I Need You To Be At My Wedding, Lucien!

CHAPTER SIX

Lucien was confused.

The Elara he remembered was quiet, withdrawn, always apologizing even when she wasn't wrong. She avoided conflict, shrank into herself, and accepted humiliation with her head bowed.

She had only ever shown flashes of emotion around him, anger, irritation, and fear, emotions he had deliberately provoked just to make sure she was still alive inside.

But the woman sitting in front of him now

She was composed. Clear-eyed, and Determined.

She carried herself like someone who had already survived something terrible.

Lucien pushed his chair back and stood abruptly.

Elara's heart skipped. She rose as well, instinctively.

Lucien turned to leave without another word.

"Lu-Lucien!" she called out.

Before she could think better of it, she reached out and grabbed his hand.

The contact sent a shock through both of them.

"Please," she said, her voice breaking despite her efforts. "You need to be there. I... I need you there."

Lucien turned back slowly. Her looked at her hands, clutching hers, before his eyes went up to meet hers.

Her eyes were wide, pleading, shimmering with unshed tears, and met his.

For a moment, the world narrowed to that single point of contact.

Lucien exhaled sharply. "I will see what I can do," he said finally.

Then he gently pulled his hand free and walked out.

However, before he left the room completely, Elara called him again.

"Lucien!"

He turned to look at her but his eyes widened when suddenly Elara threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Lucien’s whole body shut down completely. He couldn’t process what was going on.

For years, he had wished and hoped for such a miracle to happen.

It's one thing that Elara completely forgot about who he was. He had tried his best not to pressure her into remembering their past together.

But how dare she hug him like this when she doesn't even remember him?

Lucien pulled away and briskly walked out of the room, feeling flustered for a cold man like him.

Elara stood there long after he left, her heart racing violently in her chest. Eventually, she didn’t know why she had suddenly hugged him.

She felt her eyes moisten and she wiped them away. She still didn't get to know why Lucien had offered her a hand even in her last life. But this time around, she would find out.

Eventually, she gathered herself and returned home.

*******

The moment Elara stepped inside the Vaughn mansion, the tension hit her like a wall.

"Where have you been?" Marjorie snapped. "Do you know what time it is? It's almost evening! How are we supposed to get the wedding dress now?"

Elara looked at her adoptive mother calmly.

"Sorry," Elara said bluntly, shocking her.

"What's with that attitude, you ungrateful child!" Marjorie said angrily.

Elara just shrugged. "I don't know your meaning of ungrateful child, mother. Because I've worked my ass off for this family since your real daughter showed up. Perhaps you can ask her to try cleaning the house and doing all the hard work I've been doing despite having hundreds of maids. Let's see if she can last long."

Marjorie was shocked, unable to utter a word. What had come over Elara?

"What happened, Mom?" Aaron said as he entered the house.

That voice... that horrible voice which was her nightmares in the past...

Elara turned slowly and looked at him with pure contempt. Everything this asshole had done to her in her past life came rushing back. She clenched her fist to stop herself from stabbing him right there.

'Calm down, Elara... Just calm down!' She chanted inwardly to ground herself.

Marjorie told her son that Elara was being disrespectful.

"This... this ungrateful bitch! She talked back at me and even badmouthed your sister!"

Aaron rushed to Elara and grabbed her dress collar without hesitation. He was furious.

"How dare you?!" he said coldly.

Elara, reaching her limit and overwhelmed by memories, shoved Aaron away and slapped him hard.

"SLAP!!!"

Everyone gasped and froze.

Evelyn, descending the stairs, stared in horror as she halted.

Mr. Vaughn paused mid-step to the living room.

Marjorie covered her mouth in absolute horror.

Even the maids stopped what they were doing and stared in fear.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Aaron roared.

However, Elara raised her voice and said, "Touch me and I won't attend the wedding tomorrow. What? Aren't you all forcing me to marry you because of the inheritance Grandpa left for me? Oh, don't be shocked. I know it already. You want the company Grandpa left me, and the half inheritance. Thus, you are forcing me to marry you so that you can have it. Well... like I said, lay your god damn fucking hand on me, and I would rather die than marry you!"

Her eyes blazed with every word she said, indicating her seriousness

In her past life, she had learned the truth too late. This time, she would make them pay.

The whole Vaughn family stared at her in shock.

"Elara! You can't speak nonsense. Who told you that rubbish? And even if what you said is true, you owe it to us for taking care of you for years!" Marjorie said shamelessly.

Elara snorted. 'You owe it to us'. How many times did she hear this statement in her past life? And stupid enough, she used to believe it. But not anymore.

"You can do as you please," she said lastly before walking to her room, leaving the shocked Vaughns behind.

Something had changed about Elara. And they could all feel it. But what exactly?