Susan took Rina to the room she would be sleeping in on the second floor and smiled warmly at her as she got settled in. The bed bounced and rocked Rina’s bottom as she settled into it and it made her sigh with relief. She was going to take the day as a much-needed vacation away from her life. It had been a while since she had last slept anywhere other than her cottage.She remembered the first two years of her marriage with Finn, and how they used to have bi-monthly vacations anywhere in the world, as long as they both were interested in it. They’d even gone to Africa to explore the rich lands and culture, and Rina had felt her life couldn’t go any better.Finn adored her to bits, or at least, he pretended to. He was attentive to the smallest detail about her, and always tried to make life easier for them both. But after the end of the second year, Finn became different. Although it wasn’t exactly in Rina’s face, it was there, in the little things she didn’t pay attention to, like wh
Rina slept through the day. It was almost 4 pm the next time she opened her eyes, and a bowl of hot pasta was already on the bedside table, waiting for her. She dove into it immediately, registering that her pangs of hunger was what had gotten her up from sleep in the first place.Full, Rina returned to bed after going through her phone for messages and missed calls. The only person who’d reached out to her was Joel, asking if she was still up for their movie date like she’d agreed to it in the first place. Trusting Zayn to handle that, she turned off her phone and went back to bed.The second time she opened her eyes, the curtains had been dropped over the windows and the bright lights in the room had been turned off, leaving only the night light on. Getting up with a start, Rina’s eyes fell on the clock on the bedside table, realizing with a start that it was almost 9 pm. She had slept the whole day without doing anything, and now Rina felt bad for it.So much for making a comeback.
She turned to search his face, looking for anything that might give away how the conversation had gone. There was nothing. Not even the regular residue of hatred he had for Joel, that he carried everywhere like a badge. He had an amused look instead, as he swirled his glass of wine in one hand. “Don’t tell me you went to see him yourself?” Rina asked, knowing that something beyond the ordinary must have occurred. “What did you tell him, Zayn?” “Nothing much, actually,” he answered, shrugging, still with that amused look. He seemed to be having a lot of fun with the situation and was making no attempt at hiding it. “I just had a business meeting with him. He seemed really okay with the conclusions we arrived at before we shook hands.” “Zayn,” Rina tried not to let the anxiety she felt seep through in her tone. “I’m sure one of the items for the meeting didn’t include informing Joel that he couldn’t go to see a movie with one of his models whose identity was supposed to stay anonym
Rina mulled about it all through the night, tossing and turning under the comfortable sheets. She had promised herself that the issue of being Zayn’s contract wife was only going to be a bother for her after the fashion show when she had the whole burden of getting the models ready for it out of her mind. But now that Zayn had brought it up, it was hard to shelf it back up in her mind.Rising from underneath the covers, Rina pranced barefoot through the room, then deciding she needed a glass of warm milk, walked down the stairs to get one from the kitchen. She walked into the darkness, forgoing the need to turn on the lights. The hum of the refrigerator was her anchor until she stopped in front of it, pulling the door open to get out the carton of milk.Grabbing a saucepan from its hook, Rina poured a healthy amount into it and turned on the stove, balancing the pan on it and leaning on the countertop, counting the seconds in her head. She tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting
Zayn raised his head just as William knocked on his slightly opened door. Motioning him in, he turned off the screen to his tablet and gave him his full attention. “Is she awake?”“No,” William answered. “But she was up late last night. I ran into her in the kitchen.”“What was she doing?”“I think she couldn’t sleep so she came down for a glass of warm milk but she wanted to know if I had discovered the identity of the men who had tried tailing us down here. I didn’t tell her Kayla was responsible, of course, but it doesn’t take magic to figure that out.”William dropped onto the chair in front of Zayn. They were still in the villa, so he didn’t need to be on his feet to address him.“I will tell her myself,” Zayn sighed. “What do you think about taking her out of the country this weekend to get some rest? She’s going to get so busy with the fashion show coming up, and I just need her to have all the energy needed for that. There’s going to be a lot happening after that, and she migh
“Hey,” Zayn’s face didn’t give anything away as he watched Rina walk further into the room. “We were just waiting for you before we took our leave. Are you ready? I have to get into the office as soon as possible.”“Yeah,” she nodded. “I just need to grab my purse and my shoes.”“Great. Meet us downstairs.”William got up first, then stepped aside to let Zayn through. He ruffled Rina’s hair on his way out, not bothering to answer her questions, before heading downstairs.“Are you leaving already,” Susan asked in the living room when she saw them coming down the stairs. She only came to the villa when Zayn told her to, and now that he was leaving, she could return to the mansion, where she lived with Zayn.“Yes, Su,” Zayn replied. “Please lock up on your way out. You know the drill.”They waited for Rina outside, before pulling out onto the road in two separate cars, Rina and Zayn in one, with William coming behind them.“I had a relaxing weekend,” Rina smiled up at Zayn. “Thank you fo
Zayn got back to the office in a foul mood, and Mia recognized it at once. She backed out of his way as he walked briskly into his office, ordering that no one disturbed him until he gave her further instructions. By then, it was too late to tell him Nathan, his brother, was already inside his office.Mia imagined the million number of ways Zayn could possibly fire her as she dropped back into her seat, her pixie cut bouncing along with her. She should have mentioned it the minute he stepped in. Or maybe she should have sent William a quick message the instant Nathan appeared. Mia knew of the strained relationship between the brothers so why on earth had she allowed that to happen under her watch?Oblivious to the wreck his secretary was going through, Zayn walked into his office and closed the door behind him, intent on burying himself in work while thinking of how he could make Joel understand that no one dared take anything from him, without risking his identity in Rina’s life. He
He already confirmed that Rina was headed towards her parents’ home, but it did nothing to dispel Zayn’s anger. It wasn’t even directed at Rina, because Zayn couldn’t bear to be upset at her. Instead, he wanted to look Joel in the eyes and ask him what he was thinking when he conceived the notion that he had a chance with Rina. It didn’t matter if their relationship was fake. No one took what belonged to Zayn. The whole country knew that. The only reason Zayn wasn’t doing anything to Joel yet was because the poor lad had no way of knowing Zayn was going to get married to Rina.But once it was out there if Zayn noticed that Joel or any man as much as batted an eyelid in Rina’s direction, he would have to answer to him. Still, Zayn couldn’t let it go just like that. He asked Mia to set up a meeting with Joel about the international fashion show. He was going to do that anyway since Joel had to meet him with the reports of the other fashion brands he’d sent him to visit outside the count
Zayn sauntered through the high gates he had grown behind, steeling himself for what was going to happen in there. He hadn't been careful enough when it came to this, only discovering mere minutes ago before his father's call came in. This was the reason he always said feelings never ceased to complicate things, and yet, he had fallen victim to it. Zayn should have known better. If he hadn't been so occupied with trying to make sure Rina was fine, even though he knew that was an excuse to be around her, perhaps, he would have noticed this development before it got out of hand. Now, he was left with the task of salvaging it, but his brain wasn't working in that direction. Zayn was worried about Rina, despite everything. He had whipped out his phone on his way to his father's house to call her, but changed his mind mid-way, deciding to call Susan instead when he was done with this little issue. He tried to think about a way out of this, his mind reeling and his eyes darting around the
The moment the call dropped dead, Rina pulled herself off her bed, wincing slightly as she moved to the bathroom. She had a quick bath, and part of her was grateful that Zayn had decided to leave for his mansion. If he had remained in the villa, she wouldn't have been able to do what she had in mind. Zayn's clear instruction rang in her head, but Rina shrugged it off as soon as it occurred to her. She used her anger as her ammunition – anger that she had fallen in love with Zayn when she shouldn't have, anger that she had given herself a false hope that he would come around and admit his feelings knowing fully well that the great Zayn Graham doesn't give two fucks about love and whatever it came with. Walking out of the bathroom, Rina sauntered into her walk-in closet and pulled off something simple from the hanger – a pair of black wide-legged pants and a matching button-down shirt. Pairing it with white heels and a black tote bag, Rina applied light make-up on her face, almost unno
Confusion set in Rina at once, wounding its arms around her so tightly that she didn’t think there was any route of escape. She sat up at once, pulling herself until her back pressed against the headboard, with her head reeling from what she had just heard. “I think you got the wrong person,” she said finally. “My parents are well and alive, and I know their lawyer as well, because it is the same lawyer I use. And his name definitely isn’t Marco.”“Pardon me,” the voice returned, sounding solemn and sad. “What I am about to do is probably not right since it is the first time we are speaking and it isn’t exactly a conversation to have on the phone. But at the same time, I know you wouldn’t meet up with me, unless you are entirely sure about what this is. You are a public figure here, so that means you are really particular about your security.”“You sure did your research,” Rina murmured. “No. Not exactly. I was just so surprised that all this time, you were right within reach while I
Her door cracked open slowly, but it sounded so far off, like someone was making a scratching noise somewhere in the distance. She hissed and thrashed on the bed, willing whoever it was would leave her to her sleep. Just when she thought the source of the noise had gone, she heard it again, nearer this time. It echoed in her ears, pulling her out of an abyss she’d had no idea she had settled in. The space beside her on the bed dipped, and her eyes fell open slowly.“Hey.” His eyes appeared bothered, but at the same time, guarded, like he was trying so hard to be there with her, and at the same time, keeping something away from her. “How do you feel? Does your ankle hurt?”Rina shook her head, but the sudden sharp pain there gave her lie away as she winced. “You should stay in bed for as long as you want, until the pain subsides. Susan will ensure you have everything you will be needing for the three weeks the doctor advised that you remain in bed.”“But…”“Rina,” Zayn breathed. “List
“What happened to her?” Susan asked later that evening after they’d put her to bed. The drugs she was given at the hospital for the pain were bound to make her drowsy, and despite how hard she fought to remain awake, because George had come to see her, she still had to succumb to the pressure of sleep. It was important for the healing of her ankles and Zayn was finally relieved when he closed the door behind her. “She tripped.”“But that isn’t all. Something made her trip.” Susan read it easily from his eyes, tilting her head and waiting for a response. “I’m not sure,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know you might think I am chasing shadows because of how much I have been trying to protect Rina.”“I don’t think so,” Susan replied. “If somebody was trying to hurt her, you would be the best person to know. Nothing I say is valid if you believe in your guts that what happened earlier wasn’t an accident. And you shouldn’t give it a rest until you get to the end of this.”
All of Rina stilled with those words hanging in the air. She had thought about it a million times, about how it would feel when she finally told him. But no amount of mental preparation would have ever prepared her for that moment. She searched his face intently, even though she wanted to hide away from him at the same time. Rina waited for him to scold her, to tell her that their contract had fallen through because of her errant feelings, and that he was no longer interested in getting married to her. But the only thing that circulated round the small space was silence, loud enough to pierce through eardrums. “I am not saying this so you have to say anything in response, or feel a particular way towards me. I just wanted to have it out there. We have been through so much together already, or rather, I have been through so much with you standing by me all the way, showing nothing more than understanding. If this isn’t what you want, I think it would be unfair to keep it away from you
Zayn was at Rina’s first run on set, at one corner of the stage, watching closely as Rina acted a scene for the third time. For some reason, the director had decided to start with the middle of the script, running it up to the beginning, and then down tlo the end. It opened with the scene where Zico and Rina found that they were in love with each other, finally giving their love a chance, much to the hatred of Mandy, who was now the second female lead. The scene played out in a cozy bedroom setting, with Rina walking in with Zico at the end of a long stroll. The plan was to get a bottle of water from his house and then move to hers. But their emotions got the best of them, the sexual tension in the room heightening. The director had asked that the scene be re-acted a thousand times because there wasn’t enough chemistry, and Zayn was beginning to lose his patience. His hands folded into fists by his side, as he glared at Zico’s hands wrapped around Rina’s waist. He could see the reso
Kayla watched Rina speaking to Regina from the top floor and crossed her arms across her chest, wondering what their conversation was about. It couldn’t be anything related to acting, as the submissive look in Regina’s eyes and the haughty look in Rina’s didn’t exactly depict that. Angling her head, Kayla remembered she had seen Regina with her right-hand man just the previous night before he had taken her home from Scottsdale. They’d been out in the garage, talking about something, with their eyes hiding the beginning of a budding romance. Perhaps, that wasn’t all it was. She should have paid more attention, maybe even listened in on their conversation before interrupting them in that manner.Her right-hand man would never divulge any information about Kayla. Or at least, that was what she thought. But just to be safe, Kayla made the decision right there to play her last card. She had been holding on to it for as long as she could remember, but maybe it was time to let go. Smiling cr
Rina got the news of her playing the lead in the new part of the movie, and excitement coursed through her as she made her way down to Scottsdale to sign some papers and get her script. George couldn’t go with her as he had a meeting outside town with a new client, so she went with Igor instead, sitting at the passenger’s side of the car while he skillfully navigated the traffic to get her there on time. Things had gone back to normal since Finn got arrested, and it was like the drama had finally come to a halt. Although, the one thing Rina wanted, which was for Zayn to tell her how he felt about her, was yet to happen. He was still measured and controlled in how he related to her, barely even grazing her skin each time they were in the same room. He'd stopped coming into her bathroom like he usually did each time she was having a bath but now stayed away from the villa as a whole, returning only when entirely necessary. Rina could feel him running away from something. She had notic