Zayn kept Rina in his line of vision all evening, as he spoke about business with a prospective investor. He didn’t want to do that there, leaving Rina all to herself. But she’d told him she would be fine, going to sit at George’s table, together with Isaiah and Ginny to put his mind at ease. Still, every now and then, he found his eyes wandering to her, stunned at how hot she looked. No one rivaled her in the room, not even the bride. But beyond her looks, Zayn was filled with the compelling urge to protect her no matter what happened, to always keep her away from harm with all the power at his disposal. It wasn’t something that could be bargained, as he had tried to give her a little space since the engagement. But on those days, he’d been worried sick about her, unable to focus seamlessly on any other thing. “How about the returns?” the investor questioned, causing Zayn to pull his gaze away from Rina, albeit reluctantly, back to this table. She’d been laughing about something Geo
His lips raised in a smirk, torn between amusement at the whole situation and Finn’s effrontery, walking up to meet him at a wedding to make such ludicrous demands. Zayn had seen this coming, from the instant he noticed Finn trying to get back with Rina. The last time, he had gone to her cottage to see her, unknown to him that she no longer resided there. But since Zayn had already put his men on Finn’s watch, it was easy to chase him away with a stern warning. He also knew that it wouldn’t be enough to keep him away, that he would want to make a much bigger scene just to show how much he wanted Rina or at least, how much he wanted the fame she had gathered to herself. “I don’t understand you, Mr. Smith,” Zayn finally said after a moment of silence. “Could you please explain in detail?”Stupidly, Finn thought that he had a chance with that response. “Your name slips out of the lips of every member of my household, including myself. So you know I had to think this through a million ti
Finn got back to his mansion, tossing his suit jacket onto the sofa while anger coursed through him. He had never been that humiliated in his entire life but he’d had to go through that, all because of Rina and Zayn. He paced the entire length of the living room, not knowing what else to do with all the pent-up frustration inside of him. It was important to Finn to get back to Rina, as only then would he finally have the freedom he had walked away from the previous year.Although it was true that he had been eyeing Kayla all the while that he was with Rina, knowing that she was from the third richest family in the country, armed with all the wealth she and her generation could possibly need, Finn had not been thinking of something as defined as a divorce until it dropped right into his laps. He despised the fact that he was being blamed for it, as anyone in his situation would have done the same. Who didn’t want more money? A better life. But along the line, Finn realized that althou
Zayn and Rina barely brushed the topic of Finn’s request because they didn’t count it as important. While Rina thought he was only trying to get back to her because of all the wealth she had acquired already while working for Claire, Zayn thought Finn was getting on his nerves. He usually didn’t bother himself about petty things like that, but when it had something to do with Rina, he was willing to go to the ends of the earth. Some of the times, it had little to do with Rina and more to do with Zayn. It irked him when another man as much as set eyes on the woman that belonged to him, but Finn had gone as far as asking him to leave her like she was some property that could be cast around as much as the owner liked.It made him furious so much so that Finn was already bound from coming anywhere around Rina. Zayn had gone to the cops later that day to get a restraining order for Rina and he was certain Finn had been served already. Now, they were on their way to his parents’ house for a
Silverware clinked and reverberated around the room, the silent chews echoing in the air. It was all somber and quiet as lips moved, and glasses were passed, with Zayn and Rina watching each other, their eyes sending messages across. While his father and mother sat at both edges of the table, only Zayn and Rina were there with them, already halfway into the first course. But the silence suddenly dissipated as Mago appeared through the hallway, laughter in her eyes and a spring in her steps as she bounced into the dining room. “Rina!” she beamed when she saw her, then rushed over and wrapped a hand around her shoulders. “I was just thinking about you a moment ago. I even asked Zayn, but for some reason, he failed to mention that you were coming over.” Mago glared at her brother with accusation in her eyes, but Zayn didn't appear ruffled in the least. He barely even glanced up as he continued with his meal. It made Mago want to disturb him more, so she walked over to him and nudged hi
“You need to chill out, baby brother,” Nathan replied, a tinge of amusement in his voice. “I haven’t even done anything wrong and you are already attacking me. You know, sometimes I think that you purposely find issues in the things I say and do just so you can act all out like you are some righteous man while I am the sinner. Maybe it works most of the time, but it is getting old. Drop the act.”Zayn scoffed. "Isn't it funny how you only have the nerve to talk to me in front of our parents? You should try this when we are alone.""The both of you should stop this right now!" Mr. Graham snapped a little more volume in his pitch. "Zayn, could you please stop threatening your brother and Nathan, why the hell can't you be courteous in your life? We have a guest here, a guest who is going to get married into our family. What do you suggest would be imprinted on her mind seeing you like this?"“I don’t think there would be any difference seeing as she isn’t coming from much herself. Rina,
“I know my family can be a lot,” Mago muttered as she walked with Rina ahead of Zayn, who was coming in the rear with his father. Mrs. Graham had to retire to bed before they were ready to take their leave as her legs hurt and the doctor had advised her to rest them for as long as she could. Rina shrugged. "I don't know about that. Growing up for me was different because I was an only child. That meant getting to do things alone while my parents were out there trying to make ends meet. We…we would usually meet in the evening but then they would be tired and go to bed almost immediately after dinner, leaving me alone to myself. But everything they did was for me to get a better life. I am grateful to them for where I am right now. Still, if I had a sister to argue with the way Zayn and Nathan act, I would have really loved that."“I don’t think you and your sister would have had the mountain of issues Nathan has with Zayn, unfounded ones at that. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder how
George met Rina days later in front of the building, where she sat idly in her car by the sidewalk, waiting for him. It had been intentionally five days of not accepting their offer because Rina had to let them know that she wasn't hungry for whatever proposal they had to give her. She earned more than enough already at Pages of Claire, so her acting under Scottsdale Entertainment was more of a win for them than for anyone else. That was because their movies would gain more trajectory since working for Claire already made her a popular face everywhere in the world. People shopped the brand and Rina was the brand's face for a whole year. She knew her worth and where Scottsdale was concerned, she wasn’t going to bother hiding any of it. George rapt her window with his knuckles and Rina motioned for him to get out of the way so she could alight the car. The breeze rustled her hair as she donned her dark shades, and walked beside George, striding into the building. She knew packing her
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
Confusion set in Rina at once, wounding its arms around her so tightly that she didn’t think there was any route of escape. She sat up at once, pulling herself until her back pressed against the headboard, with her head reeling from what she had just heard. “I think you got the wrong person,” she said finally. “My parents are well and alive, and I know their lawyer as well, because it is the same lawyer I use. And his name definitely isn’t Marco.”“Pardon me,” the voice returned, sounding solemn and sad. “What I am about to do is probably not right since it is the first time we are speaking and it isn’t exactly a conversation to have on the phone. But at the same time, I know you wouldn’t meet up with me, unless you are entirely sure about what this is. You are a public figure here, so that means you are really particular about your security.”“You sure did your research,” Rina murmured. “No. Not exactly. I was just so surprised that all this time, you were right within reach while I
Her door cracked open slowly, but it sounded so far off, like someone was making a scratching noise somewhere in the distance. She hissed and thrashed on the bed, willing whoever it was would leave her to her sleep. Just when she thought the source of the noise had gone, she heard it again, nearer this time. It echoed in her ears, pulling her out of an abyss she’d had no idea she had settled in. The space beside her on the bed dipped, and her eyes fell open slowly.“Hey.” His eyes appeared bothered, but at the same time, guarded, like he was trying so hard to be there with her, and at the same time, keeping something away from her. “How do you feel? Does your ankle hurt?”Rina shook her head, but the sudden sharp pain there gave her lie away as she winced. “You should stay in bed for as long as you want, until the pain subsides. Susan will ensure you have everything you will be needing for the three weeks the doctor advised that you remain in bed.”“But…”“Rina,” Zayn breathed. “List
“What happened to her?” Susan asked later that evening after they’d put her to bed. The drugs she was given at the hospital for the pain were bound to make her drowsy, and despite how hard she fought to remain awake, because George had come to see her, she still had to succumb to the pressure of sleep. It was important for the healing of her ankles and Zayn was finally relieved when he closed the door behind her. “She tripped.”“But that isn’t all. Something made her trip.” Susan read it easily from his eyes, tilting her head and waiting for a response. “I’m not sure,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know you might think I am chasing shadows because of how much I have been trying to protect Rina.”“I don’t think so,” Susan replied. “If somebody was trying to hurt her, you would be the best person to know. Nothing I say is valid if you believe in your guts that what happened earlier wasn’t an accident. And you shouldn’t give it a rest until you get to the end of this.”
All of Rina stilled with those words hanging in the air. She had thought about it a million times, about how it would feel when she finally told him. But no amount of mental preparation would have ever prepared her for that moment. She searched his face intently, even though she wanted to hide away from him at the same time. Rina waited for him to scold her, to tell her that their contract had fallen through because of her errant feelings, and that he was no longer interested in getting married to her. But the only thing that circulated round the small space was silence, loud enough to pierce through eardrums. “I am not saying this so you have to say anything in response, or feel a particular way towards me. I just wanted to have it out there. We have been through so much together already, or rather, I have been through so much with you standing by me all the way, showing nothing more than understanding. If this isn’t what you want, I think it would be unfair to keep it away from you
Zayn was at Rina’s first run on set, at one corner of the stage, watching closely as Rina acted a scene for the third time. For some reason, the director had decided to start with the middle of the script, running it up to the beginning, and then down tlo the end. It opened with the scene where Zico and Rina found that they were in love with each other, finally giving their love a chance, much to the hatred of Mandy, who was now the second female lead. The scene played out in a cozy bedroom setting, with Rina walking in with Zico at the end of a long stroll. The plan was to get a bottle of water from his house and then move to hers. But their emotions got the best of them, the sexual tension in the room heightening. The director had asked that the scene be re-acted a thousand times because there wasn’t enough chemistry, and Zayn was beginning to lose his patience. His hands folded into fists by his side, as he glared at Zico’s hands wrapped around Rina’s waist. He could see the reso
Kayla watched Rina speaking to Regina from the top floor and crossed her arms across her chest, wondering what their conversation was about. It couldn’t be anything related to acting, as the submissive look in Regina’s eyes and the haughty look in Rina’s didn’t exactly depict that. Angling her head, Kayla remembered she had seen Regina with her right-hand man just the previous night before he had taken her home from Scottsdale. They’d been out in the garage, talking about something, with their eyes hiding the beginning of a budding romance. Perhaps, that wasn’t all it was. She should have paid more attention, maybe even listened in on their conversation before interrupting them in that manner.Her right-hand man would never divulge any information about Kayla. Or at least, that was what she thought. But just to be safe, Kayla made the decision right there to play her last card. She had been holding on to it for as long as she could remember, but maybe it was time to let go. Smiling cr
Rina got the news of her playing the lead in the new part of the movie, and excitement coursed through her as she made her way down to Scottsdale to sign some papers and get her script. George couldn’t go with her as he had a meeting outside town with a new client, so she went with Igor instead, sitting at the passenger’s side of the car while he skillfully navigated the traffic to get her there on time. Things had gone back to normal since Finn got arrested, and it was like the drama had finally come to a halt. Although, the one thing Rina wanted, which was for Zayn to tell her how he felt about her, was yet to happen. He was still measured and controlled in how he related to her, barely even grazing her skin each time they were in the same room. He'd stopped coming into her bathroom like he usually did each time she was having a bath but now stayed away from the villa as a whole, returning only when entirely necessary. Rina could feel him running away from something. She had notic