Rina blinked so hard and fast that she felt a dull ache in her eyelid. How did anyone answer that question, as unexpected as it had come? Joel still looked at her in anticipation, and again, Rina’s gaze fell on the design machine.Was she open to dating again? Rina wasn’t sure what the answer to that was. Although it was true that she had thought about it a few times, she’d never really allowed herself to linger in those moments. She’s always left the question unattended, burying it under her mass of determination, and fury. And now that it was here again, she had no clue what to say.She was hoping this would be one of those moments where Joel caught on to her discomfort, opting to settle for something more comfortable. But he seemed to have been thinking about it for a while now and was so interested in knowing what she wanted that he wasn’t paying attention to other things.“Erm…”’ Rina was starting to say, but a sudden chime on his phone made her stop. Usually, he would have throw
Rina stopped by at her cottage to change into something more appropriate to be worn for dinner. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling excited about the night. She was going to be with Joel outside of their work environment for the first time since she signed the contract, and it made her feel giddy.She was putting on a cute black dress that stopped above her knees, cinched on her waist, and flared from that point down. She paired it with a pair of strapped nude heels and a nude beaded purse. Rina’s hair was still dyed red, and since she hadn’t had the time to change it just yet, she left it that way, slicking it back in an elegant ponytail, and leaving a few strands to frame both sides of her face.With very minimal makeup, she left her house and got into a taxi, armed with the address of Joel’s house. It was a building sitting on a hill, with every inch seemingly lit up. Even the grounds had lights in them, and Rina basked in the amount of glow that touched her skin. J
Rina stared at the burly guy in confusion and shock. She took one step back, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the Lamborghini. Joel stepped protectively in front of her while whispering, “Do you know him, or the person who sent him?”“No,” Rina whispered in response. It was her first time seeing him.“Hey, man!” Joel didn’t move one bit closer to the burly man. “I don’t know who sent you, or why the person did, but I think you’ve got the wrong house. She’s with me.”“She’s not,” the man sneered as if repulsed by that idea, his voice identical to his stature. “And I don’t have the wrong house. She’s Rina Powers.”“Who sent you?” Rina asked from behind Joel. She didn’t have any plans on stepping one foot into the car.“As much as I would love to tell you that right now, I can’t. Not while you’re out here. But the minute I ensure you’re safe inside the car, and on your way home, I would be more than happy to divulge that information.”Joel shook his head. “That d
She stormed into her cottage, the door taking the brunt of her fury. It slammed into its hinges, the grunting sound echoing through the previously empty home. Rina couldn’t compartmentalize how she felt, and it irked her even further. It was a busy day, so she needed to be in bed already. She couldn’t take the chance of being cranky the next day during the studio sessions. Yet, Rina couldn’t let it go.Heading into the kitchen, her eyes fell on the vase bearing tulips on the table. She picked it up with a grim determination, reaching the sink. She held the vase over it, her hands about dropping it with force. But Rina couldn’t let go. Sighing, she brought it back down and whispered, “It’s going to be a lot of work tossing all of you outside and I’m so tired so I’d rather reserve my energy. And besides, you didn’t do anything. Zayn is the one at fault here. I can’t let you suffer on his account.”If anyone had passed by her window at that moment, they would have found it really weird
Rina returned to the studio with an apology on her lips. She knew Joel had been worried about her the previous night, and even though she couldn’t tell him exactly who had sent Williams over, she needed him to know that it wasn’t because she couldn’t trust him. Rina wanted to keep her agreement with Zayn from everyone, as much as she was capable of. The studio was located on the first floor of the building, past the reception and showroom, down to the back. Since they had yet to make their first catalog released to the public, it was usually quiet down there, with only a few people around. Most of the work took place on the second floor, where the designers were, already hired and in the middle of crafting out creative pieces, alongside Joel.Rina came in when they were all expected to be working, so no one would place her face and her relationship with the fashion house. And she entered through the back door. Of course, they couldn’t keep doing this forever, but Joel maintained that
All of Rina froze at once, her eyes staring at the bright red buds before her. They were roses, radiant and absolutely stunning. She couldn’t decipher which held her rooted to the ground – the beauty of the flowers or the shock spurring from the name the card was addressed to.“Stomping beauty?” Joel peered at the bouquet the photographer held as if it were some deadly weapon that didn’t belong there. His feelings were perhaps bruised upon discovering the package hadn’t been meant for him. It was his feeble attempt at acting all machoistic, like it didn’t bother him.“We don’t have anyone by that name here,” he continued, angling his head. “Or do we? Who’s the sender?”“You don’t have to pry into someone’s privacy like that!” Rina snapped, her hands lunging out to stop them from checking for the name of the sender. Joel was surprised at her actions. He raised a brow in concern and confusion. It brought back the memories of the previous night, and how weird it had been when the burly g
In the middle of the shoot, a lot of people came around to shop physically from the walk-in store. The first floor was full of life, and the media team had to take a break because they couldn’t concentrate with all the noise. Making a mental note to inform Joel to move them to the third floor, Rina grabbed her jacket and ducked her head into the hallway, ensuring she wouldn’t run into someone before making her way upstairs. Although her office was located on the second floor, it was at the end of the hallway, away from the major section where the clothes were being designed. The minute she got inside, she turned the lock on the door and slumped into her seat. It was a moderately spaced room, with the dominant theme being black. Even though Rina had told Joel to let her cater for the expenses of decorating her office, he hadn’t allowed it, insisting that it was a part of the perks of working for him. So, while Rina had ordered everything she used for the space, including the small sno
The guys were going for a celebratory dinner downtown, and Rina wanted to come with them. It was either that or spending another lonely night back at her cottage, wondering when to expect Finn’s strike or the moment Kayla would decide she was bored again and in search of someone to torment. Joel wanted her to come along too. When he extended the invite to her, standing by the doorway to her office, he saw the longing on her face and took advantage of it. “You can put on a disguise,” he offered. “You work in a fashion house so that should be fairly easy to put together. Don’t you think?”“Still,” Rina sighed. It was still too early to be seen with the group, particularly when they’d just made the first hit. It wasn’t going to take anyone anything to easily have a hunch that she was the mysterious sensation the media talked about after seeing a woman trying hard to disguise her features. She could have dyed her hair a bright pink if it was a pre-thought plan, but it was already pretty