Chapter 17 Samuel Cortez
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Deborah sat in silence, the soft hum of the Valmere Tower’s central air conditioning filling the office like white noise. Her hands rested on the glass desk, unmoving, the screen before her long forgotten.
Her thoughts weren’t here.
They were back in the moment when Aston’s hand had nearly reached her. That single move, flickering second.
She could still see the look in his eyes, not rage, but confusion. The kind that comes from losing control of something you didn’t even know you could lose. Aston wasn’t like that. He had never raised his voice to her before, much less his hand. He was her calm, her anchor when the rest of their brothers clashed.
But something had shifted.
And now, every time she blinked, that half-raised hand replayed in her mind, looping endlessly, digging under her skin.
Her jaw tightened. She blinked the memory away just as the door opened.
“Spacing out again?”
Knight’s voice broke through the silence, steady but curious. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his presence effortlessly commanding even in casual quiet.
Deborah turned her head slowly, her voice low. “Just thinking.”
Knight stepped in, shutting the door behind him. “About what?”
She gave a small, forced smile. “Nothing that concerns you.”
He studied her for a long moment, his dark eyes searching hers with unnerving precision. Then, without preamble, he asked, “Did you cut your connection with Luther?”
Her breath caught. The words landed like a quiet explosion.
Deborah met his gaze, calm, composed, practiced, and lied. “Yes.”
Knight’s expression didn’t change, but his silence said everything. He didn’t believe her, and maybe he didn’t need to. After all, this was Knight Valmere, the one who saw through everything without ever saying much.
Finally, he nodded once and turned away. “Good,” he said, voice unreadable. “Let’s keep it that way. Don't you ever talk to him again.”
And just like that, he was gone, leaving Deborah staring at the empty doorway, her lie still hanging in the air like smoke.
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By noon, the atmosphere in the Valmere conference room was anything but calm.
Casper was scrolling through a report on his tablet, while Lysander flipped through paper files like he was dealing cards. Lucio leaned casually in his seat, though his sharp eyes betrayed focus.
Deborah entered quietly, the familiar rhythm of their discussions grounding her, until she heard Lysander’s voice.
“Well, this is interesting,” he said, tone light but his brows slightly raised. “Apparently, the heir of one of our biggest shareholders has been….. showing interest in Deborah.”
Deborah stopped mid-step. “What?”
Casper looked up from his tablet, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “He’s been asking about you during meetings. Sent flowers to the reception desk yesterday but I throw it, I don't accept any suitors for Deborah.... also the staff said he called you ‘the most intriguing woman in Valmere Enterprises.’”
Lucio gave a low whistle. “Bold.”
Caelum, seated at the far end of the table, didn’t react, not visibly. But the tension in his shoulders said enough. He slowly set down the pen in his hand, his jaw tightening.
“Who?” he asked, his voice calm but sharp enough to cut through air.
Lysander shrugged, flipping another page. “Heir of the Cortez Group. Samuel Cortez. Young. Rich. Thinks he can have anything he wants.”
Caelum leaned back, his stare fixed on no one in particular. “He won’t have her.”
Casper raised a brow. “You sound sure.”
“I am.”
The air around them shifted, that quiet, unspoken warning that came whenever the brothers’ protective instincts aligned. Deborah exhaled softly, pressing her palms against the edge of the table.
“You’re all overreacting,” she said. “It’s harmless.”
“Nothing about this is harmless,” Caelum said, his tone clipped. “You don’t know his intentions.”
Before Deborah could reply, the door opened again.
Aston walked in with Selene by his side, both dressed impeccably, looking every bit the composed couple. The faintest smile tugged at Selene’s lips when she saw Deborah, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes.
“What’s with all the tension?” Aston asked lightly.
Lucio didn’t hesitate. “Your sister has an admirer.”
Selene’s eyes immediately lit up, but not with joy. “Oh? That’s… surprising.”
Deborah shot her a cool glance. “Why is that surprising?”
Selene tilted her head. “Well, I just didn’t think anyone could handle someone like you, Deborah. You’re… intense.”
Lysander’s hand froze mid-page. Casper glanced up, expression unreadable while Caelum’s gaze sharpened.
Selene smiled wider, stepping closer. “But maybe it’s good. Maybe you should give him a chance. You know, stop being so guarded. Find someone new. Someone who can… distract you.”
Her tone was honeyed poison, soft, polite, and designed to sting. Before Deborah could respond, Caelum stood.
The movement was slow, deliberate, but the shift in the room was instant. His presence filled it like a storm gathering behind glass.
Selene faltered slightly, her eyes flicking to him.
“Say that again,” Caelum said quietly, his voice dangerously calm.
Aston frowned. “Caelum—”
“No,” Caelum cut in, his eyes still locked on Selene. “Go on. Tell my sister she should ‘find someone to distract her.’ See if you can finish that sentence.”
Selene’s lips parted, color draining slightly from her face.
“I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did,” he said, stepping closer. “You meant to belittle her in front of us. You meant to remind her that she’s alone, didn’t you? Stop being so guarded? What do you mean by that?”
Aston moved forward. “Caelum, enough.”
“Enough?” Caelum’s voice rose, still even but colder. “She’s sitting here insulting our sister...your sister and you’re telling me to stop?”
Aston’s jaw clenched. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
“Then make her watch her mouth,” Caelum snapped.
The silence that followed was heavy, thick with restrained fury. Deborah stood motionless, her chest tight as she watched her brothers, the family she loved, standing on the edge of another fracture.
And then, just as Caelum’s hand brushed the edge of the table, the sound of a phone buzzing sliced through the air.
Everyone froze.
Casper picked it up, scanning the message that had just appeared on the screen. His expression changed instantly.
“What is it?” Lysander asked.
Casper looked up, his tone grim. “It’s from the security team.”
He turned his gaze toward Deborah.
“Someone’s outside the company gate asking for you. He says his name is Ylmaz.”
The world stopped moving.
Caelum’s jaw locked. Aston went silent. Selene blinked, surprised.
And Deborah, her heart dropped straight through her chest. She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. The name Ylmaz gave her a lot of memories.. the man... It was.... her childhood friend.