Rina was stunned into silence. She found her lips parting and closing repeatedly, unable to get her tongue to function. Zayn watched her intently, wondering what he was going to do about this. It was true – what he told her. He never took an attitude from anyone because he knew who he was in the country. And no one even ever dared to do that with him too. Of course, except for his brother, Nathan.But the rules seemed to be different for Rina and no matter what he did, it was practically impossible to change them. Where she was concerned, he always overlooked things, and those acts were always beyond his control like no part of him wanted to treat her the way he treated others. Even his rationality seemed to agree with it.“Rina,” he breathed. “Say something.”She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”“Let’s start from the reason you are taking a bath in the middle of the day, and go up to why you are upset with me. I’ve pushed up all my meetings for the day, and I don’t have an
Zayn stopped by the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. While rummaging through the drawers, Susan walked in, her eyes widening in pleasant surprise when she saw him. “Mr. Graham, you could have sent for me to do this,” she chided gently. “You need all the rest you can get after the work you traveled out for.”He grunted but said nothing as he balanced the glasses perfectly between his fingers. “Thank you for taking care of her while I was away,” he murmured. “She should be moving to her cottage the minute the reconstruction is done.”“You don’t want her to leave, do you?” Susan said, moving around him to get started on lunch.Zayn turned to face her. “What do you mean?”“Mr. Graham, I’ve looked after you since you were a kid, so I know when things are different with you. You like her – Ms. Power. And really, you do not want her to leave the villa just yet.”“I think you got it all wrong,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’m only helping her because she’s been through a l
“I thought you were having some sort of meeting,” Rina said, consciously pulling at her sweater as she stretched her legs across the bench, taking a sit. “I would hate to interrupt.”“He was just giving me a report.” Zayn poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her. “You look more relaxed. I think I should try having a bath whenever I’m worked out. It sure seems to work for you.”“That is no assurance that it would work for you too.” She took the glass up and toyed with the rim around her lips. Zayn stuck a tongue in his cheek, with his gaze narrowing in on her lips, pursed above the rim.“I think a trial wouldn’t hurt.” His voice came out thick and husky, making Rina look up at him sharply. He stared at her, letting his eyes roam from her long brown hair to her beautiful hazel eyes that seemed to piece deep into his soul. Her facial features were one that couldn’t be easily forgotten. It was no wonder the country refused to let her off their hook, whether good or bad. “We were go
Rina didn’t allow the setback from Regina’s plot to dampen her ferocious need to get back on her feet, which were way higher than the height she had attained before. All it took was a nice warm bath and a surprisingly soothing conversation with Zayn. They stayed in his study for the rest of the day, talking about everything other than themselves. He told her more about Mago and her ex-boyfriend, and how much he had wanted to squash him up in his palms, while Rina told him, for the first time, about the baby she had lost because of Kayla.Because Zayn wasn’t a very expressive person, he didn’t know how to respond to that sudden revelation. His hands hovered around the small of her back, hesitant because his brain made it feel so weird. He tucked them back by his side and cleared his throat noisily, deciding that he needed to do something about the tears that had pooled up in the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill.She choked out strained laughter and swiped angrily at the pools o
The sunlight had already settled by the time Rina returned to her room. A soft, golden glow from the evening sun still lingered on the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of amber and lavender. The faint scent of jasmine from a candle she had forgotten to extinguish in a haste to see Zayn, lingered in the air, wrapping around her like a familiar embrace. Laying on her bed, she rolled over to her abandoned phone on the nightstand, her eyes widening when she realized she had missed George’s calls ten times. She returned his call at once, armed with a properly constructed sentence intended to assure him that she was doing alright, and wasn’t one bit affected by Regina’s drama.But when she pressed the phone against her ear, she heard a chirpy and ecstatic tone instead. Narrowing her eyes, Rina sat up and folded her legs against her chest. The soft fabric of her duvet crinkled beneath her, and the distant hum of city life beyond the window seemed to fade. “George, you have to slow down
Zayn paced his bedroom with one hand on his waist, and the other clutching onto the phone pressed against his ears. He had just wanted to have one simple day since his return back to the country, but Nathan wouldn’t let him be.“Keep him in the waiting room,” he told Mia, who was asking if she could let him in as usual. “I’ll be there in a jiffy.”“How about your meeting with the stakeholders scheduled for 6 pm?” It was already past five and Zayn already planned on leaving for his office in a few minutes. It was meant to be a corporate dinner to discuss the progress of the opening of Zayn’s Conglomerates in Hong Kong and was very important before any further steps could be taken. But Nathan had waltzed in at the precise moment, almost like he knew about Zayn’s trip.But that was practically impossible. He had made sure of it.Sighing, he walked into the closet to change into a black two-piece suit, then grabbed his car keys from the headboard and sauntered out of the room. In the hall
Mia got on her feet the instant Zayn got into the office, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to how he really felt. He nodded in acknowledgment to his secretary and moved towards his door, totally ignoring his brother seated in the room. Instead, he typed in his code, thankful that he had changed it before his trip to Hong Kong, before strolling in.He made a long show of setting his computer up, barely paying Nathan any attention as he walked in after him, settling in the seat at the other end of the desk. Zayn sent a quick mail to the stakeholders that he would be a few minutes late. It was already almost six, and by the look of things, Nathan had no plans to leave anytime soon.But Zayn had no plans of letting him stay there either.“You know, for a well-respected and feared man, one would expect you to treat your sibling better.”“Hmmm.” He retrieved his phone and sent a last message to William, reminding him not to even think about purchasing the wine without him. Done, he claspe
The white lights enveloped the conference room as opinions were offered and decisions were made. Zayn was in his comfort zone, one hand casually resting on the arm of the chair and the other clicking a pen repeatedly. His eyes worked fast in line with his mind, thinking about the pros and cons of every suggestion made. Sometimes, he scribbled something down, but most times, his almost perfect memory made it dispensable.Mia, on the other hand, had a perfectly written minute, her hands moving fast against the keypad of her computer, and her eyes never missing a thing. She was already the longest secretary that had ever worked for Zayn, and he had to admit that she was great at her job. That made things a whole lot easier for him.The stakeholders seemed fine with the progress report, until they brushed a subject Zayn didn’t want to compromise on. They suggested that one of them should head the market review and analysis over there, as well as the financial department, since they had be
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