Braelyn’s POV

I never imagined the day would come when I would see Lucien Volkov, the man who brought Volkov Apex to its knees, so nervous. His ears even turned red when he saw me.

I tried my best not to laugh at it. I gripped the flowers tightly as the priest continued. His voice rang over the hall as he asked the question that always made everyone nervous at a wedding.

"Is there anyone here who has a reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony? Speak now or forever hold your peace." The hall fell silent. I held my breath. Lucien’s eyes swept over everyone, trying to see who would dare ruin the wedding.

He gave me a smile. "Don’t worry, Viper, nothing would go wrong." He assured me, sensing I was nervous despite the fact I felt the same emotions from him.

An entire minute passed. No one spoke. I released a breath of relief and turned back to the priest. The priest gave us a smile, then cleared his throat.

"In the absence..." The words had barely left his mouth when the door was swung open. My head snapped to the door, trying to figure out what was happening.

The entire hall went silent. Everyone’s eyes were locked on the person at the door. Soft murmurs already started to drift around.

My breath immediately hitched. Lucien went cold. We couldn’t believe what was going on. Standing at the end of the aisle was none other than Amber, dressed in a black dress with a veil.

My heart clenched. Yelena’s and Lucien’s eyes met, and they passed a signal. Amber was standing at the door, glaring at me. Lucien’s hand found mine. He said in a low voice, "I will handle this." He assured me, then stepped down from the altar.

Amber’s eyes fell on Lucien. She opened her veil, her eyes were red and puffy. "I object. You can’t marry her," she said more firmly now.

Lucien’s jaw clenched. "What is the meaning of this, Amber? Did you lose your goddamn mind?" he snapped. My gaze drifted to Joey, who was also on his feet, glaring at Amber.

He walked towards her and seized her hand. "That’s enough. Don’t do anything stupid," he warned her. The cathedral was so silent we heard every exchange.

Amber yanked her hand from his hold, and her hand flew across his face. The slap echoed in the hall. "Don’t fucking stop me," she screamed, then ran towards the altar, but she barely made it halfway when she was tackled by the guards.

The priest whispered to us, "What is going on?" he asked. I scoffed, shooting Lucien a glare. "Some people can’t control their admirers."

Lucien hissed, clearly in a bad mood. "She is a psycho that can’t take no for an answer."

Amber started arguing, her eyes still locked on Lucien. "Lucien, please stop this. I love you. I have for a long time. Please don’t marry her, or I will kill myself." Lucien’s temples throbbed.

His voice cut across the room. "Then fucking do it." He barked, and she went silent, staring at Lucien with shock in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe her ears.

"End your miserable life if you can’t live. What does that have to do with me?" he snapped. His words were getting sharper with each sentence. He was clearly pissed beyond reason.

"I already told you that I don’t love you. Why do you want to ruin my wedding just because we were childhood friends?"

Amber went silent, then broke into sobs. Joey walked up to her. "You better leave. I am sure you don’t want to upset anyone here," he warned. This wedding was filled with high-profile individuals, but Amber couldn’t care less. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

She ignored Joey and made one desperate move, breaking from the guards and sprinting towards the altar.

She lunged towards Lucien. "But I am carrying your baby," she said desperately, trying to reach him. Her fingers barely grazed him when she was kicked across the room.

It happened so fast. One moment she was in front of us, the next she was pushed across the floor, falling hard on the marble. She screamed, hugging her stomach, while Ivan stood in front of us with an ugly expression. "What do you think gives you the right to touch him?" he asked Amber, who was writhing in pain, gasping like the kick knocked the air out of her stomach.

He shot Lucien a glare. "You couldn’t even handle your drama on your wedding day."

Lucien didn’t say anything. He stepped forward, his eyes bloodshot. My hand rushed to catch his wrist. I shoved my bouquet into his hand. "Let me handle this." I didn’t give him the chance to protest.

I grabbed my skirt and walked past Ivan towards the figure curled on the floor. In the current state Lucien was in, he might kill her, and I didn’t want bloodshed on my wedding day.

Amber slowly sat up. Her eyes locked on me, and she was about to run her mouth. I didn’t give her the chance.

I delivered two slaps in quick succession on both cheeks. The entire room held their breath. The guards closed in.

I was furious and boiling inside, but I didn’t let it show. "I have never seen someone as shameless as you," I hissed. "What were you expecting, bursting in here and lying on Lucien? You thought he would welcome you with open arms?"

"But I am..." Another slap shut her up. Ivan was the one who spoke up.

"You better think twice before accusing an Orlov wrongly," he warned. His predatory eyes made her shudder.

Her tears rolled down. "Why do you deserve him? I have loved him longer," she cried. I didn’t have the strength for her nonsense.

"Get her out of my sight," I instructed, and the guards immediately closed in to restrain her. She started squirming and desperately speaking of her love for Lucien, but she looked nothing less than a lunatic.

I heard footsteps close in on me. Lucien took my right hand and blew on it. "I hope it doesn’t hurt. You shouldn’t have laid your precious hand on her," he said, acting all loving.

I snorted, then yanked my hand away. "Don’t fucking touch me. This is your fault," I hissed, then marched back to the altar. Lucien followed after me with a pitiful expression, looking pretty down.

"Viper, please don’t mind her. I belong to you," he whined lik

e a puppy, leaving his groomsmen dumbfounded.

Was this the psycho they knew?