The click-clack of Avery Sterling's stilettos echoed through Sterling Industries' marble halls like a warning bell. Heads turned as she strode past, her golden mane swaying with each purposeful step. Employees froze, caught between admiring her ethereal beauty and shrinking from the icy aura that surrounded her like a cloak.
Avery didn't spare them a glance. Peasants weren't worth her precious time—because she was goddamn Avery Sterling, her father was the 10th richest man in the world. She had it all, good looks, money and fame.
She burst into her secretary's office, a storm in designer clothes. "Mr. Hodges," she purred, her voice dripping honey laced with venom.
Timothy Hodges leapt to his feet, face paling. "Ms. Sterling! You didn't have to come here. I would've—"
"Sit," Avery commanded, slamming the door. "We need to talk. What's the holdup with Chris Eaton? Why hasn't he responded to my proposal?"
Hodges swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing. "I... I'm not sure, Ms. Sterling. We haven't heard back yet. But—"
Avery's feline gray eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. She'd sent Liam Eaton a business proposal that doubled as a marriage offer. After all, she was Avery Sterling – stunning, wealthy, and powerful. She deserved an equally powerful match like Chris Eaton.
"This is unacceptable," she hissed, leaning over Hodges' desk. "I'm the best thing that could happen to Eaton Industries. And to Chris." Her manicured nails dug into the polished wood. "Find out what's holding him up. Use whatever means necessary."
Hodges flinched, fingers trembling as he tapped his tablet. "But... I just got an update, Ms. Sterling. It seems Chris Eaton is... he's already married."
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. "What did you just say?" Avery's voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut like a knife.
Color drained from her face, leaving her perfect features frozen in disbelief. Then, her eyes blazed with fury. "To whom?" she growled, each word dripping with venom.
Hodges wished he could melt into his chair. "To... to Lilliana Smith, Ms. Sterling."
The name hit Avery like a physical blow. Her face went slack, shock replacing anger in an instant. "How... how did she survive?" The words escaped her lips, unbidden.
Her memories flooded back. The party where she'd tormented Lily, that ugly duckling, pushing her to the brink. And how due to that, Lily sought into plastic surgery out of desperation.
But Avery was smart… Her mission was to kill Lily, and she did that by bribing the doctors with her influence—causing them to perform plastic surgery in a wrong way that Lily's heart would fail… and she would die.
But she must have died. And her plan would have been a success.
But somehow, impossibly, the little mouse had survived. Avery's carefully crafted plan, her path to victory, lay in ruins.
"That... that girl," Avery snarled, rage bubbling to the surface. "I made certain she wouldn't survive. How is she still breathing?"
"Tell me how!" she roared, looming over her terrified secretary.
Hodges cowered, words tumbling out. "It... it was Chris Eaton, Ms. Sterling. He arranged a last-minute heart transplant and saved her life. Without it, Lily would have died for sure."
Avery scoffed, disbelief warring with fury. Chris Eaton, the man she'd hoped to partner with, had not only betrayed her but rescued the very person she'd wanted dead.
Her mind raced. Why would Chris Eaton save Lily's life? Before the surgery, she'd been nothing – an unattractive nerd with an asymmetrical face and plain features. Yes, the procedure had improved her looks, but was she really worthy of someone like Chris Eaton who was like a Greek goddess?
Unless... A chill ran down Avery's spine. Maybe Chris knew Lily's secret – the same secret Avery had discovered. Was he using Lily to his advantage? Is that why he'd chosen to align with her instead of Avery?
"Hodges," Avery snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "I need everything you can find on Chris Eaton and Lilliana Smith. Their partnership, their marriage, every detail. Leave no stone unturned."
The secretary nodded frantically, fingers flying over his keyboard.
Avery paced the office, her mind whirling. If Chris Eaton thought he could outmaneuver her, he was in for a rude awakening.
"This isn't over," she muttered, eyes gleaming with determination. "Not by a long shot."
She spun on her heel, pausing at the door. "Hodges, cancel my afternoon. I have some calls to make." A predatory smile curved her lips. "It's time to remind everyone why crossing Avery Sterling is a very, very bad idea."
The door slammed behind her, leaving Hodges slumped in his chair, wondering – not for the first time – if he should have chosen a less hazardous career. Outside, the click-clack of Avery's heels faded, but the chill in the air lingered. The game had changed, but Avery Sterling was far from defeated. The real battle was just beginning.
….
Avery slid into her sleek Aston Martin, the leather seat cool against her skin. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed a number she rarely used. The phone rang once, twice, before a deep voice answered.
"It's done?" The question hung in the air, heavy with expectation.
Avery swallowed hard. "There's been a complication. My mission... it failed."
Silence stretched on the other end, more terrifying than any shouted rebuke.
"I planned everything perfectly," Avery rushed to explain. "Her heart did fail. She was moments from death, no matching donor in sight. But Chris Eaton..." She trailed off, the name bitter on her tongue.
"Chris Eaton saved her." The voice on the other end was flat, emotionless.
"Yes," Avery whispered.
"I'm disappointed in you, Avery." Each word cut her like a knife. "Your task was simple. Seduce Chris Eaton, bring him to our side. Instead, you've driven him straight to our rivals."
Avery's mind raced, recalling her interactions with Chris. Their business talks had gone well, hadn't they? She'd been so close to securing his partnership. What had changed Chris's mind?
"It's your fault," her boss continued. "You will take full responsibility for this failure and fix this."
"I understand," Avery replied, her voice steadier than she felt. "I'll fix this. I'll find a way to bring Chris back, and I'll eliminate Lily once and for all."
"See that you do." The line went dead.
Avery leaned back, closing her eyes. She'd underestimated Chris Eaton, and let him slip through her fingers. But she wouldn't make that mistake again. One way or another, she'd complete her mission – and heaven help anyone who stood in her way.
She will make sure that Lily falls dead at any cost—because it was the core of her mission.