Chapter 5 - The Secret Avery Never Told Liam
Avery’s first instinct was to deny everything.
Not because the voice was correct.
Because the truth was complicated enough to sound like betrayal.
Detective Ruiz unplugged the baby monitor and placed it in an evidence bag.
“The signal was intercepted remotely,” she said. “Whoever spoke may be nearby or could be miles away.”
Liam never took his eyes off Avery.
“What happened before our wedding?”
Avery glanced at Charles, then at the detective.
“This is between Liam and me.”
Detective Ruiz folded her arms.
“A man is dead, your family trust has been stolen, and someone threatened you through your child’s monitor. Very little is private now.”
Avery knew she was right.
Still, she needed Liam to hear it from her first.
“Three months before our wedding,” Avery said, “I received a letter.”
“From whom?” Liam asked.
“I didn’t know then.”
“What did it say?”
“It told me your family had lied about mine. It said my mother’s adoption had been arranged by Sterling attorneys.”
Liam stared at her.
“You knew there was a connection before we married?”
“I knew there might be.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I tried to investigate.”
“You married me while secretly investigating my family.”
Avery’s shame rose like heat across her face.
“I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing you.”
The words sounded weak even to her.
Avery forced herself to continue.
“The letter included a copy of my mother’s original birth certificate. Margaret Sterling was listed as her mother. I thought it might be fake, so I hired an investigator.”
“Who?”
“Samuel Price.”
Charles looked up sharply.
“Price worked for Sterling security.”
“I didn’t know that when I hired him.”
Liam’s expression hardened.
“What did he find?”
“Nothing. Two weeks later, he told me the document was fraudulent. He advised me to forget it. Then he disappeared.”
Detective Ruiz took out a notebook.
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“The night before the wedding.”
“And you still married Liam?”
Avery looked at her husband.
“Yes.”
Liam walked toward the window.
His reflection in the glass looked almost unfamiliar.
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“You let me stand in front of hundreds of people and promise there would be no secrets between us.”
“I loved you.”
“That doesn’t answer me.”
“I loved you,” she repeated, “and I had spent my whole life watching money decide whose truth mattered. Your mother already believed I was hunting for your fortune. What would have happened if I told you I might have a claim to the Sterling empire?”
“I would have listened.”
“Would you?”
Liam turned.
The question hurt him.
Avery did not take it back.
Three years earlier, he might have listened. But then he would have asked Charles. Charles would have asked Victoria. And Victoria would have destroyed every piece of evidence before Avery understood what it meant.
“I was wrong to hide it,” Avery said. “But I never married you for this company.”
Liam looked at Leo.
“I believe that.”
The quiet admission broke something open between them.
Detective Ruiz cleared her throat.
“Samuel Price’s disappearance may be relevant. We’ll search for him.”
Charles’s phone rang.
Everyone looked at it.
The estate’s private network had only just been restored.
Charles answered.
His expression changed immediately.
“When?”
He listened for several seconds.
“Call an emergency board meeting. Do not approve anything until I arrive.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?” Liam asked.
“Someone filed a petition in Delaware court to activate the protective transfer clause.”
Avery felt the room tilt.
“Who?”
Charles looked at her.
“You.”
“I didn’t file anything.”
“The petition bears your signature.”
Liam stepped closer.
“Is it forged?”
“I’ve never seen it.”
Charles held up his phone.
“The filing includes genetic records, Margaret’s birth documents, and a copy of the trust amendment.”
“The stolen copy?” Avery asked.
“No. A certified second original.”
Winter Rose.
Someone had found it.
Charles continued.
“The petition also accuses Victoria, me, and six board members of criminal fraud. It requests immediate transfer of voting control to Margaret Sterling’s lawful descendant.”
“To Avery,” Liam said.
Charles nodded.
“Effective today.”
Avery’s stomach tightened.
“That sounds like good news for whoever wanted the trust activated.”
“It would be,” Charles replied, “except the petition also appoints a temporary trustee.”
“Who?”
Charles looked down at the screen.
“Samuel Price.”
Avery stopped breathing.
The man who had disappeared before her wedding was alive.
And he was attempting to take control of Sterling Financial in her name.
Victoria appeared in the doorway.
She had changed into a cream suit. Her face was perfectly composed.
But Avery noticed a suitcase behind her.
“Where are you going?” Charles asked.
Victoria looked at him coolly.
“To protect what remains of this family.”
Detective Ruiz stepped in front of her.
“You’re not leaving the estate.”
Victoria gave a thin smile.
“Detective, you should check whether you still have jurisdiction before making threats.”
Ruiz’s phone rang.
She answered, listened, and frowned.
A uniformed officer appeared behind her.
“Detective, the district attorney’s office just called. Mrs. Sterling’s attorney obtained an emergency order preventing us from detaining her without formal charges.”
Victoria picked up her suitcase.
Before leaving, she approached Avery.
“You believe you’ve won something,” she whispered. “But Samuel Price does not want the company.”
“What does he want?”
May you like
Victoria’s eyes moved toward Leo.
“He wants the only Sterling heir no one can replace.”
