The first thing that roused Zayn from the deep slumbers was Nathan’s gloomy presence, lurking around his room. He opened his eyes to meet his step-brother sitting on the couch on one end of the room, scrolling through his phone in silence. Zayn groaned into his pillow, wishing he could go back to sleep, and then wake up in a moment to find his brother gone. He really didn’t want to have to start his day this way, but like his father would say, it was important to tolerate everyone until they did something over the top enough to push them away. And Zayn knew that day was coming. He could feel it on his fingertips, dark yet unavoidable. Nathan had tried all sorts in the past, but they had all hinted at efforts to sabotage Zayn’s business. However, as a business tycoon who had been in the field for a long time, Zayn was always one step ahead. Most times, he predicted the shitty moves his brother made before they actually happened, and that made him able to nip them in the bud. But
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