Rina fussed around the stage, having the models walk through the runway a million times. Joel came to stand beside her, wrapping a warm hand around her neck. He pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ears, “You’re going to do great, Rina. I believe in you.”She looked up at him with an appreciative smile, even though it did nothing to unravel the knot inside her stomach. Still, Rina didn’t allow it to show on her face or her behavior. She rehearsed with the girls like she had gotten everything figured out, that there would be no mistakes that day because she had left nothing out. Rina was hoping that would be the case.When the designers started coming in, Rina moved out of the hall with the models into an inner room that had been prepared for them. She was introduced to the people in charge of makeup since there was no way she would get up on the runway without their help. Although they were yet to be told that she was the anonymous model, she saw the confused looks in their e
CThe noise in the entrance to the hall seemed to quieten as Zayn Graham stepped in. He was the major sponsor for the fashion show so the name ‘Graham Conglomerate’ flashed everywhere. Zayn wasn’t sure it was something he loved to see, but he was doing it for Rina. The media team and other journalists from TV stations rushed toward him, shoving mics in his face. His men stepped forward to create a circle around him, keeping his fans at bay.Zayn looked straight ahead, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and approached the red carpet for a few pictures. He didn’t exactly like these parts of events because Zayn hated the lights flashing in his face. Still, he stayed put, his regular broody stare on, with both hands in his pockets. When the anchor of the red carpet stepped up to ask him a few questions, he shook his head lightly at her and stepped out of her way, intent on heading inside.He planned on granting an interview, but not yet. The night was still young, and a lot of things were
The music started and the anchor of the show stepped onto the stage. Rina could hear her voice from where she stood backstage, trying to get the models ready for the last time. Even though they were already clothed, with the process of the walk embedded in their heads, Rina ran it through with them one last time. They were supposed to launch three collections, so that meant each model was walking the stage three times.They were going to open the event and close it. That meant Rina was only going to appear towards the end of the show. She was content with the plan as it gave her time to get her nerves back in place. Joel rushed to the back to tell them it was time, and the models filed up in the order they’d been taught. Rina watched them with so much pride in her eyes as they stepped onto the runway.The show was being aired to the world in the present time, so everyone had access to it. Rina watched it from the screen backstage, biting her lips as each model stepped onto the runway,
The gasps that echoed backstage the moment Rina’s name was announced were loud enough to disrupt a medical operation. Eyes flashed her way as she walked out of the dressing room, and passed through the pathway that had instantly been created for her as the team backstage parted out of the way for her. Rina didn’t look sideways. She didn’t want to know what their opinions were right then, but hard as it were, it was hard not to hear the whispers.Although Rina braced herself for the worst, she was surprised when she made out the contents of the words that had traveled over to her. While some of them backstage thought she was the most stunning model they’d ever worked with, others had this tinge in their voice as they muttered in hushed whispers, “Oh my God! We misunderstood her. What if we were wrong all this time?”Armed with the doubts permeating people’s minds, Rina took a deep breath and stepped onto the runway, the dress swishing around her as she took one foot after the other, ta
She turned to Joel with a calm demeanor, not needing the look of panic mixed with a tinge of understanding he flashed her way. Still, he put out his hands to block the first scrunched-up paper that made its way from the crowd, skittering around the runway. Joel looked at Rina with concern in his eyes. When they had made plans for the revelation of the identity of the anonymous model, he hadn’t factored in the reaction of the crowd, even though he’d known Rina was a tad worried about it.The next paper came, hitting Joel’s arm that he had put out protectively in front of Rina, but the third wasn’t that unlucky. It hit her square in the chest, and she took a step backward, propelled more by the situation than the sheet of paper.“I didn’t think about this,” Joel muttered to her, as more items got tossed to the runway, from broken pens to books. When an egg got tossed in from nowhere, Zayn got up on his feet at once, his eyes roaming the crowd, searching for where that had come from. But
Rina stared at the crowd wide-eyed, yet to process her emotions. She knew this was going to happen. It was the reason she had been so skeptical about coming out during the fashion show. But now that it was in the hands of the public, it was impossible to take it away. Joel held her hands in his and pulled her along with him, going backstage where all the models were gathered and waiting. Rina could see the divided looks on the faces of the designers of O.S.N. While some of them were pleasantly stunned at the identity of the anonymous model, the unasked questions visible in their gazes, the others didn’t bother to hide the disgust they felt from the situation.She could see it in the way they stood, defensive and angry. It wasn’t hard for Rina to guess what was going through their minds in those minutes. They probably felt bad for Joel, thinking he was one of her victims, and would never have let her into the fashion house if she hadn’t held something against him. And even if Joel bare
“Where is Zayn?” Rina couldn’t stop the question from falling from her lips as William led the group of men, taking the underground entrance out of the building. She was kept in the middle, surrounded by heavily built men, totally obscured from the view of prying eyes. It hadn’t been difficult to make the decision to go with them, because Rina knew she sure as hell couldn’t get herself out of the building without risking getting attacked.And going with Joel wasn’t even in the plan.William shrugged, back to his quiet self. He hadn’t given Rina any response to all her questions since they left the dressing room, and it was beginning to irk her. But she knew William. He never spoke until it was totally necessary.“Where are we headed?” She tried again, hoping that this time, a response would be met with her question.“In a bit, ma’am,” was William’s only response as he suddenly took a sharp turn. The car came into view, and the men all stepped out of the way with William walking around
Her mind failed to think of just one particular thing at that moment. Hell! It thought of nothing. Rina couldn’t bear to do any other thing than remain in that moment, scared that if she blinked, it would all be gone, but at the same time, uncertain if Zayn’s heady scent slowly intoxicating her, wouldn’t leave her in puddles at his feet, knowing fully well where he stood.All of this was mere paper to him, on whose pages Rina was yet to append her signature, or even go through the terms he had so boldly announced. Yet, no matter how hard her rationality screamed at her to bring an end to that moment, to step away from Zayn and his all too alluring self, Rina found that hard to do.She opened her eyes as his whispers tingled the skin on her ear, sending shocks to her brain. Their eyes met through the mirror before them, and Rina was stuck in the moment. She swallowed, but her gaze didn’t waver, soft, reflecting a need that has spanned through months, a tinge of uncertainty wrapped in t
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