“What?” His voice was tainted with disbelief as he pushed off the couch as well. “Selfish? If anything, I have put your needs over and beyond mine countless number of times.”
“Because every one of those times, my presence in your life favored you,” Rina retorted. “You loved having me around so you went out of your way to make sure that never changed. And the one time you realize you can’t have me around as you want, you make it your mission to hate me.”
“Hate you?”
“At the interview, when you were asked if you had finally been freed from my clutches, you laughed Joel! You laughed! You had the chance to tell my anti-fans that I am not who they think I am, yet you let that slide. You let the whole world believe they were right, that I seduced you to get into O. S. N.”
“What would you have had me do?” he asked exasperatedly. “You told me you wanted my sales to return to normal. That was me doing what you wanted.”
Rina’s head jutted back in surprise. “And now, you turn around and use my own words against me. I wanted you to get your sales up not murder my identity before the whole world. You were my friend, Joel.”
“And you were mine too. But you hurt me the minute you walked out those doors. Everything couldn’t remain the same.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So, now you think that I hurt you and now I go around hurting other people as well?”
“Isn’t that what you do?” He shrugged. “You don’t mind the number of casualties you leave behind as long as you achieve your aim, and I think that’s sick. Regina was just one of them. How many more do you have to put on the line before you realize that nothing is the same anymore? You need to let it go, Rina. People are not going to love you the way they used to and that’s fine too.”
“What?” Rina whispered, shaking her head. “This has to be some joke. Did I really not know you or is this a new part of you? What happened to you Joel Osteen?”
“I guess this has been my person all along,” he replied. “You were just too focused on yourself to see it.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, then moved to the center table, placing the glass gingerly in the middle. Rina grabbed her purse and stood before him. “I shouldn’t have come here. It was all some big mistake. I apologize for ruining your dinner.”
She moved around him and headed for the door, but Joel jumped in front of her, blocking the path. “You can’t possibly leave now.” His eyes pleaded silently. “I haven’t seen you in ages. I hoped to spend time with you.”
“You have to be delusional if you think I am going to spend one more minute with you. Is this why you called me? You knew that if you said something mean to me, I would want to see you. That’s it, isn’t it? It’s the reason you prepared dinner in anticipation of my coming. I should have known better. You toyed with my emotions.”
“I had to do something,” Joel gasped. “You weren’t going to come around if I asked you to.”
“I would have!” Rina snapped. “I would have come to see you, Joel, because I never gave up on our friendship, and I never stopped being grateful for everything you did for me. But you just had to go and ruin it all.”
Rina tried to walk around him again, but he remained insistent, moving every second to stop her from leaving. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to push her back.
“Let me go, Joel!” She screamed, trying to push against him as well. “I want to go this instant.”
“I can’t let you drive in this state. You are clearly upset. You need to calm down before I can let you walk out those doors.”
“The more I see you, the more riled up I become,” Rina retorted. “So, don’t you think it’s better for me to get out of your face right this minute? I don’t think I can bear any more of it.”
“Rina…”
“Leave me alone!”
“I’m sorry but I can’t do that.”
Suddenly, the door pushed open and Igor walked in, looking deadlier than Rina had ever seen. He approached them slowly yet firmly, not taking his eyes off Joel, not even for one second. “You heard the lady,” he said in a dangerously low voice. “Let her go.”
“Or what?” Joel tightened his hold on her shoulders, forcing her closer to him. Rina could smell alcohol on him. He must have been drinking something stronger than the wine before she got there. “And what the hell do you think you are doing barging in here like you own the place? How did you get past security?”
Igor cast Rina a look and nudged in the direction of the door. She understood at once that Zayn was out there and the only reason he hadn’t come in himself was because she had made him promise not to reveal their relationship to anyone.
“You don’t want to find out what I would do to you if you don’t get your hands off her this minute.”
There must have been something in Igor’s eyes, a warning perhaps, that got Joel thinking twice about his decision. He let Rina go immediately and she stared at him with so much disappointment before moving to stand behind Igor.
“Thank you for the wine,” Rina blurted. “But don’t think I’m ever coming back here again. If you think that low of me, then there’s no need for us to be in communication anymore. I hope you understand.”
“Rina…”
“Don’t call my name too.”
Igor placed a hand firmly on Rina’s back and walked her out through the door. Joel followed closely behind, his eyes widening in surprise when he took in the three cars in his driveway, excluding Rina’s, all with their headlights turned on.
He turned back to look at Igor, and muttered, “You look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?”
“You better hope not, because the next time I see you, I will not be this nice.”