A classical piece was playing in the background, the cello soothing and seemingly out of place with the cheers erupting from the guest. But Zayn didn’t look at any of that, didn’t even realize it, as all of his being was focused on Rina, waiting for a response to his question. She blinked twice before shaking her head. “I was just lost in my thoughts. It isn’t a big deal. We should go greet the couple.”
Even after everything that had happened, Rina was still waiting for a change, an explicit one. She was done with denying her feelings to herself and even felt relief when she faced the truth. Rina was in love with Zayn Graham. She had no clue exactly when she had fallen that deep for him. Perhaps, it happened at the very beginning. But one thing was certain. She knew Zayn felt something for her. But after all he had made himself believe about love, he was not willing to see past that.
“Are you sure?” he pushed, watching her intently. Rina nodded, feeling the full wealth of his gaze.
“I am certain. I was also thinking about how strange it is that Joel and Mandy are getting married. They don’t look happy, certainly, but aside from that, she hadn’t even mentioned a thing to us when we were over at the station, almost as if she was hiding it as anything about Joel Osteen can even be hidden from the public.”
“Do you want me to find out what is going on?” Zayn murmured, always seeking her opinions and takes about things, with the aim of keeping her satisfied. It made Rina secure in him, and made it hard to stay away from him.
“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “Regina is in Scottsdale for a reason. Let her do all the hard work.”
“Scottsdale?”
“When I first heard about the wedding, Susan told me the bride was an actress. I have sure never seen Mandy anywhere else apart from her show on that station, but then again, she could be a really small actress playing helping roles. Her marriage to Joel is sure to change that narrative though.” A bulb lit in her head suddenly. “Maybe that is what this is about. She wants an upgrade to her acting and decides the best way to go about that is by marrying a public personality.”
“Still,” Zayn breathed, his voice leveled. “He has to have something to gain from this, don’t you think? He can’t be marrying her for the sake of it.”
“You’re right,” Rina nodded. “I guess there’s only one way to find out what they are up to.”
The duo got up and moved to the latest couple, Zayn keeping a bland expression while Rina smiled at Joel. He seemed taken aback that she had not responded in any other way, especially after what happened. But Rina was done dwelling in the past. She walked into his arms and stayed there only for a fraction of a second, before pulling away, her eyes twinkling with genuine happiness.
“Congratulations, Joel,” she beamed. “I am happy you have found the one for you, and I wish you both all the happiness you deserve.”
Even when Rina went in to hug Joel, Zayn’s hand never dropped from her waist. He still held on to her firmly, securely, his eyes daring Joel to react in any way to it.
“I have to say though,” Zayn suddenly muttered. “Why didn’t Mandy tell us about the wedding? We were at your show only a few weeks ago, and you said absolutely nothing. You sure didn’t want us to be here, right?”
“Oh no!” Mandy fussed, even though Zayn had hit the nail right on the head. “A lot was on my mind that day with work and the wedding preparations. I had totally forgotten about it.”
“I didn’t receive a courier or a mail,” Zayn pressed, searching for something. “But then again, it’s perfectly fine to not want us at your wedding. I’m just curious to know if it was your idea, Mandy or it had something to do with Joel being in love with Rina at some point.”
Abruptly, Joel cleared his throat noisily, dragging the attention back to him. In a bid to move on fast from the topic, he said to Rina, “I’m not sure we have seen each other since…the last time.” He went by that real fast. “When I heard you were engaged to Mr. Graham, I was truly surprised. Were the both of you…”
Rina nodded. “We were already seeing each other even before you offered me a job. I should have told you, but like everyone else knows, we were trying to keep it a secret.”
Hurt flashed through Joel’s eyes for a fleeting moment before being masked by a grim smile. If it was before, Rina would have been concerned about it, needing to explain herself because she’d thought they were friends. Now, she knew better, knew that Joel didn’t exactly want anything good to come from her.
“So when I had the conversation with you in your office…” Joel’s voice trailed off as the implication of what had happened all those months finally clicked. “The sponsorship, your presence at the fashion house…”
“I have to admit, it irked me that you came to me to express your feelings for my woman, but there is something important to understand about relationships. Trust. I could have warned you off on the spot, or even had you taken out of the picture. You know I could have done that. But I wanted Rina to deal with you herself. She is the most focused and goal-oriented woman I know, so you were nothing for her to handle. I just had to step in a few times, when you overstepped your boundaries.”
It was weird having that conversation in front of Mandy, obvious by the way she shifted from foot to foot, not wanting to be there and at the same time, absorbing all the information. She locked gaze with someone in the crowd and murmured an excuse before hurrying out.
Rina could have sworn she saw her headed towards Kayla who had just arrived.