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
In the middle of the shoot, a lot of people came around to shop physically from the walk-in store. The first floor was full of life, and the media team had to take a break because they couldn’t concentrate with all the noise. Making a mental note to inform Joel to move them to the third floor, Rina grabbed her jacket and ducked her head into the hallway, ensuring she wouldn’t run into someone before making her way upstairs. Although her office was located on the second floor, it was at the end of the hallway, away from the major section where the clothes were being designed. The minute she got inside, she turned the lock on the door and slumped into her seat. It was a moderately spaced room, with the dominant theme being black. Even though Rina had told Joel to let her cater for the expenses of decorating her office, he hadn’t allowed it, insisting that it was a part of the perks of working for him. So, while Rina had ordered everything she used for the space, including the small sno
The guys were going for a celebratory dinner downtown, and Rina wanted to come with them. It was either that or spending another lonely night back at her cottage, wondering when to expect Finn’s strike or the moment Kayla would decide she was bored again and in search of someone to torment. Joel wanted her to come along too. When he extended the invite to her, standing by the doorway to her office, he saw the longing on her face and took advantage of it. “You can put on a disguise,” he offered. “You work in a fashion house so that should be fairly easy to put together. Don’t you think?”“Still,” Rina sighed. It was still too early to be seen with the group, particularly when they’d just made the first hit. It wasn’t going to take anyone anything to easily have a hunch that she was the mysterious sensation the media talked about after seeing a woman trying hard to disguise her features. She could have dyed her hair a bright pink if it was a pre-thought plan, but it was already pretty
Rina counted the seconds in her head.One.Two.Three.Then the door burst open suddenly, ushering in the editor of the team who had left to get beer earlier. He did a little victory dance with an excited yelp before dumping the beer in the center of the group, then found a space to sit opposite Rina.She didn’t look at him. Not even for a second. Her eyes roamed the faces of the others on the balcony. Rina tried to join in on the laughter, grabbing a can of beer. But fatigue ate deeply at her. Stifling a yawn, she leaned back into the wall and tried so hard to keep her eyes wide open. It would be a stump to sleep off in a situation like that. Now that she had enough time to think about it, Rina wished she hadn’t jumped in at the offer to have dinner back in the fashion house. She would have been in her bed by now, clutching her quilt around her comfortably, while listening to a piece of soothing music, allowing sleep to take her into its warm arms. But there she was, making a series
“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 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
Rina was outside the building the following day, staring up at the white walls. They looked really enticing from out there, the floor-length windows creating an aura, like they were stuck in the depths of modernization and making no move to return to the past. The name of the production house was written in fine calligraphy above the building, big enough for everyone to see while walking past. There was something about the name -Allure, but Rina didn’t give it too much thought. She was just so excited about the prospects of being back on screens.Looking at her rearview mirror for the umpteenth time, Rina touched the perfect curls of her hair and angled her head to ensure the makeup was not one hair out of place. Even though she knew she was capable of wowing the directors away, it still took her back to the very first audition she’d attended, before she got scouted by Scottsdale Entertainment. She remembered the nerves that had worked their way into her bones and threatened to ruin e
It was hard avoiding him in the same building, as even though he’d been doing so since he confessed his feelings, it just felt different this time. She could feel his presence, looming in the hallways, yet she never bumped into him. Even as she told the models it would be her last day working with them, she half-expected to see his intense eyes by the door, watching with a scowl on his face. That would have been better than the last look he’d directed her way on the first floor earlier that day. It made the hair on the back of Rina’s head stand.However, the worries about Joel soon got immersed with the others when George sent her another email. It was a confirmation message from the production house, scheduling the following day for the meeting to discuss the terms of their contract and how long it would subsist. Rina didn’t think it would be that soon, as she had already planned on spending the day indoors.Her fingers hovered above the call icon, but George was faster as the phone
“I wonder what that was about,” Joel murmured as he stepped in through the doors. Rina had been deep in a conversation with the photographer, so he met her in the hallway. She peered at him, noting the worry lines on his face.“Is it some of my anti-fans?” They were always up to something, so Rina didn’t doubt the possibility of them causing some trouble with Joel. It was all the more reason she needed to get moving.“It’s Mr. Graham. I met him outside and he seemed so … I don’t know, angry. Like I’d done something wrong. Remember when we got into that contract and I told you it felt like he was constantly attacking me? It felt like we were back on that page. I was going to schedule a meeting to split the output from the fashion show, but he didn’t even want to hear it. He asked me to keep it all.”If Joel had paid close attention, he would have seen the sudden change in Rina’s eyes, how they watched him with an emotion that bothered on pity. He would have figured out that she knew th
Zayn navigated through the traffic, drumming his finger on the steering at intervals. Returning to the country had been a spontaneous decision he had made the previous night, weighing the cons and pros in his head before calling the pilot to prepare the jet for take-off. Graham Conglomerates had already been launched over there, but there were a few things that were left before business could begin, but he’d decided to leave it to Mago to handle.“What are you thinking about?” Rina asked quietly. He had felt her eyes on him since they left the villa, but for the first time, Zayn wasn’t certain of what to say to her. He felt himself pulled under by some feelings he couldn’t decipher, and now, he felt his principles crumbling. Years, and even months ago, Zayn never believed in love. He saw it as the unnecessary release of chemicals, that only ended up doing more harm than good. But now, something had changed. It was… Zayn shook his head abruptly, refusing to accept it.“Nothing,” he mur
The next day, Rina got a forwarded mail from her manager while getting ready for work. She opened it once, her eyes reading the message in one glance. She heaved a sigh of relief, going through the details again. The phone vibrated in her hands, and she picked up the call at once.“George, I got the mail. What do you think?”“I received it late last night and had to research the production house first before sending it to you. They are legit, and the best news is you wouldn’t have to leave the country to work for them since they are a local production house. If it is something you want to do, I can reach out to them to schedule a meeting on your behalf.”“Yes,” Rina nodded. “I trust your judgment. Since you’ve done your research, I can go ahead with it. It will at least, keep me busy until something else comes along. And the longer I stay at O.S.N fashion house, the more I put Joel’s business on the line. He doesn’t want to admit it, but I know his sales are suffering because of me. P
The gallery suddenly seemed to be devoid of people, even if their chatter had gone up a notch. She drowned out the noise unconsciously, unnerved by the looks in their eyes. “Seen what?” Rina looked from Isaiah to George, wondering what that was about. It didn’t seem like something she would be ecstatic to find out, but then again, Rina knew there hadn’t been enough ecstasy in her life since the spread of the rumors started.“Didn’t you see the people gathered at the entrance of the gallery?”“The oil paintings lining the wall?” She angled her head, even if anxiety was eating away at her.George nodded, then sighed. “I think it's best you see it yourself. I must warn you though, there’s nothing joyous about it.”“There’s nothing joyous about what my anti-fans think of me,” Rina murmured, allowing George to lead the way while Isaiah came up at the rear. The small crowd that had gathered parted ways and whispers graced their lips as the trio approached the line of paintings. They stopped
It had been a few days since Rina’s confrontation with Regina at Scottsdale Entertainment and what she had been trying to avoid still happened. There were videos everywhere, circulating like wild fire.Almost every person in the country knew that she had been banned from stepping feet into that building, and it didn’t help that she had to go to work every day with certain people who entirely believed the rumors on the internet. Even if Joel had warned them not to do anything against her, it still didn’t stop the glares getting sent her way.Rina was taking the development remarkably well as she still went about her usual daily activities. She had brought some of her stuff at the cottage down to the villa, and no longer had to use the items she had met in the closet. It was one of her greatest reliefs as she hadn’t let go of the fact that even though Zayn told her no one else had been in there, there were traces that it had been a lie.Trying not to feel entitled or anything, she said