Rina got the news of her playing the lead in the new part of the movie, and excitement coursed through her as she made her way down to Scottsdale to sign some papers and get her script. George couldn’t go with her as he had a meeting outside town with a new client, so she went with Igor instead, sitting at the passenger’s side of the car while he skillfully navigated the traffic to get her there on time.
Things had gone back to normal since Finn got arrested, and it was like the drama had finally come to a halt. Although, the one thing Rina wanted, which was for Zayn to tell her how he felt about her, was yet to happen. He was still measured and controlled in how he related to her, barely even grazing her skin each time they were in the same room. He’d stopped coming into her bathroom like he usually did each time she was having a bath but now stayed away from the villa as a whole, returning only when entirely necessary.
Rina could feel him running away from something. She had noticed the way he halted mid-sentence the last time at his office, like he had almost said something he wasn’t meant to divulge. Her mind loved to replay the scene in her head, allowing the words to tumble out of his lips the words Rina wanted to hear. Yet, each time, reality hit when she considered it rationally. She liked to think that she knew Zayn Graham, at least well enough. She was conversant with the fact that he despised the concept of love. Rina didn’t think anything could change his mind, so if she didn’t want to get hurt, she needed to quit thinking about it.
Alighting at Scottsdale, Rina sauntered inside with her head held high, waving some of the actors and actresses who had warmed up to her, which was a whole lot of them because they had finally gotten out of the mentality that Rina did all of the stuff she was accused of. She smiled at them in return, weaving through the small crowd until she was alone in the hallway leading to the room the rest of the actors for the movie were.
“Good morning, Ms. Power,” Regina greeted, falling into step with her. She looked around them hastily before returning her gaze to the path. And even though there was no one else in the hallway other than the both of them, her voice still fell into a whisper. “I don’t know what Kayla is planning but I think it has something to do with the new part of the movie where you are playing lead.”
“I need more details,” Rina said, not bothering to reduce her tone.
“She is working with Mandy Osteen, the former female lead, to get back at you for stealing her role in the movie. I also befriended Kayla’s right-hand man, and he told me her plan all along has always been to get your fiance to herself. I think it started when she noticed you two getting close. She wasn’t sure about anything yet at the time. It was the reason why she couldn’t do shit.”
Rina nodded, paying close attention. “And do you know how they plan on getting back at me?”
Regina shook her head, already waiting for the scolding that was bound to follow. But Rina touched her lightly on the shoulders. “Thank you for all your help so far. You can stop tailing her now. I realized that I put you in harm’s way when you just mentioned that you had to befriend her righthand man. I was friends with Kayla for so long and even I stayed away from him because of how scary he looked. Don’t get into trouble with her. I can take her because I know her quite well, or at least I think I do. She’s still scared of me. But you on the other hand…”
She nodded and smiled. “I understand. I think I learned something from this. I do not have to be jealous of the actors in here because everyone works at their own pace. And you paid your dues to have come this far. I’m still young in the field and I have a lot to learn.”
“I’m glad this helped.”
Rina waved her goodbye before walking into the room on the other end of the hallway to get her script and sign the documents. Mandy and Zico were there as well, talking about something. His eyes lit up when he saw her, but the same thing couldn’t be said of Mandy. She glared at Rina before dramatically picking her script off the table and walking out of the room.
“What’s with her?” Zico asked, frowning slightly.
“She’s just upset I got the female lead for this part, but I’m hoping she comes around soon. It’s nothing to be worried about.”
“I hope you are right,” Zico murmured, still staring at Mandy’s retreating figure. “Because from the way her countenance just changed, I think we should be worried about her. What if she…No. Mandy isn’t that kind of person.”
It was ironic to Rina because she was exactly the same way with Rico, trusting and believing in the good in everyone. It was a healthy trait, but not everyone needed to be overlooked. Kayla was her best friend and even though there were red flags here and there, Rina never believed Kayla could do anything to harm her. She always had the believe that her best friend was the one who would have her back come rain, come shine. But the opposite happened.
“Yeah,” she murmured as she approached the desk. “You are probably right. Mandy isn’t that kind of person.”
“You sure sound like you don’t believe that.”
“That’s because I don’t,” Rina shrugged. “But because you do, I am hoping that you end up being right at the end of the day. If not, I don’t know what I would do if she plays any funny game. One thing is certain though. My fiance won’t take it lightly.”