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 long overgrown lawn. She hadn’t gotten around to that yet because Rina still couldn’t trust opening her home to anyone.
Returning to the comfort of her bed, she stared up at the ceiling, wondering where to go from that point. Zayn had given her more time to think about what she wanted for herself, with the subtle threat that he wasn’t going to hang around forever. If she didn’t make a decision now, she would lose the chance of losing him forever and that thought scared her to death.
Rina knew the assets at his disposal would aid her comeback in the entertainment industry, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure she should be depending on a stranger who before now, she had only met once before now.
Although most girls in Rina’s shoes would jump at the chance of being with Zayn, no matter the circumstance, Rina had a lot to consider. She couldn’t deny that he was breathtaking in a rugged way and she had to remind herself not to stare for too long if she didn’t want to risk getting lost in those endless blue eyes.
“What do I do?” She thought aloud, even though deep within her, she’d made the decision already. Rising from the bed, Rina walked to her closet, pulling out the purse she’d had on her on the day she was involved in an accident. She retrieved the finely designed business card and twirled it between her fingertips.
The card glowed in the dark, the fierce yet endearing look captivating every inch of Zayn’s personality. Rina amused herself with the possibility that the card designer had used Zayn as the inspiration for the card.
Returning to the room, Rina didn’t hesitate as she picked up her phone and dialed the highlighted number of the CEO of the company. She knew that if she had delayed even for one second, she would have chickened out of it.
She heard a click at the first ring.
“Hello!” A chirpy yet professional voice greeted. It felt so energetic that Rina at first, thought it was an automated response. “Thank you for calling Graham Conglomerates. How may we help you today?”
“Hi…” Rina stuttered, realizing she had no clue what she was expected to reply to that. She hadn’t thought about the possibility of someone else picking up the call. Of course, she should have figured that Zayn wouldn’t hand his personal cell line over just like that.
“I’m Rina Powers and…”
“Oh!” She suddenly interrupted, the name going before her. She tried to be as formal and objective as possible but Rina could hear the judgment seeping in through her tone. “Mr. Graham isn’t giving any financial aid right now, neither is he helping anyone in the entertainment industry. I would suggest you get in contact with a producer to discuss your needs.”
Rina felt a chill creep up her spine like she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. She couldn’t shake out of it, couldn’t dry herself up, and it reflected in her voice.
“Erm,” Rina let out a shaky breath, feeling embarrassed already. “That’s not why I called. Zayn gave me his number to reach out to him when… It’s important.”
“Of course.” Now, her tone dripped with sarcasm. “It’s always important with you, isn’t it? We are really swamped here right now, so again, take the next bus and call a producer who would be more than happy to help. Of course, he will demand something in return, but I don’t think you would mind that, given the fact that…”
“Hey!” Rina snapped. She just couldn’t stay quiet and let someone who didn’t know the full story insult her. She might not have control over the comments on social media, but that didn’t mean she needed to stay mute when the insults were thrown directly at her.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Rina warned. “I told you already that I didn’t want to talk about my career. Zayn wanted me to call him. Just tell him I’m on the line.”
The lady laughed, a mocking sound that plunged a knife deep into Rina’s gut. It hurt like hell, but not as much as the ones her former best friend and ex-husband had buried inside her.
“One, I can say whatever I want to say to you because you are no longer the star you once were. You’ve lost that already, so get used to this. Secondly, it is Mr. Graham to you. I don’t know what claws you plan on sinking into my boss, but he’s not at your level. Take your loss and get out of my ears before I do something worse to your already tarnished image. Do you understand, Rina Powers?”
“What did you just say?” Those words didn’t come from Rina, but the familiarity of the sound suddenly held her spellbound.
“Sir?”
“What the fuck did you just say to the person on the line?”