{"canonical":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan","locale":"en","author":"Anna Zaires","type":"work","modified":"2026-11-06T00:00:38.07262+00:00","data":{"title":"Wall Street Titan","author":"Anna Zaires","authorUrl":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/authors/anna-zaires","year":2019,"heat":5,"isbn":null,"seriesTitle":"Wall Street Titan","seriesOrder":1,"seriesUrl":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/series/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan","tropes":["Billionaire","Contemporary Romance","dating-app-mishap","Forced Proximity","Grumpy Sunshine","Mistaken Identity","obsessive-pursuit","only-one-bed","opposites-attract","possessive-alpha-hero","second-chance-romance","shared-trauma","wealth-gap-romance","Workplace"],"summary":"A billionaire who wants a perfect wife…\n\nAt thirty-five, Marcus Carelli has it all: wealth, power, and the kind of looks that leave women breathless. A self-made billionaire, he heads one of the largest hedge funds on Wall Street and can take down major corporations with a single word. The only thing he’s missing? A wife who’d be as big of an achievement as the billions in his bank account.\n\nA cat lady who needs a date…\n\nTwenty-six-year-old bookstore clerk Emma Walsh has it on good authority that she’s a cat lady. She doesn’t necessarily agree with that assessment, but it’s hard to argue with the facts. Raggedy clothes covered with cat hair? Check. Last professional haircut? Over a year ago. Oh, and three cats in a tiny Brooklyn studio? Yep, she’s got those.\n\nAnd yes, fine, she hasn’t had a date since… well, she can’t recall. But that part is fixable. Isn’t that what the dating sites are for?\n\nA case of mistaken identity…\n\nOne high-end matchmaker, one dating app, one mix-up that changes everything… Opposites may attract, but can this last?","pitch":"Wall Street Titan by Anna Zaires is a 2019 romance. Tropes: Billionaire, Contemporary Romance, dating-app-mishap, Forced Proximity, Grumpy Sunshine, Mistaken Identity, obsessive-pursuit, only-one-bed, opposites-attract, possessive-alpha-hero, second-chance-romance, shared-trauma, wealth-gap-romance, Workplace. Heat 5/5. Book 1 of Wall Street Titan.","publisher":"Mozaika Publications","ownRecap":true,"englishUrl":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan","chapters":[{"n":2,"title":null,"summary":"Emma Walsh, a twenty-six-year-old bookstore clerk drowning in student debt and cat hair, endures her best friend Kendall Bryce's brutal \"cat lady\" diagnosis at an overpriced Brooklyn brunch. With her three Persians—Mr. Puffs, Cottonball, and Queen Elizabeth—as her only companions and a year-long dating drought, Emma reluctantly reopens the dating app that her vanished friend Janie once forced on her. After wading through a swamp of unsolicited explicit images, she discovers a sweet, cat-loving message from Mark, a twenty-seven-year-old veterinary student who works in a bookstore and lives in Carroll Gardens. The chapter closes on Emma's breathless agreement to meet him in Park Slope, her joyful dance signaling a tentative surrender to the possibility of romance.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-2"},{"n":3,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli, a thirty-five-year-old hedge fund titan managing ninety-two billion dollars from his Park Avenue office, has decided that true success requires the right wife. Determined to escape the working-class roots of his Staten Island youth, he visits elite matchmaker Victoria Longwood-Thierry in the West Village to specify his ideal partner: a tall, athletic, intellectually sharp brunette with old-money polish, conservative style, and absolutely no perfume. Despite his skepticism, Victoria’s track record with other Wall Street managers convinces him to accept her candidate. By evening, he receives a text proposing a meeting with Emmeline, a woman from Boston visiting New York for only a few days, at Sweet Rush Café in Park Slope the next evening at six. Though reluctant to leave his Bloomberg terminals early, Marcus agrees, committing to explore whether this stranger might fit the empire he’s built—and the future he’s demanding.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-3"},{"n":4,"title":null,"summary":"Emma Walsh arrives at Sweet Rush Café thrilled for her first in-person meeting with 'Mark,' a potential match from a dating app. But the man waiting is nothing like his photos—he is Marcus, a towering, arrogantly handsome stranger in an expensive pinstripe suit who admits he is thirty-five, not twenty-seven. When Emma tries to leave, he blocks her exit and insists they share a meal, turning her fury into unwanted attraction. Despite his wealth and deception, Emma refuses to be toyed with, though a dangerous spark of heat ignites between them as she struggles against his commanding presence. The date ends with Emma storming toward the door, only to nearly collide with mysterious strangers entering the café, leaving the true nature of Marcus's intentions—and whether this was a cruel prank by her friends—hanging unresolved in the air.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-4"},{"n":5,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli arrives at a Brooklyn café for a blind date arranged by his friend Victoria, only to realize he has approached the wrong woman—curvy redhead Emma instead of the elegant brunette Emmeline Sommers he was meant to meet. After Emma storms out following a tense exchange, the sophisticated Emmeline appears: a Harvard Law graduate and philanthropist running a foundation for abused women, whose old-money family fortune and social polish make her the \"trophy wife\" Marcus has been seeking. Though their dinner conversation flows easily over market trends and politics, Marcus feels a visceral pull toward Emma that he cannot ignore. When Emmeline finds a phone left in the booth, Marcus impulsively claims he will return it, fabricating a story about his assistant to excuse himself. The chapter closes with Marcus torn between his ambition to marry Emmeline for status and his compulsive need to track down Emma, the phone now serving as his excuse to see the redhead again.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-5"},{"n":6,"title":null,"summary":"Emma storms out of a disastrous café date after realizing the man she met—Marcus—wasn’t Mark, the guy she was actually supposed to meet on the app. Fuming, she boards the subway only to discover her phone is gone, triggering panic: she can’t afford a replacement while living paycheck to paycheck on her bookstore salary, already strained by student loans and a vet bill for her cat. Retracing her steps, she convinces herself the device must be back at the café and boards a return train, determined to salvage the night and recover her only lifeline to the real Mark, who may still be waiting. The chapter closes on her desperate resolve to turn a humiliating mistake into a second chance.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-6"},{"n":7,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus cuts short his promising date with Emmeline, using her early Boston flight as an excuse to leave, because he’s consumed by an obsession with a redhead named Emma. Armed with her unlocked pink Android phone, he scrolls through her photos and finds a selfie that stops him cold: wild red curls, gray eyes full of mischief, and a warmth that triggers an immediate, unwanted physical response. Despite his legendary self-discipline—running marathons, graduating in two and a half years—he feels powerless against the temptation she represents. He weighs the smart choice, handing the phone to his assistant Lynette and returning to Emmeline, against the reckless one: following the address saved under “Home” to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. In the end, impulse wins. He orders an Uber to Emma’s doorstep, resolved to return the phone but secretly hoping the encounter will explain why this stranger has already unraveled his control.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-7"},{"n":8,"title":null,"summary":"Emma scours a restaurant booth for her missing pink phone case after a tense blind date with Marcus, a man whose cool blue eyes and large hands have left her distracted—and suspicious. The search proves fruitless, deepening her anxiety as hunger gnaws at her empty stomach; she grabs a banana from a street vendor before retreating to the subway. Exhausted and dispirited, she vows never to use a dating app again, wondering if the device was stolen and whether her planned phone-tracking app will still help. The chapter closes on her unresolved worry about Marcus's true identity and the fate of her phone, leaving her physically drained and emotionally raw.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-8"},{"n":9,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli, a hedge fund manager, tracks down Emma Walsh at her Brooklyn brownstone to return the phone he found at a café, though he admits to himself that he's bordering on stalker behavior after digging through her photos and emails. When Emma appears, terrified by the six-foot-three man lurking at her door, Marcus quickly reassures her of his identity and intentions. They bond over a shared humiliation—both were stood up for dates by fictional names (Emmeline and Mark)—and Marcus, struck by Emma's dimpled smile and red hair, feels an immediate, obsessive attraction. Despite Emma's polite attempts to dismiss him, Marcus refuses to leave without securing a promise of future contact, resolving to pursue the lush young woman and live in the moment despite the moral ambiguity of his actions.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-9"},{"n":10,"title":null,"summary":"Exhausted after a long day at her bookstore, Emma is jolted awake by an unexpected visitor: Marcus Carelli, the wealthy hedge fund manager she met briefly at a café, standing at her door to return her phone. The gesture defies logic—men like Marcus don’t waste time on strangers—and Emma spirals between suspicion and breathless excitement as she feeds her cats and tries to sleep. Though she dismisses the impossible notion that he’s interested in her, the memory of his presence lingers like electricity under her skin, leaving her restless and dreaming of him long after lights out. Heat level: simmering anticipation.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-10"},{"n":11,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli delegates a delicate errand to his assistant Lynette, instructing her to send two dozen each of pink and white roses alongside an assortment of premium cat food to an address he will email. While Lynette processes the order with professional efficiency, Marcus's thoughts drift from his packed schedule of meetings and research reports to Emma Walsh. Desperate to move on, he sets a reminder to call Emmeline—his 'redheaded dessert'—once her flight lands later that afternoon, hoping the distraction of a new romantic interest will help him forget the woman who still dominates his thoughts. The chapter captures the tension between Marcus's polished, demanding exterior and his private vulnerability, closing on his unresolved longing and the looming arrival of Emmeline.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-11"},{"n":12,"title":null,"summary":"Emma Walsh works at Smithson Books in Brooklyn, where her boss Edward Smithson attempts to set her up with his nephew Ian, an aspiring urban fantasy author. Though Emma finds Ian pleasant, she feels no romantic spark—her thoughts drift instead to Marcus Carelli, the hedge fund manager who unexpectedly returned her phone in person yesterday. After refusing her grandmother's offer of financial help, Emma arrives home to find anonymous deliveries: a lavish bouquet of roses and months' worth of premium cat food, signed by Marcus. A text from an unknown number follows, inviting her to dinner on Thursday. Thrilled yet wary, Emma grapples with an intense, almost primal attraction that frightens her, leaving her uncertain whether to accept the dangerous man's invitation.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-12"},{"n":13,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus, a billionaire hedge fund manager, sits paralyzed in his office awaiting a text from Emma Walsh, his impatience shredding his usual nerves of steel. He contrasts Emma’s unpredictable spark with his recent calm dinner with Emmeline, the steady, well-mannered woman who seems perfect on paper but leaves him cold. When Emma finally replies, she proposes a dingy pizza joint near her Brooklyn apartment for an 'ethics discussion'; Marcus counters with a better family restaurant in Bensonhurst, and she accepts. The small victory leaves him grinning like he’s just closed his first million-dollar trade, eager for the next battle in his campaign to win her over.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-13"},{"n":14,"title":null,"summary":"Emma bursts into a Manhattan café to tell her best friend Kendall about her first date with Marcus Carelli, a hedge fund manager she met through a case of mistaken identity. Kendall reacts with shock but launches a blistering tough-love critique of Emma’s stagnant life—her dead-end job at Smithson Books, half-hearted freelancing, and habit of dating safe men like her clingy ex Jim—forcing Emma to confront her fear of change. Though stung, Emma admits Kendall has a point about her unfulfilled publishing dreams. Later, alone in her Brooklyn apartment, she obsesses over her outfit and the expensive restaurant, wrestling with pre-date nerves and the unfamiliar thrill of stepping outside her comfort zone. She resolves to face the dinner despite her anxiety, recognizing that Marcus represents exactly the risk she’s been avoiding.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-14"},{"n":15,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus arrives punctually at Emma Walsh's New York apartment at 6:45 p.m., where he finds her flustered and disheveled amidst a feline household. Her giant white cat, Mr. Puffs, reacts with jealous fury to his presence, forcing Emma to physically restrain the animal before they can leave. Though Marcus tells himself he is merely satisfying a physical craving and not pursuing a relationship, his possessive jealousy and intense attraction flare immediately upon seeing her—small beside him, red curls escaping her taming, hand slipping through his elbow. As they step into the evening together, the unresolved tension of his denial hangs heavy: he wants her desperately, yet insists he wants nothing more than to get her out of his system.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-15"},{"n":16,"title":null,"summary":"Emma accepts a dinner invitation from Marcus Carelli, an intimidatingly handsome hedge fund manager, and climbs into his luxury car for a ride to an upscale Italian restaurant. Over pizza and calamari, their flirtation escalates into a charged confrontation when Marcus reveals he used a private matchmaker and met another woman, Emmeline, yet insists he is only interested in Emma. He lays out his pragmatic criteria for a wife—education, ambition, social grace—and proposes with blunt directness that they sleep together, anywhere, tonight. Though Emma is overwhelmed by desire, she panics and flees to the coat check, only to find Marcus waiting. He catches her, promises no pressure, and escorts her home, leaving the night's electric tension unresolved but promising.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-16"},{"n":17,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus drives Emma home after a tense dinner where she insisted on paying for her own pizza—an act of independence that unnerves him more than he expected. Though the physical pull between them is undeniable, he honors his promise not to pressure her, even as his every instinct urges him to claim her. Mid-ride, he authorizes a risky $700 million municipal bond investment that could double before the next Fed meeting. When they reach her apartment, the charged goodbye leaves them both breathless; he secures a second date for Friday, hungry not just for her body but for the mystery of who she really is. Emma retreats inside to her cats, leaving Marcus to wonder if her fierce autonomy is the very thing that will break his carefully constructed walls.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-17"},{"n":18,"title":null,"summary":"Emma video-calls her best friend Kendall from the bookstore where she works, thrilled about her second date with Marcus Carelli. When Kendall reveals Marcus is a Forbes-listed billionaire who once destroyed a major tire company with a single presentation, Emma realizes the staggering wealth gap between them—and the fact that he called her \"kitten\" and openly propositioned her. Torn between her principles about who pays for dinner and her physical attraction, Emma hangs up wrestling with whether to sleep with him tonight despite fearing it will be a one-night stand. The chapter closes with her boss interrupting her daydreams to ask for a book recommendation, grounding her back in her ordinary life while the tension of Marcus's invitation hangs unresolved.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-18"},{"n":19,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli, a Wall Street fund manager overseeing nearly $93 billion, struggles to focus during his weekly performance review as he counts down the hours until his date with Emma. While Alpha Zone’s prestigious December conference looms—where he’ll pitch for a reputation-boosting prize—his thoughts fixate entirely on their evening ahead: the anticipated first kiss at her door, dinner at an East Village Greek restaurant, and a weekend at his Tribeca penthouse. Viewing his intense attraction as merely an unhealthy craving to be satisfied and dismissed, Marcus plans to consummate their relationship quickly to purge the distraction, unaware that Emma may harbor deeper feelings. The chapter closes on his eager anticipation of their imminent meeting, his intentions firmly set on physical connection rather than emotional investment.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-19"},{"n":20,"title":null,"summary":"Emma Walsh is prepping for a date with billionaire Marcus Carelli when her three cats—Mr. Puffs, Cottonball, and Queen Elizabeth—unleash chaos, leaving her tripped, winded, and half-dressed when the doorbell rings. Marcus, worried she’s hurt, literally breaks down her apartment door to reach her, finding her in lingerie amid the feline wreckage. Their charged reunion escalates into a desperate, breathless kiss that stops only when Mr. Puffs intervenes, leaving Emma flustered and Marcus smoldering. But when she realizes the broken door means she can’t leave the cats alone, the romantic evening crashes against practical reality—trapping her at home and the date canceled, with unresolved tension hanging between them.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-20"},{"n":21,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus refuses to abandon Emma to a Brooklyn street after her apartment door breaks during their charged second date. Determined to keep her safe, he arranges for a repairman and insists they share a meal in her cramped studio, where her three rescue cats—Mr. Puffs, Cottonball, and Queen Elizabeth—command her attention. As they wait for gyros from Gyro World, Marcus grapples with an unfamiliar intensity of feeling, protective and possessive in equal measure, while Emma reveals how she saved the purebred kittens from a gas station dumpster. Their banter crackles with unspoken desire and a stark contrast of worlds—his instant solutions versus her resourcefulness—leaving the night suspended between vulnerability and the promise of more.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-21"},{"n":22,"title":null,"summary":"Emma hosts billionaire Marcus Carelli in her cramped apartment for a casual gyro dinner, their attraction still smoldering from a recent kiss. When repairmen arrive to fix the door Marcus damaged during a rescue, the confined space and shared dessert create dangerously intimate proximity. As hammering fills the room, Marcus coaxes Emma into feeding him ice cream, the charged moment escalating until the workers announce they are finished—leaving the couple alone with a newly repaired lock and nowhere to hide their desire. The chapter balances domestic comedy—thieving cats and a dish-washing billionaire—with mounting erotic tension, ending on the precipice of a private encounter now that Emma's door finally closes and locks.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-22"},{"n":23,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus corners Emma in her bedroom after a charged encounter, his desire for her overwhelming his usual restraint. When her cat interrupts their moment and she tries to pull away, he insists she come to his penthouse—unable to play games or maintain civility with her. They share a heated kiss that leaves them both breathless, but when Emma backs against the mattress and suddenly freezes, she breaks off the embrace and asks him to leave. She admits their attraction is real but insists it won't work, referencing his ongoing relationship with Emmeline. Stunned by the rejection, Marcus watches as she gathers her cat and firmly repeats her request that he go, leaving the chapter on an unresolved note of frustrated longing and unspoken tension.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-23"},{"n":24,"title":null,"summary":"Emma visits her best friend Kendall for breakfast, still raw from rejecting Marcus Carelli the night before. Kendall is stunned that Emma turned away a billionaire after he broke down her door, kissed her twice, and shared takeout with her, insisting Marcus could unlock Emma’s dream publishing career despite his plans to marry Emmeline. Emma defends her choice, explaining she cannot bear the inevitable heartbreak of watching him leave for another woman, and that his vast wealth triggers her childhood terror of unstable ground. On the subway home, she clings to her resolve that their volatile chemistry could never survive their incompatibility, even as she admits her studio feels colder and emptier without him.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-24"},{"n":25,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus spends Friday night trying to convince himself that Emma's abrupt departure was for the best, rationalizing that a proper match like Emmeline Sommers is what he truly needs. He schedules a civilized December dinner with Emmeline in New York, then calls his old-money friend Ashton Vancroft for a brutal sparring session at their MMA gym. Over beers afterward, they debate matchmaking and monogamy, but Marcus's thoughts keep drifting back to Emma—the \"little redhead\"—and her dimpled smile. Seething with jealousy at the thought of her with someone else, and unable to sleep or find peace, he retreats home only to succumb to the overwhelming physical pull she exerts on him, ending the chapter in private agony and unresolved desire.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-25"},{"n":26,"title":null,"summary":"Eleven days of silence stretch into a sluggish routine for Emma, whose finances are finally improving thanks to new editing clients and a long-overdue payment, yet she remains trapped in a sleepless funk over Marcus. When her friend Kendall urges her to call him, Emma resists—until a vivid dream leaves her aching and longing, and she finds herself reaching for her phone in the dark. Torn between pride and desire, she composes a tentative \"Hey…\" but hesitates over the send button, chatting instead with her cat Queen Elizabeth for moral support. In a moment of distraction, her finger slips, and the message goes through. The chapter closes on the irreversible step she’s taken, leaving her staring at the screen with a mix of relief and dread as she waits to see if Marcus will answer.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-26"},{"n":27,"title":null,"summary":"At 2:49 a.m., financier Marcus receives a tantalizing text from Emma—his ex—only to discover it was meant for someone else. The revelation ignites his possessive obsession rather than quelling it. After twelve days of failed attempts to move on, Marcus resolves to discover Emma's new lover, hiring a private investigator to uncover the truth. His determination to reclaim the \"little redhead\" hardens into resolve: he will not play by the rules again. The chapter closes on his predatory anticipation and the threat of his unwelcome return, leaving the question of whether Emma will welcome him back or face his pursuit hanging in the air.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-27"},{"n":28,"title":null,"summary":"Emma receives a cascade of lavish gifts—tulips, a designer scarf, and signed first editions of her favorite novels—each bearing cryptic notes from Marcus, her ex, who seems determined to win her back after she accidentally texted him at three in the morning. Despite her resolve to move on, the expensive tokens and a command to be picked up at seven force her to confront her lingering feelings. When Marcus arrives at her door in a tailored suit, his commanding presence and tender dominance melt her resistance; their charged reunion escalates quickly from a passionate kiss in her doorway to an intense, breathless encounter in her bedroom, leaving her questioning whether his interest is genuine or a game.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-28"},{"n":29,"title":null,"summary":"Emma and Marcus resume their encounter with escalating intimacy as she experiences a second climax, her arousal surging beyond anything she’s known before. When she voices her desire for him, he pauses twice to tenderly confirm her comfort, addressing her hesitation about his size with patient reassurance before they fully join. The intensity crescendos through a third, overwhelming release for Emma, culminating in a deeply possessive afterglow where Marcus anchors her against him. The chapter closes with Emma confronting the dangerous reality of her feelings and the high stakes of their physical and emotional bond, leaving her acutely aware that she is utterly consumed.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-29"},{"n":30,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus cannot release Emma even after their aggressive encounter in her bedroom, his carefully planned seduction abandoned in favor of raw, primal possession. He follows her into the steam-filled bathroom and joins her in the cramped tub, washing her body with obsessive reverence before driving her to a shattering climax with intimate, focused attention. When he finally releases himself against her pale thigh, marking her as his own, the chapter ends on a charged, unresolved note: Emma stands dazed and trembling in the spray while Marcus battles the dark, atavistic conviction that she now belongs to him completely, body and soul.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-30"},{"n":31,"title":null,"summary":"Emma lingers in the shower after an intense encounter with Marcus, her senses still reeling from overwhelming pleasure as she processes the reality of what just happened. When she emerges, Marcus hasn't left—instead, he's moved their dinner reservation, assuming she'll join him. Though she initially tries to refuse his lavish gifts of first-edition books and a scarf, citing their incompatibility and the fact that he's already met his fiancée, her resolve crumbles. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and despite knowing she should walk away to protect her heart, Emma finds herself dressing for dinner, choosing the intoxicating pull of desire over the safety of rejection. The chapter ends with her surrendering to the connection, unable to resist what she wants most.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-31"},{"n":32,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus collects Emma Walsh from her apartment for dinner, unable to resist the pull of his growing obsession. Trapped together in the back of his chauffeured car, he toys with her about the expensive gifts he’s showered her with—books, flowers, and a scarf he sourced by secretly mining her social media and college records. Their banter turns charged when Emma admits her late-night text was no accident but a dream-fueled impulse, igniting a possessive fervor in Marcus that transcends mere lust. He dismisses his scheduled date with another woman, declaring their connection exclusive, while Emma struggles with the invasive intimacy of his knowledge. As the car cruises toward dinner, the tension peaks: Marcus is determined to claim her completely, and Emma, flushed and flustered, can no longer deny the dangerous chemistry between them.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-32"},{"n":33,"title":null,"summary":"Emma and billionaire Marcus Carelli share a flirtatious dinner at his favorite restaurant, where flaming halloumi sparks charged banter and physical tension. When two glamorous women openly compete for Marcus's attention, Emma's insecurities surface—she fears being labeled a gold digger like her mother, a diagnosed sociopath who exploited men and paraded Emma for her own gain. Vulnerable, Emma confesses her traumatic family history, terrified Marcus will reject her as a user. Instead, he firmly reassures her she is nothing like her mother, his certainty melting her deepest fears. The chapter closes as their emotional bond deepens, leaving unresolved whether Emma can fully trust Marcus's acceptance despite her past wounds.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-33"},{"n":34,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus invites Emma to dinner, and the evening becomes an unexpectedly raw exchange of secrets. Over branzino and baklava, Emma confesses her terror that she’ll inherit her mother’s legacy—her mother was arrested for prostitution and died in a high-speed crash while fleeing a lover she’d robbed. Marcus answers with his own buried history: a father killed in prison, an alcoholic mother who drank herself to death, and a childhood spent running errands for gangs until a second-grade teacher, Mr. Bond, steered him toward legitimate ambition. Their shared trauma sparks an intimacy that unsettles Marcus, who realizes he’s imagining a future with her. When Emma insists on paying her half of the check, Marcus counters by ordering shared dessert and inviting her home, leaving the chapter suspended on whether she’ll accept his offer—and his growing claim on her.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-34"},{"n":35,"title":null,"summary":"Emma tours Marcus's ultra-luxurious Tribeca penthouse—complete with an indoor pool, butler, and rare book collection—and feels increasingly out of place amid the staggering wealth that dwarfs her own life. The tour stirs both awe and class anxiety until she discovers his signed first editions, hinting at a shared passion for literature that momentarily bridges their worlds. But the real connection ignites in the master bedroom, where Marcus's composure crumbles; he calls her 'Kitten' and declares his desire, pulling her into a deep, hungry kiss that overwhelms her resolve. The chapter closes on the precipice of intimacy, the tension between her hesitation and his insistence hanging unresolved as passion takes center stage.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-35"},{"n":36,"title":null,"summary":"Emma wakes in Marcus Carelli's lavish bedroom, her body sore and tender from a night of relentless intimacy that left her breathless and satisfied. Naked and unable to find her clothes—which his butler Geoffrey is having laundered—she wraps herself in a plush pink robe and navigates the futuristic bathroom amenities with a mix of awe and embarrassment. When Marcus appears in casual clothes, offering the Wi-Fi password and suggesting she Skype her grandparents from his guest room, Emma panics at the intimacy of the invitation. His nonchalant offer to meet her family transforms their fleeting encounter into something potentially serious, leaving her flustered and uncertain about whether to flee or stay as the morning stretches past eleven.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-36"},{"n":37,"title":null,"summary":"Emma is already seven minutes late for her biweekly video call with her grandparents when she finally finds her phone in Marcus Carelli's sprawling penthouse. Still wearing his borrowed robe after a passionate night together, she improvises a cover story about staying at a 'friend's place' to dodge questions about her quiet love life—only to realize Thanksgiving is this week and she flies to Florida on Wednesday. When Grandma and Gramps press for details about the mysterious Marcus, Emma deflects by deciding to carry the phone straight to his office and let him charm them himself. The chapter captures Emma's nervous oscillation between casual fling and something more serious, complicated by Marcus's stated intention to marry Emmeline Sommers, as she navigates her grandparents' cheerful interrogation while hiding in plain sight.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-37"},{"n":38,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli endures a video-call interrogation from his girlfriend Emma Walsh’s grandparents, Ted and Mary, smoothly deflecting questions about his hedge fund, Staten Island roots, and orphaned past. Though the Walshes approve of him, Emma immediately vetoes an invitation to their Florida Thanksgiving, citing his “insane” workload at the fund. Marcus agrees with a voice that doesn’t sound like his own, then hangs up stung by her rejection—despite having no intention of going. The chapter crackles with romantic tension as his fascination with Emma deepens into an obsession to become indispensable in her life, even as she keeps him at arm’s length.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-38"},{"n":39,"title":null,"summary":"Emma hosts Marcus Carelli for brunch at his opulent estate after her grandparents subjected him to an interrogation, and though he opens the morning brooding, his protectiveness quickly yields to charged intimacy. Served by their British butler Geoffrey, the meal—a decadent seafood omelet—becomes a sensory feast that leaves Emma trembling with desire. Marcus’s possessive, explicit promises of what awaits them once the plates are cleared transform the dining room into a pressure cooker of anticipation, leaving Emma aching and certain that their simmering tension is about to ignite into explosive intimacy.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-39"},{"n":40,"title":null,"summary":"After brunch, Marcus Carelli is blindsided when Emma tries to slip away to feed her cats and tackle laundry day. The billionaire, still reeling from her upcoming Florida trip—which she refuses to let him join—finds himself gripped by a desperate, possessive hunger that frightens even him. He reflects on a childhood marked by poverty, eviction threats, and a drunk, unpredictable mother, a past that left him starving for security until last night, when sleeping with Emma in his arms gave him an unprecedented sense of being home. When she emerges from the bathroom fully dressed, Marcus announces he is coming with her, shattering her shock and sealing the chapter on a note of escalating obsession and unresolved tension.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-40"},{"n":41,"title":null,"summary":"Emma finds herself riding shotgun in Marcus Carelli’s car en route to her Brooklyn studio, still nursing the physical aftermath of their recent intimacy. When her best friend Kendall texts demanding to know if Emma has hooked up with the Wall Street financier, Marcus snatches the phone and brazenly answers Kendall himself, confirming their connection to a stunned audience. The privacy breach ignites Emma’s temper until Marcus soothes her with an apology and a reverent kiss to her knuckles, briefly melting her anger. Yet when he admits he did not recognize her as “the one” from their first meeting, Emma’s heart stutters—hurt sharpening into a quiet, impossible longing for their liaison to mean something real. The chapter closes on her unresolved hope that this possessive, high-octane affair might actually be love.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-41"},{"n":42,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus visits Emma's cramped studio to help with laundry, masking his possessive urges with domestic tasks while bantering with her cats. When Emma refuses to stay overnight at his penthouse due to her pets, he reluctantly learns to pet Cottonball, triggering memories of his impoverished childhood where pets were impossible after their eviction. Emma's quiet remark that the cats need \"love\" strikes Marcus personally, and when she reveals she is traveling to Florida on Wednesday, she instead invites him to stay at her apartment. Overwhelmed by his desire to claim her and the irony of his own emotional need, Marcus agrees, texting his assistant that he will not return home. The chapter closes on the charged promise of forced proximity, with Marcus settling onto Emma's small bed, the cats' purring a soothing counterpoint to his restless, possessive longing.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-42"},{"n":43,"title":null,"summary":"Emma marvels at the improbability of spending the evening with billionaire Marcus Carelli in her cramped Brooklyn studio, sharing pizza from Papa Mario's and preparing for his overnight stay. When her best friend Kendall calls demanding details, Emma confesses the last twenty-four hours together while hiding her recent meeting with Marcus's grandparents. Kendall insists the billionaire is genuinely smitten—far beyond a casual hookup—and urges Emma to recognize his serious intentions. Though Emma deflects with cynicism about impending heartbreak and denies hoping for a publishing industry connection, she cannot shake her own hopefulness. The call ends abruptly as Marcus emerges from the shower, leaving Emma flushed, flustered, and dangerously invested in where this whirlwind might lead.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-43"},{"n":44,"title":null,"summary":"Emma wakes to an intensely sensual morning with Marcus, whose intimate attentions ease the soreness from their previous encounters. Over breakfast, their banter shifts to a vulnerable exchange about sexual history: Marcus reveals a past filled with casual encounters and one serious college relationship, while Emma admits to only two inexperienced boyfriends, Arthur and Jim. The conversation takes a dark turn when Marcus’s protective instincts flare into possessive jealousy, threatening to destroy Emma’s exes before claiming her with a fiercely dominant kiss. The chapter balances steamy intimacy with the emerging tension of his controlling nature, ending on a note of both arousal and unease.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-44"},{"n":45,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus wakes beside Emma after a passionate morning, already drowning in his obsession with the redhead he has been trying to resist. When his phone rings with devastating news from his CIO Jarrod, the $700 million municipal bond investment he holds is imploding due to a corrupt politician's embezzlement scandal, threatening bankruptcy and rendering the position worthless just weeks before the prestigious Alpha Zone conference. Torn between his addiction to Emma—which he privately compares to heroin—and his fiduciary duty, Marcus abandons their cozy Sunday to rush to the office, ordering liquidations and emergency meetings. Though he tells himself he needs to detox from her spell before he is in too deep, his conflicted departure slams the door on both his professional crisis and his denial about how deeply he has already fallen for her.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-45"},{"n":46,"title":null,"summary":"Emma wakes alone in rumpled sheets, the physical aftermath of a passionate morning with Marcus still lingering. When her lover vanished abruptly after a tense phone call about devastating losses at his investment fund, the empty space beside her exposes the fragility of their undefined arrangement. As Emma spirals into anxiety—wondering if her refusal of a second round due to soreness offended him—her confidence crumbles into fear that their connection was merely convenient. With no goodbye kiss and only a vague promise to call later, she faces the crushing possibility that she may never see him again. Staring down a backlog of editing work she now cannot focus on, Emma confronts the hollow ache of potential abandonment, realizing that without certainty, even great intimacy leaves her exposed.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-46"},{"n":47,"title":null,"summary":"At 3:05 a.m., hedge fund manager Marcus Carelli finally calls it quits on a marathon session with his team, sending them home to recover from twelve hours of scrambling to plug a $700 million loss before November 30th. With the Alpha Zone conference looming and his fund’s reputation on the line, there’s no room for error—or for weakness. But as soon as he’s home, his thoughts drift to Emma, the woman he’s trying to detox from. Despite his resolution to stay away, the craving hits like a physical ache, ten near-misses already tonight. As he drifts toward sleep, he vows to focus on the numbers, yet the pull toward Emma proves stronger than his willpower, leaving the chapter poised on the edge of a relapse.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-47"},{"n":48,"title":null,"summary":"Emma waits in anxious limbo after her intense hookup with billionaire Marcus Carelli, convinced his silence since Sunday signals the end of their affair. While her friend Kendall buzzes with curiosity about the romance, Emma sends every call to voicemail, spiraling through worst-case scenarios about being discarded. A gathering snowstorm threatens her Wednesday flight to Florida to visit her grandparents, adding logistical dread to her emotional turmoil. She clutches the scarf Marcus gifted her—a tangible reminder of the connection now possibly severed—before stashing it away from her cats. When she finally checks her flight status, only tonight’s and tomorrow morning’s departures are cancelled, offering fragile hope that she might still escape the winter cold. Yet even the prospect of sunshine and family cannot dispel her bone-deep certainty that Marcus has moved on, leaving the chapter suspended between the storm outside and the hollow certainty settling inside.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-48"},{"n":49,"title":null,"summary":"By market close, Marcus’s fund has secured $580 million through aggressive trades, including a $100 million wager on the Turkish lira and airline shorts that profited from an early storm. Yet the win tastes hollow because Emma hasn’t been seen since Sunday, and she leaves for Florida tomorrow, stranding Marcus alone for the week. He fights a powerful urge to call her, determined to prove he can conquer his obsession rather than let it consume him. Their connection burns with fierce sexual chemistry and need, which he refuses to act on despite the ache. As he withholds the call, he clings to the fragile victory of self-control, though the unresolved hunger for her leaves him shaken.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-49"},{"n":50,"title":null,"summary":"Emma sits awake in her apartment during a howling winter storm, her flight delayed and her bed feeling cold and lumpy beside her. She fixates on the memory-foam mattress she shared with Marcus Carelli during their brief, intense weekend, replaying how gently he handled her cat Cottonball and the way his presence made her heart crack open—only to have him walk away afterward. Torn between self-recrimination and raw heartbreak, she scolds herself for knowingly playing with fire and letting him leave a lasting wound. As snow piles against her narrow window and the tempest rages on, she resolves in the darkness that she will never again date a man out of her league.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-50"},{"n":51,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus battles a winter storm and his own obsession while working from home at his investment fund. He fixates on Emma, tracking her Florida flight through the blizzard and worrying about her Brooklyn studio losing power. Realizing his attempt to push her away has only intensified his fixation—like the \"white bear\" psychological effect—he decides the only solution is to pull her closer. He resolves to apologize for his Sunday disappearance, drive her to the airport, and convince her to move into his penthouse permanently. With her cats and belongings in tow, Emma would become a constant presence, solving his scarcity problem through economics rather than willpower. The chapter closes on his dark anticipation of executing the plan once the roads clear.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-51"},{"n":52,"title":null,"summary":"Emma is packing her suitcase when her phone rings unexpectedly—it's Marcus, after days of silence. Panicked he's been hurt, she answers the third call only to learn he's fine, merely busy at work. His casual tone about the weather and his \"bad trade\" enrages her; she hangs up and rejects his next call, then watches his desperate texts pile up. Alone with her cat Cottonball, Emma confronts the truth she's been avoiding: she's fallen hard for Marcus despite knowing their connection was temporary. Unlike her previous relationships, he's dismantled her defenses completely. As she weighs calling him back against the fear of being left in pieces again, she realizes she's not the perfect wife candidate—Emmeline—that he supposedly needs, leaving their future hanging on a razor's edge.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-52"},{"n":53,"title":null,"summary":"Marcus Carelli is reeling after Emma Walsh abruptly ends their relationship over the phone, hanging up with a curt goodbye. Desperate to reconcile, he races through a snowstorm to her Brooklyn apartment only to learn she's already left for the airport. Using his considerable influence, he delays her United Airlines flight to Orlando by an hour, giving him time to reach the gate. There, he intercepts Emma in the boarding line and makes a grand romantic gesture, proposing she move into his penthouse with her three cats. Their passionate public kiss is interrupted by the final boarding call, but when Emma rejects his proposal outright—declaring the relationship over forever—Marcus's devastation curdles into possessive determination. He resolves to fly his private jet to Orlando that night to win her back, refusing to accept defeat.","url":"https://books.mozaikallc.com/en/works/anna-zaires/wall-street-titan#chapter-53"}]}}