They went through a trap door Rina had never noticed in her basement, and it made her wonder what else Zayn had discovered in her cottage that she had never noticed after years of owning it. Oleg went before her, pulling out the rug from atop the door and stepping aside to let her through. Rina looked up in apprehension when she discovered he wasn’t going with her through the dark hole.
“I have to close it up and lock the basement doors so they wouldn’t notice the trap door if they gain full access inside,” he explained. When he saw that Rina’s worries only increased, he said, “We will make sure that doesn’t happen. The guys outside only need the signal that you are out of there before they go into action. They don’t want to hurt you in the process.”
“And you?” Rina whispered, scared that someone might have come in already, that the kitchen door wasn’t strong enough to keep them out. “How will I know where I’m supposed to go?”
“Just hide away from view at the entrance. I will be there before you know it, ma’am.”
Rina nodded and went down through the trap door, her robes getting stained from the dust on the old walls. She saw the sunlight peeking through from the other end and crept towards it, sighing when she got to the other end. Oleg appeared in a few minutes with a wine-colored sports car and she got into the back seat at once, while he zoomed out into the streets. He drove slower than William but still faster than the average driver.
But since Rina was already used to their system of driving, she closed her eyes and leaned on the head rest, her head working fast and hard. There were a few things she needed to do for O. S. N fashion house, like return the dress she had modelled the previous day, and resume work. Even though Joel had mentioned that it was fine for her to take a break, Rina didn’t want to. She couldn’t be cowered into hiding like they wanted.
Her eyes fluttering open, Rina retrieved her phone from the pocket of the now dirty robe, and called George. His partner answered, squealing in delight when he heard Rina’s voice. “Its been a minute, girl. How have you been doing?” She could imagine his dimples flashing as a wide smile spread on his face. He was charming, and it was no wonder he caught her manager’s eyes so fast.
Or former manager.
It was one of the reasons Rina was calling. She needed to get her plans back in motion.
“I’m doing great,” she replied. “Of course, other than the fact that the nobody likes me, its been really a ride.”
“If any of your fans believe that nonsense that was said about you, then they don’t really deserve to be your fans,” he replied, always blunt with what he thought. “The real ones got you, and know that you are not a whore as they claim. That conniving bitch…sorry. George’s been telling me to watch my tongue these days, but the words just keep on coming out without restraint.”
“Who are you talking to?” Rina could hear George’s voice asking. He sounded like he was far away, but his footsteps got closer after a moment.
“Rina called and you were in the shower, so I figured I should say hello to her before handing you the phone. We should invite her over for dinner. Rina do you want to come over for dinner?”
Rina laughed, forgetting the burden on her shoulders for a minute. She heard slight playful bickering in the background before George’s voice came on.
“Pardon Isaiah,” he said. “He’s just a lot. You know him.”
“It was really great hearing his voice.” Rina meant that. “By the way, I was attacked in my home earlier and…”
“OH MY GOD! I knew I shouldn’t have left! Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need me to come get you?”
“I got out before they could get to me, so it’s nothing much, other than some eggs that were thrown at me.”
“I can’t believe this! What can I do to help?”
“You mentioned something before you fell asleep last night, and I just want you to know that I don’t care if you meant it or not. I’m holding you for your words.”
Silence.
“Rina, what did I say?”
“I will tell you when the time is right.”
“What did you say?” Rina heard Isaiah say from the background. “Did you do something wrong?”
“You both need to calm down.” Rina chuckled. “You said you would be my manager again. That’s it. I thought you were just drunk and…”
“I meant it,” George said, suddenly sounding somber. “I want to be your manager, not only because I think we work great together and we would be a force to reckon with, but also for the fact that this wave is going to pass, and you’re going to be such a star. I need to be by your side when that happens.”
“That’s really sweet of you.”
“And of course, the pay. I love how good you pay me.”
Rina rolled her eyes, a thought playing in her head. Even though she knew Zayn might not like it, she needed to do it for her comeback.
“You know what? How about I take your invite tonight for dinner?” She asked, surprising Oleg who looked sharply at her from the rearview mirror. “I can’t go to my cottage tonight because the windows were broken into and that would need some time before it gets fixed. I need a place to spend the night.”
George didn’t wait a second before saying, “You are free to spend as many weeks as you want with us. You know I would never have gotten to the point I am right now without your help. I owe you everything.”
“No, you don’t,” Rina said, waving it away. “You only owe me dinner, paired with a fine bottle of wine.”