Finding Light In Darkness

The coastal town was far from the glittering skyline of Manhattan, where her life had spiraled into chaos, and that was precisely t

ugh clothes for a new start and a laptop filled with memories she hadn't had the courage to delete. As the bus wheezed

los

ined face stood a few feet away, holding a take-out coffee and a paper bag

t... new

of. I run the Lighthouse Café just around the corner.

th. It wasn't much-a creaky bed-and-breakfast with floral wallpaper and an aging recep

bout headlines like PR Queen Crashes and Burns: Carson's Fall From Grace. She didn't need reminders. The betrayal still sizzl

e as she walked out of the

afé. It was warm and full of the comforting scent of fresh pastri

e or c

ing the steaming cup. "Tha

You stayi

yet. I neede

for work, the bookstore next door could use he

ng-that didn't involve crisis control, press releases, or back

the week, Iv

like old pages and vanilla. Its owner, Nora, was i

ate the website?" she a

paigns for Fortune 500 companies. I thi

. "Well, all

ed to the shop, helped customers, and slowly began to breathe agai

n he wa

d up from the counter to see a man step inside, rain dripping from the collar of his tailored

on," she offe

lves, the faded wallpaper, and finally, her. Something flickered across his

rs brushing over the spines

," he said, his voice

re you," s

ent ghosted his

en another, and placed

e to buy

lly aware of the intens

esitated, then said, "G

ghtTech. One of the fastest-growing private tech empires in the country. She'd read

s, Mr. Knight,"

leave. Instead, his e

Ivy Ca

caught. "

tegies. You managed the launch of

't a qu

dded, voice softer now.

the knot in her chest. She lifted h

looking for so

I'm not inte

here to poach you. I have a situation. A complicated one. And

uctantly. His name wa

ow me," she s

know what happened to y

mach fl

r. "Think about it. I'll

nly the scent of rain and the g

iel Knight had vanished from the public eye years ago after a scandal involving his older brother

like that come t

know so much

Knight would drag her back into the very world she'd

his eyes-sharp but

who knew what it mean

ths, Ivy felt something stir

flicker o