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…I didn’t know… She…” The more Zayn’s personal assistant stammered, the more he got so infuriated. Stifling the urge to wrap his hands around her throat and squeeze the life out of her, he closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. It did nothing to reduce the fury Zayn felt inside. “Forward the call to my office,” he instructed his expression back to its stoic and fierce nature. “Okay, Mr. Graham.” She sounded relieved, but Zayn was far from done. “And that’s going to be the last thing you’d be doing for me here. You are fired. Clear out your desk, and see HR on your way out for your official letter and your payment in lieu of notice.” “Sir?” She rushed out from behind her desk, stopping before him but with enough distance so as not to encroach on his personal space. Everyone who worked there knew how he felt about that. “I didn’t know that…Everyone in Country G knows her story and I was looking out for you.” “Looking out for me,” Zayn smirked darkly, his lips r
George called again, but this time with some great news. The higher-ups had personally called him to ask about Rina, and now, they were interested in speaking to her. Rina didn’t know how this had happened, or what caused the sudden shift in their perspective, but the moment she ended the call with George, she jumped out of bed in glee and rushed into the shower. Rina was done bathing in record time, and she walked briskly into her closet, eyeing her line of exotic dresses. She angled her head when she reached a red dress she had gotten a while ago at a vacation in Hawaii. It was a stunning corporate piece, and at the time, Rina had no idea why she had purchased it. She had already given up her career for her home, so the endless business meetings had all disappeared. But now, Rina was glad she had gotten it. If she had anything at all to show the higher-ups, this dress was going to do just that. Taking her time to put it on without getting any creases, Rina opted for minimalisti
Rina thought she was running late by the time she arrived at the building. She was so bothered about her planned impression getting ruined that she barely bothered to pay attention to the stares the taxi driver gave her. All that was on her mind was getting up to the third floor before she lost this chance. She raced through the glass doors, navigating through the sparse crowd of actresses, their teams, and producers. Some of them cast her dumbfounding looks as she glided by, and even though Rina was stung by them, she didn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing it on her face. Her heels clicked on the tiled ground as she hurried along, her head focused and her back straight, maintaining the little that was left of her dignity. When she got into the lift, she allowed the weight of everything that was tossed at her to bring her under. She used to walk through those same halls with respectful glances cast her way, and hushed whispers about how phenomenal she was. Now, the opposite wa
And it wasn’t. Rina paid rapt attention at first, nodding when the director went on reading the terms of the contract. But along the way, it dawned on her that she didn’t even know what the subject matter of the so-called contract was. “Sorry to interrupt,” Rina said suddenly. “But I still have no clue what I’m expected to do for you. With everything you’ve been saying, it doesn’t sound like a role in any movie. So what is it exactly? Modelling?” A mischievous glint appeared in the director’s eyes. “Not exactly,” he murmured. “You see, Rina Powers, we’ve already agreed on how impossible it would be to see you on our screens in that regard so this time, we’re doing something a tad different.” “How different?” Her voice was hesitant. “A lot of podcast owners have reached out to us concerning creating a story around you and since we do not deem it big enough for the agency to sponsor, or any other production team for that matter, we have decided to leave it to them to handle.” “Wh
It took only a few days for Pages of Claire to get back to Rina with her first shoot scheduled in Hong Kong. She returned to the cottage during that period to pick up a few stuff and grab a traveling bag, returning to the cottage for her final packing before getting ready for her trip. That morning, she stood before her mirror in the closet, very giddy about what the next week would offer her. The whole country was still talking about her modeling for Claire, the street was abuzz with differing opinions. Rina’s name popped up as hashtags on Twitter and Instagram, and conversations were being held virtually about the truth and what they thought it was.Still, Rina didn’t forget Kayla and what she could do. It was the reason she sent Regina a message with details about her first task. While she was away, she needed someone to monitor Kayla’s every move, including the things she said about her at Scottsdale. But because Rina knew how skillful Kayla was in putting up a fake persona, she w
They met at a restaurant, the air comfortable with a classical piece playing in the background. The screen in the distance flashed Rina’s picture for the umpteenth time that day, with the very unexpected announcement by Pages of Claire, and she scoffed, wishing she had the autonomy to turn it off. It made absolutely no sense that someone like her, after getting blacklisted by Scottsdale Enterprises would reach this level in the modeling industry, a level she had not gotten to herself. It irked her to her marrows, even though she barely knew her till that two days back, only previously heard stories about her.He sauntered in about thirty minutes late, and she wasn’t any bit surprised. He always operated that way – fixed a particular date and time for a meeting only to end up strolling in whenever he liked. He called it the god power – the ability to make everyone else wait for him and almost need his presence. But she thought it was a lack of discipline – something his brother wasn’t.
Silence reigned in the office the moment Jada stepped out, the door closing behind her. He sighed and plopped back into his seat, feeling like he’d just run a marathon. Zayn always felt that way with Jada, like he’d embarked on a mission to complete his house chores in an hour – exhausted and totally unmotivated to do any other thing for the rest of the day. Rina on the other hand, thought it was a very funny encounter. Still, she couldn’t stop the bubbles of anger that had begun to form in her.“I’m sorry about that,” Zayn muttered, wishing Jada and Rina hadn’t met that way. In fact, he had no plans of them meeting at all, but trust Jada to waltz in as she pleased. Making a mental note to inform the doorman for the second time that Jada wasn’t allowed inside his building, he tapped Rina softly and patted the space next to him. They weren’t done talking before Jada’s rude interruption.“It’s fine,” Rina said dismissively. “I shouldn’t have come here unannounced. Of course, you would h
Jada, feeling utterly embarrassed and angry, walked out of the office and into the chilly streets. Maybe she had twisted the truth a little to Zayn, but who cared about that when her aim was not accomplished? Jamaica had been a really cool city for her to hang since the nasty breakup – nasty for Jada – but she couldn’t keep on hiding in the shadows. Not when there was a lot to accomplish. Shaking her hair out, she retrieved her phone from her designer purse and called the person who had brought her all the way back into the country, the person who had told her that it didn’t matter if Zayn was still upset at her, that he would still take her back with open arms.What the hell had she been thinking believing anything he said? He ended up being wrong years ago, and the same thing was happening again.“What the hell is this?” Jada screamed into the phone when she heard his voice on the other line. “You said he was going to be receptive to me. This is the second time coming to this buildi
Zayn’s expression turned into a scowl immediately his eyes fell on her. A smile played on her lips as she peered at Rina with the most condescending look ever. “Rina Powers in Zayn Graham’s office,” she mused without any intention of giving it up. “Now, that’s something to get the whole country talking about. But I doubt it would get to you since you are already so used to making the front page of the papers.”“Jada…”“But then again, I don’t think it would feel the same if the subject changes. What are you here for, Rina? Begging for aid? You already got Claire on your side by some miracle, and I’m certain she would see right through you before your contractual year is over and you would be back to ground zero. But you see, Zayn over here isn’t that gullible. If you’re here to seduce him, you better think twice about it because he wouldn’t bat an eyelid when he makes you a public nuisance.”Zayn got up on his feet, his eyes red with anger. “That is the last time I will hear you speak
Rina tried to stop herself, but with the villa empty once again, she was left with her thoughts. Reeling from them, she walked to her room and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a white tank top, allowing her hair to flow in waves all around her. She grabbed a tote, applied nude gloss to her lips, and completed her outfit with a pair of platforms. Rina meant business, she meant to take back the control she’d lost hours ago. Although she had no idea how that was going to work, Rina knew that for Zayn and herself to continue a platonic arrangement, it was a sacrifice she was going to have to make, and hope for herself that nothing like that happened again. If it did, she doubted she would be able to deny her feelings anymore.Taking her keys off her nightstand, Rina walked out of the villa and into the garage, getting behind the wheel. This time, when Igor approached, she told him her destination so he didn’t have to worry. It would have been a futile effort calling Zayn since he wo
The living room was in a celebratory state as Rina stepped downstairs after having a bath and getting ready for the day. Susan had made a simmering pot of lasagna, her eyes bright with excitement and her feet light and swift. She smiled up at Rina the second she was at the foot of the stairs. “Isn’t it such a beautiful day?” Susan was over the moon with the announcement. She wasn’t even that happy with Regina’s public apology. But this? It was exactly what Rina needed.As Susan prepared the table, Rina looked around for Zayn. But even before her eyes gazed round the living area, she already knew he was not in the villa. She would have felt him around, the charge in the air pulling her attention to his presence. But she felt nothing now, just his lingering scent and the overwhelming memory of what had transpired between them.The door pushed open, halting Rina’s thoughts. Her head whipped in that direction just as George sauntered in with a grin. She angled her head at his arrival, won
Zayn paused, and closed his eyes, thinking about all the pros and cons of the move he was about making. All the rationality in him laid it out bare, bringing his consciousness to the fact that there was a boundary he was about to cross. But at that moment, it was hard to consider it, not with her sweet scent teasing and taunting him all at the same time, not with the view he’d had for the past twenty minutes, the one he had been trying hard not to think about but was proving to be the most difficult thing.She wiggled underneath him, drawing his attention to her boobs under the nightwear as they moved with her. He screamed “Fuck” in his head, and tried to pull away. This was the same thing he’d warned himself about repeatedly. Rina was a lot of temptation enveloped in one body, and at first, it was easy to explain everything away. But right now, Zayn found control slipping away from his fingers and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do anything about it.Rina stopped moving, gazing into his
“The commentator said that?” She couldn’t believe it, especially after all the hurdles she’d had to cross to get to that point. Still, Rina couldn’t let herself become relaxed. Not yet. It didn’t matter that doubts were beginning to snake through the hearts of the very persons who had tossed her out onto the streets. It could easily change in a heartbeat as long as Kayla still had her wits, powers, and Finn. Although Finn was a very disposable part of the drama, Rina was very conscious of the fact that the only reason Kayla was with him was because she wanted everything Rina owned. It was that very notion she wanted to annihilate.Zayn nodded, still seated on the edge of the bed, considerably far from Rina. “Now that the country is beginning to wonder if they were right, I think the possibility of you getting attacked by anti-fans has slimmed down considerably. Still, you must be extra careful. Your No. 1 enemy is still out there, and we don’t know what she’s going to do next. I presu