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
Rina was in the studio all day, trying out different outfits and mood boards for the fashion house. It was more fun than work because the designers were so nice to her. They kept complimenting her skin and body figure, chatting away at how much life she would bring to their pieces. She basked in the glow of their words, even allowing herself the freedom to laugh, to forget all about the hell she’d had to go through to get to that point.The director of designs, Nico, made her feel at home, giving her little stories about how the outfits were made, the troubles encountered mid-design, and the humorous ways they had gotten out of it. Rina was the only model in the studio at first, so the lights of the cameras were focused on her, flashing away at the first line she wore. It was called soothe, and was meant to be released during spring. Rina understood the concept behind the outfit, as they made her feel confident and in touch with her feminine part.When it was mid-day, the team went on
Rina remembered him from the previous night when he’d offered to take a picture of her. Without the cloak of the night hovering behind him, he looked taller than she remembered, with his hair tousled, like he had just rolled out of bed. He directed a lazy smile her way, and pulled his gaze off her, saying something to the director of media. But at intervals, his eyes found hers again, as if searching into her.She had to change the dress she had on into the last one for the day. It was a part of the denim line and the shoot was meant to be done with the rest of the models – a single shot for each of them and then a group shoot. She got handed the denim and the bodysuit that was to be paired with it, but before she could walk back behind the screen, the man from the previous night approached her. He was still in the same pair of pants he’d had on the previous night, and Rina was tempted to ask if he had really rolled out of bed.“I was hoping for a more mind-blowing entrance but I had
Exhaustion ate away at her as Rina made her way back to the hotel, accompanied by Michael. He went with her into the elevator and walked her to her door before turning away and heading back outside, not without reminding her for the umpteenth time that if she needed anything, all she had to do was send him a quick text and he would be at her door.“Thank you for today,” she called after him as he disappeared into the elevator, leaving her standing in the hallway alone.Grateful for the silence, Rina walked into the room and took off her joggers, tank top, and converses, preparing herself a warm bath in the tub. She soaked her skin while soft music played in the background, soothing her weary bones. Oddly, she missed the speakers and scented candles back in the villa. The scent of jasmine would have been clouding the bathroom at that moment, with the bass of the music echoing through the speakers and the bathroom thrown into dim lights.Even though it was only her second night in Hong
Rina sucked in a sharp breath as Zayn’s words hung in the air, the beginning of a tension weaving out. By some chord binding them both strongly her eyes strayed to his lips almost at the same time as he did, and a groan escaped his lips, causing her to look sharply into his eyes.“You are not making this any easy. You know that, don’t you?”“How?” her lips barely moved, but Zayn heard her clearly.“Rina, you know how irresistible you are. It’s a chilly night, and you are standing in front of me in a bathrobe with your cleavage peeking from the top. All I can think about is the last time my hands roamed your body, the last time I had you pinned against my door, your soft moans imprinted in my being. It has plagued my every moment since then, and I cannot bear to stare at my door without remembering that day.”“I’m going to change into something else.” But her feet didn’t move an inch, keeping her rooted to the spot, her eyes growing hazy, and her desires fighting to be let out. The air
Rina ensured to get up earlier the following day, but it was more an unintentional effort as she found it hard to sleep, tossing and turning until she gave up entirely and binge-watched a series for the most part of the night. It didn’t help that Zayn was staying in the room opposite hers and that every hour, she had to stop herself from fucking it all, and walking just across her door to knock on his.When she got out of her room a few hours later just as Michael walked briskly down the hallway, surprise was etched in his features seeing her up and ready. “Good morning, Ms. Powers,” he greeted, nodding his head in polite greeting. “How did you sleep?”Rina wished she could tell somebody about it, but seeing as no one truly knew the dynamics of their relationship, save Sarah and William back at home she flashed her brightest of smiles and said in a chirpy tone, “Fantastic. I’m excited to work today.”“I’m glad you are,” he murmured. Michael fell into step with her as they moved up 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
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