After My Husband Dumped Me for His Co-Star

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.