CHAPTER 021
JASON’S POV
I couldn’t get Ava’s face out of my mind, the way she looked at me when I accused her of cheating. It wasn’t anger, it was pain. And maybe that’s what made it worse.
I hated seeing her like that, but I couldn’t help myself. Alex’s presence in her life gnawed at me like an open wound.
The man seemed to show up at just the right or wrong thing, and it didn’t feel like a coincidence.
But now, sitting here in my office with the footage from the restaurant playing on my laptop, I felt like something wasn’t adding up.
I went through the video again, watching Ava enter the private dining room, looking as poised as ever.
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building. “Think, ason,” I muttered to myself.
That’s when it hit me. Marcus didn’t seem surprised to see Ava. He looked… prepared. Almost as if he’d expected her.
Why?
He should have been shocked to see her instead of Laura.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen. Laura had insisted on Ava going to the meeting. But why would Laura care who went to negotiate with Marcus?
Unless she had a reason.
I picked up my phone and dialed the number of the private investigator I’d worked with a few times.
Damon had helped me in the past with a few discreet matters–nothing too serious, but he was reliable when I needed information,
He picked up on the third ring. “Mr. Campbell.”
“Damon, I need a favor,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though my heart was racing. “I need you to check something for me, Marcus Hale.”
“I need to know where he was before 8 p.m. yesterday. Get me everything you can. I’ll send you the details.”
“Alright, I’ll get on it. You’ll have something by the end of the day.”
“Yeah, and if you can, get anything on who he was with, any meetings, any contacts, and if he met with Laura Martinez.”
“I’ll dig around. Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Damon replied. “I’ll let you know when I find something.”
I hung up, my thoughts spinning. The meeting between Marcus and Ava hadn’t felt right, and now the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced something was off.
I needed answers. And if Laura was involved in this, I had to know.
Minutes felt like hours as I waited for Damon to call back. My eyes kept drifting to the video footage on my laptop, replaying the moment Ava had walked into the restaurant.
Marcus hadn’t looked surprised to see Ava. He’d looked… ready.
+25 BONUS
CHAPTER 021
Finally, my phone buzzed, I grabbed it quickly, my heart thumping.
“What did you find?”
“Marcus was at a coffee shop earlier that day. I’ve got a picture from a security camera. And he wasn’t alone.” Damon said, his voice low.
I
I felt my pulse quicken. “Who was he with?”
There was a brief pause before Damon replied. “It was Lau.”
I froze.
“Are you sure?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“I’m sure,” Damon replied. “I’ve got the footage. They were sitting together, talking. Something passed between them, too. A folded piece of paper,”
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. “You’re telling me Laura was meeting with Marcus, and it was more than just a casual conversation?”
“Exactly,” Damon said. “I’ll send you the full footage.”
My stomach turned. Laura and Marcus? Together? I couldn’t understand why she’d meet with him before the dinner meeting.
She knew how important Ava was to me. How could she be involved in this?
I need to confront her.
The drive to Laura’s apartment felt like it took forever. My thoughts were a mess, each one worse than the last. The footage kept replaying in my mind, Laura handing Marcus the paper, the way they leaned in close. What had they been talking about? What was on that paper?
I parked in front of her building and sat there for a moment the weight of it all settling in my chest.
I owed her, yes. But if she had done something to hurt Ava. If she had used me or manipulated me in any way…
I won’t forgive her.
I grabbed my keys, stepped out of the car, and made my way inside. My hands were shaking now, not from the cold but from everything I was feeling.
I didn’t bother knocking. I had a key something she insisted I keep, “just in case.”
The door swung open, and Laura looked up from the couch, surprised.
“Jason,” she said, standing. “What are you doing here?”
I didn’t answer right away. My eyes scanned the room, looking for anything–anything that would tell me what she’d been up to.
My throat tightened, and I could feel my heart pounding. This was it. I was here, and I had to get answers.
CHAPTER 1972
