Chapter 210: Riya’s contract was terminated.
The more questions rushed into Zara’s mind, the heavier her chest felt. Restlessness gnawed at her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she cleaned the dried blood gently, making sure her movements didn’t make him uncomfortable. But the sting of the antiseptic liquid woke him up, with a start.
He instinctively pulled his hand back, only to find Zara beside him with a cotton ball soaked in antiseptic between her fingers. The sharp scent hit his nostrils. He looked down at his hand and then up at her again, clearly hesitant.
"You were bleeding," she said slowly. "I thought I’d change the bandage."
Nathaniel didn’t protest when she took his hand again, but the unease was clear in his expression. He had been hiding the severity of his injury, but it was finally exposed now. He glanced at her nervously, as though he feared her reaction.
Zara blinked frequently, fighting back her tears as she resumed tending to the gash.
He hissed at the sting.
"I am sorry," she apologized, lowering her head before softly blowing cool air over the wound to ease the sting. She then wrapped a fresh gauze around his palm. "It’s definitely not from a fall. Be honest with me," she tilted her head slightly as she directed her curious gaze at him, "how did you get hurt?"
This time, Nathaniel couldn’t lie. "Someone snatched my phone. I fought back and tried to stop him. But he was armed. He attacked me with a knife."
"What? Someone attacked you with a knife, and you didn’t tell me." She scowled. "Did you even report it to the police? Who was that man?"
With each question, her voice rose.
"It’s a local thief," he replied evenly as if it was nothing to worry about. "He is involved in many crimes like pickpocketing, snatching valuables. Don’t worry. The cops will soon track him down."
But worry still clouded Zara’s eyes.
"Come on, I am fine." He drew her to his chest. "The cut is not serious. It’ll heal in no time."
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Still saying it’s not serious," she grunted out. "I saw it with my own eyes. And I know how deep it is. Don’t try to downplay it."
"Fine, I won’t say that again," he relented. "The cut is really deep, and it’s painful. Every little movement sends pain shooting up my arm."
Her face darkened with guilt. The thought of him silently suffering all night ate away at her. Fresh tears welled up. She was worried, but at the same time, she was furious.
"And you acted like nothing was wrong," she snapped. "You even drove, and—and..." she faltered before blurting, "you even had sex with me. Twice..."
Her indignation only amused him. He quirked his lips, a spark of mischief in his eyes. "That part I don’t regret. In fact, I don’t mind doing it again. How about we have a morning round?"
"Stop it," she huffed, squirming against his hold.
"Uh..." he cried dramatically, clutching his hand, and wincing as if he was in severe pain. "My hand hurts..." He peeked at her through the narrow cracks of his eyes.
Panicked, Zara’s face paled. She instantly regretted not being careful with him. "I am sorry, I am sorry...I didn’t mean to..."
Her hands hovered uncertainly over his, afraid to touch. Nathaniel couldn’t stop his lips from curling into a teasing smile.
"You are so cute, Zara." He drew her again into his arms and stole a kiss on her cheek.
Zara stilled as she realized he was only pretending. "You..." She grimaced. "You were fooling me."
"No, I wasn’t. Trust me...I like watching you worry about me." He held her chin. "It shows just how much you care." His voice dropped to a husky murmur.
Zara parted her lips to argue, but he sealed her mouth with his, swallowing her words before they could form.
"Mm..." She wriggled to pull back, but he had already made up his mind.
"No more escape." With a growl, he pinned her down, claiming her yet again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Riya arrived at the studio for her shoot, the receptionist immediately stopped her at the entrance. She scowled at the woman behind the desk. "What do you mean I can’t go in?" she barked. "I have a shoot today."
"Sorry, miss, your shoot has been canceled," the receptionist said coldly. "You can leave now."
"How could that be?" Riya muttered. "I wasn’t informed about it."
"Because we don’t have to," the woman said indifferently. "Your contract has been terminated."
"What did you say?" Riya was stunned. "Terminated?" She struggled to process what she had just heard.
"Please leave. We have already assigned your replacement."
"What nonsense?" Riya spat, slapping on the desk. "How could the contract be canceled without even notifying me? I’ll sue you for this."
"Please, miss. Don’t create a fuss here. Leave."
Riya shook her head. She wouldn’t leave without a proper explanation. "It’s a breach of contract. You can’t cancel it just like this."
"I don’t know the details," the receptionist said. "All I know is, you are no longer the face of our brand. If you want clarification, you need to talk to Miss Edith. I can arrange an appointment."
"I don’t need an appointment to see Edith," Riya grunted out and walked down the lobby with determined steps.
"You can’t go in," the receptionist shouted and hurried after her, quickly blocking her path. "She is too busy today. You can’t meet her now."
Riya’s temper flared, her patience snapping. She wanted to slap the woman, but she held herself back. Creating a scene here wouldn’t help. It would only worsen the situation. What mattered was confronting Edith and finding out why her contract had been abruptly terminated without a single warning.
"Fine, you won’t allow me to go in," Riya grunted out in fury. "I’ll talk to Edith." She fished her phone out of her bag and dialed Edith’s number.
The call rang endlessly before it finally connected.
"Edith, I need to talk to you," she said coldly. It was a command, not a request.
There was silence on the other end, which only made her irritation grow.
"The receptionist is stopping me – said I can’t get a chance to see you today," Riya continued with the same tone. "But I’m not leaving without talking to you."
"Come in. She won’t stop."
Riya’s lips curved into a smug smile. She turned to the receptionist. "See? She wants to meet me. Can I go in now?"
The receptionist’s face fell. She nodded slowly and stepped aside.
Riya flicked her hair behind her shoulder and lifted her chin arrogantly as she walked down the hallway. She was confident she could persuade Edith to resume the contract.
As she stepped into Edith’s office, she made a pitiful face. "I don’t understand this. Why did you terminate the contract without giving me an explanation? What has gone wrong all of a sudden?"
Edith cast her a cold look. "You are asking me that! After what you did, we can’t continue working with you. So we terminated the contract right away. And we owe you no explanation."
Such sharpness in her tone, the fire in her eyes – Riya had never witnessed this side of Edith before. She had always thought of her as gentle and agreeable. But facing her glare, Riya’s confidence began to waver.
"What are you talking about?" Riya asked, baffled. "You must be mistaken. What did I do?"
"Still playing innocent." Edith sneered. "We know what you did at the party that night. You bribed the waitress to drug Mrs. Zara Grant!"