Chapter 1: The Deal and the Defiance

My name is Caleb Mason, and I never meant to end up in the Land of Living Words.

They say power here comes from the written word—literal words, carved into the air. But for someone like me, just another nobody from back home, that kind of power might as well have been on the moon.

When I first got dropped into this world, I struggled to even ask for a glass of water. I couldn’t understand the language, and the looks people gave me made me feel even smaller.

Everything changed when Lillian Brooks, the eldest daughter of the Brooks Estate, found me wandering the side road. She saw how lost I was and gave me a job sweeping the halls. Lillian was kind—too kind for a place like this, where women weren’t allowed to learn living script at all.

After the old colonel fell in battle, the estate passed to Lillian’s Aunt Margaret and her cousin. That was when things started to go south for her.

On this particular day—

I was sweeping the hardwood floor, the scent of lemon cleaner mixing with a faint aroma of coffee drifting from the kitchen. The faded Red Sox cap hanging on the coat rack by the door made me feel like I could almost be home. Suddenly, the front door slammed open and Derek came strutting in, looking like he’d just been crowned homecoming king.

He was grinning wide, his teeth gleaming, hair slicked back with all the confidence of a golden boy from some New England prep school.

“Hey, sis, congrats on your upcoming wedding!”

That was Derek—Aunt Margaret’s son. The kind of guy who’d charm his way out of detention and still make it to prom court.

Lillian’s frown was instant. “Wedding?”

Everyone knew Derek and his mom wanted Lillian gone. In this world, marrying a woman off was the fastest way to erase her.

Lillian had refused every suitor, holding onto the only home she’d ever known.

Derek’s smirk was razor-sharp. He folded his arms and said, “Mom cut a deal with Senator Maddox. He’s sending someone tonight. Pack your bags, Lillian—you’re his problem now.”

He tossed out the words like he was ordering pizza, not shoving his cousin into a nightmare. The chill in the room was sudden and deep.

Lillian’s breath hitched. She pressed her fist to her mouth, fighting down a wave of nausea before she managed to glare at Derek. “Senator Maddox is infamous for his sleaze. Who knows how many women he’s ruined? I’d rather marry anyone but him!”

Her fists clenched at her sides, knuckles turning white, but she kept her chin up—a spark of resistance that made my heart clench.

Derek rolled his eyes, acting like he was explaining the weather. “They’re all gone, Lillian. You won’t have to fight for his attention. He says you’ll always be number one.”

He barely looked up from his phone, scrolling like he had better things to do.

“Yeah, right!”

Lillian spat, “He’s been married eighteen times. Didn’t he promise the same thing to every one of them?”

I watched her, my pulse racing. I could see the fire in her eyes—the kind I’d seen in women who refused to back down, no matter the odds.

Derek’s face soured. “Doesn’t matter what you want. This time, Senator Maddox asked for you by name. You don’t get to say no.”

He straightened, all cold confidence. For a second, I glimpsed the entitled jerk lurking beneath that all-American smile.

Lillian’s voice shook, but she forced it steady. “I’d rather die than be sold off to him.”

Her hands trembled, but her defiance was clear as day.

Derek’s tone dropped to ice. “If you won’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way.”

His jaw set. He reached into his jacket like he was about to flash a badge, but what came out was a sleek black fountain pen.

As he spoke, he clicked the pen open, the gesture sharp and practiced—like he’d done this a hundred times before.