The Spalding Effect

by Bree Hollis

Trust isn’t built in boardrooms—it’s earned in the spaces between.
A fake relationship romance about trust after betrayal, class differences that don’t matter when hearts collide, and discovering that the best contracts are written without words.

When broke grad student Camden Waller spills coffee on Chicago’s most ruthless corporate lawyer, his desperate offer—to be Andrew Spalding’s fake boyfriend—might just save his sister’s medical bills from destroying his family.

Andrew doesn’t do relationships. Not since his ex’s betrayal six months ago. But with that same ex being the senior partner’s nephew and Andrew’s partnership on the line, he needs a convincing boyfriend for firm events. Camden’s offer? It’s just business.

Until it isn’t.

Camden’s fierce loyalty starts cracking Andrew’s cynical armor. Andrew’s hidden vulnerability pulls Camden past his own defenses. And suddenly their fake arrangement feels dangerously real.