“Are you doing this because of her?” Jada snapped suddenly, her glare directed at Rina. The loud music drowned out her voice but it was loud enough to get the attention of the closest table. “She’s not worth it, Zayn. Don’t you see what she is doing to you? She did the same thing to all those male actors she worked with. Even Joel Osteen came out to talk about it.”
Zayn stared at her with the most blank expression ever. “I don’t get you.”
“I saw the article,” she murmured. “But I know it’s all some big mistake. You are only doing it to get back at me for breaking your heart, but I understand. That’s the reason I am here to make amends. I shouldn’t have done that, and I am really sorry about it. Let’s move on. You know we are meant for each other. You were going to marry me.”
“Yeah. But that was before I found out you had been sleeping with my brother and perhaps, half the country. Don’t let me regret not coming out to tell everyone what you did because it wouldn’t cost me anything right now. You are making a scene, and bringing discomfort to my guest. We can continue this conversation after the launch, but for now, stay away, Jada.”
“Zayn…”
“Would you rather I got security to throw you out?”
Jada threw one more venomous look at Rina before walking out of view. Rina scoffed and shook her head, earning an eye raise from Zayn. “Say it.”
“She was having sex with your brother.”
“That amongst other things. But it didn’t bother me as much as the notion that I was going to be getting married to someone who couldn’t even be respectful enough to keep her mind off my brother. She knows how much Nathan and I clash, yet he had to be the person to keep her satisfied in bed. That’s fucked up.”
“So you never loved her then.”
Zayn tilted his head. “Love. It doesn’t exist, Rina. Love is a distraction and it only causes hurt. I don’t believe in it.”
There. Rina had her answers. She nodded and turned to George, getting into a sudden animated conversation so Zayn didn’t see the look in her eyes. He had always been able to read her so well that he would decipher it on the spot. And Rina didn’t want that to happen.
“Regina has made your first post on your socials and the engagement rate is above the roof,” George said, getting right into it. “It looks like people have been waiting for you to say something. It might not be what they want to hear, but at least, you are putting something out there and they are happily consuming it after all your silence. You should go through the comments when you have the time. Of course, there will always be hate comments, but your fans are getting stronger these days. Especially with that article about you and Zayn. They all want to know.”
“I guess tonight has answered their question then.”
“I thought you weren’t planning on telling the public just yet.”
“I wasn’t, but then again, what’s the point of waiting if people are going to snoop around trying to pry the information off me? I might just as well hand it over on my own terms, rather than let another person do a Kayla on me.”
“I will support whatever decision you make,” George murmured, always going to be by Rina’s side no matter what happened. He wasn’t a fickle friend and had no plans of starting now.
“I was going to talk to you about…”
Rina didn’t know when Zayn got up, but the music suddenly went down and his voice suddenly flooded the room. Her attention drifted to him almost immediately, unable to help it. Zayn stood in the center of the stage, the lights putting all focus on him. Rina realized that they were putting on matching clothes, his dark suit accessorized by silver items. She shook it off as a coincidence and listened to his announcement, thinking it was going to be something about shares or related to the company.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone for coming,” Zayn started, the sound of his voice compelling silence and attention. “Everyone seated here is important to Graham Conglomerate. It is the reason you got the invitation in the first place. I have been a corporate entity for a while now, and while we all know how cutthroat the business world is, surviving it is practically impossible without the friends you make along the way. So I appreciate you all for the business ideas, the shares in your companies you willingly allowed me to purchase, the unwavering support of my board, my loving parents who have been there for me from the very first moment, Nathan and Mago, my siblings and every other person who has been in this journey with me.”
“I want to also especially thank William for all he does behind the scenes to always ensure everything runs smoothly. But beyond that, you are a friend and I am grateful to have you at my side. Graham Conglomerate in Hong Kong is a step forward in actualizing my dreams of my name being known all over the world, and this is only the beginning. I am fueled for what the future holds and pumped for progress.”
The crowd erupted into applause. Zayn waited for it to quieten before he continued.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to say before stepping off stage and allowing the party to flow seamlessly into the night. This is a formal introduction to everyone here, including those watching live. Sometime this year, I was opportune to meet the one person who makes all of this worth it. The moment she came into my life, I began to see the beauty in things I’d constantly ignored. She brought her fierceness, fearlessness, and determination into my life, and our fusion makes us a force to be reckoned with. But more importantly, she taught me what it means to really love after I have lived all my life not believing in its existence.”
Zayn turned to Rina and her breath hitched in her chest.