CThe noise in the entrance to the hall seemed to quieten as Zayn Graham stepped in. He was the major sponsor for the fashion show so the name ‘Graham Conglomerate’ flashed everywhere. Zayn wasn’t sure it was something he loved to see, but he was doing it for Rina. The media team and other journalists from TV stations rushed toward him, shoving mics in his face. His men stepped forward to create a circle around him, keeping his fans at bay.Zayn looked straight ahead, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and approached the red carpet for a few pictures. He didn’t exactly like these parts of events because Zayn hated the lights flashing in his face. Still, he stayed put, his regular broody stare on, with both hands in his pockets. When the anchor of the red carpet stepped up to ask him a few questions, he shook his head lightly at her and stepped out of her way, intent on heading inside.He planned on granting an interview, but not yet. The night was still young, and a lot of things were
The music started and the anchor of the show stepped onto the stage. Rina could hear her voice from where she stood backstage, trying to get the models ready for the last time. Even though they were already clothed, with the process of the walk embedded in their heads, Rina ran it through with them one last time. They were supposed to launch three collections, so that meant each model was walking the stage three times.They were going to open the event and close it. That meant Rina was only going to appear towards the end of the show. She was content with the plan as it gave her time to get her nerves back in place. Joel rushed to the back to tell them it was time, and the models filed up in the order they’d been taught. Rina watched them with so much pride in her eyes as they stepped onto the runway.The show was being aired to the world in the present time, so everyone had access to it. Rina watched it from the screen backstage, biting her lips as each model stepped onto the runway,
The gasps that echoed backstage the moment Rina’s name was announced were loud enough to disrupt a medical operation. Eyes flashed her way as she walked out of the dressing room, and passed through the pathway that had instantly been created for her as the team backstage parted out of the way for her. Rina didn’t look sideways. She didn’t want to know what their opinions were right then, but hard as it were, it was hard not to hear the whispers.Although Rina braced herself for the worst, she was surprised when she made out the contents of the words that had traveled over to her. While some of them backstage thought she was the most stunning model they’d ever worked with, others had this tinge in their voice as they muttered in hushed whispers, “Oh my God! We misunderstood her. What if we were wrong all this time?”Armed with the doubts permeating people’s minds, Rina took a deep breath and stepped onto the runway, the dress swishing around her as she took one foot after the other, ta
She turned to Joel with a calm demeanor, not needing the look of panic mixed with a tinge of understanding he flashed her way. Still, he put out his hands to block the first scrunched-up paper that made its way from the crowd, skittering around the runway. Joel looked at Rina with concern in his eyes. When they had made plans for the revelation of the identity of the anonymous model, he hadn’t factored in the reaction of the crowd, even though he’d known Rina was a tad worried about it.The next paper came, hitting Joel’s arm that he had put out protectively in front of Rina, but the third wasn’t that unlucky. It hit her square in the chest, and she took a step backward, propelled more by the situation than the sheet of paper.“I didn’t think about this,” Joel muttered to her, as more items got tossed to the runway, from broken pens to books. When an egg got tossed in from nowhere, Zayn got up on his feet at once, his eyes roaming the crowd, searching for where that had come from. But
Rina stared at the crowd wide-eyed, yet to process her emotions. She knew this was going to happen. It was the reason she had been so skeptical about coming out during the fashion show. But now that it was in the hands of the public, it was impossible to take it away. Joel held her hands in his and pulled her along with him, going backstage where all the models were gathered and waiting. Rina could see the divided looks on the faces of the designers of O.S.N. While some of them were pleasantly stunned at the identity of the anonymous model, the unasked questions visible in their gazes, the others didn’t bother to hide the disgust they felt from the situation.She could see it in the way they stood, defensive and angry. It wasn’t hard for Rina to guess what was going through their minds in those minutes. They probably felt bad for Joel, thinking he was one of her victims, and would never have let her into the fashion house if she hadn’t held something against him. And even if Joel bare
“Where is Zayn?” Rina couldn’t stop the question from falling from her lips as William led the group of men, taking the underground entrance out of the building. She was kept in the middle, surrounded by heavily built men, totally obscured from the view of prying eyes. It hadn’t been difficult to make the decision to go with them, because Rina knew she sure as hell couldn’t get herself out of the building without risking getting attacked.And going with Joel wasn’t even in the plan.William shrugged, back to his quiet self. He hadn’t given Rina any response to all her questions since they left the dressing room, and it was beginning to irk her. But she knew William. He never spoke until it was totally necessary.“Where are we headed?” She tried again, hoping that this time, a response would be met with her question.“In a bit, ma’am,” was William’s only response as he suddenly took a sharp turn. The car came into view, and the men all stepped out of the way with William walking around
Her mind failed to think of just one particular thing at that moment. Hell! It thought of nothing. Rina couldn’t bear to do any other thing than remain in that moment, scared that if she blinked, it would all be gone, but at the same time, uncertain if Zayn’s heady scent slowly intoxicating her, wouldn’t leave her in puddles at his feet, knowing fully well where he stood.All of this was mere paper to him, on whose pages Rina was yet to append her signature, or even go through the terms he had so boldly announced. Yet, no matter how hard her rationality screamed at her to bring an end to that moment, to step away from Zayn and his all too alluring self, Rina found that hard to do.She opened her eyes as his whispers tingled the skin on her ear, sending shocks to her brain. Their eyes met through the mirror before them, and Rina was stuck in the moment. She swallowed, but her gaze didn’t waver, soft, reflecting a need that has spanned through months, a tinge of uncertainty wrapped in t
When Zayn returned a moment later, armed with two cocktail glasses. He met no one in the room but could see the white lights coming from the bathroom. Going out to the balcony of the room, he slid the glasses gingerly onto the table and returned to the room. Zayn was still his usual calm demeanor, with a hand in his pocket, even if the whole of his body trembled with need. Still, he had always had such great control, and no matter how hard this was, he knew he didn’t want to cross that line with Rina. When he had asked her to be his wife, the intention was to use that to get the subsidiary firm from his father, and then divorce her in five years. Any other thing that Zayn termed unnecessary could complicate the arrangement, and he had seen enough complications with Nathan that he had come to detest the mere appearance of it. Knocking on the door, he pushed it open slightly and leaned on the doorframe. Her body was covered with the suds in the water, but Zayn had memorized every inch
“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