Chapter 51 Between Renard and Valmere
“You think you can just waltz in here and lecture us?”
Caelum’s eyes were dark, stormy, and lethal. Every muscle in his body tensed as he took a step toward Samuel, his brothers flanking him like predators circling a dangerous animal. His voice low but vibrating with barely contained rage. “You threaten our business, our family, and our sister, and somehow you think that gives you the right to smile while doing it?”
Samuel leaned casually against the railing, hands in his pockets, as if the fury around him didn’t exist. “Oh, I don’t lecture. I simply state facts. The Valmeres panicked. Your sister ran away, and the consequences are natural. You should thank me for showing you what could happen if you lose control.”
Lucio stepped forward, voice sharp as a blade. “Natural consequences? You’re insane. You risk billions of dollars, contracts that took decades to build, all because… what? Because you have a personal vendetta? Or because you want to see us squirm?”
Samuel shrugged, nonchalant. “Call it what you want. I call it efficiency. A lesson in humility.”
Knight’s hands were clenched into fists. “Efficiency? That’s not efficiency. That’s a childish power play.” He stepped closer, voice icy. “You think you’re clever, Samuel. You think you’ve got us all on edge. But you forgot one thing, you’re dealing with the Valmeres. And we do not bow to threats or tantrums.”
Casper, usually the calmest of the brothers, took a step forward, nostrils flaring. “Do you hear yourself? You’re threatening to destroy lives, families, livelihoods, all for what? A personal grudge against a girl? That’s pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.”
Samuel’s smirk faltered for the first time. “Pathetic?” he repeated. “You think you’re angry? You’re terrified. All of you. Admit it. Deborah ran from you. She chose someone else. And now you have no idea how to fix it.”
Deborah clenched her fists, stepping forward despite the brothers’ subtle motions to keep her behind. “Samuel!” she snapped, voice sharp. “Stop using me as some excuse for your games. This isn’t about me, it’s about your ego, and you’re a coward if you think threatening my family is acceptable!”
Ylmaz, who had stayed quiet until now, finally spoke, voice steady and cutting. “Exactly. You’re trying to manipulate them with my presence and her choice, but you’re the only one showing weakness here.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed, and a dark shadow of amusement flickered across his face. “Manipulate? No. I’m merely proving a point. That when the Valmeres step out of line, the consequences are monumental. I’m showing you what happens when control is lost.”
Caelum’s jaw tightened. He stepped closer, every movement deliberate, every inch closing the distance between him and Samuel. “Let me tell you something, Samuel Cortez,” he said, his voice low, deadly, and filled with cold fury. “You think you’re in control? You’re not. You never were. You want to teach us a lesson? Fine. We’ll accept it. But don’t you dare insult our family, our sister, or our intelligence while you do it. You’ve overstepped.”
Lucio barked a short laugh. “I can’t believe we’re even standing here listening to this idiot. Threatening us, insulting us, thinking he’s clever….. he’s.....pathetic.”
Knight shook his head, expression hard. “And yet he refuses to see it. He thinks he’s pulling the strings, but really, he’s dangling himself in front of a tiger. And we all know what happens when a tiger is cornered.”
Samuel’s smirk returned, slower this time, more deliberate. “Cornered? Perhaps. But I am enjoying this… immensely. Seeing your faces, your reactions, priceless. You’re so predictable. So serious. Sooo… Valmere.”
Deborah crossed her arms, glaring. “You know what’s predictable? You. Threats, games, insults. It’s exhausting. I don’t care about your so-called business or contracts right now. You’re a fool.”
Samuel tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. “Am I?” he said softly, almost mockingly. “You think so. But by the time I leave, you’ll remember this. Every single one of you. The lesson will be unforgettable.”
Casper stepped forward, voice sharp as broken glass. “You’re really unbelievable. Using my sister as leverage, thinking your arrogance will frighten us. That ends now. You don’t scare the Valmeres, and you certainly don’t control us. Got it?”
Samuel chuckled, a sound that was equal parts charm and venom. “Oh, I don’t need to scare you. Fear is irrelevant. Respect? That’s irrelevant too. I only need to show that choices have consequences. That’s all. Simple. Elegant. Perfectly logical.”
Lucio slammed his fist lightly against the stone railing, frustration boiling over. “Consequences? You’ve got no idea what consequences are. You don’t scare us, you don’t impress us, and you certainly don’t manipulate us. The only thing you’ve done is prove how foolish you are.”
Knight added, “And if you think for a second that we’ll bend or beg because you pulled some idiotic stunt, think again. You’re playing games you won’t win.”
Samuel’s smile never wavered, but there was a gleam in his eyes that was almost sinister. “Oh, I won’t win or lose. I simply exist as a catalyst. And in a few days, my friends… you will see the full effect.”
Deborah stepped closer to the railing, voice dripping with icy clarity. “Catalyst? You’re nothing but a nuisance, Samuel. You’ve wasted enough of our time, enough of my family’s patience. If you think you’re leaving here with any sense of power, think again.”
Ylmaz placed a reassuring hand on Deborah’s shoulder. “She’s right. Your threats and games stop here.”
Samuel’s eyes swept over the group, lingering on each of them like he was memorizing their anger, their fury, their outrage and he smiled once more, smug, infuriating, untouchable.
“Ah… Valmeres,” he said, voice dripping with mock warmth. “You never fail to amuse me. But alas, I have a plane to catch. And some celebrations to attend. So…”
He straightened, tossing a casual glance over his shoulder toward Deborah, smirk widening. “Have a nice day in Italy, boys! See you on my wedding!”