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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 46
Last Updated:
2025-02-22 23:45:58
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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 47
The sun came up over the Carlston estate, but its rays did nothing to melt the frost in the air.Lily woke up as Lily.Ina had burned out during the middle of the night, leaving only fatigue behind.A ringing knock on her door jolted her into sitting up."Ma'am," the maid's voice was low but persistent. "Madam Helena and Mr. Vandaulf await in the dining room. Breakfast time."Lily breathed slowly, centering herself. Play the role.Stepping out of her bedroom, she was not Ina, no longer angry. She was the demure, reserved Lily—dominated, refined, submissive.Valeria twirled down the steps like a top, the thick silk floating in her wake. She fought for breath for a moment when she entered the dining room. Vandaulf stood there.Waiting for her. His wide shoulders rested indolently against the doorframe, arms crossed, but his face was anything but calm.His eyes found her at once, scanning, seeking.Lily kept her even stride."Good morning," she said, voice light, neutral.Vandaulf's lip
Last Updated : 2025-02-23WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 48
The huge doors slam shut with a deafening crash, imprisoning Lily in the lion's den.Silence.Heavy. Choking.She barely had time to catch her breath before—"Where the hell were you?"His voice was deep, coarse—like gravel on steel.Lily gradually turned. Vandaulf hadn't stepped from the bottom of the stairs, yet his presence controlled the entire bloody room. Suit jacket open, rolled-up sleeves, as though pacing back and forth—awaiting.Her.Lily flicked a harsh brow, innocent. "Out."Darkening face, fists on his thighs. Mismatched reaction.He closed a cautious step, another, until all distance had disappeared. Something heavy erupted in the air."Out," he spat again, poison seeping through his words. "For seven hours, Lily?"She shrugged. "Didn't realize I was working."His jaw clenched. "You can't just bail."She nodded. "Amusing fact, since that is precisely what I did as well."His grip shattered.In seconds, he slapped his palm on her wrist—this time with more pressure.Lily d
Last Updated : 2025-02-25WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 49
The quiet was oppressive. Nigh on unbearable.The face staring back at her wasn't Lily anymore.It was Ina.Her stronger, bolder, deadlier version.She let her breath out slowly, leaning on the cold marble sink with her elbows. Her eyes. Ina's eyes, smoldered with revolt."What in tarnation was that?" Ina growled, staring at herself in anger.Lily's gentle voice, tinged with doubt, ran through her mind. "I don't know Ina.""Liar," Ina growled. "You felt it. You let him in."Lily winced within. "No. That wasn't."It was real," Ina interjected. "You enjoyed it."Lily's hands shook. "That's not true.""Oh, sweetheart," Ina sighed. "Your heart still pounds. Your skin still stings where he touched you. Don't lie to me."Lily swallowed hard. She wanted to lie, to push the sensation down as she always did.But Ina was correct.Vandaulf had touched her beneath her skin.And that was not safe.Ina leaned forward, her eyes on their reflected faces, her voice a low whisper. "You let him win."Li
Last Updated : 2025-02-26WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 50
The air between them charged with electricity, but neither blinked. Neither folded."Neither grovels, darling," Ina had sneered, her voice silk and steel.And now, observing Vandaulf's face harden—his jaw muscles locked, his fists clenched—she recognized she'd gained this fight.But victory was fleeting.Vandaulf didn't lose.He didn't surrender.He struck back. He didn’t say anything. Just turned and briskly walked out of the room as if making a clear statement with his footfalls on the marble floor.Ina took in a controlled breath and let it out in a measured manner as she slowly calmed down,her heart still racing from the fight.But deep down, Lily’s voice whispered soft, worried.This is dangerous, Ina. You’re pushing too far.Ina smirked at her reflection in the mirror. "Not far enough." The following morning, she awoke to a cage.Not a physical one—not chains, not locked doors—but something worse.A quiet, intangible prison built by a man who would not be disobeyed.She sensed
Last Updated : 2025-02-27WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 51
Vandaulf stepped before the mirror, smoothing out the cuff of his suit in effortless familiarity. His image was the very model of control—icy, measured, lethal.Lily watched him from the bed, sitting on her haunches, fingers following the stitches on her dress with gentle fingertips."You look eager," she thought, her voice silky, removed.His eyes flashed to hers in the mirror. "It's business."A Halloween masquerade party thrown by one of the city's most powerful real estate moguls. Networking, power moves, and deal-making masquerading as fun.More significantly, it meant he would be away for hours.This was her opportunity.Lily hid her smile in a wine glass."Well," she stated and stood up, the silk of her robe whispering against her skin. "Don't have too much fun without me Vandaulf."Vandaulf's eyes narrowed into hers, hard and cold."I won't."She stepped closer, inches from his face. Teasing him."Good," she whispered, reaching out to touch his tie, her fingers tracing just ab
Last Updated : 2025-03-01WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 52
The music pulsed around them, a hypnotic rhythm that dissolved reality and excess.Ina felt the heat of his fingers even through the depth of silk and blackness between them.Vandaulf was a storm—uncompromising, devouring, lethal.She knew she had to leave.Knew she walked a thin edge.But the alcohol that streamed through her bloodstream pushed stay.The thrill of the unknown flamed hotter than reason.And when Vandaulf's fingers caressed the length of her spine, when his lips were inches from her ear, she didn't step back.She leaned in closer."You're playing with fire," the depths of his voice were weighted with warning and promise.Ina's smile was languid and teasing. "Perhaps I like the burn."Vandaulf's grip just a little tighter on Lily-Ina's waist. His other hand fell to her wrist, his thumb tracing slow, swooning circles across her pulse.He was testing her.She was testing him.And both of them were unwilling to back down.His mouth inches from hers. Ina could feel the warm
Last Updated : 2025-03-02WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 53
She felt fear.What went on last night? Hell.She rolled over on her side, panting at what she saw.Lying next to Lily was a man; the early morning soft light silhouetted his muscular form. His chest rose and fell evenly. His face was hidden behind the mask.The same mask he wore last night.Memories flashed. The manner in which his fingers had caressed her body, ignited fires she'd never felt before. The manner in which his lips had devoured hers, starving, needy. The manner in which he'd shattered her.It was my first time… with a stranger.A queasy, falling sensation wrapped itself around her stomach.She'd been stupid.And now she didn't even know the man whose name could forever break the power of her ill-fated deed.Gritting her teeth against the pounding in her heart, she reached out with trembling fingers.If only she could see his face… if only she could know—She paused, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs.Drawing a shaking breath, she slowly drew back the mask.And w
Last Updated : 2025-03-03WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 54
Vandaulf drifted into consciousness by the warm light of sunlight streaming in from slightly parted curtains and remained catatonic in cooled silk sheets. All the throbbing ache in his head could be laid at the feet of the whiskey, the music, and the excess that had crushed down on him and plundered his body the night before.He rolled over next to him instinctively—but the bed was cold.Empty.His own eyes said, "Open," and they flew wide, his sight coming to rest upon the rumpled sheets where she had slept.She was not there.Vandaulf sat up, recalling last night washing over him in a raw wave.The club. The masked woman. The fire. He had never been so attracted to any person in his life as he had been attracted to her.It wasn't even the way she'd walked, or the fact she'd rutted crude phrases into his lips—it was different.Something he knew.He closed his eyes with one fist, and slowly drew in the air.She still smelled of her perfume.His eyes passed to the tattered mask lying
Last Updated : 2025-03-05
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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 107
Her eyes lingered.Or the illusion of it, Lily guessed."To your courage," Brenna finished, lifting her glass, "and to your love—may it always be wiser than your fear."No mistaking the gravity of those words. Not for Vandaulf. Not for Lily.They lifted their glasses.And for a while, all was laughter and smooth jazz, candlelight and stolen glances. But under the table, Vandaulf grasped her hand—and when he tightened his fingers, she knew. The question he wasn't asking.Who are you, truly, Lily?For since the hospital, since the truth almost shattered the glass walls between them, he had known something lingered—unspoken. Unhealed.She leaned into him, kissed his cheek, and breathed, "Let's slip away."His eyes widened, surprised, but curious. "To where?"Vandaulf smiled as the emcee's voice boomed mock-seriously through the speakers, breaking the spell between them."Hep hep! The party isn't over yet! Get the couple out to the dance floor again!" he boomed in mock gravity. The crowd
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 106
The officiant smiled at the best man, who produced the rings."Those rings serve as a symbol of the unending circle of love. Let them always symbolize the pledge you have given here today."Vandaulf put the ring on Lily's finger."With this ring, I thee wed."Lily mimicked the gesture, putting the ring on Vandaulf's finger."With this ring, I thee wed."The golden ring shone as Lily's trembling fingers forced it onto Vandaulf's palm. It shone like a promise not sworn in gold but in fire, in tears, in forgiveness. In love that had clawed its way out of devastation.Their palms stayed—his bigger, balancing hers, their fingers intertwining in a grasp that felt the world narrowing to them alone.The officiant smiled, voice rich with fervor."Lily and Vandaulf, before your family and friends, before the spirits which watch over you, you have said the words and performed the rituals that are binding your hearts to each other in marriage. By virtue residing in me—" she smiled lovingly at the
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 105
In the daylight, she was not the one who wore a mask to hide secrets behind her smile.No.She was Lily James.The last of her line.And tomorrow… she would be Lily Carlston.A soft knock echoed against the door."Come in," she said.Brenna entered, bearing a silver tray with a teacup and a plate of calming herbs. "Couldn't sleep either, could you?"Lily turned to her. "No. It's as if it's all too loud. My heartbeat. The silence. The stars outside."Brenna put the tray down on the table and pulled in the chair. "That's how I felt the night before I married your grandfather. Like the entire world knew that I was on the precipice of something enormous.""Was it a good marriage?" Lily whispered, her voice soft. True.Brenna's smile weakened, then smiled again with a weight of remembering in her eyes. "It was. messy. But it was mine. We broke and we fixed. We promised and broke promises. But always we came back to one another." She took Lily's hand. "Love is never kind. Sometimes it comes
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 104
"Seriously," Helena said with a wicked grin, "we were just checking if you two had passed out hugging each other or eloped early."Brenna, stifling her giggles behind a silk handkerchief, contributed, "But this is better. You two are adorably sweet."Lily gently groaned and buried her face in Vandaulf's chest. "They were watching us?"Helena sauntered in, her hand waving. "Not watching. Observing. Appreciating. Lightly judging.""You two are impossible," Vandaulf grumbled, but his lips lifted into a helpless grin.Brenna advanced, wiping a thumb under Lily's tear-stained eye. "Darling, don't cry so much. You'll dehydrate before the ceremony even begins.""I wasn't crying," Lily whispered, obviously lying.Oh, sweetheart," Helena said, chuckling as she stood on her cane. "Don't lie to women who've cried in wedding dresses. We know the blotchy glow.""I should have locked the door," Lily growled."But then we would've missed this perfect little scene," Brenna winked. "The pendant… the v
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 103
The sun poured into the bridal suite in liquid gold, its warm, forgiving light bathed all it touched. Dust motes floated serenely in the beams of light that poured in through the high French windows. Below the chandelier, Lily stood on a minute circular dais, her breath suspended, her gaze locked on the mirror opposite her.The dress glowed as moonlight did—silk and lace embroidered into poetry. It clung to her contours with grace, flowing down her legs like a liquid and lighting up with fire in every move."Stand still, darling," panted the seamstress, bent over Lily's feet. Her fingers flew rapidly, tugging on the hem, pinching intermittently."I am trying," Lily panted, eyes fuzzy, voice quivering. "It just does not seem true."Brenna swept in without knocking, her entrance as gentle as a lullaby. She stood in the doorway, her breath caught."Oh, Lily," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "You look like. you emerged from a dream."Lily moved her head, eyes shining with unshed te
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 102
The post-engagement days were a fantasy woven out of strands of golden sunlight and gentle laughter. The Carlston Estate, foreboding and dark, was now radiant. It pulsed with purpose—florists dashing along hallways with arms loaded with ivory roses, tailors darting to and from with packages of silk draped over their arms, and cooks darting back and forth with taste-test plates that sent fragrant odors wafting through the air. There was laughter once more. There was music. There was hope.And in the midst of it all—Lily and Vandaulf.“You’re breathing too loud,” Lily muttered without looking up from her sketchpad, a pencil tucked behind her ear, the other in her hand, tapping against the paper.“I’m literally just existing,” Vandaulf replied from the couch, watching her from over a stack of fabric swatches. “You’re the one judging ribbon samples like they hold state secrets.”"Yes, they do keep state secrets," she told him sternly, holding two very similar champagne-colored swatches in
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 101
Morning sunlight streamed through the Carlston house windows, bathing the stone floors in a warm golden glow once filled with power, secrets, and tears. But now, the quiet was serene. The war was over. Brigs Carlston had died. The ghosts were serene. And life—sweet, still life—started to take back its space again.At the heart of the estate garden in which sorrow previously grew like weeds, now blossoming roses graced that space.Vandaulf was among them.His eyes also looked for her simultaneously. Lily sat beneath the ancient tree where she had fled from the world. Her dark black hair fell down the sides of her shoulders like ink, and a half-opened journal lay across her lap. She wasn't writing anymore—just sitting with it. Remembering, maybe. Letting go.He swallowed hard. His heart pounded harder, the moment in his chest balancing like gravity."She deserves better," he whispered.“I’d say she deserves everything,” a familiar voice teased gently behind him. Vandaulf whirled, surpr
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 100
James & Monroe Holdings, Boardroom – Friday MorningThe lift moved slowly as if delayed by frost to reach its forty-eight floor. Lily was quite alone. She wore a black turtleneck blouse, a buttoned, cream-colored placket displayed with black trousers.A blazer fit close to her, arms rolled back in a casual fashion to expose the monogrammed cufflinks belonging to her father.Her hair was pulled back in a neat, every inch of her person assembled.Her fingers were shaking.Not out of fear.Out of anticipation.The instant the elevator doors slid open with a gentle chime, the hallway fell silent, as if the building itself acknowledged who now filled its corridors. Assistants looked up from their desks. Phones ceased ringing. Men in suits halted their conversations.The heir had come home.Vandaulf moved beside her in silence, one step behind. He was not here to make speeches on her behalf.He was present to see her reclaim all that had been taken.They approached the dark mahogany doors of
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 99
The gates of the James estate slowly swung open, leading to the curved, winding driveway lined with cypress trees that reached as high as the sky. The morning sun filtered through their leaves, casting golden spangles on the pavement. It was the same. And nothing was the same.Lily stepped out of the dark car, the gravel beneath her boots grinding. Her heart pounded in her chest, loaded with memory and significance. Vandaulf stood behind her in silence, letting her take it all in. It was sixteen years ago.The house stood like a sleeping giant—regal, proud, un touched since the world shattered. Ivy crawled up its stone front, and several of the windows were shrouded in mist, but it was still beautiful. Still hers.Brenna moved out of her way, the wind whipping clumps of her silver hair. "Your father designed every aspect of this house. Every beam, every tile, every windowpane. he wanted it to last for generations."Lily felt a wave of emotions. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to s
