The Charismatic Lucien Wood

"Will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the holy covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her so long as you both shall live? If so, answer - I will."

"I will," the muscled, dashing male, standing arrogantly before the young priest answers and smiles at his bride, feeling so enthusiastic because his plans are going swimmingly as he had planned them. Merely the thought of the things he was going to accomplish from his marriage to the bride before him sends chills through him as he keeps smiling sheepishly.

"Will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the holy covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live? If so, answer - I will."

A deafening silence meets the words of the young priest as the charming gorgeous bride snaps her mouth shut and lowers her head as tears trickle down her cheeks in waves, ruining her lovely makeup and rendering her a mess of herself.

"Why ain't she saying anything?"

"Isn't she happy that she's getting married to a billionaire hot guy like him?"

"Is she sobbing?"

"Perhaps she still loves her good-for-nothing ex that left her and ran away..."

"I'm sorry to say this but she's a fool if that's the case! I just wish I was in her shoes...," The aesthetic attendees relaxing in the nave on their various couches start murmuring shamelessly without an ounce of care considering the fact that the bride might be hearing their babbles.

"Anything wrong, young lady?" The young priest asks with both brows quirked disconcertingly.

All this while the heart of the groom keeps thumping rapidly. Beads of sweat suddenly appear all over his face and his pulse quickens. His lips keep moving in several directions but no word comes out.

He stares at her with misty eyes almost about to speak out but shuts his mouth when she raises her face to stare at him.

The bride, noticing his expression, shakes her head in declination, sniffing in the mucus that is beginning to drop out of her nose. "I will," she answers and gently wipes off her tears with her fingers.

'So happy my plans have once again continued!! I can't wait! Gosh, I can't wait!' The groom thinks, slightly raises his shoulders, and inwardly smirks.

"Good! Our bride just responded! Let the murmuring seize!"

The murmurings seize at the holler of the young priest and everywhere becomes silent as if in a graveyard. The young priest having put the murmurings to order, glances at the bride and clears his throat.

"Now, you will say whatever I say after I'm done young lady, and put your name where you should. So goes to you, young man. I, ____, take you, ____, to be my lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

The bride stares at him, at her husband-to-be, and as well at her parents who are sitting a few steps away from her, in the adorned front seat, with smiles on their faces and sighs. She breathes in and out several times before clearing her throat.

"I, Juliet Pearson, take you, Brooks Miller, to be my lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part," she whispers with tears in her eyes and with an aching heart but instead of showing compassion, the attendees begin clapping and cheering her, turning blind eyes to her tears.

The young priest waves at them and just as in the first, the cheering ceases and everywhere becomes calm. "Go on, Mr. Miller. Make your confession."

Brooks smiles as if he has been waiting for this all his life and clears his throat. "I, Brooks Miller, take you, Juliet Pearson, to be my lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

The face of the young priest stretches into a radiating smile and he takes the rings from the hands of the ring bearer, then raises them above his head. "Though small in size, these rings are large in significance. Made of precious metal, they remind us that love is not cheap, nor common; indeed love is to be cherished...," he halts, stares at them, and continues. "While saying this, exchange your rings; With this ring, I thee wed."

He hands the rings to them a few minutes later and waves at them to go on.

From the western door, just as Brooks is about to put the given ring on his bride's finger, a figure walks into the church - It's a man, a gold-colored long, soft, silky-haired man who has the face of an Adonis with eyes as deep as the deep blue sea currently storming with a glare. He's handsome and gorgeous, apparently two inches taller than six feet, barrel-chested, and due to his tightly tattered top one can easily figure out that he works out with his overbearing six-packs, though he is not all that muscled. As his legs draw on the tiled floor noisily, all eyes turn to him including that of the priest, and the couple.

The man looks fray, yet he manages to garner the attention of everyone around.

The eyes of the attendees, her parents, Juliet, and even the priest widen at the very sight of him and they swallow lumps of spittle. Their mouths water as they stare at him keep moving and their pulse quickens. Just a stare at him sends electric shivers through them and makes them adjust in their seats.

"Is that really him..."

"He looks so toned and mystical now..."

"Has he been training..."

"Doesn't matter though, he's still an asshole..."

"I can't believe he came back after everything..."

"What is he even doing here..."

"Look at how he is..."

"He's still poor and wretched..."

"He has no shame! They should throw him out..."

The tall man that just walked in chuckles at the sound of the murmurings and without bothering to say anything, starts strolling towards Juliet who has suddenly turned so pale that she is now more like a white sheet of paper.

"Lucien," Juliet breathes and rushes to him, stopping him mid-way.

She traces her hands all over his face to his neck down to his chest as if she is seeing a ghost and a drop of tear trickles down her cheek.

"It's really you! It's really you, Lucien! You came back! You came back," she whimpers and abruptly faints dropping into his arms.

"Juliet!" Her parents wail in heavy breaths at what just happened and place their hands over their mouths. They scramble to Lucien with eyes so gloomy that he would have dropped dead if they happened to be revolvers. Her dad jerks away Juliet from his grip without an utterance and glares at him.

The brows of the attendees rise as they stare keenly to know what will happen next so that they can have something to murmur about.

"I mean no harm, Mr. Santiago. I just came to take back what rightfully belongs to me," Lucien says calmly and smiles up at him, not flinching a bit even though he could see how gravely they are glaring at him.

If there's one thing he's learned over the years in the training ground, that'll be to never be afraid of anything confronting him because there'll always be a way out.

Mr. Santiago as he called him stares at him from head to toe and strolls out with Juliet in his arms without saying anything or even acting like he could see anyone.

"You caused this, asshole!" Mr. Santiago's wife, Mrs. Avery, screeches at Lucien and begins hitting him on the chest. "You wretched fool! You good for nothing! Leave my daughter alone! Get away as you did before! Leave! We hate you! You reek of poverty sod! Just go! Shuu!" She curses him, hoping to get a reaction from him but to her amazement and utmost disbelief, he pats her on the shoulder and pecks her on the cheek.

"Not even you can stop me from taking back what belongs to me," he breathes into her ear and stomps out, trailing after Mr. Santiago who is about to walk out the door.

Mrs. Avery's heartbeat intensifies and she takes steps backward. Her mouth drops open and beads of sweat appear all over her.

The hairs on her body all stand erect as if sculptures and sudden goosebumps pool through her sending chills down her spine as she freezes at the spot and stares wide-eyed watching Lucien leave without knowing what to say or do.

The very first time she felt tight-lipped and as well blank.

She wipes her eyes when she gets back herself and turns to the attendees to discover that they are as surprised as she is and just that makes her relax a bit.

"This wedding is hereby canceled till further notice! A new date will be announced by the priest shortly! I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I'm deeply sorry!"

She covers her face with her hands, bows her head, and without waiting for their reply scurries out.

"Mrs. Avery!" Brooks yells after her and follows put, using going after her as an excuse to get away from the numerous glances of the attendees at him.

"You heard her, precious attendees. You all should head home now!" The young priest announces, makes a quick cross sign for him and all, and gently strolls out, paying deaf ears to their babbles.

Hisses, murmurings, and sighs echo over the nave as the attendees leave the church one after the other all to his or her own thoughts.

Mr. Santiago, who is about to open his car's front door after dropping Juliet in the back feels a presence behind him and halts his movement.

He turns and his face stretches into a deep frown seeing who is trailing after him and he clenches his fist. "Stop following me, Lucien!" He barks and stomps his foot.

"It's a pleasing feeling to know that you know my name, Mr. Santiago. But it's even more pleasing hearing you call it. Please open the back door, I'd love to join you so that we can take my beloved to the hospital."

Mr. Santiago chuckles and curls his brows at him, jeering, "I only thought you were wretched, I never knew you'd gone mad too. The earlier you realize that my sweet precious daughter can never be with a wretched fellow like you the better for you. Go get a life, dude. You sting. Gosh!" He crinkles his nose.

Lucien chuckles, unbothered by his acts, and covers the remaining space between them. He stares deeply into his eyes for a while and pushes his head close to his left ear.

"Even the being above can't stop me from taking what is rightfully mine, Mr. Santiago, who then do you think you're to stop me? You've done it once. And to be honest that will never happen again. Try me and you will know what I'm capable of doing." He smiles and pats him on the shoulder. "Be a good man. And you will forever cherish the fact that I'm your..."

The rest of Lucien's words get stuck in his throat as deafening slap dismounts on his right cheek. "You should have done more than that, Mrs. Avery," however, instead of grunting or cowering in pain, Lucien mumbles without even catching a glimpse of her because he had felt her presence behind him earlier when he was trailing after Mr. Santiago and knew she'd been standing behind him all this while.

"You will receive more than that the next time you talk to my husband that way! And note, my daughter can never be yours! Get that into your empty skull! Moreover, she already has a guy ten times better than you. A guy that you can never be even in your next life!

"You might have successfully stopped the wedding today but I promise you that Juliet will surely get married to him!" She barks while pointing and glaring at him.

"I think you should get angry medications for your wife, Mr. Santiago. And please also make her know that she shouldn't make promises that she can't fulfill."

Mr. Santiago and Mrs. Avery's mouths drop open, shock evident on their faces. The Lucien they knew years ago wasn't this bold. In fact, he never talked back at them. But this man in front of them is so different. What could have happened to him to transform him this way?

"I'll take care of you when I'm back. Right now I need to take my daughter to the hospital," Mr. Santiago, pushing his thoughts aside and getting a grip on himself, mutters, turns, and enters his car but not without glaring at Lucien.

"Are you leaving without me?" Lucien grins at him and waves at Mrs. Avery to join her husband. She hisses at him but still does what he said anyway and that makes him burst out in a round of enormous laughter.

"He's crazy. I can see that now," Mrs. Avery whispers to her husband. "We need to send his wretched ass to where it belongs," she smirks.

"We certainly need to, darling but we don't have the leisure to do so now. Our daughter first," Mr. Santiago replies calmly and starts the car, seemingly ready to zoom off, but his brows rise when he raises his face and sees Lucien leisurely standing in front of the car. "Get out of the way asshole!" He whines down his front vent glass and yells, his veins pulsating.

"I'm not leaving here until you open the back door for me to enter, Mr. Santiago," Lucien retorts indifferently and remains standing.

"Go on, baby. Run him through. After all, he's of no use to us."

Mr. Santiago shakes his head at his wife's words and turns off the ignition. "We need to take Juliet to the hospital, Lucien! Get the fuck out of the way!" He curses.

Lucien muffles a chuckle and shakes his head, sneering. "It will be so bad of me if I don't join you guys so that I can know how she's faring, Mr. Santiago."

Just as Lucien finishes talking, Brooks waltzes into the scene, a deep scowl on his handsome face.

He glances at Lucien, clenches his fist, and darts to him. "Why the hell did you disrupt my wedding?!" He growls, pushes him on the chest, and grips the collar of his top so tightly.

"Your wedding you say?" Lucien snorts and laughs. He pushes Brook's hand off his collar and covers the remaining space between them. "Do they know that you don't love their daughter?" He whispers and takes a peek at Mr. Santiago and his wife before staring back at him. "Do they know that you are just marrying her to satisfy your evil heart desires? Tell me, Brooks Miller. Do they?"

Brook's eyes widen and his jaw slacks. "How..."

"Save your words for next time, Brooks and also do well to stay off my part," Lucien mutters, interrupting him and turns back to face the car.

Brooks strolls to his car, enters, and zooms off without saying anything or even casting a glance at Mr. Santiago and his wife and that makes their faces stretch into a deep frown.

"What did you say to my in-law?!" Mrs. Avery howls and ruffles her hair.

"What he should know. Now, can I enter?" Lucien retorts in all smiles and strolls to the back door waiting for them to open it.

"Thank you for getting out of the way, asshole. You can board a cab and come if you want to," Mr. Santiago mutters with a grin and immediately starts the car. "That's if a wretched failure like you has any money anyway." He adds and both he and his wife laughs mockingly at Lucien.

Lucien joins them in laughing and searches his front pockets after and just like Mr. Santiago said, there was nothing in both pockets. "I don't have. I used my last to eat. Can you guys help?" He asks and lowers his head.

"I'm not surprised. A failure then, a failure now, a failure forever" Mrs. Avery says and snickers. "Go beg for money, sod. You are in no way better than the beggars on the streets," she spits out.

"You heard my darling wife. Go do as she said," Mr. Santiago mutters and zooms off but suddenly stops. "On second thought, I think you should take this and better your life!" He throws a bunch of dollar bills at Lucien and zooms off not stopping this time around.

Lucien's lips stretch into a radiating smile as he strolls to where the money fell. He calmly bends and picks them up, counts them, and shakes his head before walking out.

Just as he gets out of the cathedral, his phone starts ringing and he reaches for it, pulling it out. His face lights up slightly at the caller and he swerves to answer.

"Morning, Sir!" The deep voice from the other end sounds.

"Morning, buddy. How are you? How's work? And how's everyone?"

"All fine, Sir. I called to know if you need me over there."

"Nah, I'm fine buddy. Don't worry."

"But Sir..."

"I just told you that I'm fine, Declan and you know how I hate it when my words are argued. I'll call you if I need you. Is that understood?" Lucien's voice is cold and commanding as he asks.

"Yes, Sir. Of course. I'm just being concerned about you, Sir. I'm sorry if I just made you angry."

"I can take care of myself. And you didn't make me angry. Go back to your duty now. Bye."

"Bye, Sir," Declan replies, and the call drops.

Lucien drops the phone back into his right front pocket and keeps walking till he gets to an isolated road. Staring around as if looking for something or perhaps someone, he catches a glimpse of a boy by the other side of the road who is looking so tattered and waves at him to come.

The little boy who must be about four or five years old rushes to him and bows slightly at him. "Good Morning, Sir" he greets while fiddling with his fingers.

"Good Morning, lad. Take this money and get things for yourself." Lucien stretches the whole dollars Mr. Santiago threw at him to the little boy and smiles up at him.

The little boy's eyes widen and he places his hands over his mouth without doing anything.

"Take it, boy. I don't need it," Lucien coos and the little boy quickly takes it from him.

"Thank you so much, Sir! Thank you! Yeeh!" He exclaims and runs out, giggling all the way out.

"He sure needed it," Lucien mumbles in between breaths and walks out to where he will board a cab.

Sighting one, he waves at it and just as the cab stops, he recalls that he doesn't know the address of the hospital he is heading to. "I need to make a call," he directs at the driver and brings out his phone.

He clicks on the call tab, goes to recent and dials the first number he sees then places the phone on his ear.

"I need the address of the hospital one Miss Juliet Pearson has been admitted to," he mutters and hangs up.

He begins counting from one and is in five when the message containing the address, pops in and he smiles, reads it, and brings out another phone- a smaller one from his pocket and slips his sim into that then drops the bigger into his pocket.

"Glistening royal hospital," he directs at the cab driver and enters in the back.

The cab driver stares at him through the rear-view mirror at the name of the hospital he just mentioned, a stark shock on his face as he ignites the ignition and zooms off.