On their way back home, Zayn and William stopped at the wine store in the middle of town. They walked in together, towering well above the other purchasers as they walked the aisles, an attendant following closely behind, her knees almost reaching the ground in obeisance and pure surprise that Zayn had visited the store himself. Most times, he made orders and had them delivered to his mansion, so they seldom got to see him around. The shock on their faces when the door was pushed open and he strode in, was palpable, as the attendants argued between themselves about who was going to attend to him.“Sir, is there anything in particular you are looking for? You can take a look at your regulars on this other aisle.” The petite lady pointed to the aisle next to the one they were in, her eyes eager and her smile on the verge of tearing her lips.“I’m searching for something in particular,” Zayn answered without looking at her. He continued checking the bottles on the aisle one after the oth
Rina swallowed and looked at the bouquet Zayn was offering, her eyes widening in surprise. She should have gotten used to his random gifting of flowers, but it managed to stun her every single time. She blinked and coughed noisily, stepping away from him. Rina couldn’t think clearly when she was around Zayn, as a few seconds ago, every part of her wanted to stand on her toes, to graze her lips with his. It had taken the last shred of restraint she had around him to pull away. “Thank you,” she breathed, receiving the flowers. Rina was unable to hide the smile on her face when she realized every color of roses was in the bouquet. She could imagine his cluelessness walking into the florist shop. Rina thought he must have asked the florist which of them a woman would prefer, but unable to come up with something precise, he’d decided to buy them all. But then again, she might just be overthinking it. Everyone got everyone flowers, right? It wasn’t a big deal. “Isn’t a big deal,” Rina rep
The click sound of silverware hitting plates reverberated around the walls as everyone busied themselves with the meal. At first, Rina was skeptical about their reception towards it, knowing that they were perhaps used to eating only the best. But she visibly relaxed upon realizing that they were actually enjoying it. Or at least, that was what the expression on their faces told her. When she reached for the pepper shake, Zayn’s fingers brushed hers and she withdrew her hand with the speed of lighting, recoiling from the sudden electric zap that had gone through her. He must have felt it too because he looked up at her at that moment, his eyes dark with an emotion Rina couldn’t place her hands on. Pulling her gaze away from his perfect features, she opted to eat without the pepper, not willing to risk that happening again. Unknown to her, Susan and William watched the duo with keen attention, having their own reservations. They wondered how long they would both deny what they felt
Rina didn’t expect it. When her expectant gaze flicked through his face, she knew then that he had something planned. Perhaps, it was the fact that she had spent some of the worst days of her life with him, and had grown to recognize the light in his eyes when he mulled over something mischievous. But it was there, etched into his features, unwavering. Zayn regarded her from his seat, amidst all the congratulatory remarks flying in the air, and the scent of the meal mingling with it. Was it strange that the only persons whose good wishes she looked forward to right then were Zayn’s? He got up slowly, like time had gradually come to a halt and the whole world barely realized it. For some reason, she stilled herself for what was to come, her anxiousness and thrumming heart making it difficult for her to hear anything else on the table. The rest of the guests had faded into nothingness, leaving Zayn and Rina alone in the world. She looked into his dark eyes, then thought it was probably
“At least, it's going to be yours for the next five years after we get married, and honestly, I was thinking about changing the name on the property deeds to yours. I noticed you’ve grown attached to the space, and I wouldn’t want to take that away from you.” “Zayn, no,” Rina shook her head. “You can’t give me a whole villa just because…” “I can,” he chuckled. “I own a hundred of these scattered all over the country. And besides, you might consider it an early marriage annulment gift. We will be required to sign a prenup as the contract says, but I don’t want the villa included in that.” “Zayn…” “And you might want to get away from me sometimes,” he continued. “You know how annoying I can be. I’m certain you wouldn’t want to see that for twenty-four hours every single day.” Rina wanted to tell him that there was nothing annoying about him, that it was in fact the opposite. She was lost in his presence each time he came around, and in those moments, nothing ever seemed better.
George was dressed in a casual outfit that morning, a pair of track pants, a tight-fitting polo, and a face cap. On his shoulders hung a gym bag with a towel wrapped around his neck. The gym where he regularly worked out was located on the other end of town, on the first floor of the apartment building where he lived. But that morning, he decided to do it there, at the private sports complex where most stars visited. He had a pass since a friend worked the gate, and he didn’t look out of place since his face wasn’t an uncommon one in the industry.It took him back to the time at Scottsdale Entertainment when the actors and workers alike all seemed to have a bad opinion about Rina and he would walk past them, unable to do a thing about it. George smiled and nodded in silent greeting as we moved past the sweaty bodies, who had first halted when they saw him. But he heard the gossip the minute they thought he’d stepped out of a hearing distance. They all wondered what he was doing there,
Gasps went around the huddled group, a few of them placing their hands over their mouths. The dread was apparent in their eyes, and the judgments were hard to ignore. Regina played it perfectly, weaving the story with the right amount of suspense, waiting for them to ask leading questions before waltzing into it like a very slow choreographed dance. Her eyes shone in the heat of the moment, and her gait improved like one who had all the answers in her palms.“She must have hit rock bottom,” the premium bitch from the TV series whispered, as if scared anyone would pick up the topic of their conversation. But that was mere hypocrisy as she had the most fan base out of everyone standing there, and she wouldn’t even wait to get back home before tweeting about it, and putting a post up on Instagram. George was hoping she would do something more – perhaps, go on live and start a discussion about Rina Power. It would help the task he was about to embark on.“Or maybe she’s just going back to
Rina sat on the island stool in the kitchen, looking over the contract for the umpteenth time. It felt too good to be true, and she was worried that it would be taken away from her at the moment she least expected. Still, she knew the Pages of Claire couldn’t possibly be messing with her. They didn’t even have the time for that. Rina had followed the brand since she was a child, and knew almost everything about them, from the date of expansion to every member of Claire’s family. She had been obsessed at some point and remembered how her parents always chided her for focusing on her studies instead.She was glad she hadn’t listened to them.Appending her signature with her pen, she slid the iPad onto the island and downed the last bit of orange juice in her glass. Dropping from the stool, she sauntered over to the sink to rinse out the glass when the buzz of her phone drew her attention back to the island. Rina wiped her hands and grabbed her phone, reading the message from George in a
EpilogueFive Months Later"With all the evidence presented before me, I have every reason to believe that Mr. Nathan Graham is guilty of a three-count murder charge, blackmail, money laundering, threats, and drug dealing," the judge declared.The courtroom was thick with tension. Every breath, every movement was weighed down by anticipation. Nathan sat stone-faced, but his eyes burned with malice as he glared at Rina, promising vengeance even from behind bars."I hereby sentence Mr. Nathan Graham to life imprisonment with hard labor."Gasps echoed through the room. Nathan clenched his fists as the reality of his fate sank in. His gaze flickered to his parents, searching for even a shred of sympathy. There was none. Instead, their stony expressions confirmed what he had failed to realize before—his parents had been backing Rina all along. The betrayal hit him harder than the sentence itself."I don’t think—""Counsel, please remove your client. Any further disruptions will only worsen
Four Months LaterRina's routine had become predictable—home, hospital, repeat. She had no time for idle conversations or anything that didn’t offer practical solutions.In the midst of everything, she and Mrs Graham had developed an unspoken understanding, rotating their hospital visits so they could each get some rest. Despite their initial differences, the situation had bonded them.That evening, Rina glanced at the time on her phone. She should already be home preparing dinner. Cooking had become her form of therapy—a temporary escape from the overwhelming reality she faced. Besides, her pregnancy cravings were relentless, and hunger gnawed at her stomach every now and then.Her phone rang again, and she already knew who it was."Rina, I know you're about to start cooking up a storm," her mother-in-law's warm but concerned voice came through. "Why don't you take a break? Zayn wouldn't want you overexerting yourself."Rina smiled slightly, though fatigue weighed on her bones. She a
"Rina, I think you need to pick up the phone.”Rina barely acknowledged the George’s words, lazily reaching for her ringing phone at the edge of the bed. She sighed, half-expecting it to be Nathan again.“Yes?” she answered, her voice sharp with irritation.“This is the Central Hospital. Am I speaking with Miss Rina?” a formal yet urgent voice asked.Her brows furrowed. “Yes, this is Rina.”“Mr. Zayn Graham has been involved in an accident, and we require your immediate presence before proceeding with a blood transfusion and other treatments. Can you come?”The words hit her like a freight train.Rina’s breath caught in her throat. Zayn.Never had she imagined she’d find herself in this situation—standing on the precipice of something irreversible.“I’ll be there immediately,” she said, her voice shaking.She grabbed the first set of clothes she could find and rushed out of the house, her heart pounding with dread.She arrived at the hospital in record time, barely aware of how she go
Zayn watched as Rina packed her belongings with sharp, deliberate movements. Her scowl was the only warning he needed—she wasn’t in the mood to listen. He wanted to tell her the truth, to explain everything, but he knew it wouldn’t matter right now.Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed Igor If she wanted to leave, he wasn’t going to stop her—not like this.“Take her home safely,” he instructed, his voice void of emotion.Rina clenched her fists. He wasn’t even going to fight for her. That hurt more than the betrayal itself.She had wasted her time on him. She should have known he was like every other man.A few hours later, she was back to her cottage sitting in silence. The worst part? He hadn’t even tried to defend himself. He had just… let her go. That made it worse—worse than the rumors, worse than Nathan’s revelations, worse than the pictures she had seen online.Nathan, at least, was there to fill in the blanks. He was the only one who seemed to care enough to tell her wh
The days following Kayla Reese’s exposure were nothing short of chaotic.News outlets, social media platforms, and tabloids were flooded with updates about her arrest and the Reese family’s collapse.#JusticeForRina and #KaylaReeseExposed trended for days, while old interviews, articles, and videos surfaced—showing how Rina had suffered for years because of Kayla’s actions.Netizens Demanded JusticeIn comment sections across social media, apologies to Rina Powers poured in."I feel so ashamed. I was one of the people who dragged her. I'm so sorry, Rina.""I can’t believe we turned against her for so long. This woman went through HELL.""We owe Rina an apology. She deserves the world."But netizens weren’t just apologizing—they were also going after the young actors who had lied against Rina three years ago."So now that Kayla is exposed, WHERE are the actors who lied about Rina?""I hope those ‘up-and-coming’ actors are ready to face consequences.""We need those fake witnesses to co
Despite the man’s confession reversing his previous statement, a significant portion of Kayla’s fans and other netizens refused to believe him. The sudden shift in his stance made them skeptical.“How does a man go from accusing Rina to suddenly defending her in 24 hours?”o9“She probably paid him off. The timing is too suspicious.”“Rina has finally bought her way out of this. What’s new?”The hashtags #RinaIsAWitch, #RinaIsAManipulator, #RinaIsEvil, and #RinaIsAHeartlessFriend surged to the top of trending lists. The internet was once again divided, and Kayla’s camp felt victorious.“We’re back in control,” Damien smirked, taking a sip of his drink as he scrolled through the hate comments directed at Rina.Kayla, lounging on the sofa, smirked. “Of course, we are. People believe what they want to believe. And right now? They want to see Rina suffer.”Just as they were about to toast to their small victory, Damien’s phone buzzed with a notification. His smirk vanished instantly.Kayla
George stared at his phone for a moment, then sighed. He knew better than to question Zayn Graham’s methods. The man was always ten steps ahead of everyone else, and if he said he’d handle it, then the situation was about to take a dramatic turn.Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he turned to Rina. She was still staring at the screen, her face unreadable.“What was that about?” she asked, her voice calm but laced with suspicion.“Just a call I had to take,” George said smoothly, not daring to mention Zayn’s name. “Listen, Rina, I know things look bad right now, but we still have a shot at turning this around. We just need—”“We need proof,” Rina cut in, her gaze shifting to him, sharp and determined. “I don’t care about public opinion anymore. I want the truth out there. I want that man exposed, and I want Kayla to rot for what she’s done.”George hesitated. “Rina…”“No.” She stood, pushing back her chair. “I’ve played nice for too long. I let people walk all over me, let them d
As George stepped out of the room, Rina glanced at the clock. It was nearly time for her planned livestream. She’d decided earlier that morning to address her fans directly, to try and regain control of the narrative.She sat in front of her ring light and adjusted her camera, her heart racing. For someone used to the spotlight, this felt different. This wasn’t a red carpet or a press event—this was her, raw and vulnerable, speaking directly to the people who had the power to either support her or tear her down.After a deep breath, she hit the “Go Live” button. Within seconds, thousands of viewers flooded in, the chat scrolling rapidly with a mix of messages:“We’re with you, Rina!”“Is it true what they’re saying?”“Why didn’t you address this sooner?”“Hi, everyone,” she began, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. “I know there’s been a lot said about me in the past few days. I wanted to take a moment to speak to you directly, without any filters or edits.”Just as
The mornings sun was up and lovely. Rina looked outside her bedroom, wondering how her life had become this way, especially after she had reminded herself of many reasons why she shouldn't get romantically involved with any man because of what she had faced in the past. But here she was contemplating how she was going to make the most of her relationship with Zayn. She couldn't deny the passion that she felt after kissing him and knew that lying to herself was useless at this point. If she could turn back the hands of time, she probably wouldn't have taken that offer, but now she had no choice but to live with it. Pretending that they had never kissed was the coward's way out which she didn't want to take. She prided herself on being an adult who could make her decisions and stick to them but right now she didn't think she fit that category because of every emotion she felt in the last few minutes. Something was wrong with her and it was her duty to find out.Tired of hiding inside