Zayn attended the premier with Rina, but even though she was right beside him, he could feel her attention slipping away every minute. Although she was still angry about his question the last time, she still hadn't given him any reasonable reply, but he had noticed how sneaky she was. Usually, Rina left her phone lying anywhere, often with Zayn going up to her room to get it to her when he realized it. But in recent times, she had it on her, always texting away even during dinner. Sometimes, he saw worry lines stretch out on her forehead, and at other times, she tried to mask it with a smile. But Zayn knew her well enough to be able to tell that something was up. His mind went back to Jada’s visit, and even though he didn’t want to believe her, Rina had sure changed. Zayn had promised himself that he wouldn’t use his connections to find out anything about Rina, as he believed she would always tell him anything he needed to know. It irked that he had to keep to his words and do absolu
Back at the cinema, Rina waited for the credits to roll before picking up her bag and walking out of the hall. It was the perfect facade she needed so no one would question her whereabouts. Walking out to the red carpet, gratefully devoid of a crowd since most of them were inside, Rina walked out to the front and ordered a ride. She had come with Zayn in his car and even though she knew there was no way he was going to leave her there without sending another car over, Rina didn't want him or the driver knowing of her whereabouts. Finn was beginning to get overbearing, making audacious threats now. The last time, he had appeared in Hong Kong to see her at the brand’s building, with a sinister smile and dark eyes. He had absolutely nothing to lose, as he had made quite clear that day, but Rina’s reputation would be on the line. No one could see them together, especially now that she was to get married to the most powerful man in the country. That alone had drawn a lot of attention, and
In that second, it was one of two things. Either he didn't recognize her or Rina found a way to open the earth and allow it to receive her. But she did neither, as hurt and then anger crossed his face. "Rina?"She swallowed and then got up slowly, her head reeling, trying to think of the most suitable explanation that had nothing to do with the truth. She couldn’t lose him since that was what Finn wanted, but at the same time, telling him the truth just might escalate things, and Rina wasn’t sure she was ready for that again. The last year had been so dramatic for her and she just wanted a shred of normalcy. Was that too much to ask for?“Zayn,” she sighed. “What are you doing in here?”"I should be asking you that!" he shot back. Rina had chosen the perfect space to meet up with Finn. It was a restaurant that was barely visited and was already running out of sales. They had a plan to sell it by the end of the year, and everyone had gotten the news already so no one came around. When
The ride to Zayn's office was one of the longest she'd ever been on, as her mind kept reeling, wondering if she was making the right decision if she wasn't letting her feelings for Zayn get in the way of her rationality. She remembered the way she had spoken to Finn, coupled with the fact that he still had videos of her from when they were still married, and it made her stomach churn in disgust and her blood roar in anger. The driver looked at her from the rearview mirror as Rina sighed for the umpteenth time. "Ma'am," he started with concern laced in his tone. "Are you alright? Is there something bothering you? Talking about it helps."Rina resisted the urge to snort as she knew very well what happened when Kayla weaved those lies about her on the media. That was all it took for anyone to get back at her for some unbiased anger they felt. All she had to do was to open up to someone about how she really felt and what had been going on, and there was a really high chance it was going t
Zayn had just gotten into his office, anger coursing through every part of him, when the door suddenly opened, and Jada strolled in like she owned the place. He had invited her himself to ask her certain questions about the picture she'd shown him a few days back because, at the end of the day, no matter how he thought about it or what he had seen, Zayn had a feeling there was more to it. And he hated being in the dark. There was also the fact that William was right. There was a high chance that Jada had been lying, given her proven track record for that. It was no news that she hated Rina and the fact that she was getting married to Zayn. Anyone in her shoes would have been out and about, looking for ways to bring about an end to their union. Still, what was Rina doing there with Finn, even after the restraining order he had filed against him? Why hadn't she called Zayn or reported to the police? She had them at her beck and call because of the person she was in the country, even aw
Rina watched the scene, detached from every emotion, as Zayn told Jada to get out in an eerily calm tone. She couldn't decide which was scarier, when he used his bass or right now, with him speaking like he wasn't upset when, in truth, he was almost boiling over. She wondered what would happen from that moment on, whether he would treat her like Jada and demand that she leave the office and his entire life, too. As she stood there, Rina tried to decipher what she would do if that happened. She had lived almost one year without knowing any other friend but Zayn, and she thought that it would be hard to say goodbye to him. But at the same time, Rina knew how that scene with Finn would have looked to him or to anyone at all who had seen them. She knew she should have just told Zayn about the blackmail on the spot, but she'd been scared that Finn would do something stupid. But maybe, for once, she should learn how to let go and let Zayn take control as he had always wanted to. Rina under
Jada was furious as she walked into the huge apartment, almost always empty save for days like these. They had to watch their backs, knowing that Zayn wasn't stupid. He probably had been watching them for months already, but even though he wasn't, they still needed to be careful around him. One thing that Zayn was, and that everyone knew him to be, was fucking smart. Nothing went past him without him picking a whiff of it, and it was worse when they got him infuriated. He would stop at nothing to ensure he got his hands on them, and his fury was the worst thing anyone could ever experience. It was more terrible than the death sentence ordered by the courts because Zayn wouldn't let any of his enemies go away that easily. He thought death was too simple a punishment, but instead, he would leave one alive long enough to regret their existence. The mere thought brought a shudder down her spine, but Jada knew she had to think about it because it was the exact thing they needed to be worr
William strolled into the room with a smile on his face, flicking his wrist as if it hurt. He stopped when he took in the group in the room, and sighed “That is such a strong door you have there. I don’t think I have broken down something like this in so long.”“What are you doing here, William?” Nathan asked, pushing back slowly. Kayla and Jada did the same, taking small steps further into the house and putting as much distance as they could between them and the menacingly approaching figure. “I apologize for the mess, though,” he continued, ignoring Nathan’s question. “Zayn is going to fix it up, but I can’t say if the property is still going to be in your name, you know?”“He has no right to take it away from me,” Nathan blurted. “Just in case you have forgotten, I am his older brother. This property was given to me by our father, and thus, it is totally outside of his reach.”“Tsk.” William shook his head. “Every time, you seem to forget the rest part of an instruction the minute
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
Nathan paced his room when he heard people talking about only one person. Imagine the audacity of his brother to become the talk of the town. So much was happening all at the same time and he couldn't help the intense anger coursing through him. There had to be a remedy to the nonsense that he was facing right now. How they expected him to be happy with their union befuddled him. "How's the plan going?" He asked his Intel."Great, sir. They are still in the dark. We can't strike now because they might easily find out. Just give me a few days to sort some things out." Nathan didn't have the luxury of time like she thought he did, "I don't care about what more time you need. I need you to be quick at getting answers!" He barked, "Surely that's not too much to ask of you, is it?!" "No, sir." A docile response erupted. Meanwhile, the newly wedded couple were having fun at the top of the roof. "Right... I see what you mean about having a grand wedding. This has been trending on the blo
Rina inspected her dress in the mirror as she twirled around, appreciating how put together she was. She looked every inch of a blushing bride and felt like the world was a better place. No one would ever know that this was a contract marriage with how Zayn had gone all the way out to act like he was head over heels in love with her. Given the unusual circumstances, she had completely forgotten that anything of that nature existed and tried to find a means of dealing with the man in the present. He looked like he was enjoying himself. On cue, her phone rang, which she picked up instantly. "Hey." She answered breathlessly, before clearing her throat to reduce the awkwardness. Heaven forbid that she showed that she was thinking about him. Who knew what he could be thinking and how that was going to affect her? "Hi... I called to ask how things are going on your end. You didn't tell me anything about your dress. Is it up to your taste?" Zayn asked, making small talk just to hear her
"I don't think I have missed coming home like in this few days. I could have almost pulled out my hair if help hadn't arrived at the time it did." Rina muttered as their home came into her line of vision. She was still trying to get over the shock that she had been kidnapped and had no powers to save herself if not for this man who had come at the right time and now she could finally have some breather. Zayn chuckled at her relief, yet refused to speak because he wanted her to let out everything that she was feeling. Some people who bottled things up ended up getting destroyed by the time they tried to process things on their own. "I don't think I can thank you enough for everything that you've done just to get me out of that hell hole." Rina continued her speech as she shuddered. If he had arrived just a few minutes late, she would have been dead meat.Zayn reached for her hand and stroked it in reassurance. "I'm certain that it mustn't have been an easy thing for you to handle, bu
Rina trembled at the thought of losing her beauty, especially at the hands of Kayla, her archenemy. She would never understand what she had done to warrant such treatment from someone who she had never offended in any way, shape, or form, but had decided to be a pain in her ass. "You don't want to get caught by the cops and serve a jail term, do you?" She threatened Kayla who looked unperturbed, yet filled with vengeance and cascaded with cruelty. She was sure that, at that moment, no one could stop her from misbehaving. "Don't come an inch closer!" Rina warned out of fear as Kayla cackled, relishing her victim's cries. This was exactly what she wanted from her and it was a lovely sight to behold. "Aww, poor Rina. I hope you can live with the consequences you brought upon yourself. I know that you must have been through a lot but here is my verdict. No one is going to save you from me. Absolutely no one, no matter how much they try. The earlier you get this into your head, the bett
Rina had told herself over and over again that the last thing she would let Kayla elicit from her is fear and tears, especially what happened the last time with her losing her reputation in the country. It still stuck to her like glue – the aftermath, everything she’d had to go through. And now, it was happening again, sneaking its arms around her and threatening to pull her under. But Rina held her ground, refusing to let it overwhelm her again.Despite how scary the gun looked, being waved in her face, Rina tried to calm herself down, to think through the situation at hand and try to find a way around it. Swallowing, she counted to ten in her head, then smiled disdainfully at Kayla. “You are still the same child from many years ago, do you know that?”“Your psychoanalysis isn’t going to work on me.”“But think about it. We were nineteen, with huge dreams and bright smiles, walking through those doors knowing we’d just gotten scouted into the movie industry. You were scared. I saw th
Rina sat beside Marco as he navigated the traffic, trying not to feel nervous about what was going on. Her mind swirled with all the discoveries she’d made in the last twenty-four hours, wondering how to move on from that point. Everything she had grown up to believe was shaking at the very root and now, she was left with whispers and ghosts, not even certain which of them existed and which didn't.Marco turned left and shot her a look. "You don't seem fine. Do you want to pause for a minute and take it all in?" He glanced at his watch and then back at her. "We can spare a couple of minutes."Rina swallowed. “I want to get this done as quickly as possible so I can return to my life.”"Return to your life?" Marco struck Rina as someone who the Jones family would employ as their lawyer, with his grey hair, impeccable suit, and glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. She recognized all the brands he was putting on, but it made sense that he was earning a lot of money from managing 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