All Chapters of WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

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

Lily's head began to whirl. Everything in her life had been determined by others' needs. She had matured into an ideal daughter and a perfect heiress. The parents had been trained to smile and nod; play out her part in the world constructed for her. And here she was now, standing in front of two sheets of paper, everything seeming false.A tear threatened to spill, but Lily refused to let it fall. She was not that girl anymore. She was not that meek girl who allowed other people to tread on her weak self. "I won't sign it," she said her voice shaking defiantly. "I won't let you boss me around this way.Vandaulf's face darkened and the coldness in his eyes deepened. He leaned closer to her, speaking in a low, dangerous voice: "You think you have a choice, Lily? You think you can just walk away from this? Do you really believe you can challenge me? Do you have any idea what I could do to you?His words ran down her spine, but something inside of her snapped. She was not going to allow

The sun's rays flowing from the great windows of the hotel lobby poured onto the marble floor like golden rain. Lily sat very still on one of the soft armchairs, her hands folded neatly over her knees. She looked precisely the picture of a demure, dutiful bride: soft features that framed the gentle waves of her hair; her dress modestly and impeccably cut. There was nothing of the boldness that had characterized her scant hours ago.Vandaulf entered the lobby, walking with purpose, his face inscrutable. It was the sort of man who drew attention without doing much of anything. The sharp angles of his tailored suit cut the air around him as keenly as the edge on a fine knife. His eyes, glacial and analytical, raked over the room, paused on Lily, and passed on.He approached her with measured steps, a faint smile playing on his lips. It was a smile that could have passed as charming to an unknowing observer, but Lily knew better—it was a performance, just like everything else about him."

Lily squared her shoulders and moved to the wardrobe to begin preparing for dinner. For now, she would play the role Vandaulf demanded of her. But as the sun began to set over the Carlston estate, she reminded herself of one undeniable truth: the night belonged to Ina.Lily stood before the grand mirror in her opulent yet coldly impersonal room. Her reflection was that of a demure bride—flawless, composed, and perfectly groomed. But as she gazed at her own eyes, she could feel Ina stirring within her, a quiet yet insistent force.Ina’s voice, low and taunting, echoed in her mind."Lily, Lily," Ina whispered, her voice full of defiance. "Don't let him belittle you. Don't let him make you feel small. You don't belong beneath him—you belong above him. Let me handle it when the night comes." Lively's hands squeezed the edges of the dressing table, her knuckles whitening. She shakes a little as she tries to push away the voice through her head. Her lips spoke, and this time, softly, she m

The air outside was cool, with the sounds of city life alive.She stepped out onto the grounds behind the mansion, shadows which enveloped her into a cloak of anonymity. She did not want anybody to know she was out here--did not want anyone to see the bold and liberated woman that she had become once the sun dipped into the horizon.The clicking of her heels against the stone pathway accompanied her steps toward the garden, those movements fluid and sure. Behind, the mansion loomed, its lights weakly flickering as if the house didn't know the woman walking in its grounds. For this moment, she was not obedient Lily or dutiful wife.She was Ina.And it was within that persona that she became free.With every step, she shed another layer of restraint. The world was hers to command now. She wasn’t confined to the walls of the mansion or the role that had been crafted for her. No, tonight she would be whoever she wanted, do whatever she desired.Ina's eyes scanned the garden, bathed in the