WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK

Activity and noise reigned over the James estate. Bustling servants and glittering decorations surrounded Lily James, the smallest person in that grand ballroom. She pushed at the hem of her pale blue dress, a color chosen by her deceased mother and insisted upon by her grandmother—a hue meant to highlight the supposed innocence and beauty that Lily was believed to possess. She despised it.

The air was electric with tension as the two families gathered to cement the union—an arranged marriage that resembled a corporate merger. The James family, airline moguls, required the funds from the Carlston real estate empire, while the Carlstons desired the prestige of the James name. Love was not invited to this equation.

Lily stood nervously, her hands clasped tightly when he entered.

Vandaulf Claude Carlston, the CEO of Carlston Architectural Firm, exuded an icy, calculating power that made everyone else seem infinitesimally small. He was tall, perfectly dressed in a tailored black suit, and seemed as though he owned the room. A sharp jawline, piercing gray eyes, and the slightest curl of disdain on his lips gave him an intimidatingly handsome countenance, though he seemed utterly unapproachable.

Lily stood there as her grandmother beckoned her closer with a sharp nod, an unmistakable command even at her age. "Stand straight, Lily," she whispered under her breath as Lily came nearer. "This is important."

"Vandaulf," her grandmother began with forced cheer, her steely eyes daring him to falter, "this is my granddaughter, Lily."

His eyes roved over her, measuring, analyzing, and discarding her all in one beat. His lips curled into a sneer, dripping with contempt.

"This is Lily James?" he said, his voice laced with icy sarcasm. "How underwhelming."

Lily's cheeks burned, and her heart sank. She tried to steady herself, but his eyes, like shards of ice, seemed to cut right through her.

"Is this really the pinnacle of the James family's heritage?" he drawled, glancing at her grandmother with a scornful look. "I expected brilliance, beauty, intelligence, grace—or at the very least, backbone. And I see none of that. What a dull, plain girl." Lily opened her mouth to protest, but the words wouldn't pass her lips.

"Cat got your tongue?" Vandaulf sneered, tilting his head in mock curiosity. "Or is this your natural state—mute and useless? That would explain why no one bothered to warn me." "I—I..." she stammered, her voice barely audible. 

"Oh, for goodness' sake, spare me the stammering," he cut in curtly, his voice as ice-cold as a wind that would freeze her where she stood. "It's bad enough that I have to go through all this charade without you embarrassing yourself before we even get started." Her grandmother glanced at Lily pointedly, silently ordering her to calm down, and the pressure only served to make her feel smaller. 

Lily swallowed hard, managing to choke out, “I’m honored to meet you.” 

Vandaulf laughed—a low, biting sound that twisted the knife further. "Honored? I don't know why my grandmother chose you to marry me. What poor taste," he echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You should thank me for being willing to endure this situation at all. But come on, Lily. No fairy tale nonsense. You're no princess here. You are a pawn like everyone else." 

He drew closer, towering over her, continuing with a venomous whisper. "And let's make one thing very clear—if you go sulking and whimpering through all of this, you're going to find yourself crushed beneath the weight of my expectations. To be frank, you aren't my type. You look so pathetic." 

Her vision blurred from tears welling up in her eyes, but she was not going to let them fall. Not here, not now. 

"Well," Vandaulf said, straightening and turning away, "I suppose mediocrity will have to suffice. What a disappointment. And don't think I'm marrying you because I like you. This is for my inheritance—nothing more, nothing less. Don't expect too much from me." His tone was cold, arrogant, and almost amused, as though he were commenting on a poorly made meal rather than a person. 

Without looking back, he walked away. And there Lily stood alone, her shoulders shaking as she battled the humiliating tears that seemed to choke her.

But her grandmother's voice cut through the fog: low and silky, yet strong with steel. "Don't let him break you, child. He sees only what he wants to see. One day, he'll regret underestimating you." Lily's fingers curled into fists at her sides as her grandmother's words settled in her heart. She glanced toward Vandaulf's retreating figure, her breath steadying as a spark of defiance flickered within her. For the first time, she felt the stirrings of rebellion, a sharp defiance clawing its way to the surface against a world that sought to confine her and define her by others’ expectations. He may think I’m weak, she thought, her resolve hardening, but he doesn’t know me. Not yet. 

The opulent evening dragged on, the James estate glistening like a gilded cage, trapping her in its expectations. But as the sun dipped below the horizon, surrendering the sky to the night, something within Lily snapped. The timid girl, dismissed and belittled, was gone. In her place stood a storm waiting to be unleashed—a woman shedding the suffocating layers of expectation with every breath. She changed. Small, apologetic smiles evaporated. Sharp, teasing laughter cut like a knife; her once shyness-laden posture grew strong, as if she held herself up square and upright, and cautious glances shot through her fiery gaze. 

Only Brenna James, the force of nature head of LJ Airlines, felt it. There had always been the delicate pliancy that presented Lily, like a wafer-thin moon; yet behind it lay wildfire: it was her inheritance, one which Brenna too had learned, for in that time, they, like most women, existed only to look, not to speak. 

But Brenna was not going to let her granddaughter's rebellion get out of hand. She reached out and seized Lily's arm with a strength that Lily had not expected. Dragging her into a shadowed corridor, she hissed at her, "Now is not the time for a spectacle."

Lily pulled her arm free, her voice sharp and unapologetic. "What's wrong, Grandmother? Afraid I might embarrass you?"

Brenna didn't flinch. She backed into her private office, motioning her inside with a sharp look. "Get in," she snapped, her voice crackling with whip-like precision.