Chapter 2. He’s Crazy

"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.