“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 face was obvious even through the phone. “I’m glad you know that, Rina. You’re finally learning your place. You’re right. It’s the only power I possess, but it’s more than everything you got now.”
“Kayla…”
“You’re down there, Rina, and I’m way up there. You’re all barks and not a single bite.”
Rina’s palm folded into fists by her side while the other clutched tightly to her phone. Zayn must have moved at some point, because in a second, he was standing in front of her, his brows arched in laidback concern.
Although Zayn was yet to do anything else, Rina felt this compelling certainty that if he felt she was overly worked up over this issue, he would step right in. And that thought scared the shit out of her. Taking a deep breath, Rina closed her eyes and allowed her fist to unravel.
When she pried her eyes open a second later, Zayn was visibly relaxed. She’d been right.
“You should end the call.” Although it was supposed to be a suggestion, it sounded more like an instruction that left no room for disobedience. Rina risked a glance up at Zayn’s face, stunned by the intensity that greeted her.
Her hands acted on their own accord as if suddenly cast under a spell by Zayn. She ended the call and tossed the phone to the couch, turning around at once and heading back to the kitchen. Rina was infuriated and she couldn’t place her hands on the reason.
All she knew was that it had something to do with Zayn’s sudden appearance in her space. She hadn’t even gotten around to asking him how he got in before he slammed her with another question.
She climbed the stool again, intent on reaching the drawer without stumbling. Then his dominating presence enveloped the kitchen again. But this time, Zayn didn’t wait for her to fall. He reached over her head easily, pulling the drawer open.
Rina held her breath as Zayn rummaged through the drawer, finally pulling out the bottle of vodka she had been so desperate to find but now seemed inconsequential. Although it had only taken a couple of seconds, it felt like five long hours to Rina.
Air rushed through her lungs the minute Zayn stepped away from her hair. Seemingly oblivious to her sudden dishevel and her racing pulse, his eyes scanned the kitchen, nodding to himself when he located the glasses on one end of the sink.
He grabbed two, along with the bottle of vodka, and crossed the space back into the living room, leaving Rina alone to her wild thoughts. She held on to her chest when he stepped out, wondering why it was acting all out. Her heart had been thrumming so hard that she was scared Zayn could hear it.
What if he had and had only just ignored it because he thought it stupid?
The better for me, Rina thought to herself. It would make it easier to tell him she was no longer interested in getting married to a stranger.
When she returned to the living room, Zayn had helped himself to a glass, the other one-half empty and sitting on the table. She stopped in front of him and folded her arms across her chest.
“You need to leave,” she muttered, not only because it felt odd having Zayn in a space she was used to staying alone but for her sanity.
“Where did you get this drink?” He mused, eyeing the bottle. “It’s something, you know? Tastes like an old scotch I used to import a while ago.”
“Zayn!” Rina snapped, getting his attention. He regarded her intently, his eyes raking through her. He stopped at her arms across her chest, lingering longer than two seconds before sighing and picking up his glass of scotch.
Curious, Rina looked down at her arms, her eyes widening in surprise when she realized she’d brought his attention to her b*** by pushing them up. It didn’t help that she had opted for not putting on a bra today since she had no plans of going out.
Dropping her hands at once, Rina decided it was more than enough reason to get Zayn to leave. “I need the key,” she blurted.
“What key?”
“To the door. You must have one. There’s no other way you would have gained access inside.” She had thought about it. The back door was securely bolted from inside so that left the main entrance, which a master key could have easily unlocked. Rina needed to reverse the possibility of that.
“You underestimate me, Rina,” he replied, a strange humor in his cold tone. “If you’re going to be my wife, I should at least be able to come and go as I like, right?”
“Wrong.”
Zayn had never been disobeyed on the spot and as easily as Rina had just done. Yet, his first response wasn’t fury.
It was intrigue instead.