Rina slept the instant her head hit the pillow, and she didn’t get up again until noon the next morning. She reached for her phone first, and shot up from her bed when she met thirteen missed calls from her from her former manager, George. She hadn’t even gotten around to calling him back when she heard the doorbell ring. Every bone in Rina stilled as she waited for the unmistakable sound of the bell a second time And when the shrill of the bell got to her again, her mind went into a frenzy. It couldn’t have been Zayn. He had never rung the bell before, preferring to barge in at will.Then the paparazzi?Panic set in as she rushed into the living room, staring at the door like it was the enemy. The person must have given up on the doorbell entirely as pounding on the door commenced. Rina stepped hesitantly closer to the door and took in a deep breath. This was the reason she needed a spyhole installed, but there hadn’t been a need before since she hadn’t been living there. “Rina?” A
The entrance was abuzz with celebrities posing for the many flashlights aimed their way. As she got out of George’s car, Rina didn’t hesitate one minute. She walked straight ahead, her huge hat blocking her face, down the alley on the right. She hoped George wouldn’t take too long to get there because it was only a matter of minutes before someone saw her. Rina wanted to pace the small inconspicuous door, but realizing that was bound to draw more attention to her, she leaned instead on the wall, pulling the hat further down her face. She was dressed in a pair of white pants and a matching shirt, with a brown trench coat and a pair of brown heels. The hat completed the power look that anyone who saw her would stop to admire the outfit before thinking too much about how huge the hat was. It was meant to be a fashion statement, but Rina was using a stone to kill two birds. She heard the clank from behind the door and stood out of the way for George to get it open before sneaking in.
Rina felt exposed, standing in front of Albert, her hands clasped in front of her. But if she was going to make those work, make her plans come to light, she was going to have to do this. She had come to a point where she didn't mind going down on her knees to plead for the chance to star in any production, no matter how insignificant it was. Zayn might probably have a fit about it, but Rina didn't care as long as it got her what she wanted.But Albert on the other hand, seemed not to have even considered that. He stared at her with an interesting gaze, his hands on the documents he'd been going through. The silence was loud and killing. It made Rina so nervous that she began hopping from one foot to the other, grateful she could stay on her pair of heels for as long as possible. She'd learned endurance early in life, but that hadn't come with a manual where silence was involved.“Rina Powers,” Albert finally said, piercing through the silence. “You have some guts, I'd like to admit.
One would have expected the devious chuckle to have come from Kayla’s lips, basking in the newfound power she had so rudely ripped off another. But the roles seemed to have been reversed as the chuckle escaped Rina’s lips. She shook her head at the sight of her former best friend, and for the first time since the drama started, felt pity alongside her fury. Pity for Kayla that she would never know how loving someone genuinely felt, as well as getting to the top without being shady.It didn't matter to Rina that Kayla belonged to one of the most powerful families in the country. That made her, more than ever, want to show Kayla that no matter how hard she was pushed, she would only push right back. Now, Rina was obsessed with success and she was going to stop at nothing to attain it.The expression on Rina's face made Kayla pause suddenly, her smile faltering remarkably. Kayla looked for the next opportunity to sink her fangs in, and the instant she realized Albert was seated behind th
Zayn halted abruptly as someone else raced past him, the face barely registering to Zayn. He caught his very distinguishable features, his eyes sharp and beautiful, and his gait perfected for a runway. It was glaring that he was either a model or a fashion enthusiast, with his bold choice of clothing, and his tall, impressive gait. If Zayn was a woman, he would have agreed that the right word for him was ‘sexy.’He must have seen him somewhere, because it ticked his senses and his brain tried to nudge something in his direction. Coming up empty, Zayn shrugged it away. If he was important, there was no way he would have been going through so much just trying to remember who the hell he was. But coupled with that was Zayn's disgruntlement as he watched the scene unfolding before him. The man had reached the stage, planting himself between Kayla and Rina. He leaned closer to Rina, putting his arms around her shivering frame, and whispered something into her ears. The skin on Zayn’s for
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
“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