The noise and bustle of the city were left behind in its wake, a sense of peace and tranquility ushering Rina and Joel into another part of the town. They had made the journey on foot, wanting to partake in nature with the subtle warning of the mess they would have met had they returned to the car park to get Joel’s car.Rina asked a million if she wasn’t being a bother to him, but all the time, Joel’s response had always been the same. Rina could never be a bother to him, not in a thousand years. Although Rina had never met him before, Joel had been obsessed with her from the very beginning. He followed all her movies and series and was one of the saddest people when she announced her retirement from the industry. When the news about her scandal got out, Joel didn’t need to speak to anyone to know it was a lie. Rina didn’t strike him as the person who could do that, and for a while now, he had been wanting to see her, to talk to her. Nature had presented the opportunity when he’d s
Rina halted at the door the minute she realized there was someone inside. Nothing had given it away, other than the slight wavering of the curtains in the living room. If Rina hadn’t been so psyched with the fear that someone might trail her home each time she left the house, she might not have noticed it. The person inside had seen her. Rina was sure of it. That was the only thing that explained the fast letting go of the curtains, and the seemingly hiding away from view. Stilling her breath, Rina knew she had to act fast before whoever it was got outside. Her legs moved first, sliding backward while still watching the door. She watched it push open in slow motion, and her flight senses kicked in. But before she could bolt, she heard a familiar voice say, “Stop, Rina.”Her legs stopped moving, as Rina allowed the baritone to embrace her. Her pulse raced and her skin flushed as Zayn came into view, leaning on the door frame with a grim expression and his hands folded across his che
Neither of them had said a word to each other. Although it had only been for a few seconds, to Zayn, it felt like forever. He couldn’t retract the words he uttered, even though he wanted to. It was something about the person he was. He had never been made to go back on his words, but right now, he was on the precipice of doing just that. After what felt like forever, Rina finally tore through the silence. “Don’t you think you’re being hypocritical?” She asked. “I have only known you for a couple of weeks now. And on the first day, we had a personal conversation, I agreed to marry you. You should have brought up this line of argument then. How could I be expected to get into a contract with someone I barely knew?”“This is different, Rina. It’s purely contractual.”“I apologize for thinking any different,” she hurled harshly in his direction. “I couldn’t help it with the flowers and the late-night takeout. But as you’ve rightly pointed out, that was just me not taking lessons from lif
“You are right,” Zayn breathed. He obviously wasn’t used to doing this, but that was what got to Rina mostly. It was the fact that he was willing to apologize for something he’d said, even when the whole world knew Zayn Graham wasn’t one to apologize. “I shouldn’t have jumped to a conclusion, especially not after everything you’ve been through. The whole world doesn’t believe you right now, so I shouldn’t pull that on you as well. The basis of a good contract is belief in the other’s judgment, so I’m going to trust yours going forward as long as you do the same.”To anyone else listening, it was sure to sound like propositions in a formal meeting, But if they came closer, they would notice how Zayn held Rina’s gaze. He watched her intently, his eyes slowly caressing hers. Rina found herself unable to say anything, spellbound by the moment. Her lips parted slightly, and she squirmed underneath his gaze, feeling the temperature in the room go up a notch. Zayn blinked, then turned away
The first day Rina went to see Joel at the building he purchased for O.S.N fashion house, she woke up with a huge smile on her face. Absolutely nothing could go wrong for her, and to Rina, it was such a deviation for the last month.She turned on a pop song and allowed her body to move to the music. Craving the smell and taste of fresh coffee, she moved into the kitchen, getting started on a small pot. Her parents phoned in to check on her, adding to the excitement that Rina already felt. If she needed more proof that it was going to be the best day ever, she’d just gotten it. There was a knock on the door, yet Rina didn’t even flinch. She swayed to the door and pulled it open, taken aback when she met a fresh bouquet of tulips on her doorstep. Rina came out of the door and looked at both sides of her driveway, searching for the person who’d dropped the tulips. She walked back into the house, armed with her tulips and a smile on her face when she saw nowhere there. When Zayn mentio
Mr. Graham was in his study when Zayn walked in briskly. He was a very agile man, who even in his older years, still had a certain charm and strength to everything he did. He was going through some papers, but stopped mid-way and looked up to welcome his son home.“I was beginning to think you might turn down this invitation as well,” his father said, shaking his head subtly. “When was the last time you’ve been home?’“You said it was urgent,” Zayn replied, making himself slightly comfortable on the white couch away from the desk. “What happened?”“So you wouldn’t have come home if it wasn’t.” It wasn’t posed as a question because both Zayn and his father knew the veracity of those words. Although Zayn loved his parents and could do anything for them, there were just some variants that made him weigh his choice each time he felt like coming over.But when his mother had called the previous to inform him it was pretty important he was over at the house that morning, Zayn had at once, p
She had already started on her way out of the house but returned a few minutes later to check if the doors were locked, even though she knew she’d locked them before leaving. Call it paranoid, but Rina knew Finn had all the resources he could employ to ensure she lost the house.But one thing was sure. Rina Powers wasn’t giving up without a fight.Even though Kayla had hinted a week ago about a relationship between her and Finn, Rina hadn’t exactly believed it because she didn’t know Finn to be that low a person. But when he threatened her with the powers of Kayla’s family, it finally dawned on Rina that Kayla had had no reason to lie to her about that.Rina laughed at the absurdity of the situation, coupled with the fact that even after everything Finn had said and done to her, she’d still believed in the personality he’d shown to her all those years before it got bad.Or could that all have been a lie?Hugging herself from her stylish black trench coat, Rina walked down to the bus s
The only interference they had was the one time Joel’s phone rang, but he was quick to swipe the end button, paying rapt attention to Rina. He watched as her lips moved, accentuating every word she said, and the way her eyes lit with excitement when spoke about something she particularly enjoyed.There were gaps in the story, like how she breezed over the doorbell she’d heard ring that morning, but didn’t actually tell him what she’d found. But Joel didn’t push it. If he was going to be friends with her, he needed to allow it to work out naturally. She didn’t trust him enough to share every single detail about herself. And in truth, Joel couldn’t blame her. She’d been through a lot.“How about your day?” Rina laughed, her red hair catching in the light. “I’ve been the only one talking. Now that I think about it, I just might have bored you to death.”“No.” Joel shook his head slowly, his eyes watching her face intently, memorizing every detail. “You can’t bore me. I actually enjoy hea
Zayn sauntered through the high gates he had grown behind, steeling himself for what was going to happen in there. He hadn't been careful enough when it came to this, only discovering mere minutes ago before his father's call came in. This was the reason he always said feelings never ceased to complicate things, and yet, he had fallen victim to it. Zayn should have known better. If he hadn't been so occupied with trying to make sure Rina was fine, even though he knew that was an excuse to be around her, perhaps, he would have noticed this development before it got out of hand. Now, he was left with the task of salvaging it, but his brain wasn't working in that direction. Zayn was worried about Rina, despite everything. He had whipped out his phone on his way to his father's house to call her, but changed his mind mid-way, deciding to call Susan instead when he was done with this little issue. He tried to think about a way out of this, his mind reeling and his eyes darting around the
The moment the call dropped dead, Rina pulled herself off her bed, wincing slightly as she moved to the bathroom. She had a quick bath, and part of her was grateful that Zayn had decided to leave for his mansion. If he had remained in the villa, she wouldn't have been able to do what she had in mind. Zayn's clear instruction rang in her head, but Rina shrugged it off as soon as it occurred to her. She used her anger as her ammunition – anger that she had fallen in love with Zayn when she shouldn't have, anger that she had given herself a false hope that he would come around and admit his feelings knowing fully well that the great Zayn Graham doesn't give two fucks about love and whatever it came with. Walking out of the bathroom, Rina sauntered into her walk-in closet and pulled off something simple from the hanger – a pair of black wide-legged pants and a matching button-down shirt. Pairing it with white heels and a black tote bag, Rina applied light make-up on her face, almost unno
Confusion set in Rina at once, wounding its arms around her so tightly that she didn’t think there was any route of escape. She sat up at once, pulling herself until her back pressed against the headboard, with her head reeling from what she had just heard. “I think you got the wrong person,” she said finally. “My parents are well and alive, and I know their lawyer as well, because it is the same lawyer I use. And his name definitely isn’t Marco.”“Pardon me,” the voice returned, sounding solemn and sad. “What I am about to do is probably not right since it is the first time we are speaking and it isn’t exactly a conversation to have on the phone. But at the same time, I know you wouldn’t meet up with me, unless you are entirely sure about what this is. You are a public figure here, so that means you are really particular about your security.”“You sure did your research,” Rina murmured. “No. Not exactly. I was just so surprised that all this time, you were right within reach while I
Her door cracked open slowly, but it sounded so far off, like someone was making a scratching noise somewhere in the distance. She hissed and thrashed on the bed, willing whoever it was would leave her to her sleep. Just when she thought the source of the noise had gone, she heard it again, nearer this time. It echoed in her ears, pulling her out of an abyss she’d had no idea she had settled in. The space beside her on the bed dipped, and her eyes fell open slowly.“Hey.” His eyes appeared bothered, but at the same time, guarded, like he was trying so hard to be there with her, and at the same time, keeping something away from her. “How do you feel? Does your ankle hurt?”Rina shook her head, but the sudden sharp pain there gave her lie away as she winced. “You should stay in bed for as long as you want, until the pain subsides. Susan will ensure you have everything you will be needing for the three weeks the doctor advised that you remain in bed.”“But…”“Rina,” Zayn breathed. “List
“What happened to her?” Susan asked later that evening after they’d put her to bed. The drugs she was given at the hospital for the pain were bound to make her drowsy, and despite how hard she fought to remain awake, because George had come to see her, she still had to succumb to the pressure of sleep. It was important for the healing of her ankles and Zayn was finally relieved when he closed the door behind her. “She tripped.”“But that isn’t all. Something made her trip.” Susan read it easily from his eyes, tilting her head and waiting for a response. “I’m not sure,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know you might think I am chasing shadows because of how much I have been trying to protect Rina.”“I don’t think so,” Susan replied. “If somebody was trying to hurt her, you would be the best person to know. Nothing I say is valid if you believe in your guts that what happened earlier wasn’t an accident. And you shouldn’t give it a rest until you get to the end of this.”
All of Rina stilled with those words hanging in the air. She had thought about it a million times, about how it would feel when she finally told him. But no amount of mental preparation would have ever prepared her for that moment. She searched his face intently, even though she wanted to hide away from him at the same time. Rina waited for him to scold her, to tell her that their contract had fallen through because of her errant feelings, and that he was no longer interested in getting married to her. But the only thing that circulated round the small space was silence, loud enough to pierce through eardrums. “I am not saying this so you have to say anything in response, or feel a particular way towards me. I just wanted to have it out there. We have been through so much together already, or rather, I have been through so much with you standing by me all the way, showing nothing more than understanding. If this isn’t what you want, I think it would be unfair to keep it away from you
Zayn was at Rina’s first run on set, at one corner of the stage, watching closely as Rina acted a scene for the third time. For some reason, the director had decided to start with the middle of the script, running it up to the beginning, and then down tlo the end. It opened with the scene where Zico and Rina found that they were in love with each other, finally giving their love a chance, much to the hatred of Mandy, who was now the second female lead. The scene played out in a cozy bedroom setting, with Rina walking in with Zico at the end of a long stroll. The plan was to get a bottle of water from his house and then move to hers. But their emotions got the best of them, the sexual tension in the room heightening. The director had asked that the scene be re-acted a thousand times because there wasn’t enough chemistry, and Zayn was beginning to lose his patience. His hands folded into fists by his side, as he glared at Zico’s hands wrapped around Rina’s waist. He could see the reso
Kayla watched Rina speaking to Regina from the top floor and crossed her arms across her chest, wondering what their conversation was about. It couldn’t be anything related to acting, as the submissive look in Regina’s eyes and the haughty look in Rina’s didn’t exactly depict that. Angling her head, Kayla remembered she had seen Regina with her right-hand man just the previous night before he had taken her home from Scottsdale. They’d been out in the garage, talking about something, with their eyes hiding the beginning of a budding romance. Perhaps, that wasn’t all it was. She should have paid more attention, maybe even listened in on their conversation before interrupting them in that manner.Her right-hand man would never divulge any information about Kayla. Or at least, that was what she thought. But just to be safe, Kayla made the decision right there to play her last card. She had been holding on to it for as long as she could remember, but maybe it was time to let go. Smiling cr
Rina got the news of her playing the lead in the new part of the movie, and excitement coursed through her as she made her way down to Scottsdale to sign some papers and get her script. George couldn’t go with her as he had a meeting outside town with a new client, so she went with Igor instead, sitting at the passenger’s side of the car while he skillfully navigated the traffic to get her there on time. Things had gone back to normal since Finn got arrested, and it was like the drama had finally come to a halt. Although, the one thing Rina wanted, which was for Zayn to tell her how he felt about her, was yet to happen. He was still measured and controlled in how he related to her, barely even grazing her skin each time they were in the same room. He'd stopped coming into her bathroom like he usually did each time she was having a bath but now stayed away from the villa as a whole, returning only when entirely necessary. Rina could feel him running away from something. She had notic