CHAPTER 3 – The Wedding That Never Happened
CHAPTER 3 – The Wedding That Never Happened
The first bullet shattered the crystal display case.
The second ripped through a rack of white lilies.
By the third, the flower shop had become a war zone.
"Stay down!" Nikolai barked.
He fired twice without looking.
Two masked gunmen dropped behind an overturned delivery van outside.
His movements were frighteningly precise—not rushed, not emotional. Every shot had purpose.
Iris had never seen violence before.
Not like this.
She pressed both hands instinctively over her abdomen, her breathing shallow.
"My baby..." she whispered.
Nikolai heard her.
Even over the gunfire.
Something inside him changed forever.
Not the mafia boss.
Not the heir.
A father.
Another SUV screeched to a stop outside Bloom & Stem.
Men in black tactical suits flooded the sidewalk.
"Eagle Team!"
"Secure the perimeter!"
"Protect the Boss!"
Within seconds, the attackers realized they had lost the advantage.
"Retreat!"
Smoke grenades exploded.
Gray clouds swallowed the street.
When the smoke cleared, the gunmen were gone.
Only shattered glass, crushed flowers, and shell casings remained.
Silence returned so suddenly it almost hurt.
Nikolai slowly lowered his pistol.
The first thing he did was turn toward Iris.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
"No."
He reached for her shoulder but stopped himself halfway.
"I..."
For the first time in years, Nikolai Voss didn't know what to say.
One of his security commanders hurried inside.
"Boss."
Nikolai didn't look away from Iris.
"Report."
"Three attackers confirmed dead."
"One captured alive."
"No civilian casualties."
"The police are five minutes out."
Another pause.
"The wedding planners keep calling."
Nikolai finally looked at his phone.
Forty-three missed calls.
His father.
Celeste.
The Renards.
His chief of staff.
The cathedral.
The media office.
He pressed one button.
Victor Voss answered instantly.
"Where the hell are you?"
"I'm at a flower shop."
"The wedding rehearsal starts in thirty minutes!"
"It won't."
Silence.
"What did you say?"
Nikolai's voice became frighteningly calm.
"I'm canceling the wedding."
Across the line...
Nothing.
Then—
"Have you lost your mind?"
"No."
"Do you understand what this alliance means?"
"I understand exactly."
"The Renards will declare war."
"They already have."
Victor laughed bitterly.
"You think this shooting changes anything?"
"It changes everything."
Nikolai looked toward Iris.
She was sitting on the floor among broken roses, trembling without realizing it.
"My child is in this room."
Another long silence.
Then his father's voice dropped to a whisper.
"...What?"
"The woman the Renards just tried to murder is carrying my baby."
Victor stopped breathing.
For nearly ten seconds, neither man spoke.
Finally—
"Bring her home."
"I'm not asking permission."
"I know."
Victor exhaled heavily.
"You're making the biggest decision of your life."
"I already made it."
He hung up.
Without another word.
Outside, reporters were already arriving.
Police lights reflected across broken windows.
People were filming.
News helicopters circled overhead.
Nikolai removed his tailored suit jacket.
It cost more than most people earned in a month.
He gently wrapped it around Iris's shoulders.
"You can't stay here."
"My shop..."
"We'll rebuild it."
"My life..."
"I'll protect it."
She looked up at him.
"You don't even know me."
"I know enough."
"What if I don't want your protection?"
His answer came without hesitation.
"Then I'll protect you anyway."
Forty minutes later...
Every television station interrupted regular programming.
Breaking News.
MAFIA HEIR NIKOLAI VOSS DISAPPEARS HOURS BEFORE HISTORIC WEDDING.
BRIDE LEFT WAITING AT CATHEDRAL.
ARMED ATTACK REPORTED AT LOCAL FLOWER SHOP.
Across the city...
Inside Saint Augustine Cathedral...
Celeste Renard stood in her custom-made wedding gown.
Five hundred guests waited.
The orchestra stopped playing.
The enormous cathedral doors remained closed.
Finally, Nikolai's chief of staff approached.
He handed Celeste a single envelope.
Inside was one handwritten sentence.
I cannot marry you.
I'm going to my family.
Nothing else.
No apology.
No explanation.
Celeste stared at the note.
Her hands began shaking.
Then she screamed.
The sound echoed through the cathedral.
May you like
Outside...
The fragile peace between the Voss and Renard families shattered forever.
