William was already outside the door by the time Rina got out into the night. She got into the back seat and sighed with contentment as she relished the events of the evening with a smile on her face. William watched from the rearview mirror, a smile of his own tugging at his lips. He was certain that for the first time ever, Zayn had met his match in her. They only had one little issue. He was surprised that day to see Jada at the office, her flawless face exactly as he remembered. William wondered what she was doing back after three years, and what her game was this time around. She always had something up her sleeves, and even though Zayn had known the last time, he still let her carry it out until the very last moment, just to prove a point.
He didn’t love her- that, William was sure about because Zayn didn’t believe in love. But for a moment there, he thought she was someone he could co-exist with as man and wife. But he’d been mistaken. She just might have been the source of his downfall, her cluelessness leading her right to that point.
“It is such a pleasant evening, isn’t it William?” Rina asked with a grin, looking out into the night. “The stars are all out.”
“It is,” he replied curtly.
“Why do you never have a lot to say?”
“I never said that, ma’am,” he murmured.
“But you never say anything. You never speak unless you’re spoken to.”
“That’s because there’s usually much to learn by listening. And besides, I always have a lot to say. I just never allow them to get out through my lips.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “There’s no telling how receptive people will be when they hear my opinions.”
“Zayn will welcome them.”
“I speak with Zayn.”
“But you don’t with me,” she grumbled. “I feel cheated.”
William chuckled but said nothing else as he zoomed along the free road, stepping on the gas. They arrived at the villa in no time and he let her out at the door, while he moved the car into the garage for the night. Rina sighed at the door and bent to take off her heels, holding them in one hand, along with her purse as she punched in the code and pushed the door open. The lights in the living room came on as she walked further in, turning back off when she crossed the space into the kitchen.
Dropping her shoes on the ground, she slid the purse onto the counter and made a bowl of oats for herself. She grabbed an apple and slid onto the stool, massaging her shoulders gently. A ding sound reverberated in the kitchen and Rina fished for her phone in her purse. It was George, checking in on her for the umpteenth time. She sent another message to let him know she was in, before tossing the phone on the counter.
“I thought you went out for dinner,” Zayn said from the door. He strolled in and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Why are you having a bowl of oats? Didn’t you like the food at the diner?”
“You said you were going to wait up,” Rina whispered disbelievingly.
“You should have more faith in me, Ms. Power. I might be a lot of things but I keep to my words.”
“I know,” she drawled. “It’s just…”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Regina,” Rina sighed. “She made me lose my appetite. I couldn’t eat with all the begging and the thrown accusations in the middle. It made me angry and I really didn’t want her to see me that way.”
Zayn nodded, then snapped the cover of the bottle and took large gulps, throwing his head back. Rina watched as his throat bulged with each gulp. She swallowed when she caught herself abruptly and forced her gaze back to her hastily prepared dinner.
“You can stare all you want, Rina. I don’t charge.”
“I wasn’t staring!” She argued in a false high-pitched tone, her eyes straying to his throat again. With all the strength she possessed, she pulled her gaze down and took a large spoon of oats.
“Okay,” he murmured. “But you’re going to have to go slowly on the oats if you don’t want to choke on it.” He slid onto the stool beside her, and leaned in so slowly, pushing a strand of curl behind her ears. Rina paused as a jolt of electricity passed through her. Her heart suddenly started thumping so hard that she feared Zayn would be able to hear it. She swallowed again and tried to remember how to breathe, counting one to ten in her head, before taking another spoon, with a smaller quantity this time.
“How did your night go?”
“Excellent!” She couldn’t help the grin that appeared on her face. “You needed to see her. She begged for mercy, Zayn, and I just watched her.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
Rina paused and angled her head. She didn’t think about it at the time, because she was too in the moment to have time for any other thing. But now that she was back home, she allowed her mind to roam freely. She couldn’t deny the fact that there had been a thrill to it, but didn’t admitting that make her a bad person?
“Not necessarily,” Zayn said, answering her unsaid question. “In the world of business, things like this happen all the time. To climb the ladder of success, you make enemies along the way. The only means to have them not pull you down is to send a clear message that you can’t be messed with. And doing that feels so great.”
“I don’t know,” Rina sighed, causing a chuckle to escape Zayn’s lips.
“What?” She turned to look at him, regretting the decision instantly when she realized he had leaned in so close. All it would take for her was to lean in a little more, and their lips would touch. A bout of warmth ran through her at the thought, and as if reading her mind, Zayn allowed his eyes to caress her lips softly.
“Nothing,” he whispered, his lips barely moving. “I just think you are a nice-mean lady, and I like it. I think I like it way too much.”