Rina willed for the car to turn around and leave as fast as possible, but with every second that passed, it seemed to edge closer, oblivious to her plight and the situation she had been plunged into. Her pulse raced as the car stopped right at her entrance, and the lights turned off.
“Hmmm,” Kayla murmured, angling her head. “I wonder who that is. One of the producers, perhaps? Do you now allow them access into your home?”
“If he has any dignity in him, he would turn back right this instant.” Finn’s tone held a certain edge to it, almost like the thought and scene were getting him angry. If Rina didn’t know any better, she just might have believed that.
Rina stared harshly at them, an overwhelming feeling overtaking her to effect an equal level of harm to the one they had made her go through. She wanted to wipe that cocky look off Kayla’s face with all her might, replacing it with the hurt that Kayla seemed to easily dish out. Rina remembered the baby she’d lost, and her anger seemed to double in intensity and tenacity. Kayla had been the one who made her lose that child, and Rina didn’t think she would ever forget it.
She was going to bid her time, slowly and intentionally. When it was right, Kayla was going to be reminded of everything she’d made her go through. Rina was going to make sure of that. And Finn wasn’t going to be excluded.
The door to the car pushed open, and Rina swallowed, feeling her one wildcard slip away from her hands. She thought Zayn seemed to be taking an awfully long time getting around, as a few seconds passed before Rina made out the pair of black boots approach.
There was a visible sign of relief etched on her features when William walked out from the car, his burly build making Kayla stop for a moment. Finn didn’t even stand a chance.
William stretched to his full height, watching Kayla and Finn for a while. Slowly, he turned around to face Rina, still keeping an eye on the duo.
“Are you fine?” He questioned mechanically as if someone else had put him up to it. “If they’re troubling you, just say the word.”
“And what would you do about it?” Kayla sneered. She had gotten her voice back, recovering from the initial shock. “And who the hell are you? I haven’t seen you before, but you should know who I am, right? Everyone knows who I am.”
William looked at her slowly, a muscle working in his jaw. “Who are you?” He asked in the most disdain of fashion, causing a sharp gasp to escape from her lips.
“I am going to act like you didn’t ask that,” she squealed, as Finn patted her back gently. “Do you want to get blacklisted the way she was?” Kayla questioned, nudging at Rina. “If you don’t want that, I’d advise you to run away from her. She’s bad luck.”
William raised a brow. “Blacklisted? You?” He scoffed, and Rina tried her best not to burst out laughing from the look on Kayla’s face.
“Ms. Powers,” William called. “Can you please come with me? I don’t want to make a scene here, especially since…”
“Did you?” Rina asked knowingly.
He nodded. “If you don’t come with me, you know what’s going to happen next. He’s unstoppable.”
“Who is unstoppable?” Finn muttered, still with that sneer in his tone. “Or are you now talking in the third person narrative? Do you know how old school that is?”
William looked at Rina for two seconds, as if asking for permission he knew she wouldn’t give, before walking towards Finn menacingly. William easily towered above him, and his huge build and tall frame gave him an advantage. Finn didn’t stand a chance.
“What did you say?” William murmured darkly, talking in Finn’s face.
“I…”
“Of course,” William drawled. “You can’t.” He pushed him to the wall with one hand on his collar and leaned into him, placing his lips against Finn’s ears. No one could hear what he told Finn, but it was enough to have him shaking on the spot. He looked towards Kayla for help, but she couldn’t move an inch, the suddenness of the situation keeping her rooted to the spot.
Suddenly snapping out of it, she retrieved her phone from her purse, a light gradually coming to her eyes. Rina knew she was going to call someone from her family to come salvage the situation, but she didn’t want anyone else to find out about where she lived.
“You are going to regret this!” She yelled, her phone going up to her ears. But William left Finn immediately, and stalked over to her instead, ripping the phone off her ears. He tossed it to the ground with so much strength that it didn’t stand a chance against the hardness of the floor.
“Do you get it now?” William was angry. “The next time I see you around here, I’m not going to go so easy on you. So, while I’m being nice, get out. And don’t forget to take your ‘thing’ with you.”
Finn was offended by the fact that he had just been referred to as a thing, but he barely had enough time to react. Kayla hated not having the final say, hated being defeated in situations like these. Her face contorted into a scowl and she picked up her broken phone from the ground.
“This isn’t over,” she muttered as she edged towards her car. “Rina, you just crossed a line you shouldn’t have.”
“You’re wrong, Kayla. You were the one who crossed the line by sabotaging my career and harming my baby. I’m not going to sit around and watch you step over me anymore.”
“You should try to keep the cottage then,” she replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Because there’s no way on earth I’m ever going to lose to you. Tell him that too,” she added, nudging towards William.
He growled at her. “Why can I still hear your voice?”