All Chapters of THE HEIRESS IN OVERALLS: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter 11: The Boardroom CoupThe gold-trimmed doors of the Thorne Industries boardroom burst open at exactly 11:45 PM.The gray-suited board members, who had been talking in panicked tones around the mahogany table jolted in their seats. At the head of the table sat Richard Harrington, Julian Thorne’s ally holding a gavel that was meant to finalize Silas’s corporate execution.Avery walked into the room, her presence cutting through the air of corporate panic. She was wearing a tailored black turtleneck with her hair pulled into a sharp knot. She looked less like a temp and like someone in control."This is an executive session, young lady, " Harrington shouted, slamming his gavel. "Security remove this assistant.""Touch me. I'll have the SEC add corporate battery to the charges " Avery said, her voice cold and authoritative. The guards at the door froze.She walked to the foot of the table tossing a leather-bound folder onto the polished wood. It slid down the center stopping righ

Chapter 13: The Author of RuinThe rain hit Avery's face hard but it was nothing compared to the empty feeling in her chest. She stood still in the headlights of the flatbed truck her hand held tight in Silass. Twenty yards away the man she had spent her life thinking about and fighting for stood tall, the storm swirling around his fancy coat."Dad?" The word was pulled out of her throat. Then the thunder took over.Alistair Sterling looked at his daughter, his face cold and hard not like the face she remembered from when she was a kid. In his hand a red light on a special detonator was blinking."You are a storyteller, Avery," Alistair's voice was loud and clear even in the wind because of a small microphone on his collar. ". You forgot the most important rule of telling a long story: never trust the person who says they are a victim. A man does not build a company like Sterling by being weak. I did not lose to the Thornes. I let them think they won so they would put all our things t

Chapter 15: The End of Steel and SilkThe sound of crystal glasses clinking and cello music filled the air from the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel.. Avery stood on the stone balcony overlooking Central Park. The cool evening air was nice after being inside the gala. This was a party to celebrate the Thorne-Sterling Global Enterprise.Avery looked at her hands. They still had calluses from when she used to clean floors and carry trays. This was a reminder of who she used to be. Tonight she wore a blue silk dress that moved like the sky when she walked. She also wore a diamond bracelet that belonged to her grandmother.Then she heard a voice she knew. "I thought I would find you here, " Silas said. He came onto the balcony. Closed the door behind him. This blocked out the noise from the party. He was not wearing his bow tie. Had undone some buttons on his shirt. He looked relaxed and powerful. He had two glasses of champagne. Gave one to Avery."Are you hiding from the people who own part

Chapter 17: The New EditionThe morning sun shone through the windows of the Brooklyn apartment making the floorboards glow with a light. Avery stood in the middle of the room looking at the boxes stacked up by the door. This was the apartment where she had spent years trying to make ends meet writing stories under a single desk lamp while taking care of her brother's medical papers.Silas leaned against the door, his big frame looking a bit out of place in the room but he seemed really relaxed. He was holding two cups of coffee. Handed one to Avery."Is this the part where the main character takes one look around before moving into a fancy new place?" he asked with a smile."The part where I make sure I did not forget my notebooks, " Avery replied, taking a sip of her coffee. She walked over to the corner of the room. Knelt down to press on a loose floorboard. The wood came up easily showing the space where her Nora Vale journals used to hide.Silas knelt down beside her. Reached int

Chapter 19: The Rising OutlineThe dawn that broke over the upstate estate was really beautiful. The light filtered through the old oak trees in soft golden beams. It burned away the thick fog that clung to the hills.Avery sat in her studio in the western wing. Her bare feet were tucked under her on the velvet chair. A steaming mug of highland coffee rested on the oak desk. The rich dark smell of the coffee mixed with the scent of wood and fresh morning air. Before her the encrypted terminal glowed with life. It displayed a document titled The Architecture of Trust: Master Outline.For three hours Avery's fingers flew across the keyboard. The words came smoothly. It was a release of narrative tension she hadn't realized she was holding. Writing used to be a rush against the clock in a cramped Brooklyn apartment. Now it felt like an act of creation.The door to the studio creaked open quietly. Silas walked in. He was already dressed in charcoal pants and a stark white dress shirt. His