The steady beep of medical equipment and the faint bustle of nurses in the hallway were like a consolation to Rina's troubled thoughts. She couldn't shake the memory of Zayn Graham’s intense gaze, the way his presence seemed to fill the entire room. Just as she was beginning to convince herself that the whole interaction had been a fever dream, the door to her room creaked open. Rina jerked, her heart racing as she recognized the tall figure of Zayn Graham stepping back into the room."Mr. Graham," she said, her voice betraying surprise and wariness. "I thought you'd left."Zayn's lips curved into a slight smile. "I did, but I realised I forgot something important."Rina's eyebrows frowned. "What did you forget?"Instead of answering immediately, Zayn moved further into the room, his steps measured and deliberate. His eyes never left Rina's face, and she found herself unable to look away. There was something in his gaze that she couldn't quite decipher – a hunger, perhaps, or a chall
Rina brushed her long black hair and packed it into a ponytail. She dabbed the powder applicator on her face, trying to look as best as she could before leaving her apartment. She smoothed the lines on her dress with her hand before walking away from the mirror and closing the door behind her. She was set to get herself a deal in one of the industries again, re-write her past and rise in influence once again. She had always fought for what she wanted from life and she wasn't going to back down now. Even though Zayn had proposed her marriage on his return, she didn't want to accept the fact that he was her only ticket to influence and good-fame once again in the city. She alighted from the cab and stood in front of a modern studio. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the studio. Ignoring the eyes of the onlookers, the whispers in hushed tones. She made her way for the producer's office. George Stone had helped her get an appointment with him a day ago. "Ms. Powers." The produce
Kayla paced around anxiously, her mobile phone clasped tightly between her fingers. She was in her private dressing room at the set of a movie and had just received a call from one of her many sources. Rina had gotten the lead female role in a potential movie. If she were to successfully feature in that movie, it was one step out of many into returning to the industry. She couldn't allow that.She smoothed her hair roughly and forced herself into the sofa beside the table, placed her phone on the table and stared at it for a while as if it was what determined her future. After the prolonged silence in her room, she picked up the phone again and dialled a number, the phone buzzed a couple of times and the line was connected soon enough. Kayla cleared her throat and donned on a fake smile despite the turmoil brewing in her. "Hello, Justin, it's Kayla. Are you busy? I was hoping we could talk.”"What is going on?" Justin King asked. He was the son of one of the ruling families in the
The sun was out early that Saturday morning and Rina was already at the studio, awaiting her turn for the audition of the female lead role.She didn't realise that she left her house earlier than supposed until she got to the studio and met only the prop masters who were setting the stage and props to be used for the day.Max wasn't in sight yet so she decided to sit on one of the empty chairs and wait for him.None of the prop masters spared her a conversation but it didn't bother her as she also wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. With the turn outs of events, she had decided to inform Zayn about her lack of interest in their deal when he returned back from his business trip. She was going to take it up from here and do a good job to ensure that she debunks the wrong impressions that were written about her.After a few hours of waiting, some members and supporting role members started turning up to the studio.Just as she was about to go take a pee in one of the restrooms,
Rina sat by the window of her home, staring at nothing in particular. She could hear the world go by - the flowing traffic of distinct people, wrapped up in their bubbly worlds. Of course, there were the others, the vengeful ones that lurked in the comment sections of blogs and social media posts, scratching out their vile nails and clawing deep enough to draw blood. But they weren't the ones to blame and Rina Powers knew that. She leaned on the window sill, her features hardening. The faces flashed in her face - Kayla and Finn. She handed them her lives in trust and they mangled it beyond recognition. And now, she was subject to this; hiding out in her cottage, the only glimpse she had of her taken through her ears. Rina laughed out loud, the sudden melancholic sound breaking through the fragile silence. It sounded foreign to Rina too, almost like a new person had been birthed from her loins. Her bare feet touched the floor as Rina strolled into the kitchen. She gazed at the carton
“Shouldn't you be on the set for the role you stole from me?’ Rina snapped, her attention torn between Zayn hovering behind her and her overwhelming hatred for her former best friend. “Stole?” Kayla's surprised tone irked Rina more than she actually felt. It pushed her into a state of near despair, that if she wasn't so attuned to what was going on, she might have thought she was losing her mind. “That role belonged to me, Rina, and you know that. I'm the queen around here, and whatever I say is law.” Rina searched for a smart comeback in her head, and coming up empty, she said the only thing that had been at the tip of her tongue since Kayla announced she'd been the one plotting all of her misfortunes from the very beginning. “Of course you're queen. You come from one of the strongest families and you never hesitate to use that against everyone. I just don't know how I never saw that part of you until now. But guess what? That's the only power you possess.” The smile on Kayla's fa
Zayn smirked and leaned back into the black couch in her living area. That was the first thing that had him captivated the instant he walked in. Black wasn’t a color one would find a woman opting for in her living room theme, yet Rina had done it so exceptionally well that Zayn thought there had to be more beneath all that layer. He angled his head as he watched all the emotions flash through her eyes. She was fighting this as hard as she could, and Zayn understood her reasons. She had just come out of a marriage and a friendship where she was stabbed in the back. It was only natural for her to not want to depend on anyone other than herself. But Zayn didn’t have the patience for her to work around that. He needed to set his plans in motion as soon as possible. His family was forcing him to get married and he knew that the more he stalled, the higher the chances of his step-brother getting in the way. Zayn needed to have this sorted out fast enough so he could face other integral
Rina couldn’t stop thinking about it, long after Zayn’s departure. She stood by the mirror, wondering why on earth she had held such a long conversation with him without remembering she had picked one of her most flimsy tops to put on earlier that day. “Urgh!” she groaned, throwing herself on top of her bed. She tried to create a balance in her head. She shouldn’t even have this reaction since she had had no clue that Zayn was going to stop by unannounced. She hadn’t even told him where she lived, but she had an inkling how he had gotten the address. She could imagine him dishing out orders to his private detective, paying him enough to snoop around her until he got information about the woman who was to be his contract wife. Rina knew she was becoming overly dramatic at that point, but she couldn’t stop herself as she jumped over to her window, parting the silky curtains and pressing her nose up on the glass. There was nothing in the near distance, other than a long overgrown
“I don’t think I can sign a contract blindly.” It was the first time Rina had spoken since the commencement of the meeting. “It’s the pattern of relation with every other production house I have worked with. At least, I need to know the genre of movie I am going to be employed for at sets. It's easier that way to make informed decisions. Do you not agree, George?”Her manager nodded with glee. “That is the policy we operate with. And considering how urgent it seemed from our last correspondence, I think we can just hasten things up in here with more details concerning the movie.”The woman spoke next. “You are going to star as the lead actress,” she muttered, confirming George’s speculation. “And that means a lot of attention is going to be on you.”Rina didn’t know the reason she felt like they were stalling, but it was there, persistent and strong. The young man’s eyes darted to the door, as if for help, but it remained strongly shut, making a mockery of his plea.“You are going to
The ceiling-to-floor length window allowed the warmth of the sun rays, to soak into the oddly quiet room. The golden hues created a soft glow on Rina’s face and she closed her eyes briefly, allowing it to go through her. If the situation had been any different, she might have left a comment about how the location of the production company seemed to have been strategically placed, that even though the room was bare, save the sparse furniture in the middle, it still gave that warm aura it was meant to. The chill she had felt first in the room had been dispelled by the sunlight, and Rina found herself relaxing.But not George. He had stared at the watch on his wrist a million times already, wondering when the meeting would commence. His eyes darted to the door at intervals, waiting for the person the rest of the team had mentioned they were expecting. But it remained shut, the fine polish enjoying the glow of the sun too. He sighed in his seat, albeit inaudibly so he wouldn’t ruin Rina’s
Rina was outside the building the following day, staring up at the white walls. They looked really enticing from out there, the floor-length windows creating an aura, like they were stuck in the depths of modernization and making no move to return to the past. The name of the production house was written in fine calligraphy above the building, big enough for everyone to see while walking past. There was something about the name -Allure, but Rina didn’t give it too much thought. She was just so excited about the prospects of being back on screens.Looking at her rearview mirror for the umpteenth time, Rina touched the perfect curls of her hair and angled her head to ensure the makeup was not one hair out of place. Even though she knew she was capable of wowing the directors away, it still took her back to the very first audition she’d attended, before she got scouted by Scottsdale Entertainment. She remembered the nerves that had worked their way into her bones and threatened to ruin e
It was hard avoiding him in the same building, as even though he’d been doing so since he confessed his feelings, it just felt different this time. She could feel his presence, looming in the hallways, yet she never bumped into him. Even as she told the models it would be her last day working with them, she half-expected to see his intense eyes by the door, watching with a scowl on his face. That would have been better than the last look he’d directed her way on the first floor earlier that day. It made the hair on the back of Rina’s head stand.However, the worries about Joel soon got immersed with the others when George sent her another email. It was a confirmation message from the production house, scheduling the following day for the meeting to discuss the terms of their contract and how long it would subsist. Rina didn’t think it would be that soon, as she had already planned on spending the day indoors.Her fingers hovered above the call icon, but George was faster as the phone
“I wonder what that was about,” Joel murmured as he stepped in through the doors. Rina had been deep in a conversation with the photographer, so he met her in the hallway. She peered at him, noting the worry lines on his face.“Is it some of my anti-fans?” They were always up to something, so Rina didn’t doubt the possibility of them causing some trouble with Joel. It was all the more reason she needed to get moving.“It’s Mr. Graham. I met him outside and he seemed so … I don’t know, angry. Like I’d done something wrong. Remember when we got into that contract and I told you it felt like he was constantly attacking me? It felt like we were back on that page. I was going to schedule a meeting to split the output from the fashion show, but he didn’t even want to hear it. He asked me to keep it all.”If Joel had paid close attention, he would have seen the sudden change in Rina’s eyes, how they watched him with an emotion that bothered on pity. He would have figured out that she knew th
Zayn navigated through the traffic, drumming his finger on the steering at intervals. Returning to the country had been a spontaneous decision he had made the previous night, weighing the cons and pros in his head before calling the pilot to prepare the jet for take-off. Graham Conglomerates had already been launched over there, but there were a few things that were left before business could begin, but he’d decided to leave it to Mago to handle.“What are you thinking about?” Rina asked quietly. He had felt her eyes on him since they left the villa, but for the first time, Zayn wasn’t certain of what to say to her. He felt himself pulled under by some feelings he couldn’t decipher, and now, he felt his principles crumbling. Years, and even months ago, Zayn never believed in love. He saw it as the unnecessary release of chemicals, that only ended up doing more harm than good. But now, something had changed. It was… Zayn shook his head abruptly, refusing to accept it.“Nothing,” he mur
The next day, Rina got a forwarded mail from her manager while getting ready for work. She opened it once, her eyes reading the message in one glance. She heaved a sigh of relief, going through the details again. The phone vibrated in her hands, and she picked up the call at once.“George, I got the mail. What do you think?”“I received it late last night and had to research the production house first before sending it to you. They are legit, and the best news is you wouldn’t have to leave the country to work for them since they are a local production house. If it is something you want to do, I can reach out to them to schedule a meeting on your behalf.”“Yes,” Rina nodded. “I trust your judgment. Since you’ve done your research, I can go ahead with it. It will at least, keep me busy until something else comes along. And the longer I stay at O.S.N fashion house, the more I put Joel’s business on the line. He doesn’t want to admit it, but I know his sales are suffering because of me. P
The gallery suddenly seemed to be devoid of people, even if their chatter had gone up a notch. She drowned out the noise unconsciously, unnerved by the looks in their eyes. “Seen what?” Rina looked from Isaiah to George, wondering what that was about. It didn’t seem like something she would be ecstatic to find out, but then again, Rina knew there hadn’t been enough ecstasy in her life since the spread of the rumors started.“Didn’t you see the people gathered at the entrance of the gallery?”“The oil paintings lining the wall?” She angled her head, even if anxiety was eating away at her.George nodded, then sighed. “I think it's best you see it yourself. I must warn you though, there’s nothing joyous about it.”“There’s nothing joyous about what my anti-fans think of me,” Rina murmured, allowing George to lead the way while Isaiah came up at the rear. The small crowd that had gathered parted ways and whispers graced their lips as the trio approached the line of paintings. They stopped
It had been a few days since Rina’s confrontation with Regina at Scottsdale Entertainment and what she had been trying to avoid still happened. There were videos everywhere, circulating like wild fire.Almost every person in the country knew that she had been banned from stepping feet into that building, and it didn’t help that she had to go to work every day with certain people who entirely believed the rumors on the internet. Even if Joel had warned them not to do anything against her, it still didn’t stop the glares getting sent her way.Rina was taking the development remarkably well as she still went about her usual daily activities. She had brought some of her stuff at the cottage down to the villa, and no longer had to use the items she had met in the closet. It was one of her greatest reliefs as she hadn’t let go of the fact that even though Zayn told her no one else had been in there, there were traces that it had been a lie.Trying not to feel entitled or anything, she said