The sun was out early that Saturday morning and Rina was already at the studio, awaiting her turn for the audition of the female lead role.She didn't realise that she left her house earlier than supposed until she got to the studio and met only the prop masters who were setting the stage and props to be used for the day.Max wasn't in sight yet so she decided to sit on one of the empty chairs and wait for him.None of the prop masters spared her a conversation but it didn't bother her as she also wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. With the turn outs of events, she had decided to inform Zayn about her lack of interest in their deal when he returned back from his business trip. She was going to take it up from here and do a good job to ensure that she debunks the wrong impressions that were written about her.After a few hours of waiting, some members and supporting role members started turning up to the studio.Just as she was about to go take a pee in one of the restrooms,
Rina sat by the window of her home, staring at nothing in particular. She could hear the world go by - the flowing traffic of distinct people, wrapped up in their bubbly worlds. Of course, there were the others, the vengeful ones that lurked in the comment sections of blogs and social media posts, scratching out their vile nails and clawing deep enough to draw blood. But they weren't the ones to blame and Rina Powers knew that. She leaned on the window sill, her features hardening. The faces flashed in her face - Kayla and Finn. She handed them her lives in trust and they mangled it beyond recognition. And now, she was subject to this; hiding out in her cottage, the only glimpse she had of her taken through her ears. Rina laughed out loud, the sudden melancholic sound breaking through the fragile silence. It sounded foreign to Rina too, almost like a new person had been birthed from her loins. Her bare feet touched the floor as Rina strolled into the kitchen. She gazed at the carton
“Shouldn't you be on the set for the role you stole from me?’ Rina snapped, her attention torn between Zayn hovering behind her and her overwhelming hatred for her former best friend. “Stole?” Kayla's surprised tone irked Rina more than she actually felt. It pushed her into a state of near despair, that if she wasn't so attuned to what was going on, she might have thought she was losing her mind. “That role belonged to me, Rina, and you know that. I'm the queen around here, and whatever I say is law.” Rina searched for a smart comeback in her head, and coming up empty, she said the only thing that had been at the tip of her tongue since Kayla announced she'd been the one plotting all of her misfortunes from the very beginning. “Of course you're queen. You come from one of the strongest families and you never hesitate to use that against everyone. I just don't know how I never saw that part of you until now. But guess what? That's the only power you possess.” The smile on Kayla's fa
Zayn smirked and leaned back into the black couch in her living area. That was the first thing that had him captivated the instant he walked in. Black wasn’t a color one would find a woman opting for in her living room theme, yet Rina had done it so exceptionally well that Zayn thought there had to be more beneath all that layer. He angled his head as he watched all the emotions flash through her eyes. She was fighting this as hard as she could, and Zayn understood her reasons. She had just come out of a marriage and a friendship where she was stabbed in the back. It was only natural for her to not want to depend on anyone other than herself. But Zayn didn’t have the patience for her to work around that. He needed to set his plans in motion as soon as possible. His family was forcing him to get married and he knew that the more he stalled, the higher the chances of his step-brother getting in the way. Zayn needed to have this sorted out fast enough so he could face other integral
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Rina couldn’t stop thinking about it, long after Zayn’s departure. She stood by the mirror, wondering why on earth she had held such a long conversation with him without remembering she had picked one of her most flimsy tops to put on earlier that day. “Urgh!” she groaned, throwing herself on top of her bed. She tried to create a balance in her head. She shouldn’t even have this reaction since she had had no clue that Zayn was going to stop by unannounced. She hadn’t even told him where she lived, but she had an inkling how he had gotten the address. She could imagine him dishing out orders to his private detective, paying him enough to snoop around her until he got information about the woman who was to be his contract wife. Rina knew she was becoming overly dramatic at that point, but she couldn’t stop herself as she jumped over to her window, parting the silky curtains and pressing her nose up on the glass. There was nothing in the near distance, other than a
“I…I didn’t know… She…” The more Zayn’s personal assistant stammered, the more he got so infuriated. Stifling the urge to wrap his hands around her throat and squeeze the life out of her, he closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. It did nothing to reduce the fury Zayn felt inside. “Forward the call to my office,” he instructed his expression back to its stoic and fierce nature. “Okay, Mr. Graham.” She sounded relieved, but Zayn was far from done. “And that’s going to be the last thing you’d be doing for me here. You are fired. Clear out your desk, and see HR on your way out for your official letter and your payment in lieu of notice.” “Sir?” She rushed out from behind her desk, stopping before him but with enough distance so as not to encroach on his personal space. Everyone who worked there knew how he felt about that. “I didn’t know that…Everyone in Country G knows her story and I was looking out for you.” “Looking out for me,” Zayn smirked darkly, his lips r
George called again, but this time with some great news. The higher-ups had personally called him to ask about Rina, and now, they were interested in speaking to her. Rina didn’t know how this had happened, or what caused the sudden shift in their perspective, but the moment she ended the call with George, she jumped out of bed in glee and rushed into the shower. Rina was done bathing in record time, and she walked briskly into her closet, eyeing her line of exotic dresses. She angled her head when she reached a red dress she had gotten a while ago at a vacation in Hawaii. It was a stunning corporate piece, and at the time, Rina had no idea why she had purchased it. She had already given up her career for her home, so the endless business meetings had all disappeared. But now, Rina was glad she had gotten it. If she had anything at all to show the higher-ups, this dress was going to do just that. Taking her time to put it on without getting any creases, Rina opted for minimalisti
Rina thought she was running late by the time she arrived at the building. She was so bothered about her planned impression getting ruined that she barely bothered to pay attention to the stares the taxi driver gave her. All that was on her mind was getting up to the third floor before she lost this chance. She raced through the glass doors, navigating through the sparse crowd of actresses, their teams, and producers. Some of them cast her dumbfounding looks as she glided by, and even though Rina was stung by them, she didn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing it on her face. Her heels clicked on the tiled ground as she hurried along, her head focused and her back straight, maintaining the little that was left of her dignity. When she got into the lift, she allowed the weight of everything that was tossed at her to bring her under. She used to walk through those same halls with respectful glances cast her way, and hushed whispers about how phenomenal she was. Now, the opposite wa