Acting Royal #Wattys2017

Chapter 33

JENNY

Jenny thought she might die of relief when she found herself alive, not dead and buried in the garden, but alive and standing in the enormous entrance hall to the palace. She had come in this way and clearly she was going out this way too. But with who? Where was Zayn? She'd been standing like this for ten minutes already. She turned when she heard a footstep behind her and she swung around.

"Zayn?" but as the word escaped her lips, she came face to face with Rana.

"Rana, have you seen Zayn-" Jenny stopped talking the second she saw the look on Rana's face.

"You lied to us. You lied to me." She said with such venom and malice.

Jenny rushed up to her and tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but Rana slapped it away. "Let me explain." Jenny begged.

"There is nothing to explain. You made me believe that I was going to be getting a sister-in-law. You made me like you so much that I wanted you as a sister-in-law. You made me think you and my brother were in love... you must be one hell of an actress. And the Oscar goes to Jenny..." she paused. "If that is even your real name."

"Yes. It is and I promise you it wasn't an act, well, it was at first and I did lie to you and I'm really sorry because I like you too, but it's not a lie now, I love your brother." Jenny stopped when Rana burst out laughing.

"Love him?" She said in between a chuckle. "You really are a great actress."

"It's not an act." Jenny begged now. She was desperate for Rana to understand. She liked Rana and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt her. "Please believe me."

Rana shook her head. "The sooner I never see you again, the better. And as for my brother... my lying brother-"

"Please don't hate him for this." Jenny jumped it. "Please,"

"I don't hate him." Rana said. "But I certainly don't like him. He's not the man I thought he was. Maybe my father has been right about him this whole time. Maybe he is just a selfish, lying narcissist? I just always chose to see through that and believe he was so much more. Maybe I was wrong about him too."

At hearing this, Jenny's heart broke. The last thing she wanted was to cause a rift in this family. She was sorry she'd lied to them, but she wasn't sorry this had all happened, because she had gotten to meet Zayn, and fall in love. Maybe given time Rana would come to understand and accept her again.

"Goodbye," she turned her back on Jenny and walked away. Jenny let her. She would give her time. Or was she just being naive. Was this whole thing so out of control, such a disaster that it was beyond repair? She felt the panic rise in her again, what was the king saying to Zayn? Why was he taking so long, but as she thought that she saw him coming down the stairs towards her.

She met his eyes and froze. There was a look in them that turned her whole body to ice.

ZAYN

She was standing at the bottom of the stairs and she looked beautiful. Her hair was a mess of red curls, she was dressed casually and her curves were accentuated by the shirt she was wearing. But more than all that, she was the most beautiful person he'd ever met. He'd never understood that concept before, the saying about looks fading and the stuff on the inside being more important. He only went for looks. He didn't give a damn about what was on the inside, until now.

She could be 90 years old, grey and wrinkly like a prune and he would still think she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Inside and out. He'd tried to reason with Rafiq, "Can't he just explain it all to her?"