Rina tried to stop herself, but with the villa empty once again, she was left with her thoughts. Reeling from them, she walked to her room and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a white tank top, allowing her hair to flow in waves all around her. She grabbed a tote, applied nude gloss to her lips, and completed her outfit with a pair of platforms. Rina meant business, she meant to take back the control she’d lost hours ago. Although she had no idea how that was going to work, Rina knew that for Zayn and herself to continue a platonic arrangement, it was a sacrifice she was going to have to make, and hope for herself that nothing like that happened again. If it did, she doubted she would be able to deny her feelings anymore.
Taking her keys off her nightstand, Rina walked out of the villa and into the garage, getting behind the wheel. This time, when Igor approached, she told him her destination so he didn’t have to worry. It would have been a futile effort calling Zayn since he would have to circle around.
Pulling out of the garage, Rina navigated the busy traffic, grateful once again for her tinted windows on a day like that. She wouldn’t have known what to do with all the paparazzi and reporters shoving mics into her face. Even though she had been preparing herself for a day like this, Rina didn’t take into consideration the possibility of this situation. Now, rather than bask in the moment, she was headed to straighten out some things.
She arrived at the building just before lunch break and was directed to the parking lot. Once securely parked, Rina grabbed her tote from the passenger seat and walked briskly into the building, nodding at the doorman and moving past him. Eyes flew in her direction as she crossed the lobby, and lips moved in hurried whispers. Still, Rina didn’t bother herself with all of that since she wasn’t expecting an egg to fly across the room, hitting her square in the chest. The episode at her cottage seemed like a lifetime ago, and Rina was ready to move past it.
The receptionist at the lobby got on her feet the moment she saw Rina, her lips falling open and then close. For a person who worked for the most powerful man in the country, she wasn’t doing a great job at keeping her cool. Walking straight past her, Rina headed for the elevators, hitting the key for the last floor. She knew that was where his office was because he’d mentioned it before in a conversation.
The elevator doors chimed open in a few seconds, and Rina was thrown into a hallway where every corner spoke of him. The floors were covered in a rich Persian rug, almost absorbing her feet the instant she stepped into it. The floor-length windows reminded her of a penthouse, and she could imagine him going for that look. It was possible to see the whole city from that point the rise of buildings, the smoke emanating from chimneys, the factory rubbles everything. Rina found herself walking towards one of the windows and leaning into it.
Somewhere on screen in the middle of the street, the announcement made earlier that day by Pages of Claire was being aired again, with Rina’s face plastered in the middle. They chose a picture of her in that stunning piece during O. S. N’s fashion show, of course before the whole crowd went crazy. Her eyes twinkled at the awareness of what that meant, and at that moment, Rina was ready for whatever got thrown her way again.
“Rina?”
She was unable to stop her body from responding the way it always did each time he was around. Her skin flushed from the total attention he gave her, and her heart thudded hard against her chest. Rina turned around slowly, and took a deep breath, mentally psyching herself for the conversation she was about having.
But when her eyes fell on him, she found herself spellbound by the aura he carried about him, with her tongue choosing to betray her. She searched his perfect features, her gaze carrying to his lips the same that had almost kissed her that morning. Swallowing, Rina forced herself to look back into his eyes, but that still wasn’t a great decision.
“Hey,” he murmured, taking a slow step towards her. “Are you alright? You look…”
“We need to talk about what happened this morning.”
“Right.” Zayn nodded and gave her a once-over before ushering her into his office. They walked past Mia who held a surprised look on her face but it was the last thing Rina cared about. The door closed noiselessly behind them but Zayn didn’t go behind his desk. Instead, he moved to the couch and plopped into it, patting the space beside him for Rina to sit.
She swallowed and walked towards him, sitting on the couch but putting as much distance as she could between them. She knew how she got when she was too close to him.
“You wanted to talk.”
Rina nodded. “This morning was…”
“I know,” he sighed. “A mistake that shouldn’t happen again.”
Rina didn’t know why that hurt even though she had been aiming to use those exact words, framed in the same manner. Still, a sharp pain suddenly went through her and she resisted the urge to double over from its intensity.
“I shouldn’t have touched you,” Zayn continued, oblivious to the pain Rina was in. “It was a…nothing excuses it. We made an agreement that there wouldn’t be any form of physical relationship between us, and even though we haven’t signed it yet, it is still the foundation of our union. And we don’t want anything to complicate things in the future before the five years are over.”
Rina nodded, not trusting her voice to say anything.
Suddenly, a shy knock sounded on the door and a pair of heels clicked on the ground almost immediately, sauntering into the office. Rina looked up to see a gorgeous woman with striking blue eyes, perfect skin, and the most piercing gaze.
“Hello, Zayn,” she murmured barely moving her impeccably red lips and with all her attention on Rina.