The knock was getting incessant now, and Selena squeezed the pillow tighter over her ears. If it was one of the housekeepers, she wasn't going to spare her. She had slept in late the night before, finalizing everything with Liam Jones for the out-of-court settlement in two days, and when that burden had finally gotten off her neck, she finally gave in to the sweetness of an afternoon sleep, something she hadn't had the luxury of experiencing for a while.
And those knocks, they didn't stop.
Groaning, Selena threw her pillow at one corner of her room and shot up from bed. She didn't care that she looked like a sleep-riddled mess, she wanted to deal with the sleep thief behind the door. Sure enough, when she yanked the door open, the tiny housekeeper shrank into herself.
"What?!" Selena barked at her.
"Mrs. Tequila…" The housekeeper tried to square her shoulders, but still kept her distance. "...she's asked me to call you. She said I shouldn't leave until I get you."
"Well didn't you tell Mrs. Tequila I didn't want to be disturbed?" Selena barked again. "What is your problem in this house? Why can't a babe have peace of mind in her own house? You know what? I'm going to go and meet Mum, it's time she understood the concept of boundaries."
Selena marched out of the room, and the housekeeper called after her. Ignoring her, she stomped her feet down the stairs and knew her mother would be in one of the living rooms this time of the day. She would probably be on a phone call gossiping with one of her friends, or planning what to wear to the next glamorous event.
Selena found her in one of the guests' living rooms. She was standing in the middle of the room, laughing, and looked over as her daughter entered.
"Mum, I told you not to wake me up unless someone's dying, I don't see anyone…"
Selena's voice died off when she saw that her mother wasn't alone. Standing at the window side was Valentin, dressed in a dapper grey suit and tie, and he raised his eyes to meet Selena. When his eyes traveled from her face down her frame, she could feel herself burn on the spot. She didn't change or wear her robe over her nightwear, and she knew how she must look like; her usual silky hair sticking all over the place, her satin pink shorts and tank top not exactly appropriate to wear in front of her ex, but Valentin smiled all the same.
"Hello Lena," he greeted.
Selena was going to kill that housekeeper for not making extra efforts to warn her. She snapped her gaze to her mother, and Fiona gave an innocent shrug.
"Valentin dropped by," Fiona said, stating the obvious. "He said he wanted to say hi."
"And he's said it, so he can leave," Selena said.
"Oh don't be rude!" Fiona pulled the skin on her forehead up to avoid a frown. "He and I were having a good talk, but I'll leave you two to talk."
"No need, I don't have anything to say to him," Selena returned the way she came, but was pulled back with a strong grip of hand.
"Behave, Selena," Fiona whispered hotly into her ear from behind her. "Listen to what he has to say. You're a businesswoman, you know better than not to make enemies."
Selena attempted to leave again, but her mother was stronger. She held her daughter's other arm and turned her around to face Valentin.
"Sorry, she's cranky from the lack of sleep," Fiona smiled. "I'll send for some refreshment, you two take all the time in the world."
Selena couldn't help the eye-roll. In her mother's eyes, Valentin has always been perfect in her eyes. Fiona exited the room and closed the heavy oak doors behind her.
Valentin moved away from the window. He hadn't changed much, if anything, seemed more handsome than when she had last seen him, which irked Selena. She looked back at the door, her escape, and had a feeling her mother had her ear pressed to it on the other end.
Valentin took the seat on the black leather couch. The gossamer curtain of the living room billowed with a light wind, and the chandelier was turned on, which Selena didn't see as necessary. Valentin spread a hand next to him and patted the space. "You can have your seat."
Selena took the single seat furthest from him, an action that made him grin.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
"Nothing. You just have a way of drawing the joy out of me." He said.
"I hope to draw some tears soon, and not the happy kind."
He laughed at that. Selena squelched the urge to throw the glass duck figurine on the stool next to her.
"You've not changed," His grey eyes did that raking thing again, and she wanted a blanket to cover herself from his sight. "In more ways than one."
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Must I want something to drop by?" He threw back his question at her. "Can't I just want to check on you?"
"You can't," Selena said as a matter of fact. "And you know that."
"Because we have history?"
"Because we have…" Selena could not believe his choice of words. She looked him over again and wondered what kind of audacity he had to come over to her place, after everything he'd done and the tears he had made her cry for nights. She couldn't stand him for a second more.
She stood and pointed a shaky hand to the door. "Get the fuck out of my house."
That took Valentin by surprise. "Lena…"
"Don't call me that, you have no right to call me that. You have no right to speak my name, call my number, or come back to my house!" She screamed. "Get the hell out!!"
Valentin schooled his expression into a serious one. "It's time we talked."