Chapter 76 Chapter 76
Lucien's POV
"I am so happy for us, Lucein"
My body stiffened when Sophia hugged me from behind. She rested her cheeks on my back and her palms on my chest.
I pushed her hands away from my body and tried to keep my calm.
"You should have knocked before coming in here unannounced"
I turned around to face her. Like always, she was wearing a dress far too small, designed to tempt and provoke, but it was wasted on me. No woman other than Cynthia has ever made me feel that way; no matter how beautiful or how much skin they showed, I couldn't even look at them in that way, even when she was not with me.
It is like a sin.
My heart and body were never mine to give.
"Come on, Lucien," she purred, moving her fingers along my chest. "We are going to be married soon. This room is going to be mine too. Why so formal?"
"But we are not married yet" I snapped, my voice came out very cold and rude.
I was in no mood to entertain her delusions. Every second she stood in my space was a second I wasn't focused on the only woman who actually mattered.
"What's your problem with me, Lucien?" She asked, taking her hands back "Do you even know how many men out there would kill to be in your position? How many men want me?"
I looked away. I was least interested in knowing.
"And I just want you. I have waited all these years, just for you"
What a liar. She had waited for the Vaughn name and the power that came with it.
"We are getting married, aren't we? Now, you may leave," I stated,
"Exactly Lucien" she took a small step forward "we are getting married. You can't ignore me forever"
Before she could make another move, I retreated three steps back. Even breathing the same air she exhaled disgusted me. The scent of her expensive perfume felt like it was clogging my throat.
"Sophia, you and I both know the circumstances of this arrangement. Do not expect anything from me or this marriage. Once the papers are signed, you are free to do as you please, with whomever you choose. Just stay away from me."
Her jaw clenched as she swallowed down the words.
"Now, you may leave" I stated leaving no room for argument.
"Lu..."
"LEAVE!"
"Let us get married and then I will see how long you can play saint" she blabbered before turning on her heels and leaving me alone.
I quickly went to lock the door before anyone else interrupts.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I started walking back and forth. I haven't received any updates from my man, and Cynthia is getting married to Adrian today.
Fuck!
Suddenly my phone started ringing.
"Have you got any information about her?" I asked as soon as I picked up the phone.
"Yes, sir," the man on the other end informed me. "We have the location and we are moving into position."
I let out a deep sigh of relief. I immediately started running out of the house. My father had been using her name as a leash, blackmailing me into this submission for years.
Not anymore!
I need to rescue her before taking any action.
"And we have got to know something about Adrian too"
"What?"
I was stunned after listening to what he told me. Sirens started ringing in my ears and for a moment it felt like the ground had been skipped from my feet. The air left my lungs. I felt like I had been punched.
How could I not know this all my life?
\~~~
Third Person POV
Adrian stood at the altar, waiting for his beautiful bride to arrive.
He kept on checking the watch for fifteen minutes to pass. He has been 5 years but now every second felt like a decade. He just wanted Cynthia in his arms. Every second that ticked by felt like a physical blow to his ego.
His patience started running thin when even after 15 minutes Cynthia didn't show up.
The guests started whispering among themselves as he waited for five more minutes.
And when she still didn't appear his patience finally snapped.
He turned to step away from the altar. He was done being soft. He was going to find her, and the consequences would be severe, he swore to himself.
But before he could leave the garden a sharp piercing voice filled the air.
"My leg! AD, my leg!"
He looked down to see Aurora crumpled on the grass at the edge of the aisle. She was clutching her ankle, with a painful expression on her face. Her flower girl basket lay overturned beside her.
"Aurora?" Adrian hissed.
"I tripped... it hurts so much!" she sobbed.
He didn't want to check on her but the guests were looking so he had to walk towards her.
"Stay still," he commanded, kneeling beside her.
Aurora sobbed harder, burying her face in his shoulder as he tried to untangle her.
She was not actually in pain, she was just acting as asked by her mother. She had been working as her mother's companion for days. While he thought she was merely playing with her dolls, she had been memorizing the keypad codes to his study to share them with her mother while Adrian could never catch the little culprit.
He finally untangled her and handed her to his guard.
"Watch her"
"AD!" Aurora cried out, her small voice cracking as she clutched the lapel of his coat one last time. "Don't leave me, please! It hurts!"
He forcefully pushed her hand away, gritting his teeth so hard the muscles in his jaw throbbed.
"Just stay. I will bring back your mother. Okay?"
"Take me with you" she requested but he simply ignored her.
He turned on his heels and went inside the house leaving whining Aurora behind.
"Cynthia!" He shouted from the living room "Come out!"
He was expecting some response but all he got was silence.
"Come out, Cynthia!" he warned "Because if I have to come in there and find you, it won't be good for you. You haven't seen my real face yet."
Still nothing!
Fueled by rage, he sprinted to her room where she was getting ready for the wedding, and threw the door open with such violence that it slammed against the wall.
"Cynthia, I swear to..."
He stopped mid-sentence. The room was empty. She was nowhere to be seen.
He checked for her in the washroom but she wasn't there.
'No! She can't escape without Aurora' he thought to himself.
He turned and frantically started looking for her in the entire house. His breath was coming in sharp, jagged bursts of rage until he stopped dead in his tracks.
He remembers locking them.
He stepped inside only to be shocked. The door to his study was slightly ajar and the room was deadly silent.
Adrian felt the air leave his lungs. He reached out and pushed the door open and found Cynthia standing in the middle holding a single, yellowed sheet of paper. She didn't look up when he stepped into the room.
"Cynthia, what are you doing here?" He roared.
She looked up, with disgust in her eyes.
"Adrian..." She gasped in shock as she pushed those words out of her mouth that like a death sentence.
"You ... You are a Vaughn?"