The ceiling-to-floor length window allowed the warmth of the sun rays, to soak into the oddly quiet room. The golden hues created a soft glow on Rina’s face and she closed her eyes briefly, allowing it to go through her. If the situation had been any different, she might have left a comment about how the location of the production company seemed to have been strategically placed, that even though the room was bare, save the sparse furniture in the middle, it still gave that warm aura it was meant to. The chill she had felt first in the room had been dispelled by the sunlight, and Rina found herself relaxing.But not George. He had stared at the watch on his wrist a million times already, wondering when the meeting would commence. His eyes darted to the door at intervals, waiting for the person the rest of the team had mentioned they were expecting. But it remained shut, the fine polish enjoying the glow of the sun too. He sighed in his seat, albeit inaudibly so he wouldn’t ruin Rina’s
“I don’t think I can sign a contract blindly.” It was the first time Rina had spoken since the commencement of the meeting. “It’s the pattern of relation with every other production house I have worked with. At least, I need to know the genre of movie I am going to be employed for at sets. It's easier that way to make informed decisions. Do you not agree, George?”Her manager nodded with glee. “That is the policy we operate with. And considering how urgent it seemed from our last correspondence, I think we can just hasten things up in here with more details concerning the movie.”The woman spoke next. “You are going to star as the lead actress,” she muttered, confirming George’s speculation. “And that means a lot of attention is going to be on you.”Rina didn’t know the reason she felt like they were stalling, but it was there, persistent and strong. The young man’s eyes darted to the door, as if for help, but it remained strongly shut, making a mockery of his plea.“You are going to
The instant she got to the villa, she slammed the door behind her in a fit of rage and stormed up the stairs. Its silence echoed back at her reassuringly as she pushed her room door open and dropped her purse on her bed, plopping onto it with her head in her palm. Rina took a deep breath, trying to let go of everything that had happened that day.But it was the hardest thing to do.It plagued every part of her, snaking through her like a disease. She wanted to do something to hurt Regina at that moment, without the slightest hesitation. But at the same time, Rina knew it wouldn’t be worth it. She had come too far to let all of her carefully plotted plans go up in flames that way. Still, it didn’t help the fire that was trapped inside her, threatening to burst out and engulf every person who had chosen to become her enemy.Knowing sitting wouldn’t change anything, Rina retrieved her phone from her purse and walked into the bathroom, connecting it to the speakers Zayn had asked Igor to
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
EpilogueFive Months Later"With all the evidence presented before me, I have every reason to believe that Mr. Nathan Graham is guilty of a three-count murder charge, blackmail, money laundering, threats, and drug dealing," the judge declared.The courtroom was thick with tension. Every breath, every movement was weighed down by anticipation. Nathan sat stone-faced, but his eyes burned with malice as he glared at Rina, promising vengeance even from behind bars."I hereby sentence Mr. Nathan Graham to life imprisonment with hard labor."Gasps echoed through the room. Nathan clenched his fists as the reality of his fate sank in. His gaze flickered to his parents, searching for even a shred of sympathy. There was none. Instead, their stony expressions confirmed what he had failed to realize before—his parents had been backing Rina all along. The betrayal hit him harder than the sentence itself."I don’t think—""Counsel, please remove your client. Any further disruptions will only worsen
Four Months LaterRina's routine had become predictable—home, hospital, repeat. She had no time for idle conversations or anything that didn’t offer practical solutions.In the midst of everything, she and Mrs Graham had developed an unspoken understanding, rotating their hospital visits so they could each get some rest. Despite their initial differences, the situation had bonded them.That evening, Rina glanced at the time on her phone. She should already be home preparing dinner. Cooking had become her form of therapy—a temporary escape from the overwhelming reality she faced. Besides, her pregnancy cravings were relentless, and hunger gnawed at her stomach every now and then.Her phone rang again, and she already knew who it was."Rina, I know you're about to start cooking up a storm," her mother-in-law's warm but concerned voice came through. "Why don't you take a break? Zayn wouldn't want you overexerting yourself."Rina smiled slightly, though fatigue weighed on her bones. She a
"Rina, I think you need to pick up the phone.”Rina barely acknowledged the George’s words, lazily reaching for her ringing phone at the edge of the bed. She sighed, half-expecting it to be Nathan again.“Yes?” she answered, her voice sharp with irritation.“This is the Central Hospital. Am I speaking with Miss Rina?” a formal yet urgent voice asked.Her brows furrowed. “Yes, this is Rina.”“Mr. Zayn Graham has been involved in an accident, and we require your immediate presence before proceeding with a blood transfusion and other treatments. Can you come?”The words hit her like a freight train.Rina’s breath caught in her throat. Zayn.Never had she imagined she’d find herself in this situation—standing on the precipice of something irreversible.“I’ll be there immediately,” she said, her voice shaking.She grabbed the first set of clothes she could find and rushed out of the house, her heart pounding with dread.She arrived at the hospital in record time, barely aware of how she go
Zayn watched as Rina packed her belongings with sharp, deliberate movements. Her scowl was the only warning he needed—she wasn’t in the mood to listen. He wanted to tell her the truth, to explain everything, but he knew it wouldn’t matter right now.Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed Igor If she wanted to leave, he wasn’t going to stop her—not like this.“Take her home safely,” he instructed, his voice void of emotion.Rina clenched her fists. He wasn’t even going to fight for her. That hurt more than the betrayal itself.She had wasted her time on him. She should have known he was like every other man.A few hours later, she was back to her cottage sitting in silence. The worst part? He hadn’t even tried to defend himself. He had just… let her go. That made it worse—worse than the rumors, worse than Nathan’s revelations, worse than the pictures she had seen online.Nathan, at least, was there to fill in the blanks. He was the only one who seemed to care enough to tell her wh
The days following Kayla Reese’s exposure were nothing short of chaotic.News outlets, social media platforms, and tabloids were flooded with updates about her arrest and the Reese family’s collapse.#JusticeForRina and #KaylaReeseExposed trended for days, while old interviews, articles, and videos surfaced—showing how Rina had suffered for years because of Kayla’s actions.Netizens Demanded JusticeIn comment sections across social media, apologies to Rina Powers poured in."I feel so ashamed. I was one of the people who dragged her. I'm so sorry, Rina.""I can’t believe we turned against her for so long. This woman went through HELL.""We owe Rina an apology. She deserves the world."But netizens weren’t just apologizing—they were also going after the young actors who had lied against Rina three years ago."So now that Kayla is exposed, WHERE are the actors who lied about Rina?""I hope those ‘up-and-coming’ actors are ready to face consequences.""We need those fake witnesses to co
Despite the man’s confession reversing his previous statement, a significant portion of Kayla’s fans and other netizens refused to believe him. The sudden shift in his stance made them skeptical.“How does a man go from accusing Rina to suddenly defending her in 24 hours?”o9“She probably paid him off. The timing is too suspicious.”“Rina has finally bought her way out of this. What’s new?”The hashtags #RinaIsAWitch, #RinaIsAManipulator, #RinaIsEvil, and #RinaIsAHeartlessFriend surged to the top of trending lists. The internet was once again divided, and Kayla’s camp felt victorious.“We’re back in control,” Damien smirked, taking a sip of his drink as he scrolled through the hate comments directed at Rina.Kayla, lounging on the sofa, smirked. “Of course, we are. People believe what they want to believe. And right now? They want to see Rina suffer.”Just as they were about to toast to their small victory, Damien’s phone buzzed with a notification. His smirk vanished instantly.Kayla
George stared at his phone for a moment, then sighed. He knew better than to question Zayn Graham’s methods. The man was always ten steps ahead of everyone else, and if he said he’d handle it, then the situation was about to take a dramatic turn.Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he turned to Rina. She was still staring at the screen, her face unreadable.“What was that about?” she asked, her voice calm but laced with suspicion.“Just a call I had to take,” George said smoothly, not daring to mention Zayn’s name. “Listen, Rina, I know things look bad right now, but we still have a shot at turning this around. We just need—”“We need proof,” Rina cut in, her gaze shifting to him, sharp and determined. “I don’t care about public opinion anymore. I want the truth out there. I want that man exposed, and I want Kayla to rot for what she’s done.”George hesitated. “Rina…”“No.” She stood, pushing back her chair. “I’ve played nice for too long. I let people walk all over me, let them d
As George stepped out of the room, Rina glanced at the clock. It was nearly time for her planned livestream. She’d decided earlier that morning to address her fans directly, to try and regain control of the narrative.She sat in front of her ring light and adjusted her camera, her heart racing. For someone used to the spotlight, this felt different. This wasn’t a red carpet or a press event—this was her, raw and vulnerable, speaking directly to the people who had the power to either support her or tear her down.After a deep breath, she hit the “Go Live” button. Within seconds, thousands of viewers flooded in, the chat scrolling rapidly with a mix of messages:“We’re with you, Rina!”“Is it true what they’re saying?”“Why didn’t you address this sooner?”“Hi, everyone,” she began, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. “I know there’s been a lot said about me in the past few days. I wanted to take a moment to speak to you directly, without any filters or edits.”Just as
The mornings sun was up and lovely. Rina looked outside her bedroom, wondering how her life had become this way, especially after she had reminded herself of many reasons why she shouldn't get romantically involved with any man because of what she had faced in the past. But here she was contemplating how she was going to make the most of her relationship with Zayn. She couldn't deny the passion that she felt after kissing him and knew that lying to herself was useless at this point. If she could turn back the hands of time, she probably wouldn't have taken that offer, but now she had no choice but to live with it. Pretending that they had never kissed was the coward's way out which she didn't want to take. She prided herself on being an adult who could make her decisions and stick to them but right now she didn't think she fit that category because of every emotion she felt in the last few minutes. Something was wrong with her and it was her duty to find out.Tired of hiding inside