Chapter 85 Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Chapter 85
Third-Person POV 

Everyone's attention was on Lucien, waiting for Lucien to take his vow while his attention was fixed on Cynthia and Aurora. 

He just wanted to run down the aisle and take both of them in a big hug. 

Alister gestured for the priest to start with the ritual. The priest once again asked Lucien to take his vow. 

He parted his lips but then suddenly the door burst open and paparazzi came rushing in. The surroundings were filled with the frantic click of cameras and flashes. 

Alister, along with Sophia's father, stood up. Everyone became surprised because it was supposed to be a private wedding ceremony. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" Alister roared, "How could you enter here without permission? Stop taking pictures and get the hell out of here!" 

The guards moved to intercept the media, but before they could lay a hand, a heavy, authoritative voice echoed in the surroundings, which made everyone silent. 

"Leave them."

Everyone froze and whispers died down. Alister’s head snapped toward the altar.

Lucien was completely unbothered by the chaos. He was the only person who didn't seem to be surprised by the unexpected entry because, "I called them." 

Alister's eyes narrowed at him as now his attention fully turned to his son, the boy who has never gone against his decision. 

Cynthia too became shocked as she held Aurora tighter to her chest. She actually didn't want Lucien to mess up with anything because at the end she would have to pay the price. 

"What? What did you say?" Alister asked, giving him one chance to correct himself. 

"I said I invited them," Lucien repeated himself, putting enough pressure on his words for him to listen properly. 

Alister took a step forward, his fists clenching so hard they shook. "Lucien, have you lost your mind? Turn those cameras off this instant!"

"Calm down!" Lucien said in a smooth voice which was completely void of submission. 

He stepped down from the altar, walking slowly and deliberately toward the front row. He didn't look at Sophia. His eyes were locked onto his father. 

The reporters rushed closer to him. 

"You have done so much throughout your life for this family," Lucien continued as he stopped right in front of Alister. "You have built an empire. You have made me the man I am. So, before I officially expand my own family, I thought it was only fair to thank you."

Alister's chest heaved as a flicker of suspiciousness passed his eyes but it was already too late. Lucien has already planned something and he is not going to step back. 

Lucien turned to the media with a small smile on his lips which the guests has seen for the first time today. 

"Thank you so much come for coming here on a short notice" Lucien said to the media. "I have called you here to tell how my father has built his empire from ground up" 

He looked at Alister for a second report on is attention back to the media. 

"Everyone knows how big the name of Vaughn is, but no one knows how much it has taken to bring us here. The foundation of the Vaughn Empire is built on blood, blackmail and murders" 

Gasps of surprise filled the entire room. Sophia stood at the altar like a statue. Cynthia slowly stood up at her place, keeping Aurora busy with flowers to distract her from all the drama. 

"Lucien!" Alister stepped ahead from behind but Lucien didn't stop. 

"All his life, my father, Alister Vaughn has blackmailed me to do as he says. Every merger, every public appearance, every choice I ever made was dictated by him. To him, I was a mere weapon whom he kept compliant by the most monstrous leverage a father could use against his child."

The hall became dop dead silent as everyone hear to him with utmost patience and attention. 

"My mother" 

The silence broke by collective gasps. 

"Lucien, shut your mouth!" Alister roared but Lucien didn't stop. 

"He kept my mother hostage, took her power and money to build his own name, had an illegal child, and made a woman kill herself!" 

"Don't believe him!" Alister roared "he has lost his mind" 

Lucien chuckled.

“I have come with proof. A live proof” 

Lucien turned his head toward the side entrance of the cathedral and gave a single, firm nod.

The door opened at his command and a nurse stepped out, pushing a wheelchair inside with Lucien’s mother sitting over it. She looked unrecognisable. 

The high society guests who remembered Eleanor Vaughn from fifteen years ago remembered a striking, vibrant heiress with diamonds in her hair and laughter that could fill a ballroom. The woman in the wheelchair was looking like a ghost whom they assumed died years ago. 

"Oh my god..." Cynthia whispered from the front row, her hand instinctively flying to her mouth, her eyes welling with fresh tears as she pulled Aurora closer to her chest.

"This is Eleanor Vaughn, my mother," Lucien said, and the cameras moved to his mother. "This is the woman whose wealth built the Vaughn empire." Look what this man has done to her for the power and now he is forcing me to marry Sophia for the same reason when my heart lies somewhere else."

SIlence followed Lucien’s words as he continued, “

"He used her money to fund shipping lanes that the police have been investigating for months. Under the cover of Vaughn Logistics, Alister has been running illegal arms and unregulated black-market goods across international borders."

Right on cue, the doors at the back opened again and a squad of police officers marched down the aisle. The lead official pulled a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt and stopped directly in front of Alister, announcing, "Alister Vaughn, you are under arrest for corporate fraud, illegal trafficking, forgery, and unlawful confinement."

“You cannot take me like this. You do not have pr…”

“We have enough proof against you." 

The police handcuffed him while the very media he had used to build his god-like reputation was now broadcasting his ruin live to millions of households across the country. 

“You and your mother both will pay for it, Lucein!” Alister shouted as the police dragged him away, “Don’t forget, he is still out there." 

It wasn’t tough for Lucien to understand whom he referred to with "he", his pet dog, Adrian. 

Sophia’s father, who himself was not an innocent man, slipped from the back door along with his daughter, who was whining for Lucien. 

Lucien’s eyes dropped down to her mother and her words echoed in his head when she asked him to marry Sophia. 

"Marry her, Lucien," she whispered. "Play his game one last time." 

The power has always made her suffer so she wanted to end it all. She knew her son would be happier with his love on his side rather than the empire built on pain. 

Silence engulfed the church when one by one everyone left except Lucien, his mother, Cynthia and Aurora.

His mother gestured towards Cynthia, but when he took a step towards her, she took a step back along with Aurora…