The injunction hit my desk at 9:47 a.m.

I was mid-sentence in an email to our distribution head when Marcus appeared in my doorway. His face was carefully blank. That's how I knew it was bad.

'You have a visitor,' he said.

I looked up. 'I don't have anyone scheduled until eleven.'

'He didn't schedule.'

Before I could respond, the man walked past Marcus like he owned the building.

Six-foot-three. Charcoal suit that probably cost more than most people's cars. Dark hair. Darker eyes. He moved through space like it owed him something.

Shepard Holmes.

I'd seen his photo in the Wall Street Journal. Forbes. Bloomberg. The man who'd turned a mid-sized investment firm into an empire that touched everything from Silicon Valley to Capitol Hill. He didn't do interviews. He didn't do publicity. He just did damage.

He stopped in front of my desk. Didn't sit. Didn't ask permission.

He dropped a legal document between my keyboard and my coffee.

'Read it,' he said.

His voice was low. Controlled. The kind of voice that had never needed to be raised to make a point.

I glanced at Marcus. He was still in the doorway.

'It's fine,' I said quietly.

Marcus hesitated. Then he left. The door clicked shut.

I picked up the document. Scanned the first page. Injunction. Temporary restraining order preventing Stellaris Entertainment from terminating, interfering with, or otherwise damaging any existing contracts related to Nathan Cooper pending resolution of shareholder disputes.

I set it down. Looked up at Shepard Holmes.

'You bought into Meridian,' I said.

Meridian Studios. Nathan's last remaining deal. A three-picture contract he'd signed before everything collapsed. I'd been two days away from killing it.

'Minority stake,' Shepard said. 'Enough to make your life difficult if you proceed.'

I leaned back in my chair. Crossed my legs. Took my time.

'Mr. Holmes,' I said. 'Do you know what Nathan Cooper did to earn that contract?'

'I know what you've accused him of.'

'I haven't accused him of anything. I've documented it.'

'Bitter ex-wives document a lot of things.'

I smiled. It was the smile I'd learned from my father. The one that didn't reach my eyes.

'Is that what you think I am?' I asked. 'Bitter?'

He didn't answer. Just watched me.

I stood up. Walked around my desk. Stopped three feet from him. Close enough to make a point. Far enough to keep control.

'Nathan Cooper is a fraud,' I said quietly. 'Every opportunity he's ever had was built on money and infrastructure I provided. Every award he's won was polished by scripts I rewrote and strategies I designed. He is nothing without the foundation I gave him. And the moment he didn't need me anymore, he discarded me like I was trash.'

Shepard's expression didn't change. 'That's your version.'

'It's the truth.'

'Truth is subjective.'

'Receipts aren't.'

He tilted his head slightly. 'You've made your point, Miss Sullivan. The internet believes you. His career is in ruins. What more do you want?'

'I want him gone,' I said. 'Completely. Permanently. I want every door he tries to walk through to be closed before he reaches it.'

'That sounds like vengeance.'

'It is.'

His jaw tightened. Just barely. A muscle flickering on the left side. I filed that away.

'If you continue this campaign,' he said, 'you'll be going to war with me. I don't think you understand what that means.'

I stepped closer. One foot. He didn't move back.

'Then I hope you brought enough ammunition, Mr. Holmes,' I said softly. 'Because I never lose.'

For a long moment, neither of us moved. The air between us felt charged. Heavy. Like the moment before lightning strikes.

Then he picked up the injunction from my desk. Folded it once. Set it back down.

'You've been warned,' he said.

He turned and walked out. Didn't look back. Didn't hesitate.

The door closed behind him.

I stood there for a full minute. Then I walked back to my desk and sat down. My coffee was still warm. My hands were steady.

Marcus appeared thirty seconds later.

'Are you okay?' he asked.

I opened my laptop. Pulled up a file I'd been building for two days. Contingency plans. Counter-strategies. Everything I'd need if someone tried to interfere.

'I'm fine,' I said. 'Get me everything we have on Holmes Capital. Corporate structure. Partnerships. Vulnerabilities.'

Marcus blinked. 'You're going after Shepard Holmes?'

'He went after me first.'

'Ellie. He's—'

'I know who he is.' I looked up. Met his eyes. 'And he's about to learn who I am.'

Marcus nodded slowly. Then he left.

I turned back to my screen. Opened a new browser window. Typed in a search.

Shepard Holmes. Family. Background. Weaknesses.

The results loaded.

I started reading.

By the time the sun set, I had a plan.

The Metropolitan Museum at night looked like something out of a dream. Chandeliers. Marble floors so shiny I could see my reflection. Men in tuxedos. Women in gowns that cost more than cars. I'd been to a hundred events like this. Tonight felt different.

Because Shepard Holmes was sitting across from me.

The seating chart wasn't an accident. Someone on the museum board thought it would be interesting to put us at the same table. Or maybe they just wanted to watch what happened. Either way, here we were. Ten feet of white tablecloth and candlelight between us.

He looked at me once when I sat down. Didn't smile. Didn't nod. Just looked. Then he turned to the woman on his right and said something that made her laugh.

I picked up my wine glass. Took a sip. Watched him over the rim.

The dinner was seven courses. Each one took forever. I made conversation with the venture capitalist on my left. Laughed at the right moments. Asked the right questions. But I felt Shepard's presence like pressure in my chest.

Halfway through the fourth course, his gaze cut to me.

'Miss Sullivan,' he said. His voice carried across the table. 'I hear Stellaris is expanding into international distribution.'

Everyone at the table turned to look at me.

I set down my fork. 'We are.'

'Ambitious,' he said.

'Necessary.'

'Or reckless.'

I smiled. 'I'll let you know in a year.'

The venture capitalist laughed. Someone else changed the subject. But Shepard kept watching me. I felt it even when I wasn't looking back.

Dessert came. Then coffee. Then the speeches. A museum director. A donor. A board member thanking everyone for their generosity. I stopped listening.

When the speeches ended, people started moving. Mingling. Heading to the balcony for air and better views. I stood up. Smoothed my dress. Walked toward the terrace doors.

The balcony overlooked Central Park. The city lights stretched out forever. The air was cool. Clean. I stood at the railing and breathed.

Footsteps behind me. I didn't turn.

'Running away?' Shepard's voice.

I looked over my shoulder. He was standing five feet back. Hands in his pockets. Face unreadable.

'From what?' I asked.

'Me.'

I turned back to the view. 'You're not that interesting.'

He moved closer. Stopped beside me. Close enough that I could smell his cologne. Something expensive. Subtle.

'You've been digging into my business,' he said quietly.

'You came into mine first.'

'Touché.'

We stood there. Neither of us speaking. The city hummed below us.

'Why are you protecting him?' I asked.

He didn't answer right away. I glanced at him. His jaw was tight.

'That's not your concern,' he said finally.

'It is when he's using you.'

His head turned. Eyes locked on mine. 'Careful.'

I stepped closer. One foot. He didn't move back. I could see the gold flecks in his dark eyes now. The sharp line of his jaw. The way his chest rose and fell.

'The birthmark on Nathan's shoulder,' I said softly. 'It's fake.'

Something flickered in his expression. Fast. Gone before I could name it.

'You're reaching,' he said.

I shook my head. 'Cosmetic tattoo. Applied at a clinic in Brooklyn. Paid for in cash. I have the receipt.'

His jaw tightened. The muscle on the left side jumped. His gaze dropped—just two inches, just for a second—before snapping back.

There it was. The tell.

'They rehearsed the reunion in his apartment,' I continued. My voice was quiet. Steady. 'Nathan and Lana. Practiced the tears. The shock. The emotional moment. She called you the Holmes idiot. Said you'd believe anything if someone cried hard enough.'

Shepard's breathing changed. Slower. Deeper. Like he was holding something back.

'Why are you telling me this?' he asked.

I held his gaze. 'Because you deserve the truth.'

'Or because you want me to stop protecting him.'

'Both.'

He stared at me. The silence stretched. Heavy. Dangerous.

'You're either the most brilliant woman I've ever met,' he said quietly, 'or the most dangerous.'

I tilted my head. 'Why can't I be both?'

His eyes darkened. Something shifted in the air between us. Something I didn't have a name for.

I stepped back. Smoothed my dress. 'Good night, Mr. Holmes.'

I walked past him. Didn't look back. Didn't hesitate.

But I felt his eyes on me all the way to the door.

Inside, the crowd was thinning. I found Marcus near the coat check.

'We're leaving,' I said.

He nodded. Didn't ask questions.

In the car, I stared out the window. The city blurred past. My heart was beating too fast. I pressed my palm against my chest.

Marcus glanced at me. 'You okay?'

I nodded. Didn't trust my voice.

When I got home, I poured a glass of water. Stood at my kitchen window. Looked out at the lights.

My phone buzzed. Unknown number.

I opened the message.

*You're right. About the birthmark. We need to talk. —SH*

I stared at the screen. Read it twice. Three times.

Then I set the phone down. Walked to my bedroom. Lay down in the dark.

I didn't answer him.

Not yet.