Chapter 18 Wedding
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The room was dead silent.
Casper’s phone still buzzed faintly against the table, but no one dared to move. Every eye in the conference room was locked on Deborah, who looked like she’d just seen a ghost.
“Who the hell is Ylmaz?” Caelum was the first to speak, his voice low but simmering with restrained tension.
Deborah blinked, her mind still spinning, her throat dry. “He’s… someone I used to know.”
Lysander narrowed his eyes. “That’s not an answer.”
Her gaze fell to the floor. “He’s my childhood best friend,” she finally said softly. “We grew up together before he left for Guam. He moved there after his family’s business transferred. It’s been 10 years since I last saw him.”
Lucio leaned back in his chair, whistling quietly. “Ten years, huh? And now he suddenly appears at our gates looking for you?”
“Seems suspicious,” Knight muttered from the corner, his voice edged with warning. “People don’t just reappear after vanishing for a decade....especially at our headquarters.”
Deborah clenched her fists slightly. “You’re all overthinking this. He’s not like that. Ylmaz was....he is a good person. He probably just wanted to see me again. We were close.”
Casper scoffed lightly. “Close enough that he shows up unannounced to Valmere Enterprises? That’s not just friendly nostalgia, Deborah. And you said he is your childhood friend? Eh.... we don't even know him.”
"Caelum...."
Caelum stood, his chair scraping back against the marble floor. The sound was sharp enough to make Deborah flinch. “You’re not going out there,” he said firmly.
“What?! That's not fair! He's waiti—”
“You heard me,” Caelum said, his tone final, brooking no argument. “If he really wants to talk to you, he can wait until we’ve done a background check. No one, and I mean no one, gets near this family without being cleared first.”
Deborah took a slow step forward, trying to keep her voice steady. “But what about selene?? Caelum...Ylmaz is not a threat—”
“You don’t know that,” Caelum snapped, his control finally slipping. “Ten years, Deborah. Ten years without a word, and now he’s suddenly here? People change. You don’t know what he’s become.”
Lysander sighed, his tone softer but still protective. “Caelum’s right. We’re not taking chances. Especially not after what happened last time at the auction."
Her lips parted, but no words came out. Last time. That phrase hung heavy in the air, dragging an unspoken memory between them all.
Lucio leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Let’s not jump to conclusions yet. I’ll ask security to keep him waiting. We’ll look into who this guy really is.”
Deborah shook her head. “You’re all treating him like a criminal. He’s just—”
“—someone from your past,” Knight interrupted coldly. “And your past doesn’t walk into this building without reason. You should know better, Deborah.”
Her heart thudded in her chest, frustration and fear twisting inside her. She opened her mouth to argue again, but before she could speak, Aston suddenly clapped his hands once, the sound breaking the rising tension like glass shattering. “Alright, enough.”
All eyes turned to him.
He was standing beside Selene, who looked vaguely amused, her arms linked with his as though she belonged in this chaos. Aston’s expression, however, was calm, too calm, as if he’d been waiting for the perfect moment to interrupt.
“Stop the drama, Valmere boys,” he said lightly. “And my little sister....yes you, Deborah. You can panic about your mysterious childhood friend later. I have something more important to say.”
Caelum frowned. “Aston, not now—”
“Now,” Aston cut in firmly, raising a hand. “Because if I don’t say it now, you’ll all lose your minds over something that doesn’t even concern this family.”
He straightened, glanced at Selene, and then looked back at the others.
“Our wedding,” he said, his voice steady but loud enough to echo slightly in the tense room, “is in two weeks.”
The air snapped. "WHAAAAT?!!"
After that shout, silence flooded the room, then shattered under the weight of disbelief.
Lucio was the first to react. “You’re joking.”
Aston smirked. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
Lysander blinked, shaking his head slowly. “Two weeks? Aston, are you out of your mind? You just introduced her to us!”
Selene gave a saccharine laugh, her hand brushing Aston’s arm. “Love doesn’t need years, Lysander. It only needs the right moment.”
Casper arched a brow. “Oh, so this is what we’re calling impulsive now? A moment?”
Caelum’s tone was colder, sharper. “You kept this from us. From me. From everyone. The media will talk about us.”
Aston’s smirk faded, replaced by a quiet stubbornness. “It wasn’t about keeping secrets. It was about making choices. Selene is the woman I want. Let them talk, I don't care.”
Deborah’s voice cut through the tension, low but steady. “Do you even know what you’re doing, Aston? You’re rushing into something that feels... off.”
Selene turned toward her, smiling sweetly. “Off? Or are you just upset because your brother found someone before you did?”
Deborah’s eyes hardened instantly. “Careful, Selene.”
The brothers exchanged uneasy glances, the air in the room thick with unspoken hostility.
Caelum exhaled, rubbing his temples. “Two weeks is too soon. We need to know who she really is before you tie yourself to her.”
Selene’s smile didn’t falter. “You’ll have all the time in the world to know me, Caelum. We’ll be a family soon.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Caelum muttered under his breath.
Before the argument could escalate further, Aston raised his voice, his patience thinning. “Enough! My decision is final. The date’s already set. You can either support us or stay out of it.”
The room fell silent again, heavy, fractured silence.
Then Selene looked at Deborah, eyes glinting with a cruel sort of sweetness. “Actually,” she said, her voice lilting, “I do have one more request.”
Deborah’s brows furrowed. “What is it?”
Selene’s lips curved into a delicate smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I want you to be my maid of honor.”
The words hit like a thunderclap. Everyone turned to Deborah. Her face was unreadable for a heartbeat, then her expression hardened into something sharp and cold.
"NO!!"