The Charismatic Lucas Gray

Chapter 4

"What?"

"Did Ariadne just say they are really married?"

The cathedral erupted into a frenzy. Lucas was a loser so his words were always doubted, but could the same be said for Ariadne? If she said it, didn’t that mean it was true? They all exchanged silent glances. This was taking another turn!

"Ariadne, what are you talking about? When did you marry that loser? Stop joining in his lies!" Linda snapped angrily.

Ariadne lowered her gaze, her lips trembling. She looked like a child caught doing something wrong.

"Mom," she nibbled on her lower lip, "you and the rest of the family had always been against Lucas. This always hurt him and made him scared that one day I might just listen to you all and leave him.

"To assure him I would never do that, I asked him to marry me. We secretly met a priest, and he wed us. To keep it from you, we pleaded with the priest to hold on to our rings and marriage certificate."

She paused, her eyes flickering over her family's faces. "This was why I always refused each time you demanded I marry. I couldn't bear to betray Lucas, even though I hated him because of the lies I was fed.

"I only agreed later because, by law, anyone missing for five years could be considered dead. That reassured me that I wouldn't be to blame if he came back and saw I was married to someone else."

Silence.

Dead silence.

Everyone gaped at Ariadne in shock. For several minutes, only the faint rhythms of heartbeats were heard throughout the cathedral. It was as if the truth was too bitter a pill to swallow — and indeed, it was.

After all, when had it ever been heard that a third-generation descendant of a wealthy and influential family secretly got married to a loser, a mere country bumpkin?

This was unprecedented!

BAM!

Suddenly, someone slammed their hand on the wooden desk in front of them.

Everyone turned to the source.

It was an old man, his face so dark and his eyes red, as if he wanted to vomit fire.

That was Atticus Brook, the Patriarch of the Brooks and Ariadne's grand-father!

"Ariadne Brook!" he roared. "Have you no shame? How dare you try to tarnish your reputation by spilling such lies to side with that loser?"

"Ariadne, quickly take that back!" Linda said anxiously. "Your grandfather is furious. Say something to calm him down!"

"Ariadne, I know you. You're my darling. You would never do something so reckless. Tell everyone you were only joking!" A man with a striking resemblance to Ariadne pleaded. That was Cheyenne's father, and Linda's husband, Reginald Brook.

"Yes, Ariadne, take it back!" her siblings and the rest of the Brooks chimed in.

Ariadne nibbled on her lower lip, her eyes welling up with tears. She felt overwhelmed by the pressure. How could she say it was a lie when it was the truth? She was not a liar!

She stood there silently, her gaze fixed on the floor, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.

"Ariadne!" Linda stomped her foot in frustration. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucas cut in. "She's not like the rest of you. What she said is the truth. How could she take it back? Hmph!" He snorted. "You hypocrites keep pushing her to deny it, not because you care about her reputation, but because you're worried about your family’s name. And most of all, you're terrified of offending the Millers."

The Brooks' faces darkened instantly.

This loser! They glared at Lucas, as though they wanted to rip him apart.

"Hehe. Did I hit a nerve?" Lucas sneered. "Anyway, I don’t appreciate you calling my woman a liar, so let me put this to rest once and for all." He pulled out his phone and pressed a button before bringing it to his ear. "You can come in now, Father."

Almost immediately, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the cathedral. All eyes turned toward the western door, eager to see who had arrived.

A middle-aged man in a priest's robe stepped in, holding a document in one hand.

"Could that be the priest who wed them?"

"Is that their wedding certificate in his hand?" The attendees murmured among themselves.

Meanwhile, the Brooks and the Millers grew tense.

Ignoring the whispers around him, the priest made the sign of the cross before walking over to Lucas. He gave a respectful bow to the bishop, then faced the crowd.

"On the 10th of October, six years ago, I joined these two in holy matrimony. I was hesitant at first, but they were persistent in their requests. For seven days straight, they pleaded with me, and on the eighth day, I could no longer turn them away—so I wedded them." He announced calmly.

Then, he reached into his robe and brought out two rings. "In my left hand are their wedding rings, and in my right, their marriage certificate. If anyone has doubts, you are welcome to come forward and verify the document for yourselves."