Chapter 45 Call that broke the Silence
The day after felt too calm. Too still.
The sky over Amalfi stretched endlessly blue, the waves below the cliffs glimmering under the sunlight like sheets of moving glass. Deborah sat on the balcony of her room, dressed in a simple linen dress, her hair tied loosely as the wind brushed against her skin. It should have been a perfect morning, peaceful, beautiful, warm.
"You ready to see the hidden gem of amalfi?"
She's about to answer but her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
She’d ignored it for hours, trying to enjoy breakfast with Ylmaz in the terrace garden, pretending nothing existed outside this quiet Italian heaven. He noticed, of course, the way she kept glancing at her phone, her forced smiles. He didn’t push, just watched with quiet concern.
Now, back in her room, Deborah finally gathered the courage to look.
9+ missed calls.
9+ messages.
And one video call request flashing on the screen.
Casper Valmere. Her stomach dropped.
“Deborah?” Ylmaz’s voice came from the doorway. He leaned against it, holding two cups of espresso. “You look pale.”
She swallowed hard. “It’s… my brother.”
“Casper?”
She nodded slowly, her throat tight. “He’s calling me.”
Ylmaz’s expression shifted, not fear, but quiet seriousness. He set the cups on the table, stepping closer. “You don’t have to answer if you’re not ready.”
“I have to,” she whispered. “If I don’t, it’ll only get worse.”
He hesitated, then gave a single nod. “Alright. I’ll step out. But… try not to let him control the conversation, okay? Remember why you came here.”
Deborah gave him a grateful look. “Thank you.”
As Ylmaz left the room, she took a deep breath and pressed accept. The screen lit up with her brother’s face... sharp jawline, cold eyes, his expression unreadable. Casper Valmere rarely lost his composure, but right now, his gaze could cut through stone.
“Deborah Occeania Valmere,” he said flatly, his tone heavy with restrained fury.
She forced a small smile. “Hi.... Casper.”
“Don’t ‘hi’ me.” His voice was low, dangerous. “Where are you?”
Her heart thudded hard in her chest. “Italy.” His brows snapped together. “Italy?!”
“Please, don’t yell—”
“Don’t tell me not to yell!” Casper’s composure finally cracked, his tone rising. “Do you have any idea what we’ve been through these past two days?! Lysander been calling every contact he has. Caelum even contacted airport security thinking someone kidnapped you he almost punch every security and IO there!”
Deborah winced. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. I just needed—”
“Needed what?” he snapped. “To run away? To disappear without telling anyone?” She straightened in her chair, her voice steadier now. “I didn’t disappear. I told Dad. He said he’d handle it.”
Casper’s jaw tightened. “Dad said you told him you were going abroad for business, not a secret vacation with Ylmaz D’Arden!”
Her breath caught. “You know about Ylmaz?”
“Of course I do!” he snapped. “Do you think we wouldn’t find out who you’re with? Deborah, that man—” He stopped himself, exhaling sharply, then continued with a colder tone. “You had no right to keep this from us.”
“I had every right,” she said, surprising even herself with the firmness in her voice. “I’m not a child, Casper. You and the others have made every choice for me my entire life. I just wanted to make one decision on my own.”
He stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowing. “This isn’t about independence, Deborah. This is recklessness.”
“No,” she said softly, “this is freedom.”
The silence that followed was heavy. The sound of the waves outside felt deafening in the quiet of that tension.
Casper’s voice softened, though his anger still simmered beneath. “You don’t understand what you’re doing. That man....Ylmaz....he’s from a family that’s had issues with ours for years. You think Caelum will sit quietly when he finds out you’re with him?”
Her lips parted. “I don’t care what Caelum thinks.”
“You should!” Casper said, his tone rising again. “You’re a Valmere. Everything you do affects all of us.”
She clenched her fists. “Then maybe that’s the problem! Maybe I don’t want everything I do to define the entire family!”
He froze at her words, his expression shifting slightly, not anger now, but shock. Deborah rarely raised her voice to him.
“Deborah…” he began quietly, but she cut him off.
“I’m tired, Casper,” she said, her voice trembling. “Tired of always being the one who has to do the right thing, act the right way, live by rules I didn’t even write. For once, I just wanted to breathe. That’s all.”
Casper’s gaze softened briefly, just for a moment.... before he steeled himself again. “You could’ve told us.”
“You wouldn’t have let me go.”
“You’re right,” he admitted coldly. “I wouldn’t have.”
That silence again.
For a moment, Deborah thought maybe the call would end there, with both of them wounded by their words. But then, from behind her, the door creaked open.
“Everything okay?” Ylmaz asked gently, stepping inside. Casper’s head snapped up at the sound. His jaw hardened instantly. “He’s there?”
“Casper, please—”
“Put him on.”
Ylmaz paused, then walked into view beside Deborah. His expression was calm, composed, his usual quiet dignity intact.
“Mr. Valmere,” he greeted politely. “I understand your concern.”
Casper’s eyes burned with restrained fury. “You should. You took my sister to another country without telling anyone, you're really messing with the Valmere?!”
Ylmaz’s tone remained even. “With respect, sir, I didn’t take her. She chose to come. I’m simply making sure she’s safe.”
Casper’s voice dropped, low and sharp. “If anything happens to her, Ylmaz D'Arden... I swear—”
“Nothing will,” Ylmaz interrupted gently. “She’s safe with me. I give you my word.”
That stopped Casper for a moment. His silence stretched long, heavy, as if he were weighing the sincerity in Ylmaz’s voice.
Finally, he spoke, his tone clipped. “You’d better keep that promise.”
Ylmaz inclined his head slightly. “Always.” Without another word, Casper ended the call.
The screen went black, leaving only the faint reflection of Deborah’s pale face staring back. She let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
Ylmaz looked at her quietly. “That went… better than expected.”
Deborah gave a weak laugh. “That was better? He nearly threatened you.”
“Nearly,” Ylmaz said, smirking slightly. “I’ll take it as progress.”
Despite herself, she smiled faintly. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told,” he replied lightly.
The tension in the room finally eased a little. Deborah sank back into her chair, rubbing her temples. “They’re furious. I can already hear Caelum’s lecture echoing in my head.”
Ylmaz reached for the untouched espresso cup and handed it to her. “Then don’t think about it now. You’re already here. You might as well enjoy it.”
She took it, sighing. “You make everything sound so simple.”
“Maybe because it is,” he said softly. “At least for now.”
And for the first time since she arrived, Deborah allowed herself to stop worrying, even just for a moment. Outside, the waves continued to crash against the cliffs, steady and endless, a reminder that no matter how much the world raged beyond, peace could still exist… if only for a little while.