Zayn raised his head just as William knocked on his slightly opened door. Motioning him in, he turned off the screen to his tablet and gave him his full attention. “Is she awake?”“No,” William answered. “But she was up late last night. I ran into her in the kitchen.”“What was she doing?”“I think she couldn’t sleep so she came down for a glass of warm milk but she wanted to know if I had discovered the identity of the men who had tried tailing us down here. I didn’t tell her Kayla was responsible, of course, but it doesn’t take magic to figure that out.”William dropped onto the chair in front of Zayn. They were still in the villa, so he didn’t need to be on his feet to address him.“I will tell her myself,” Zayn sighed. “What do you think about taking her out of the country this weekend to get some rest? She’s going to get so busy with the fashion show coming up, and I just need her to have all the energy needed for that. There’s going to be a lot happening after that, and she migh
“Hey,” Zayn’s face didn’t give anything away as he watched Rina walk further into the room. “We were just waiting for you before we took our leave. Are you ready? I have to get into the office as soon as possible.”“Yeah,” she nodded. “I just need to grab my purse and my shoes.”“Great. Meet us downstairs.”William got up first, then stepped aside to let Zayn through. He ruffled Rina’s hair on his way out, not bothering to answer her questions, before heading downstairs.“Are you leaving already,” Susan asked in the living room when she saw them coming down the stairs. She only came to the villa when Zayn told her to, and now that he was leaving, she could return to the mansion, where she lived with Zayn.“Yes, Su,” Zayn replied. “Please lock up on your way out. You know the drill.”They waited for Rina outside, before pulling out onto the road in two separate cars, Rina and Zayn in one, with William coming behind them.“I had a relaxing weekend,” Rina smiled up at Zayn. “Thank you fo
Zayn got back to the office in a foul mood, and Mia recognized it at once. She backed out of his way as he walked briskly into his office, ordering that no one disturbed him until he gave her further instructions. By then, it was too late to tell him Nathan, his brother, was already inside his office.Mia imagined the million number of ways Zayn could possibly fire her as she dropped back into her seat, her pixie cut bouncing along with her. She should have mentioned it the minute he stepped in. Or maybe she should have sent William a quick message the instant Nathan appeared. Mia knew of the strained relationship between the brothers so why on earth had she allowed that to happen under her watch?Oblivious to the wreck his secretary was going through, Zayn walked into his office and closed the door behind him, intent on burying himself in work while thinking of how he could make Joel understand that no one dared take anything from him, without risking his identity in Rina’s life. He
He already confirmed that Rina was headed towards her parents’ home, but it did nothing to dispel Zayn’s anger. It wasn’t even directed at Rina, because Zayn couldn’t bear to be upset at her. Instead, he wanted to look Joel in the eyes and ask him what he was thinking when he conceived the notion that he had a chance with Rina. It didn’t matter if their relationship was fake. No one took what belonged to Zayn. The whole country knew that. The only reason Zayn wasn’t doing anything to Joel yet was because the poor lad had no way of knowing Zayn was going to get married to Rina.But once it was out there if Zayn noticed that Joel or any man as much as batted an eyelid in Rina’s direction, he would have to answer to him. Still, Zayn couldn’t let it go just like that. He asked Mia to set up a meeting with Joel about the international fashion show. He was going to do that anyway since Joel had to meet him with the reports of the other fashion brands he’d sent him to visit outside the count
Rina wished she could have coffee at the coffee place across the street from the fashion house, but it only took one appearance to get people talking, she had to make do with preparing her coffee from home. Today, because the weather was hotter than normal, she made a tall glass of ice cappuccino and went through the hassle of taking it along with her in a taxi, because she still didn’t think it was time to take her car to work.The taxi driver was warm today, even attempting to smile as she got in. She had a pair of dark shades on as well as her regular vintage scarf that never ceased to tag along each time she stepped out of the cottage. But sometimes, people recognized her through the camouflage and constant change in hair color. This time, Rina wasn’t sure if the driver knew she was the one.She alighted a stone's throw from the back door of the fashion house and managed a thank you when the driver wished her a beautiful day. She was still reeling from how politely she had been tr
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
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