The flight back home was one of the most silent Zayn had ever been on, while with someone. William appeared deep in thought, mulling over something as his face remained peered against the glass, seemingly shutting out the whole world. Zayn knew he met with Mago earlier that day. Although he had no clue how that had gone as he didn’t ask any questions, it wasn’t far-fetched to think that it was what got William looking like that.Zayn sighed and rested his head on the backrest, allowing his eyes to flutter close. He was going back to the country as an engaged man, and he knew things were going to be different for him, with the wedding coming up and all the other things he had to do for the company. Still, that didn’t bother him or cause a stir within him as much as the idea of having to appear with Rina in public now, as well as the thought of living in the same house with her, knowing how his body betrayed him each time she was around.It felt like a magnet constantly pulling him in d
The plane touched down, and Rina stretched her limbs out, grateful to be back home. Although, she loved her job with Pages of Claire, it still felt great being back in her own terrain, where she had grown to know and love. Igor waved her in the distance and she wheeled her suitcase over from the private landing, smiling at him. She took off her sunglasses as she got closer to him, and Igor retrieved the suitcase from her. Rina couldn’t help it as she gazed around, looking for Zayn anywhere in the small crowd. When she didn’t find him, there was a sudden pain in her chest. It was funny, because during the flight, she had psyched herself into believing that she wouldn’t be hurt if she didn’t see him around, but there she was, nursing a bruised heart. Shrugging it off, Rina followed Igor out of the airport into the car parked out front. She sat at the back, peering her eyes at the insides of the BMW while Igor got behind the wheel and pulled out onto the road. “Did Zayn get a new car?”
The clock chimed 10 the minute he walked in through the doors, his strides long and confident, even though he’d just had one of the longest days of his life. And it had nothing to do with work at the office. He’d found himself reaching for his phone more times than he could count, his fingers folding to tap on the name he had been avoiding for the past three days. Each time that happened, he would take a deep breath and push the phone far away from him, only to be back at the point where he started.It was one of the hardest things for Zayn Graham to do, or at least, had become so in the last couple of days. A war would be a perfect term to describe what went on in his mind – the torment he had been subjected to just because he couldn’t keep his thoughts free from her. She plagued every part of his being, from his waking moment to the last thing he saw before his eyes fell close at night. And the worst thing was that Zayn wanted more of it. He had to be insane at that point.The silen
Deep in the arms of sleep, Rina felt someone touch her. It was as soft as a feather but very intentional. She snuggled further into its comfort, feeling her lips rise in a smile as she fell deeper into her slumber. But when she felt it again, along with the calm it brought, she wondered where it was from, and why it was still present. Slowly, her mind began to work, bringing her back to the present. She remembered the bathtub and the music playing from her speaker. She remembered the half glass of wine on the floor, forgotten as she leaned her head against the tiles, hoping for just a few minutes of rest.Rina’s eyes slowly opened, no panic in them, as she beheld Zayn’s face staring down at her. He was seated on the bed beside her, a hand suspended mid-air like he’d been touching her. Zayn looked at her ruefully, withdrawing his hand to his side. Clearing his throat noisily, he got off the bed and put a considerable distance between them. She made to sit up, but his eyes shone in sudd
Rina didn’t try to reach out to Joel throughout her stay in the country and in the middle of her trips to Hong Kong for work. She saw no reason to, especially after how their last meeting had gone. So, when the news of his wedding was celebrated on her screen, there was no need to send him a congratulatory message. Although, she thought about it quite a number of times, considering how he had helped her when no one else had given her the chance, Rina still ended up not doing anything.It was hard to let go of the interview he’d had, where he had let the host throw her under the bus. And there were the harsh words he threw at her like their friendship hadn’t mattered to him. Rina was certain that Joel had heard about her engagement. She could imagine all the emotions he would have gone through – shock, anger, sadness. Or maybe she didn’t matter as much as she thought to him.Since the news of her engagement to Zayn, Rina hadn’t had a moment when she stepped out without creating a crowd
They went up into the broadcasting room, the lighting and sound already set in perfect order. Zayn took her hands and helped her up the podium, waiting for her to get seated, facing the camera, before following suit. He was being extra careful with her, extra touchy, and even though to Rina, it felt like Zayn was only doing that to keep up with the idea people have of them, it was the opposite to him.Zayn couldn’t keep his hands away, neither could his thoughts remain static without straying to Rina. It worried him more than he dared to mention, still, he couldn’t deny the fact that the memories of her felt great. They filled him with warmth and made him think love wasn’t such a bad thing after all. But every second it occurred to him, he shook out of it immediately, not wanting to be dragged into that.The host was a different lady from the person who had walked them in, but Rina was pleased to find out it was the same host as the one that had featured Joel Osteen. She was exactly t
“Are you trying to say that you met after your first husband?” Mandy asked, still pushing. “It must have been a lot for you two having to keep it away from everyone. Can I ask you why? Were you scared of something or were you trying to avoid something from happening?”“I am certain Zayn already answered that during his proposal at the launch of his company’s branch in Hong Kong,” Rina answered without batting an eyelid. “Just in case you missed it, you can always have access to it on Instagram. A lot of people made videos and some stations were also there to record the moment.”Mandy got the message immediately. She was doing too much at that moment, and it was Rina’s way of telling her that she wouldn’t take her bitching without a fight. With the way she sounded, Rina wouldn’t be surprised to find out Mandy was friends with Kayla, and that Kayla had made the station send that invite. But what they all didn’t know was that she wouldn’t sit back and allow life to happen to her like it
After the show, Mandy walked them out to the first floor, with appreciation falling from her lips yet far from her eyes. They weren’t exactly filled with venom. Instead, they were shifty, like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been doing. After Mandy walked back inside, Zayn snaked a hand around Rina's waist and moved toward the car. A fan popped out of nowhere, excitement in her eyes as she rushed towards Rina, almost skipping at intervals.“Rina Powers!” As she got closer, Rina saw she was only a teenager, quite tall for her age. The first thing that came to her mind upon seeing her was the possibility of her being a basketball player or a model. She had on braces, and pigtails, and Rina could see she was still in high school with her cheerleading uniform.“Hi there,” Rina beamed, smiling at the teenager. “You look great, I have to admit. I didn’t even look this good back in high school.”The girl gushed at the attention, and a red patch appeared on her cheek. She
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
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
Rina was on set the following day, just hoping to get through it so she could go see Finn to have a proper discussion, as they had agreed the last time he accosted her on the road. Perhaps, informing Zayn was important, but Rina didn’t want him to get involved in something like that. It could get Finn upset, and knowing how fickle-minded and obsessed he was right now, Rina didn’t doubt the possibility of her ex-husband releasing the tape if he saw that Zayn was involved. She was distracted during her scenes, but after a while, pushed it to the back of her mind. It was supposed to be the last day of the first part, and the director had still not said anything about there being a second part. The reviews for the trailer were already great, as Rina’s name was always flooding the comments. Still, it wasn’t enough to make a decision. They just needed to get through with the premier first and then, see what happened. After her last scene, where Rina tried to get Zico’s attention, having a
Zayn had decided to stay back in his mansion that night, as he had a flight to catch early the following morning. Or at least, that was what he made himself believe. But the truth was that he caught himself thinking about something he shouldn't have, and it had rattled him. A few hours before he returned to his mansion, he was at the office trying to close for the day, when he thought about going to get Rina from her set. He hadn't done it once since she started shooting, intentionally because he thought he needed to give her enough space so as not to make her think there was anything more than the contract between them.Even though it was true that it was practically impossible to hide their sexual attraction, the air always sizzling with tension anytime they were next to each other, Zayn still fought his feelings hard. Sitting there in his office and thinking about how refreshing a ride with her would be, even thinking about stopping at his favorite food truck so they could eat unde
On her way back to the villa after spending the whole day on set, Rin toyed with the idea of calling either Igor or William to come drive her. She felt exhaustion all around her, and her fingers slid off the steering at intervals, sleep threatening to overtake her. Pulling over to the side of the road, Rina leaned back into the headrest and took deep breaths. She reached for her phone to call Zayn, but suddenly, there was a rapt on her window. She looked up to see Finn smiling down at her, and Rina couldn't resist the groan that escaped her lips. Finn had been trying his best to get back with her, and it was getting borderline obsessive. He was everywhere, from her set to the parking lot, telling her that she wouldn't be able to get married to Zayn if he took her away from him. He boldly flaunted the restraining order without a second thought, and at that point, Rina was seriously considering the possibility of it being a mental illness. Everyone in the country feared Zayn and didn't
Rina met the rest of the team the following day on set. She arrived there in her new sports car and strolled inside in her thigh-high boots and a little black dress. Her newly dyed blonde hair gave her the chic look she'd been looking for, perfectly matching the excitement bubbling inside her. She hadn't been on set in almost five years, since she left acting to focus on her family. She could feel the tingles in her fingertips as she stepped into the set, a location upstate. The minute she was inside, everyone noticed her all at once. The director came up to her, as Rina’s assistants, along with Ginny, flanked her on both sides. The director, a charismatic middle-aged man was over the moon to have Rina on his set, and he expressed it in a thousand words. “When I brought the script to Scottsdale, I didn’t think I was going to be getting you, since…you know… But you are here right now, and I just can’t believe it.”Rina didn't know him so this had to be his first production. "I'm honor
The meeting had taken shorter than the board had planned, because Rina had come prepared, with a list of everything she wanted. George took the fore, flaunting his bargaining power as he refused to settle for nothing else apart from what they had come with. In the end, Rina had gotten it, along with a job as a second lead role in a series that was beginning the following day. They’d had to adjust the schedule to work around Rina’s time because she also had a job with Claire, which was pretty much important. So, that meant she would have to travel to Hong Kong at intervals. The scenes that starred her had to be kept till she was back.On their way out, striding down the hallway, Kayla came out of nowhere and blocked Rina’s path. She was furious and didn’t even bother hiding it. Well, there was no need to as no one else was in the hallway, and she had chosen a spot the cameras couldn’t get to. “Will you be fine?” George asked when Rina nudged him silently to leave. She nodded, and Geo
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
“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