Silence reigned in the office the moment Jada stepped out, the door closing behind her. He sighed and plopped back into his seat, feeling like he’d just run a marathon. Zayn always felt that way with Jada, like he’d embarked on a mission to complete his house chores in an hour – exhausted and totally unmotivated to do any other thing for the rest of the day. Rina on the other hand, thought it was a very funny encounter. Still, she couldn’t stop the bubbles of anger that had begun to form in her.“I’m sorry about that,” Zayn muttered, wishing Jada and Rina hadn’t met that way. In fact, he had no plans of them meeting at all, but trust Jada to waltz in as she pleased. Making a mental note to inform the doorman for the second time that Jada wasn’t allowed inside his building, he tapped Rina softly and patted the space next to him. They weren’t done talking before Jada’s rude interruption.“It’s fine,” Rina said dismissively. “I shouldn’t have come here unannounced. Of course, you would h
They met at a restaurant, the air comfortable with a classical piece playing in the background. The screen in the distance flashed Rina’s picture for the umpteenth time that day, with the very unexpected announcement by Pages of Claire, and she scoffed, wishing she had the autonomy to turn it off. It made absolutely no sense that someone like her, after getting blacklisted by Scottsdale Enterprises would reach this level in the modeling industry, a level she had not gotten to herself. It irked her to her marrows, even though she barely knew her till that two days back, only previously heard stories about her.He sauntered in about thirty minutes late, and she wasn’t any bit surprised. He always operated that way – fixed a particular date and time for a meeting only to end up strolling in whenever he liked. He called it the god power – the ability to make everyone else wait for him and almost need his presence. But she thought it was a lack of discipline – something his brother wasn’t.
It took only a few days for Pages of Claire to get back to Rina with her first shoot scheduled in Hong Kong. She returned to the cottage during that period to pick up a few stuff and grab a traveling bag, returning to the cottage for her final packing before getting ready for her trip. That morning, she stood before her mirror in the closet, very giddy about what the next week would offer her. The whole country was still talking about her modeling for Claire, the street was abuzz with differing opinions. Rina’s name popped up as hashtags on Twitter and Instagram, and conversations were being held virtually about the truth and what they thought it was.Still, Rina didn’t forget Kayla and what she could do. It was the reason she sent Regina a message with details about her first task. While she was away, she needed someone to monitor Kayla’s every move, including the things she said about her at Scottsdale. But because Rina knew how skillful Kayla was in putting up a fake persona, she w
The instant the private jet touched down, Rina was soaked into a world that she was fairly used to, but at the same time, was totally new to her. Hong Kong was a beautiful country to be in, but she barely had the time to go sightseeing as members of staff from Pages of Claire were at the private airport to welcome her. There were five of them, dressed so stylishly that Rina felt she had stepped into a fashion show. The grins on their faces were pleasant and genuine, and at once, she felt at ease, attempting a smile of her own despite her jitters.Her suitcase was taken off her hands and they ushered her into a limousine that smelt of brand-new leather. There was a bottle of white wine in a bucket of ice along with a wine glass and a note from Claire. She wanted Rina to know that she was out of Hong Kong for a quick interview that day but would be back late at night. Giddy with excitement, she helped herself to the wine, pouring half a glass and bringing the rim to her lips.Spontaneou
Hong Kong was stunning at night, with the lights of the city creating such an ethereal look through the roofs of the buildings. Rina stood by the window with a glass of wine in one hand, gazing at every corner. Her eyes shone brightly and a zap of energy passed through her. Despite the fact that she’d just been on a trip, she felt the need to do something rather than gaze at the city. She hadn’t heard from Zayn since the last time they spoke and it bothered her. Even though Rina knew he was fine, and probably swamped with work, she still found her eyes straying to her phone on the table, expecting the familiar sound of her message to come in.But the silence of the room was still in its holistic state and Rina felt she was going to go insane. Her feet moved away from the window and she walked into her room to change out of her nightwear, putting on a black baggy jean made by the Pages of Claire, a pair of dark boots, and a plain white t-shirt. Grabbing her phone from the table, she sa
She walked back to the hotel after her encounter with the stranger, calling it a night. But the night was far from over for her as she sauntered into the lobby, her eyes taking in the men dressed in dark suits, placed at strategic points. She angled her head at the sight, wondering what they were doing there past midnight. Explaining it as a high personality booking in for the night, she moved into the elevator and got out on the last floor, fatigue already eating away at her.Rina’s feet halted abruptly when her eyes narrowed in on the small crowd in front of her room. There were worried faces amongst them, with shuffling legs, as if searching for something. She slowed down her steps, just in case some crazy anti-fan had traced her to the hotel. But in a second, the small crowd parted to reveal one of the most stunning and fierce women in existence. Rina’s eyes widened as she took in the sophisticated look of Claire McGregor.Even though she had earlier mentioned that she was out of
Rina was out of the hotel before 9:30 am, a record time considering her usual routine. She had ditched the bathtub and opted for the shower instead, using no makeup and putting her hair up in a messy bun, since she was going to have to do all of that when it was time for the shoot. Since her contract specified that she could only be dressed in Pages of Claire’s outfits for the one year of its existence, she went for something casual from one of their lines, white joggers and a matching tank top, with Converse and a tote bag.The person Claire sent to get over, a young man no older than his middle-thirties with hair that looked like it just came out of the salon, piercing green eyes, and a day-old stubble seemingly intentionally left out, walked her to the limousine that had brought her the previous day, getting the door open for her. He waited for her to get in before walking around and sitting behind the wheel.The visor between them was lowered, and he started the car but didn’t pul
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Rina blurted as Claire took her seat at the head of the glass conference table. It looked like they had all been waiting for her, and Rina hated to think that she had kept them there for almost an hour when they could have been doing something else with their time.“Right.” She looked at the person who had spoken, his eyes unwavering as he glared at Rina, not bothering to hide his distaste.“Can you not do that, Anthony? You have been late more times than I can count, and while we do not exactly condone tardiness, we do not clamp down on people the way you just did. Rina Power is going to be working with us for a year, and even though she will not have direct contact with you after today unless there is an issue with the contract, kindly regard her with the respect she deserves. She had worked her ass out to get to where she is today and I will not you talk down on her, no matter what you heard. Are we clear on that?”“My apologies,” Anthony muttered, his red hai
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
Nathan paced his room when he heard people talking about only one person. Imagine the audacity of his brother to become the talk of the town. So much was happening all at the same time and he couldn't help the intense anger coursing through him. There had to be a remedy to the nonsense that he was facing right now. How they expected him to be happy with their union befuddled him. "How's the plan going?" He asked his Intel. "Great, sir. They are still in the dark. We can't strike now because they might easily find out. Just give me a few days to sort some things out." Nathan didn't have the luxury of time like she thought he did, "I don't care about what more time you need. I need you to be quick at getting answers!" He barked, "Surely that's not too much to ask of you, is it?!" "No, sir." A docile response erupted. Meanwhile, the newly wedded couple were having fun at the top of the roof. "Right... I see what you mean about having a grand wedding. This has been trending o
Rina inspected her dress in the mirror as she twirled around, appreciating how put together she was. She looked every inch of a blushing bride and felt like the world was a better place. No one would ever know that this was a contract marriage with how Zayn had gone all the way out to act like he was head over heels in love with her. Given the unusual circumstances, she had completely forgotten that anything of that nature existed and tried to find a means of dealing with the man in the present. He looked like he was enjoying himself. On cue, her phone rang, which she picked up instantly. "Hey." She answered breathlessly, before clearing her throat to reduce the awkwardness. Heaven forbid that she showed that she was thinking about him. Who knew what he could be thinking and how that was going to affect her? "Hi... I called to ask how things are going on your end. You didn't tell me anything about your dress. Is it up to your taste?" Zayn asked, making small talk just to hear her
"I don't think I have missed coming home like in this few days. I could have almost pulled out my hair if help hadn't arrived at the time it did." Rina muttered as their home came into her line of vision. She was still trying to get over the shock that she had been kidnapped and had no powers to save herself if not for this man who had come at the right time and now she could finally have some breather. Zayn chuckled at her relief, yet refused to speak because he wanted her to let out everything that she was feeling. Some people who bottled things up ended up getting destroyed by the time they tried to process things on their own. "I don't think I can thank you enough for everything that you've done just to get me out of that hell hole." Rina continued her speech as she shuddered. If he had arrived just a few minutes late, she would have been dead meat.Zayn reached for her hand and stroked it in reassurance. "I'm certain that it mustn't have been an easy thing for you to handle, bu
Rina trembled at the thought of losing her beauty, especially at the hands of Kayla, her archenemy. She would never understand what she had done to warrant such treatment from someone who she had never offended in any way, shape, or form, but had decided to be a pain in her ass. "You don't want to get caught by the cops and serve a jail term, do you?" She threatened Kayla who looked unperturbed, yet filled with vengeance and cascaded with cruelty. She was sure that, at that moment, no one could stop her from misbehaving. "Don't come an inch closer!" Rina warned out of fear as Kayla cackled, relishing her victim's cries. This was exactly what she wanted from her and it was a lovely sight to behold. "Aww, poor Rina. I hope you can live with the consequences you brought upon yourself. I know that you must have been through a lot but here is my verdict. No one is going to save you from me. Absolutely no one, no matter how much they try. The earlier you get this into your head, the bett
Rina had told herself over and over again that the last thing she would let Kayla elicit from her is fear and tears, especially what happened the last time with her losing her reputation in the country. It still stuck to her like glue – the aftermath, everything she’d had to go through. And now, it was happening again, sneaking its arms around her and threatening to pull her under. But Rina held her ground, refusing to let it overwhelm her again.Despite how scary the gun looked, being waved in her face, Rina tried to calm herself down, to think through the situation at hand and try to find a way around it. Swallowing, she counted to ten in her head, then smiled disdainfully at Kayla. “You are still the same child from many years ago, do you know that?”“Your psychoanalysis isn’t going to work on me.”“But think about it. We were nineteen, with huge dreams and bright smiles, walking through those doors knowing we’d just gotten scouted into the movie industry. You were scared. I saw th
Rina sat beside Marco as he navigated the traffic, trying not to feel nervous about what was going on. Her mind swirled with all the discoveries she’d made in the last twenty-four hours, wondering how to move on from that point. Everything she had grown up to believe was shaking at the very root and now, she was left with whispers and ghosts, not even certain which of them existed and which didn't.Marco turned left and shot her a look. "You don't seem fine. Do you want to pause for a minute and take it all in?" He glanced at his watch and then back at her. "We can spare a couple of minutes."Rina swallowed. “I want to get this done as quickly as possible so I can return to my life.”"Return to your life?" Marco struck Rina as someone who the Jones family would employ as their lawyer, with his grey hair, impeccable suit, and glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. She recognized all the brands he was putting on, but it made sense that he was earning a lot of money from managing the
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