Semua Bab WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK: Bab 51 - Bab 60

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

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

Carlston estate walls appeared to be more constricted than usual.Vandaulf sat in his study, thick curtains drawn shut to exclude the sun. His mind was a battlefield—flashbacks of last night crossed his mind like a delirium dream.The woman.The manner in which she moved. The manner in which she submitted and fought him simultaneously.The manner in which she disappeared into thin air.A faceless, nameless apparition.And Vandaulf Carlston didn't like being left behind.Vandaulf was lost in thought when there came a sudden knock on the door."Enter," he growled.The door swung open, and Gerald, his most trusted of aides, walked in. The man was always calm, unfazed—a fixer."Sir, we've begun inquiries into last night's. incident," Gerald replied tactfully.Vandaulf sat back in his chair, fingers interlocked. "And?"Gerald scowled. "Nothing so far. No names. No security footage that picks up on her. She paid in cash, didn't use her real name, and split before dawn."Vandaulf's face tigh

The instant Lily entered her bedroom, she could not breathe. Her heart was pounding, her airway was blocked, and her knees all but buckled beneath her at the magnitude of what she had just endured downstairs with Vandaulf.The fact of having slept with him — the very man she had sworn to despise, the son of the man who had ruined her family — coiled her stomach into knots."No. No. No. It is not my fault," Lily paced furiously back and forth like a caged beast. Her hands toyed with her hair, her very body protesting in anger and grief."It is your fault, Ina!" she snarled, the venom building in her throat. "I told you not to go out that night! I told you not to… not to…." her voice faltered,".not to sleep with anyone.".Ina's wild, crazy voice rang in her mind."Oh, but you enjoyed it, didn't you?""Shut up!" Lily yelled, contorting her face.Her eyes blurred with tears. Her flesh still burned where Vandaulf had touched her, where his lips had branded her. And to top it off? She did

The evening was quiet.But Vandaulf's mind. was turmoil.Vandaulf sat isolated in his office, a half-empty glass of untouched scotch sitting on the mahogany tabletop. His hand clenched in a fist as his jaw tautened, teeth grinding against sheer rage.Her perfume remained on his flesh. The female from that evening. The one who crawled into his bed, consumed him, and disappeared like a phantom.And no matter how he tried — he couldn't eliminate her.Her touch. Her flame. Her rebellion.But it was something more than that — it was the way she refused to shatter under his control. It was the way her body flamed for him even as she despised him.And now… she was gone. Vandaulf growled in frustration, slamming the glass onto the desk, breaking it into shards.But the infuriating thing?Each time his mind's eye saw her — it was Lily's face he saw."No," he snarled softly, stalking. "She can't be. Lily's weak. Submissive. Weak. She'd never—"But his own voice betrayed him. Because last night