An Unpleasant Morning

*Selene POV*

I reached for a bath bomb and threw it in the tub.I dissolved into bubbles and filled the water with a red tint. I took a sip from the champagne glass and placed cucumber slices on my eyelids.

I could barely sleep last night,let's reiterate that : I couldn't sleep last night.My eyes were stuck on my ceiling,face frowned and mind in disarray watching the fan slowly turn the controls in my head.

Blue.

It was such a beautiful shade too,I had forgotten–or at least tried to forget what his eyes felt like. It slid into my blood,defrosting me from the inside.

I had grown into the habit of calculating everything precisely before I went to bed.It helped me concentrate and gain clarity.It used to be just a hobby,but tonight,it suddenly felt like a need.

I then began to replay his actions from the night before,the arrest,his smirks,his distracting gaze,the disappointment etched in his features…it was like I was watching a movie,scene by scene…each piece more puzzling.

I couldn't help but think there was something I was missing…something crucial that will make all his actions line up in perfect sense. It was like looking at a frozen river and watching a monster lurking under the cracks,threatening to drag you down into the swallow ends if you weren't careful.

My hate hadn't properly settled in before I got the light of the morning sun seeping in through the curtains.And that was when I realised,I had spent my first night in IronClaw Valley,thinking of a man.

How pathetic of me.

My buzzing phone pulled me out off my thoughts.

It has been buzzing systematically every fifteen minutes since this morning,I tried to ignore it and take a peaceful morning bath but the caller had made it crystal clear that they were not deterred by anything.

I drew in a sharp breath and removed the cucumber slices off my eyelids. This was not how I intended to spend my morning.

I grabbed my phone from the side of the bathtub and groaned at the caller ID.

An unknown number.

I cursed in Spanish before picking up.

“You better have a good reason to be bothering me this early.”

“Selene?Good morning…”the male voice rang from the end of the line. “Did you sleep well?”

The caller sounds way too comfortable with me. However,judging by the nauseating cheer in their tone,they didnt know me long enough to realise how deep rooted my hate for morning calls were.

“Who are you?”I questioned.

“Tu amo.”he replied giddily,I could even imagine the wide grin he had on as he was saying that.

“You have three seconds to identify yourself.”

“Dominic Torchelli.”

I remained silent for a while,I dont remember giving him my number.

“From last night,”he added. “We danced–”

“How did you get my number?”

“Your housemaid give it to me.”

I frowned.“My housemaid?”

“Yes,she said her name was Greta.”

“Greta isn't my housemaid.”I replied, biting into a strawberry.

“Househelp?”

“No.”

“Housekeeper?”

“What do you want Dominic?”

“I wanted to properly thank you for last night, it was amazing the way you handled the situation,I don't know what I would have done without you…”

He paused as if he wanted me to chip in with a ‘You are welcome’.Instead I sat in the awkward silence waiting for him to take a hint and eradicate himself from my life.

He didn't.

His voice came back with even more determination. “You see,I just moved here a few days ago and my lawyer is out of town–”

“As much as I would love to take the praise,” I say, cutting him off. “It wasn't some good willed charity for you.It was all about me.”

Alot of people–normal people would Have seen this as a sign of how self obsessed I was and backed away. But not Dominic.

I heard a laugh dance in his throat before he replied,his tone a pitch deeper.

“As it always should be,mi amor.”

I smirked, bringing a glass of champagne to my lips.If I didn't have another business tycoon already at my beck and call,I would have gladly added Dominic to my harem.He was proving to be a devotee already.

I scooped up some foam and blew bubbles from my hand,waiting for him to speak and as I predicted,he happily did.

“I wanted to officially escort you to Day Two of the Blossom Ball.”

“Do you want to get arrested again?”

“It will be worth it.”He says without hesitation.

“Oh mi amor,”I begin seductively,running a finger over my nipple piercing. “You aren't going To give up are you?”

“No.”he said,his voice sounding firm.

“You will have to learn to,I don't like being put in a rush.”

“Of course.”He replied readily. “Does that mean we will be going tonight?”

I never attended the same event twice,not even if I was paid. The next two days of the ball should be for reminiscence and gossip about My first appearance.

“What did I just say Dom?”

“You don't like to be rushed.”he replied like an obedient child.

“Exactly,”I said with a tired sigh. “Now,I will call you if I need you…till then,don't call.”

I hung up the phone and drowned the last bit of champagne down my throat.

I rose from the tub, water trailing down my skin, the red tint swirling around me as moved. I wrapped myself in a silk robe, my thoughts already brushing off Dominic. He was amusing—a mere distraction. He might be useful in the long run but not now.

I tossed my phone onto the bed, my mind focused on what was ahead. The Blossom Ball was beneath me now. I'd made my entrance.

Today was solely for my well deserved rest.

As I made my way across the room, a sudden knock echoed through the door. Loud. Demanding.

I stilled.

It was too early for anyone…and Greta didn't knock. I have had obsessive fans come to my hotel room before,but why would they knock?

My heartbeat quickened, but I masked the irritation that threatened to surface,tying my hair in a towel.

"Selene, open up. It’s urgent."

Greta’s voice cut through the silence, shaky, almost afraid.

My pulse sped up, now I knew something was wrong. I struggled to keep my expression neutral. I moved toward the door, slowly, deliberately, and cracked it open.

Greta stood there, pale, her hands trembling.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, keeping my voice sharp.

But before she could answer, a shadow loomed behind her, stepping into view.

Him.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as Alpha Ares stood there, his eyes—the same piercing blue that once melted through me—locking onto mine. For a split second, everything inside me faltered, every ounce of hate, every layer of my defences, like they’d been ripped away.

“Selene, we need to talk,” he said, his voice gravelly and laced with something I couldn’t place.

Before I could react, he pushed his way inside, shutting the door behind him.