It was a quiet ride, the exact opposite of what Zayn had expected. At intervals, he cast short glances at Rina, wondering what went on in her little head. The dim glow from the street lights washed her face and made her look so vulnerable. She shifted in her seat, and blinked, her long lashes sweeping underneath her eyes.When he pulled over at her house, he decided he wasn’t going to be going inside. Not tonight. Perhaps, the silence in his car had given him a mental shake, questioning everything he’d done these past few days. Although Zayn enjoyed the thrill he felt, he wasn’t sure what was right and wrong with Rina anymore. Tonight had made him see that.It was true that Zayn knew everything was built around the contract, and his need to get a wife on time so Nathan didn’t get a hold of his father’s shares and the subsidiary company, the line was beginning to get blurred. He left the engine running and turned to Rina.“Congratulations on getting back in the industry.” As much as
Rina was so busy for the next couple of days that there was barely any time to stop and think. She’d gotten right into work, going to the studio at the fashion house for her shoots. At first, it was awkward to repeatedly take stances that didn’t show her face. But, Rina got used to it after a while, and in fact, started enjoying it.She loved the break-in-betweens where she got shown the images and was given the liberty to choose the ones that would get published on social media and inputted into the market. As much as O.S.N was about Joel Osteen, he still wanted to make the movement about her, so he accorded her as much liberty as the establishment could afford.During the breaks also, she got to talk with Joel and have lunch with him inside his new office on the first floor. Since she didn’t want to be seen with him in public because of the anonymity concept of her pictures, they had to order in all the time. Neither Joel nor Rina minded, because while Rina thought it was a great wa
Rina blinked so hard and fast that she felt a dull ache in her eyelid. How did anyone answer that question, as unexpected as it had come? Joel still looked at her in anticipation, and again, Rina’s gaze fell on the design machine.Was she open to dating again? Rina wasn’t sure what the answer to that was. Although it was true that she had thought about it a few times, she’d never really allowed herself to linger in those moments. She’s always left the question unattended, burying it under her mass of determination, and fury. And now that it was here again, she had no clue what to say.She was hoping this would be one of those moments where Joel caught on to her discomfort, opting to settle for something more comfortable. But he seemed to have been thinking about it for a while now and was so interested in knowing what she wanted that he wasn’t paying attention to other things.“Erm…”’ Rina was starting to say, but a sudden chime on his phone made her stop. Usually, he would have throw
Rina stopped by at her cottage to change into something more appropriate to be worn for dinner. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling excited about the night. She was going to be with Joel outside of their work environment for the first time since she signed the contract, and it made her feel giddy.She was putting on a cute black dress that stopped above her knees, cinched on her waist, and flared from that point down. She paired it with a pair of strapped nude heels and a nude beaded purse. Rina’s hair was still dyed red, and since she hadn’t had the time to change it just yet, she left it that way, slicking it back in an elegant ponytail, and leaving a few strands to frame both sides of her face.With very minimal makeup, she left her house and got into a taxi, armed with the address of Joel’s house. It was a building sitting on a hill, with every inch seemingly lit up. Even the grounds had lights in them, and Rina basked in the amount of glow that touched her skin. J
Rina stared at the burly guy in confusion and shock. She took one step back, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the Lamborghini. Joel stepped protectively in front of her while whispering, “Do you know him, or the person who sent him?”“No,” Rina whispered in response. It was her first time seeing him.“Hey, man!” Joel didn’t move one bit closer to the burly man. “I don’t know who sent you, or why the person did, but I think you’ve got the wrong house. She’s with me.”“She’s not,” the man sneered as if repulsed by that idea, his voice identical to his stature. “And I don’t have the wrong house. She’s Rina Powers.”“Who sent you?” Rina asked from behind Joel. She didn’t have any plans on stepping one foot into the car.“As much as I would love to tell you that right now, I can’t. Not while you’re out here. But the minute I ensure you’re safe inside the car, and on your way home, I would be more than happy to divulge that information.”Joel shook his head. “That d
She stormed into her cottage, the door taking the brunt of her fury. It slammed into its hinges, the grunting sound echoing through the previously empty home. Rina couldn’t compartmentalize how she felt, and it irked her even further. It was a busy day, so she needed to be in bed already. She couldn’t take the chance of being cranky the next day during the studio sessions. Yet, Rina couldn’t let it go.Heading into the kitchen, her eyes fell on the vase bearing tulips on the table. She picked it up with a grim determination, reaching the sink. She held the vase over it, her hands about dropping it with force. But Rina couldn’t let go. Sighing, she brought it back down and whispered, “It’s going to be a lot of work tossing all of you outside and I’m so tired so I’d rather reserve my energy. And besides, you didn’t do anything. Zayn is the one at fault here. I can’t let you suffer on his account.”If anyone had passed by her window at that moment, they would have found it really weird
Rina returned to the studio with an apology on her lips. She knew Joel had been worried about her the previous night, and even though she couldn’t tell him exactly who had sent Williams over, she needed him to know that it wasn’t because she couldn’t trust him. Rina wanted to keep her agreement with Zayn from everyone, as much as she was capable of. The studio was located on the first floor of the building, past the reception and showroom, down to the back. Since they had yet to make their first catalog released to the public, it was usually quiet down there, with only a few people around. Most of the work took place on the second floor, where the designers were, already hired and in the middle of crafting out creative pieces, alongside Joel.Rina came in when they were all expected to be working, so no one would place her face and her relationship with the fashion house. And she entered through the back door. Of course, they couldn’t keep doing this forever, but Joel maintained that
All of Rina froze at once, her eyes staring at the bright red buds before her. They were roses, radiant and absolutely stunning. She couldn’t decipher which held her rooted to the ground – the beauty of the flowers or the shock spurring from the name the card was addressed to.“Stomping beauty?” Joel peered at the bouquet the photographer held as if it were some deadly weapon that didn’t belong there. His feelings were perhaps bruised upon discovering the package hadn’t been meant for him. It was his feeble attempt at acting all machoistic, like it didn’t bother him.“We don’t have anyone by that name here,” he continued, angling his head. “Or do we? Who’s the sender?”“You don’t have to pry into someone’s privacy like that!” Rina snapped, her hands lunging out to stop them from checking for the name of the sender. Joel was surprised at her actions. He raised a brow in concern and confusion. It brought back the memories of the previous night, and how weird it had been when the burly g