The party was still in full swing when Zayn’s mom pulled Rina into her arms, her smile the widest in the room. Zayn could see the relief on her face, stretched so wide that it could encompass the whole room. He hated that it had to be that way that he had to lie to get the firm off his brother’s incapable hands and to make his mother pleased. But Zayn didn’t have time to get to know someone and then, fall in love, like his parents wanted. They might have been in love and it might have gotten them where they were, but Zayn was certain there was an explanation for it.
An alignment of plans, maybe. But definitely not love.
“You never cease to amaze me, brother,” Nathan beamed, even though he couldn’t hide the anger behind his eyes away from Zayn. He seemed to forget how keen his younger brother was to observations, how much wealth and power he had at his disposal to get things done without lifting a finger. Although Nathan appeared laid back, Zayn could see through his facade. He angled his head and smiled.
“I live to amaze you, Nathan. You should have figured that out by now. I didn’t count you as a slow person.”
“But a wedding!” Nathan scooted to the edge of his seat, his eyes straying to Rina who was talking to Mago animatedly. The two seemed to have started off beautifully, with a lot to talk about. “With how sudden it was, someone would have thought you had your eyes on something that necessitated you getting married.”
“Something like…” Of course, Zayn knew where the conversation was headed. He just wanted Nathan to steer them in that direction. And his older brother was too full of himself to realize Zayn was the one playing the game.
He shrugged. “A building, a company, shares…who knows. It’s just strange that my brother who doesn’t believe in love finally found one in a woman who has been pushed away by her fans and created a whole lot of anti-fans. Although, I have to admit that she is one hell of a woman stunning, confident, not to mention the fact that the same people who hated her are beginning to wonder if they hadn’t been quick to judge.”
“She’s like me in that sense,” Zayn said, shrugging like it was nothing. Yet, it was one of the most beautiful things about Rina, that had him constantly thinking about her, and then berating himself for doing that. She was a fierce fighter, never backing down or giving up even on a cloudy day that threatened to drench her. It was the reason he wanted to help as much as he could. It bothered him when he saw her do things, leaving him in the background. He’d always wanted to be out there, with her, and he was glad he could finally do that.
“But Nathan,” he continued, edging the conversation on. “Don’t you think you are making wild assumptions here? For one, no one is thinking about the suddenness of our engagement, especially after expecting an explanation following the release of that article yesterday. To be candid, I have that person to thank, whoever it is.”
“Why?”
“I have been thinking about doing this for a while now, but I didn’t know if Rina was ready to get married again, especially after being with a shitty man for over seven years. But when I saw her response to it, I just decided that perhaps, we would figure it out together. This is working in our favor.”
A muscle worked in Nathan’s jaw, and Zayn took the opening. “I don’t suppose you know who is responsible for this, do you?”
“Why would you think that?” he shot back with so much energy than necessary. It made Zayn scoff and shake his head.
“You don’t have to be all defensive about it if you have nothing to hide.”
“You are making blind accusations yet you were the one who just told me I was jumping to conclusions. Don’t you think that is hypocrisy?”
“Am I?” Zayn took a slow and dangerous step forward, clocking Nathan in his chair while the rest of the world went on. “Or do you think I know exactly what I am talking about?”
“Zayn…”
“You forget, Nathan, that I am Zayn Graham, the one man who can get anything done with the snap of his fingers. And you weren’t as clean as you thought you were. I know what you did, Nathan, and I promise you that I am not going to let it go.”
“What is this?” Nathan snapped but ensured to keep his voice down. Despite the fact that he thought he was under the protection of his parents to an extent, his fear of Zayn also made him understand that his younger brother could decide to damn the consequences and do something against him. Zayn was highly unpredictable. He should have taken that into consideration.
“What is this?” Zayn chuckled. “You should be asking yourself that. I would have let it go if it was just me. I don’t give a fuck about what you say or do because nothing can harm me. But you dragged my fiancee into this, and anyone who gets her name sullied has to deal with me from now on. So, you, Nathan Graham, will not get away with this. You can mark my words.”
“Zayn…” Nathan’s voice shook with tremor, as the sudden realization of the implication of what he had done hit him. For a split second, he wished he had found another way, wished he had gotten around ruining whatever it was they had without going through Rina. Now, Zayn was a wild lion with nothing and no one to stop him.
“And by the way, she knows about it. We don’t keep a thing from each other. That is what real loyalty and honesty looks like, but I doubt someone like you would be able to understand.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what you think I mean.”