Novels by M.S. Spds

Elena's POVI woke up late on Sunday morning to sunlight streaming through the blinds of my living room window.The apartment was dead silent.I swung my legs over the side of the bed, walked into the kitchen, and started the coffee maker.The envelope John had given me sat on the counter. I touched the smooth surface of the cover, the memory of his hand resting against the small of my back rushing straight back to my skin. My pulse gave a quick, warm hitch.A loud knock sounded at my front door.I opened it to find Chloe standing on the landing. She held two large cups of iced coffee in one hand and a paper bag of fresh pastries in the other. Her sunglasses were pushed up onto her dark hair, and her eyes scanned my face the second she stepped inside."You're glowing," Chloe said, kicking her shoes off near the entrance. "Did you actually sleep eight hours, or did you spend the night running algorithms in your head?""I slept," I said, taking one of the coffee cups from her. "First ti

Julian's POVDawn crept through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, cutting across the glass desk.I was still sitting in my chair, wearing the same shirt I had worn the night before. The collar was unbuttoned, my tie thrown on the floor beside my shoe. My eyes burned as I stared at the bright glow of my monitor.Dozens of browser tabs covered the screen. Corporate filings, asset holdings, offshore equity trusts, and court records from ten years ago.Marcus John Jenkins.I leaned back, resting my elbows on the desk and rubbing my face with both hands. The back of my neck throbbed. I had spent eight hours digging through his life, hoping to find a flaw, a bad debt, or a legal scandal I could use.I found nothing.The man wasn't a mid-tier consultant or a lucky pretender. He held majority stakes in three institutional capital funds. He owned real estate portfolios across two continents.A quiet knot of pure paranoia tightened in my gut. He wasn't just a nobody. He was a force to

Elena's POVThe cool evening air hit my face as we stepped out through the glass doors of the convention center.A few executives stood near the valet station, talking in low voices. As we walked past them, two fund managers stopped mid-sentence. Their eyes locked onto John, giving him quiet, stiff nods.John didn't acknowledge them. He glanced down at me, a subtle, smug curve at the corner of his mouth as his shoulder brushed mine."Where are we going?" I asked, looking up at him as we reached the curb."Somewhere quiet," he said. "Unless you're eager to get rid of me and head straight home?"I looked down at my hands. My palms were still warm from the adrenaline of facing Julian, but my chest felt lighter than it had in years. "Somewhere quiet is fine."John opened the passenger door of his car. "After you, beautiful," he murmured.I stepped inside, sinking into the leather seat. He climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and pulled into the evening traffic.Ten minutes

Julian's POVI slammed the driver’s door of my sports car shut, the heavy metal ringing in the quiet VIP parking garage.Marie slid into the passenger seat, pulling her seatbelt across her dress with a violent jerk. Her jaw was tight, her face pale under the harsh fluorescent lights of the concrete ceiling."Julian," she snapped, her voice sharp as glass. "What is going on?"I fired the engine. The dual tailpipes roared, and I shoved the shifter into gear. I floored the accelerator, sending the car launching up the exit ramp into the evening traffic. My hands gripped the leather steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped animal.Marcus John Jenkins.The name kept repeating in my head, over and over, pulsing behind my eyes like a headache."Are you going to say something?" Marie demanded, turning in her seat to look at me. "Or are you going to keep brooding over your pathetic little ex all night?""I'm not brooding over Elena,

Elena's POVElena's POVThe doors of the VIP auditorium closed behind us, cutting off the noise of the hallway.The room was dim, illuminated only by the massive stage lights and small floor runners along the carpeted stairs. We walked down the aisle toward the front row. Several executives sitting nearby glanced up, recognizing John immediately and giving him quiet nods.We sat down on the seats near the center. Up on stage, a speaker was setting up a slide deck.I stared straight ahead at the screen, but my mind was spinning.Jenkins.So that was why he was so secretive all this time. He was a Jenkins. I had thought a nameless board of shareholders owned the firm. I had thought John was just an independent consultant who liked good espresso.My guard went up instantly, and the warm feeling in my chest from earlier vanished, replaced by a wave of reality.I turned my head slightly, looking at John in the dim light. He sat relaxed in his chair, his face unreadable.I leaned toward hi

John's POVJohn's POVI sat in the passenger seat of my car, watching Elena adjust her blazer near the venue entrance."Shall we?" I asked, looking at her."We shall," she answered with a smile as I exited the car and opened the door for her.She looked striking. Her posture was straight, her shoulders were back, and the soft light caught the clean lines of her charcoal-grey suit. Seeing her step into the open light like this, confident and free, made something tighten in my chest.She turned to look at me, her dark eyes curious. I stepped up beside her, offering my arm, and we walked through the glass doors of the convention center together. Having her by my side felt natural. It felt right. But as we walked past the exhibition booths, a heavy weight settled in my gut. I knew I couldn't keep hiding the truth from her much longer. She deserved to know who I was and why I was really here.My grandfather, Lucas Jenkins Senior, built Jenkins Holdings from a single trading desk forty year