She was out of the office only a few minutes after she’d walked in initially, taking the same route out. Rina was careful to keep her sunshades on, and her scarf lowered, almost covering the whole of her forehead and keeping her pink hair away from the view. Kayla texted her a location. Fortunately, it wasn’t such a distance from the fashion house.When Rina got there, she took a deep breath at the glass doors of the diner before stepping in. She remembered the place. Finn had taken her there for a celebratory dinner when she told him she was pregnant. Rina knew Kayla purposely chose that place to remind her of everything she’d lost, everything she wasn’t getting back.But Rina was determined not to crack. Especially not in the face of Kayla.Holding her head high, she breezed in, handing her jacket over to someone at the door. Kayla was seated at the spot closest to the window, and even if Rina didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be there, she couldn’t back out now.“I’m only
Rina stared at Kayla’s retreating figure, fury wrapping tight around her like a tightly belted jacket. She tried deep intakes of breath, even as her limbs trembled and her lips shook. Swallowing, Rina fished for her phone in her purse, her eyes still on Kayla as she leaned on her car outside, in a conversation with one of her men. They looked at her with so much respect that Rina wondered how Kayla managed to keep everyone fooled. None of them had seen her for who she really was, and Rina would only look like a raving lunatic the minute she opted to point fingers. Still, she couldn’t let go of this. She called Zayn, and he answered on the first ring like he had been sitting around, waiting for her call to come in. “Zayn,” she breathed, and at once, she could hear him sit up. Rina wasn’t going to call him first after the awkward conversation they’d had over the weekend, but there was no other person she could talk to. It was hard to admit, but since she became blacklisted, the only pe
“That bitch has got to be kidding me!” Kayla was furious as she paced the huge space her office provided. Enraged, she walked over to her table and pushed every single thing off it, the files and computer clattering to the floor. Still, she was no way better than the way she felt when she first got in. Rina was getting on her nerves, and if she didn’t do something about it now, Kayla wouldn’t feel good about herself.“I should have killed her when I had the chance to,” she murmured, pushing a stray curl from her face. “Now, I have myself to blame for watching her attempt to get back at me.”An eerie laugh escaped her lips as she dropped onto the light pink couch at the other end of her office, where she received guests. “Does Rina actually think she stands a chance against me? She’s got to be kidding me. She’s just a fly around me, and when I squash her this time, I will make sure she doesn’t have the energy or life force to get back at me.”Ringing the only person that she allowed in
Zayn and Rina had gotten over their little awkward conversation by choosing unconsciously not to talk about it anymore. It never came up in any conversation of theirs as the days went by, but neither did any discussion surrounding their contract marriage, or the five years they would spend together. It felt like life was happening around them, while they remained unaffected by it. But at the same time, Zayn increased the security he put around Rina. He was certain Kayla would try to do something funny again, and he would rather be prepared than let it catch him off guard. Since Rina had refused to take her car with her to work, and Zayn wouldn’t let her stay in the same car with Joel, he had William get her everyday from work. At first, Rina put up a huge fight against it, not wanting to draw attention to herself especially because of her models. But it was a deal breaker for Zayn, as he couldn’t stay calm and go about his day knowing that Rina could be put in harm’s way at any mome
They drove around town for a bit, with Rina asking every minute where Zayn was taking her to. He always responded with the same grin, promising her that the wait was going to be worth it. Each time he looked at her from the passenger’s seat. Rina felt her heart stop. The doctors would probably say it was a bad thing, but not for Rina. In those split seconds, she felt alive, better than she had felt all these weeks working at the fashion house.Zayn had stayed away during that while, only sending William over to get her whatever she needed. And even though Rina tried convincing herself that it was what she needed to get her mind over him as well as to focus on the fashion show, she found herself thinking about him at odd moments, like the one time she’d been watching the models walk and suddenly zoned out in the middle, thinking about Zayn’s confident smirk and knowing eyes.She missed him more than she cared to admit, and when he appeared at her door about an hour ago, she had to pull
They watched the waterfalls with so much space between them, wide enough to house four other people. Rina was so aware of how far Zayn was, half her attention on the sound of the water as it hit the earth and the other half on him. They had gone to the other side of the building that had railings around it, and Zayn was now leaning on the iron railing painted black, staring at nature like it was the most fascinating thing he had ever come across.But he still had that sharp look in his eyes, that showed that he was still attentive to his surroundings. Rina could bet that he would hear the footsteps of anyone who approached before they even got into the room.She wanted him to stand next to her, rather than this gaping space he had put between them, almost intentionally. It made it hard to appreciate the view, the way the night arched over the tall trees, encasing the fountain. It made it difficult to close her eyes and just let go, allowing the sound of the waves to soothe her nerves.
Rina fussed around the stage, having the models walk through the runway a million times. Joel came to stand beside her, wrapping a warm hand around her neck. He pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ears, “You’re going to do great, Rina. I believe in you.”She looked up at him with an appreciative smile, even though it did nothing to unravel the knot inside her stomach. Still, Rina didn’t allow it to show on her face or her behavior. She rehearsed with the girls like she had gotten everything figured out, that there would be no mistakes that day because she had left nothing out. Rina was hoping that would be the case.When the designers started coming in, Rina moved out of the hall with the models into an inner room that had been prepared for them. She was introduced to the people in charge of makeup since there was no way she would get up on the runway without their help. Although they were yet to be told that she was the anonymous model, she saw the confused looks in their e
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
Zayn stared at the clock hanging above the door in the conference room. The meeting had spanned longer than he had planned for it to, yet there were still some important deliberations to be made. Usually, he would have asked his assistant to continue with the meeting while he caught some sleep, but the issue at hand was the opening of a branch of Graham Conglomerate in Hong Kong, and he needed to be there to see the different pieces form one huge picture.“The space isn’t ideal,” he murmured, bringing his gaze to the projected building on the screen. “It is too small, and I really do not like the windows.”“The windows?” One of the foreign investors repeated, his small eyes regarding Zayn like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d heard.“Yes, Mr. Stone. The windows.” He scooted to the edge of his seat at the head of the table and clasped his hands. “The windows are usually one thing that gets overlooked when picking out the perfect site for a company’s activities. But not me. On a ra
Joel didn’t want to stall anymore, especially since he could feel the distance Rina had been trying to put in place since the fashion show. He felt it in the smallest of things, like how she refrained from telling him where she lived now that her cottage was not in the best shape for habitation, or how he never took her home again since the first time.Although she still smiled at him each time they saw, their hugs were more formal, and never lasted long. It was as if she was deliberately trying to put up walls around herself. It was either that or her subtle way of saying goodbye. And Joel wanted neither.“Do you remember the first day we met?’ he started, as their table got cleared of the second course, and their dessert of ice cream and cake arrived. Rina took a spoonful of her preferred chocolate flavor and closed her eyes as it melted on her tongue. She loved the tinge of bitterness that hid in its taste, and how it remained at the back of her throat. Weird as it sounded, since R
By the time Rina arrived at the diner, it was almost 9 pm. Handing her keys over to a valet, she sauntered in, the clack of her red bottoms hitting the tiles. She hadn’t wanted to waste time on choosing another pair of heels, exacerbated by the fact that Rina still thought the clothes and shoes in that room belonged to one of Zayn’s numerous women. So, she opted for a simple white dress instead that fell to the middle of her thighs and clung to her body like a second skin, accentuating her curves. The halter neck, Rina’s favorite style, was the perfect touch to the shape of her shoulders and her hair was put up, with hastily curled ringlets flowing from the bun. Her face was scrubbed clean of every makeup, leaving only glossy lips.Rina’s outfit made her look so vulnerable that the moment Joel saw her approach, his heart did a little backflip. He had to clear his throat and get his lines right in his head as she navigated the tables, locating the booth he had picked for them at the en
George stepped out onto the foyer, accompanied by a scowling Rina. She hated that Scottsdale had treated her manager that way, knowing how hard she worked to get him access in there. But worse, she wasn’t comfortable with the fact that her drama had affected him and that he hadn’t let her speak up on his behalf. It almost felt like he’d been waiting for that moment, to get those words off his heart and walk out of the doors, never looking back. He did it with his shoulders squared and his head held high. Still, Rina couldn’t decipher whether it was bravado or plain stupidity.“You would still have your job if you’d just let me say something,” Rina muttered as they took the turning to the parking lot. “Now, Isaiah is going to have your head, and maybe blame me for your death as well.”“I spoke about this with him already,” George explained, his voice still on the usual wavelength, not dampened by what just happened in there. “We decided it was best I left rather than work in an environ
Rina didn’t want to get into a confrontation with Regina, but she seemed to be asking for a scene. Her dramatic gasp echoed through the restaurant, causing the already staring crowd to gently whip their phones out. Eyes shone in excitement at the sight of another Rina drama, but she really didn’t want to have to do that.“Who said you were better than me?” Regina drawled, wanting to have the last say. “What’s to say that you weren’t sleeping with the producers to get your roles? They always claimed you were the best thing to happen to Scottsdale, but now that I think about it, it was all about what you had to offer, wasn’t it?”Regina was only being spiteful, intending her venomous words to hurt Rina. But she stared back with a stoic expression. She was certain of herself, certain that everything Regina said was lies. And in truth, she expected it. It was the only thing Regina or anyone else held above her – the lies going around on the internet.George, on the other hand, couldn’t be
She was a bleached blonde, the bangs of her hair getting into her face as she sauntered closer to them, a sneer desperate to be expressed. Her lips were set grimly, but her eyes told another tale, like she was about to launch out the foulness in her if given the chance. The rest of the cafeteria drowned into nothingness as Rina focused on her, her long legs approaching the table. She was in a white two-piece suit that would have given each stride power if it hadn’t been for the expression on her face.It was a twisted version of a mix of anger and hurt in an unbalanced proportion, and George must have noticed it as well as his hands reached across the table to tap Rina. She looked back at him to answer the question in his eyes. But before she could form the words, Regina was already right in their faces.“I never thought you would be able to claw your way in here,” she drawled, with venom dripping from her tone. “You don’t seem to get it, Rina Powers. No one wants you in here. If the
“What is the update?” Rina asked, after laughing at his rather weird but true joke. She grabbed her cup of ice tea and nibbled on her straw. “Did you hear back from any of the agencies?”“Actually, I did,” he answered, grabbing his phone like he didn’t read the mail over and over again, the contents ingrained in his being. He had to, because he didn’t like the tone of the message. And his thoughts were confirmed before he reached the end of the mail. Phone in hand, he hit on the mail icon, and tapped the starred message, looking back at Rina.“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked, angling her head. It was apparent on his face, distress lines appearing on his forehead. “Come on. Get it out.”“Okay,” he sighed. “One of the agencies we reached out to was actually excited to have our mail. At first, they responded with so much fervor that I thought we already had this in our pockets. They wanted to know when you would be able to come over for a meeting to get your schedule and pay rate sorted o
Rina got into the street, navigating the traffic to the last place she wanted to be – Scottsdale Entertainment. She hadn’t been there since she started working for Joel Osteen, after returning countless times to ask that her blacklisting be looked into. She was seated at their conference table when Kayla’s eyes swirled with feigned tears, asking that the board give her something to do other than leaving her penniless.And they had dared suggest she was a guest at a podcast that spoke about the lies that she had been accosted it, they’d wanted her to paint a picture that they were true, so people paid even more attention to them.The more thought of it repulsed her, and half way to her destination, she almost made the decision to turn around. But she needed to see George. He had been in meetings all day and couldn’t come around to see her anywhere else. He had pleaded with her to meet at the coffee shop just outside Scottsdale Entertainment but Rina didn’t want it to look like she was
After ignoring the disdainful remarks of some of the designers at the fashion house, of course, with Joel trying to do damage control as much as his abilities permitted, the day finally came to an end and Rina could leave the building. It was a myriad of activities and emotions going on all at once that it was hard to focus on one thing at a time. But maybe that was what Rina needed.She walked through the hallways, moving from the media department downstairs to her office on the second floor, carrying her head high even though she heard the whispers of some of the people she met on the way. Joel addressed the designers and the rest of the employees after lunch, telling them that Rina was a part of the company and they needed to accord her the respect she deserved, irrespective of what they’d heard about her.But opinions had already been formed and one of the hardest things to do was to reshape an already formed ideology about someone. It was going to take something mind-blowing and