Burning Desire of the Ruthless Ruler

The Wedding He Will Stop

“GABRIEL!” Laura screamed hysterically and tried to run toward her fiancé, but Madam Simone grabbed her and held her back, tears streaming down her face in fear.

Gabriel collapsed onto one knee, his right knee striking the ground while his left hand pressed firmly against the wound that was bleeding heavily. His breathing grew ragged, yet his defiant gaze remained fixed on Lucien.

“Laura, don’t go near him!” Madam Simone cried, her voice trembling.

“But Gabriel is hurt, Mom!”

“I know, but that man . . . he’s dangerous!”

Lucien began walking toward them at an unhurried pace, the pitch-black pistol still firmly gripped in his right hand.

His cold eyes never left Gabriel, who remained on one knee before him.

“Seeing you on your knees like this makes me happy,” Lucien said, his voice low and cutting.

“Because the man who claims to be Laura’s fiancé is now kneeling at my feet.”

“Coward!” Gabriel spat angrily, though his voice weakened from the pain shooting through his injured knee. “Only a weak man needs a gun to overpower his opponent!”

A faint smirk appeared on Lucien’s face at Gabriel’s audacity.

He crouched down in front of him, studying Gabriel’s face with open contempt.

“And only a foolish man would think he can take Laura away from me,” Lucien replied coldly.

Laura could no longer hold herself back. She broke free from her mother’s embrace and rushed toward Gabriel, dropping to her knees beside him. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she examined his injured knee.

“Do you think treating me like this will make me love you?” Laura screamed through her tears.

Lucien merely shrugged, completely indifferent. He rose to his full height and casually spun the pistol in his hand.

“I don’t need your love, Laura.”

His eyes locked onto hers. “I only need you by my side. With or without your feelings . . . you will be mine.”

Madam Simone stepped forward, pleading through uncontrollable tears. She knew that if this continued, someone else could end up seriously hurt.

“Lucien, please. If you still have even the slightest bit of conscience left, leave this place.”

Lucien stared at her with an unreadable expression.

He briefly glanced at his men, and they exchanged mocking laughter.

“Unfortunately, I have no heart to give anyone except Laura,” he replied.

Hearing that, Laura clasped her hands together in front of him.

This time, she was the one begging Lucien to leave her home.

“Then let me ask you, please. Leave this house and never come back.”

Lucien slowly lowered himself onto one knee before her and gently lifted her chin.

“Don’t beg me like that with that pretty face of yours, Laura.”

His gaze lingered on her tear-streaked face.

“Fine. I’ll leave.” His voice was cold, almost emotionless. He simply could not bear to watch Laura cry. “But remember this, Laura.”

His expression darkened. “The more you reject me, the more people around you will suffer.”

Laura stared at him with pure hatred, but she knew there was no point in fighting him now. Gabriel was injured.

Getting him to safety was her only priority, and she needed Lucien to leave before he hurt him again.

Lucien rose and walked away. But before getting into his car, he stopped and glanced back at Laura.

“Don’t ever make me wait too long.”

A faint, dangerous smile appeared on his lips.

“I can become very . . . impatient.”

With that, Lucien got into his car.

Moments later, the convoy sped away, leaving Laura crying beside Gabriel as he struggled to endure the pain.

“We need to get Gabriel to the hospital immediately, Laura,” Madam Simone said.

“Yes, Mom. I’ll call an ambulance first.”

Not long afterward, the ambulance arrived and took Gabriel to the hospital.

Throughout the journey and even after they arrived, Laura could not stop crying. Regret consumed her.

If only she had never saved Lucien that night.

If only she had left him to die.

Gabriel slowly lifted his hand and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

“Don’t keep crying like this. I can’t stand watching your tears fall, Laura.”

“I’m sorry, Gabriel.” Laura held his hand tightly. “This happened because of me. You got hurt because of me.”

Gabriel shook his head.

“You have nothing to apologize for. That man is the one at fault.”

His expression hardened.

“He’s completely insane!”

Laura squeezed Gabriel’s hand and occasionally pressed a gentle kiss against his knuckles.

She loved this man deeply.

Before her father passed away, he had entrusted Laura to Gabriel, believing him to be the man he could trust to protect his daughter.

“You’re right, Gabriel,” Madam Simone said, standing beside Laura.

“Lucien really is insane. He didn’t just kill my husband . . . now he wants to take Laura away from me too.”

“Take her away?” Gabriel asked, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“He wants to marry Laura.”

Gabriel’s expression immediately darkened. “I won’t let Laura belong to a bastard like him, especially after he killed her father.”

He looked at Simone.

“You two should get married as soon as possible, before he comes back and tries to take Laura by force.”

Laura and Gabriel exchanged glances at Simone’s words. The desperation in the older woman’s expression was unmistakable.

“Would you be willing to marry my daughter tomorrow?” Simone asked Gabriel.

Gabriel answered without hesitation. “I will.”

The following morning, Laura stood in front of a mirror in the small dressing room, wearing a simple white wedding gown borrowed from the church.

It wasn’t extravagant, but it was enough to make her look beautiful.

“Laura, you look absolutely beautiful,” Madam Simone said from behind her.

Laura tried to smile, but her eyes betrayed the anxiety weighing heavily on her heart.

“Mom, I’m scared.” She lowered her gaze. “What if he comes back?”

Madam Simone took Laura’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

“Gabriel has arranged security around the church. Just focus on your wedding.”

She smiled reassuringly. “Today is supposed to be the beginning of a new life for you.”

Meanwhile, in another room, Gabriel sat dressed in a black suit. His injured knee was carefully bandaged, but despite the lingering pain, he remained determined to stand on his own.

11:00 A.M. — The Wedding Chapel

The small chapel was filled with silence, broken only by the soft sound of Laura’s footsteps as she slowly walked down the aisle.

At the altar, Gabriel stood waiting for her with a faint smile.

Laura moved carefully, clutching a bouquet of white flowers picked from the garden behind the church.

When she reached the altar, Gabriel extended his hand toward her.

Laura placed her hand in his, and somehow, the simple gesture eased some of the fear in her heart.

“Laura,” Gabriel said softly, “Today I swear that I will always protect you. Nothing will ever separate us.”

Laura’s eyes glistened with tears. “I believe you, Gabriel.”

The pastor began the wedding ceremony, leading them in prayer before asking the couple the vows that would bind them together.

“Laura, do you take Gabriel as your husband, to have and to hold, through good times and bad, until death do you part?”

Laura nodded firmly. “I do.”

Then it was Gabriel’s turn. His voice rang through the chapel. “I do!”

But before the wedding rings could be exchanged, the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed through the chapel.

The church doors were thrown open with a violent crash. Everyone turned toward the entrance. And the wedding ceremony came to an abrupt halt.