A Dark Cloud Over My Head

Lord Wilson was furious when he discovered that his daughter, Lilian, had been visiting the low town, a place where commoners lived. He summoned Mr. Cole, Lilian's father, to his chambers to confront him about his daughter's actions.

Lord Wilson often pretended to be kind and understanding, but deep down, he despised commoners, referring to them as "low-born." Mr. Cole tried to explain and apologize, but Lord Wilson wouldn't listen. He banned Mr. Cole from seeing Lilian or taking her anywhere.

As Mr. Cole left, he felt sad and helpless. He was Lord Wilson's servant and he had to obey his master without question. Next, Lady Luciana and Wade entered the room. Lord Wilson demanded to know where they were when Lilian visited the low town.

Lady Luciana and Wade were confused, but Lord Wilson repeated his question, this time with rage. He threw a glass on the floor and Lady Luciana quickly told Wade to leave the room, and he did without hesitation. She tried to calm her husband down by touching his shoulder and promising that Lilian's mistake wouldn't happen again.

But he grabbed her by the neck.

"If my daughter ever mingles with the low-born again, you will lose your limbs." He said aggressively and threw her on the floor. He announced that they had received a marriage proposal from the Windsors. Lady Luciana was curious because she knew the Windsors had no daughter, and the only son they had was already married.

"Daemon!" he exclaimed with excitement. Lady Luciana was shocked to learn that Lilian would be marrying Daemon, a man with questionable character not good enough for her daughter. She reminded her husband that Daemon once tried to kill Wade, citing that he was abnormal. Lord Wilson dismissed her concerns.

"That was decades ago, children are curious, it was an accident. Besides, Daemon's marriage has been annulled and he is free to remarry. Think about how this would benefit House Catwright." Lady Luciana was horrified but couldn't challenge her husband's decision.

She felt trapped, like she was unable to protect her daughter from a marriage that could put her in danger. Lady Luciana rushed to Mr. Cole, bursting through the door like she was escaping a fire. This startled Mr. Cole, making him jump from his seat.

"What's wrong? What's happening?" he asked, looking behind her to check for danger. Lady Luciana held out her shaking hand, tears streaming down her face.

"He wants to marry my daughter off to a monster. He wants to send our baby girl off to…that…... We can't allow it to happen." Mr. Cole looked confused.

"Who?" he asked. Lady Luciana screamed,

"Lilian! My husband is marrying Lilian off to Daemon." Mr. Cole's eyes widened in shock. He tried to calm her down and confirm if Lady Luciana had reminded Lord Wilson about Daemon's true personality, but she said he didn't care about any of that, he only thought about how the marriage would benefit both families financially.

Lady Luciana sat on the floor and cried, "My baby, my little girl." Mr. Cole consoled her by placing his hand on her shoulder, assuring her that everything would be fine and they would figure out how to help Lilian. Lady Luciana exclaimed with widened eyes,

"Eleanor!" Mr. Cole looked at her like she was suddenly possessed by a demon.

"Daemon is looking for her. If I tell him where she is, he won't have to marry Lilian. He'll take Eleanor, and Lilian will be safe, and she will have a better match, a better suitor."

But Mr. Cole was not on board with her plan. He warned her that Eleanor would then be in danger. Lady Luciana didn't care.

"She is his wife; it is her duty to deal with her husband's behavior, not my little girl's." she stands up from the floor, and moves closer to him.

"Not our little girl." She said with a voice barely above a whisper. Mr. Cole warned her that her plans would emotionally affect Wade, but she didn't budge. After a while, he was able to convince her to give him some time to come up with a plan to stop the wedding or any possibility of it from happening.

Meanwhile, Lod Wilson walked out into the balcony where Lilian was reading a book. She looked up and smiled, and they exchanged warm greetings. But Lord Wilson's expression turned serious. He gently scolded Lilian for visiting the low town and mixing with people from a lower social class.

He warned her lovingly but firmly not to go there again. Lilian felt a pang of sadness. She had really enjoyed spending time with her friend Linda in the low town, learning new things and having fun. But she was also afraid of disappointing her father. So, she apologized and promised not to go back.

Lord Wilson smiled proudly, seeming to forget his earlier displeasure.

"I have some wonderful news to share with you, my dear," he said.

"You're going to be a wife!" Lilian looked at him in confusion. "Who am I marrying, father?" She asked. Lord Wilson beamed with pride.

"You'll be marrying Lord Daemon Windsor of House Windsor. You will be Mrs. Windsor, or should I say Madam Windsor?" He said with humor.

"You will be very happy, my dear" he said with his hand on her head. But Lilian felt a surge of anxiety and fear. She didn't want to get married, especially not to a stranger.

"Father, I don't want to marry," she said, her voice shaking. Lord Wilson's expression turned serious and assertive.

"Yes, you do, and you will," he tried to comfort her with a hug, saying, "I know you are worried about leaving us, but we can always visit." He kissed her forehead but she was speechless out of shock and fear. Lilian felt trapped, worried and afraid, she couldn't hold back anymore.

She ran to her brother, Wade, sobbing uncontrollably, and flung herself onto his bed. Wade immediately stopped what he was doing and sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug.

"What's wrong? Is it a boy? Tell me so I can kill him." She told him everything Lord Wilson had said, and how she didn't want to marry Daemon. Wade had always heard bad things about Daemon, he knew that Daemon was Eleanor's estranged husband.

This made the situation even more complicated. Wade's expression turned from concern to outrage as he listened to her.

Wade hugged his little sister even more to comfort her. But he was also worried. He knew that Lady Luciana didn't approve of his relationship with Eleanor, and he feared that she might inform Daemon about Eleanor's location to protect Lilian. He wanted his sister's safety, but Eleanor was also a priority.

Wade quickly grabbed his coat and rushed to find Lady Luciana. He found her staring out the window with worry.

"Will you really let Lilian marry a man like that? Did you agree to this?" He asked with his voice shaking with anger and fear of his sister's safety. Lady Luciana turned to him; her eyes red-rimmed from crying.

"Your father makes all the decisions in this family. I have never had a say," she said. But then her expression turned stern.

"This time, I'm taking matters into my own hands. I need to protect my daughter no matter what. I'll do whatever I have to do, whatever It takes to make sure this wedding doesn't happen." Wade was conflicted.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked. Lady Luciana walked up to him and held his hand.

"If you really love and care about your sister, you'll have to make a small sacrifice for your sister." She said softly.

"You need to stop seeing Eleanor." Wade stood shocked.

"I can't do that," he said.

"Yes, you can, and you will. She is Daemon's wife. It is not moral to have an affair with a married woman. You cannot come between a man and his wife." She said. Lady Luciana looked at him lovingly and said to him softly.

"This is about your sister, Lilian. It's Lilian, your little sister. If Daemon takes Eleanor, Lilian won't have to suffer. You do not know your father like I do." But Wade refused.

"Don't do this." He whispered.

"I will do whatever it takes to protect my daughter. I'm a mother. You are her brother; you should be protecting your sister. But you'd rather protect your married lover? Where is your duty? Where is your sense of loyalty to your family?" Wade pleaded with her to find another way but she was adamant.

Wade reminded her that he has always put the family first, but he was simply trying to keep two people he loved safe because he knew what he wanted.

"I have always put this family first. But for the first time, I do not wish to. Love is the death of duty, and duty is the death of love. I choose love. I love my sister but Eleanor will not be used as a sacrificial lamb. I will save my sister; I will wed Eleanor and you will witness it all." He said softly and left.