maya had had a run-in with the second female lead the night before, and now she was ready to gossip.
The woman was apparently a classically trained actress who'd had significant roles in bigger dramas, and she made it a point to look down on anyone who came up through web series.
"Last night, after we all went out to eat, I got back two minutes late, and she'd locked me out of our apartment," Maya vented.
"I knocked for two minutes straight, and she didn't make a sound. Just as I was about to go find the production manager, she finally opened the door, pretending she'd just woken up. Said she was a deep sleeper and didn't hear anything."
Maya scoffed. "I was two minutes late. She couldn't even be bothered to come up with a better lie. Why not just say she plans on sleeping forever?"
Avery patted her shoulder. "Next time, you lock the door. If she asks, just tell her you were asleep."
Avery had been dealing with that kind of petty backstabbing since she was sixteen, and it had forged her into the person she was today.
She'd just started high school, and because she was an orphan, a lot of the other kids looked down on her.
When her pen rolled onto the floor, someone would deliberately step on her hand as she reached for it.
Someone else drew a stupid cartoon on her desk, and the whole class laughed.
But even back then, her first instinct was never to tattle. It was to hit back.
She gave people exactly what they gave her.
During gym class, when the kid who bullied her fell, she "accidentally" stepped on his hand.
During homecoming week, she drew a caricature of the boy who'd defaced her desk and pinned it to the school's main announcement board.
Her grades were always top of the class and she had neat handwriting, so teachers loved having her work on the bulletin boards.
She kept changing the drawing, leaving that classmate's cartoonish face up there for a whole semester.
It wasn't an exact portrait, but it captured his essence well enough that everyone knew who it was. The kid was a laughingstock for months.
The little group of bullies tried to get her to stop, but she started carrying a brick in her backpack. Anyone who dared to get close, she'd swing it at them. Besides, they were all losers. None of them could outrun her.
Eventually, everyone got the message: she wasn't someone to be messed with.
So, yeah, complaining was useless. An eye for an eye was the only way to fight back.
Maya nodded, her expression hardening with resolve. "That's a good idea. If she keeps it up, I'll give her a taste of her own medicine."
Avery didn't ask what she was planning. They chatted for a little while longer before Avery left the film set. Her scenes were scheduled for the next day, which is when she'd officially report for duty.
Meanwhile, the production assistant had returned with the information Caleb wanted. He learned that Avery had just been cast as a featured actor and was scheduled to be in a big scene tomorrow. A slow, sly grin spread across Caleb's face. He was in no hurry to get back to Westlake City anymore.
He got in his car and drove straight to the hotel where the show's main cast was staying.
It was only one day. He could wait.
There was no way he was leaving without meeting a woman as interesting as Dr. Hayes in person. He needed to figure out if her target was just Bryce, or if it was the entire Sterling family. If their goals aligned, this could be the start of a very productive partnership.