The Lawyer Superstar

Avery Hayes pushed open the door to the hospital director's office, the back of her head still throbbing. The official story was that a patient's family member had clubbed her with a stool during her rounds a week ago.

But it was just a story.

The person who'd actually been hit, the *real* Dr. Avery Hayes, had died on the spot.

When she, a lawyer who'd been stabbed to death, opened her eyes again, she was in this doctor's body.

Inside the office, the overhead light cast a pale, sickly glow. The hospital director sat behind his desk, rubbing his forehead like he had a killer migraine, while a middle-aged woman was perched on the edge of the sofa, her back ramrod straight. She wore flawless makeup and sat so stiffly she looked like a mannequin.

The second Avery stepped inside, the woman's gaze locked onto her, sizing her up from head to toe with a cold, appraising stare.

"Dr. Hayes," the director began, his voice strained. He got to his feet. "This is Mr. Sterling's sister. She, uh, wanted to talk to you."

Avery saw the woman and knew instantly why she'd been called in. The attacker's family was here.

The woman stood, speaking before Avery could get a word in. "Dr. Hayes, my brother wasn't thinking straight. He knows he was wrong now. We were hoping you'd go to the police and drop the charges. We're willing to compensate you, of course." She slid a bank card across the desk. "There's fifty thousand dollars on this. It should more than cover your medical bills."

Her words were about compensation, but her tone was pure arrogance. With her perfectly painted lips, she looked especially cruel. She was clearly certain that Avery would take the money and let the whole thing slide.

Avery didn't even glance at the card. Her eyes swept over the woman's face before she finally looked down at the plastic on the desk.

"Ms. Sterling, your brother intentionally assaulted a doctor on duty," she said, her voice tight. "That's a felony." There was absolutely no way she was settling. She wasn't the real Avery Hayes. The woman who was attacked was dead, and she had no right to forgive a murderer on her behalf.

"You look fine to me. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" The woman's voice shot up, and she slammed the card flat on the table. "It's just a concussion. Fifty thousand is more than enough. Don't be greedy."

"You should be grateful I'm standing here at all," Avery said, her gaze calm but unwavering. She didn't give the woman a chance to interrupt. "The injury to my head was officially evaluated a week ago. Legally, it's classified as a second-degree minor injury." She raised a hand and pointed to the back of her head.

The fluorescent light hit her pale, striking face. Whether it was the lighting or the fact that she hadn't fully recovered, there was a haunting, fragile quality to her expression that made her next words hit even harder.

Her tone was steady, carrying the sharp, pressing edge of a seasoned lawyer. "Section 234 of the Penal Code states that anyone who intentionally harms another person, resulting in a minor injury, shall be sentenced to up to three years in prison."

A flash of panic crossed Lorraine Sterling's face. She tried to play it cool. "Who are you trying to scare? It was just a little knock on the head. It's not that serious."

"A little knock?" Avery's lips twisted into a smirk. "You make it sound so casual. The video from the scene has been analyzed. What your brother did amounts to attempted murder. The only reason I'm alive is dumb luck."

"And according to the guidelines on prosecuting crimes against healthcare workers, intentionally harming a doctor on duty is an aggravating factor. So even with a 'minor' injury, the judge will give him the maximum sentence of three years." Avery leaned forward slightly. "You're not here to bargain. You're here to beg me to sign a letter of forgiveness so your brother might get a lighter sentence."

Her face was a mask of ice, her voice just as cold. She'd never imagined that being a doctor was just as high-risk as being a lawyer. Ten days ago, she'd been a top attorney at Apex Law Firm in New York City. She had just won a divorce case for a woman who had suffered years of domestic abuse. But before she could even walk out of the courthouse, the ex-husband stabbed her to death.

As the blade slid into her, her last thought was about the bitter irony of it all. Who would've thought that on the steps of a courthouse, a place meant to represent justice, the very person upholding the law would be so violently denied the right to live?

Fate's cruel joke didn't stop there. The stinging pain of being murdered had barely faded when she woke up in the body of a doctor who'd been beaten to death in a hospital in Westlake City.

This doctor's name was also Avery Hayes. A new resident, just two months out of her master's program, caught in the crossfire and killed for nothing.

Her death was completely senseless. She was a cardiology resident covering a shift in OB-GYN, there to check on a patient with a heart condition who had just had a miscarriage. She'd walked in on the patient's husband, Bryce Sterling, going on a rampage, smashing everything in sight with a chair. He'd already injured a nurse. While Avery was trying to get clear of the chaos, Bryce threw the stool and hit her.

That day, the other Avery shouldn't have died. But the blow to her head slowed her down, and he caught her, making her the new target for his rage. Several doctors tried to intervene, but Bryce's bodyguards held them back, letting him beat the young woman to death.

And now, his sister was here acting like it was no big deal, as if Avery had just been roughed up a bit. Their complete disregard for human life, their condescending attitude, it sent a fresh wave of fury through her.

Avery's thoughts snapped back to the present. Her gaze locked onto the arrogant woman in front of her. She pressed two fingers on the bank card and slid it back across the desk.

"What your brother did was monstrous, and it caused me immense harm. I will make it clear to the court that I refuse any settlement, and I will be recommending he be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"You..." Lorraine was speechless, her face turning blotchy with rage.

The hospital director just stared, his jaw slack, as if he couldn't believe this quiet resident knew the law inside and out. He completely forgot to try and smooth things over.

Avery took a deep breath and placed the resignation letter she'd been clutching onto the desk. "Director, this is my resignation. After what happened, I can't continue to be a doctor."

Without another glance at the fuming sister or the stunned director, she turned and walked out.

How could a human life be paid for with fifty grand and a measly three years in prison? But her injury report was all they had, and it would only get him three years.

It didn't matter. She'd already spent the last few days learning everything she could about the Sterling family. They ran a food company. And for a business like that, there were always gray areas, health permits, food additives, financial records. It wouldn't be hard to find a pressure point and bring their whole enterprise crashing down.

Since she was alive again in this body, she had a duty to get justice for the woman who died.

The kind of justice the law couldn't provide. She would get it herself.