Page 48 of Heart Strings

The glass conference room gives off a sterile shine, almost glaring under the harsh, bright lights as I sit across from Ava and her management team. She sports her usual confident smirk, but today, it’s going to crumble.

This isn’t just a casual business meeting—it’s a confrontation that’s been brewing ever since I started connecting the dots about Ava’s involvement in the recent chaos in my and Gracie’s life.

“I appreciate you meeting with me on such short notice,” I start, folding my hands on the table, keeping my voice steady, my demeanor calm despite the storm brewing inside me.

Ava leans back, her eyes wary, sensing the unusual seriousness in my tone. “Well, when Connor Owens calls for a meeting, you don’t say no. What’s this about?” Her tone is light, but I catch the flicker of apprehension.

Taking a deep breath, I lay out the facts, my voice steady, betraying none of the anger simmering beneath the surface. “Over the past week, I’ve been doing some digging into a few incidents that seemed... disconnected at first. But now, it turns out they’re not.”

Ava laughs, a hollow sound. “What incidents are we talking about, Connor? Your dramatic life always has something, doesn’t it?”

I fix my gaze on her, my expression hardening. “Let’s start with an incident involving Ty. He was drugged the night I found you on top of him—a night that almost ruined his life. He’s pressed charges after hospital records confirmed he was drugged. Apparently, I sent him a text to meet in our hotel for a party, but there’s no record of it on my phone. Guess who he remembers seeing last before everything went black? You, Ava.”

Her team starts whispering among themselves, their expressions turning from confused to concerned. Ava’s face is a mask of disbelief.

“That’s a serious accusation, Connor. You better be sure before you throw around blame,” one of her managers interjects, his tone cautious but firm. “Do you have proof of this?”

“Yes, we do,” I respond coolly. “Surveillance footage and Ty went straight to the hospital after he woke up in my hotel room—a room you texted him to come to, pretending it was me. The toxicology report shows he was drugged with high doses of benzodiazepines.”

Ava pales, but I’m not done yet.

“And there’s more,” I continue, my voice steady. “The vandalism at Gracie’s bookstore in our hometown occurred a day after you visited there. We have footage of you in town that day, Ava.”

Now her facade cracks, her eyes darting nervously around the room. Her manager puts a hand on her arm, a silent signal to stay calm. “I travel a lot, Connor. You know that.”

“Yes, I do, but you had no real business in that small town, did you? The two men caught on security cameras were apprehended about two weeks ago, and they’ve confessed that you paid them to trash the place,” I state, each word deliberate, watching her closely. “They even identified you from a photo lineup. We also know you took the key from under the mat at Gracie’s apartment—a place you knew well from our visits.”

“Why would I do something like that?” she asks, her voice a mixture of anger and fear.

“Maybe because you couldn’t handle that I moved on. Maybe because you wanted to hurt me the way you felt hurt,” I suggest, my gaze never wavering from hers.

Ava shakes her head, her hands trembling slightly. “This is insane. You have no proof.”

“The proof is quite compelling, Ava,” I say, pushing the folder across the table towards her. “Photos, texts, testimonies from multiple sources. It paints a pretty clear picture.”

Her team members start to leaf through the documents, their expressions turning grave.

“And there’s the matter of the key, or rather, keys,” I add, the final piece that ties everything together. “Like I said, you knew Gracie leaves a spare key for me. You used it to break into her apartment, make copies of her shop key, and gave them to the vandals. That has your name all over it—calculating and destructive. Guess you didn’t expect surveillance cameras to catch you twice.”

Ava’s face is pale now, her composed mask finally slipping as the reality of her situation sinks in. “You can’t prove any of this,” she repeats, but her voice lacks conviction.

“We already have, Ava. Ty has pressed charges, and the evidence from these incidents supports his case and the vandalism charge,” I explain, feeling a grim satisfaction as the truth hits her fully.

Her manager interjects, “Ava, we need to discuss this privately.” He gives me a look that’s part apology, part warning.

Before they can whisper among themselves, I lean in slightly, my tone turning cold. “You should have thought about the consequences before you decided to hurt people who never wronged you. I’ve seen what you’re capable of, Ava. It ends now.”

Her eyes meet mine, and there’s a flash of something—fear, regret, anger—it’s hard to tell. She swallows hard, her voice barely audible. “I didn’t think it would go this far.”

“It did,” I say flatly. “And now you’ll face the repercussions. I suggest you get a good PR team because you’re going to need it.”

With that, I leave the conference room to go back to my girl. I hope she understands that I did this for us.

Chapter 37

Gracie

As the car rolls down the familiar gravel path leading to Connor’s cabin, my heart beats with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

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