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The star-studded Bright Night Gala finally revealed itself to the public. Outside the venue lay a magnificently long red carpet and a signing wall.
The scene was surrounded by excited reporters and fans; they were either holding phones, cameras or LED signs. The signs had the names of their idols on it and they flashed like stars in a vast night sky.
In front of the signing wall, stood the smartly dressed event hosts, each holding a microphone, recording their opening speeches. It had been a long time since an event of this caliber had been hosted in India and this event signified the start of a series of awards ceremonies.
8pm.
Superstars started arriving one by one. Amongst the loud screams, Vikrant held onto Payal's hand accompanied by Siya Rastogi as they walked down the red carpet. No matter if it was the 'American Blacklisted Siya Rastogi' or the 'Payal who had an affair with Vikrant', Rastogi was a popular topic of discussion.
But, Pratiksha was missing!
The Pratiksha that was riding the popularity of the Oriental Trend.
The Pratiksha that had defeated Payal in an instant and made her have zero mentions.
The Pratiksha that was announced as ISN's first Asian spokesperson.
She did not attend!
The hosts were confused; they were sure Pratiksha's name was on the invite list.
"Walking up the red carpet right now, we have the CEO of Rastogi Entertainment, Vikrant; the famed model, Payal; and the extremely skillful Siya Rastogi."
"Please come on stage so we can give you a short interview," the hosts invited them onto the stage and immediately took the opportunity to ask them a sensitive question, "May we ask why Pratiksha...isn't here today?"
"Or have President Vikrant and Pratiksha decided to arrive separately?"
Vikrant furrowed his eyebrows, ready to respond, however, Siya Rastogi stepped in first and replied, "We notified Pratiksha, but maybe because of a lack of communication lately, she hasn't been able to tell you that she has decided not to appear at the Bright Night Gala. Rastogi also wishes, from now on, no matter her decision, she can notify us earlier."
After hearing Siya Rastogi's reply, the hosts could tell Pratiksha and Rastogi were at odds. Especially with the tone Siya Rastogi used when she spoke about Pratiksha not attending, she seemed to be accusing Pratiksha of being arrogant and selfish because of her popularity.
"I think Pratiksha might just be unwell, it's OK, we are looking forward to the next gathering!" One of the hosts tried his best to smooth out the situation.
But it was obvious to anyone with eyes what Rastogi's true motive was behind accusing Pratiksha. Judging by the previous incidents, if they were to choose someone to trust between Rastogi and Pratiksha, the two hosts would not hesitate to choose Pratiksha.
Vikrant's betrayal, Payal's pressuring and Rastogi's multiple methods of suppression did not crush this woman. So, it wasn't easy for Pratiksha to stay strong and get to where she was today. Most impressive of all, she was extremely easy going and kept a low profile.
Gazing out at the crowd, signs with Pratiksha's name could be seen. Upon hearing Siya Rastogi's words, they were tempted to run up on stage and tear her mouth out.
They were sure they knew what type of person Pratiksha was...
The Pratiksha that had received so much suppression, yet assured them to wait for her patiently, had always been grateful for everything she had; there was no way she wouldn't attend the Bright Night Gala.
Rastogi is defaming Pratiksha; Siya Rastogi should die!
"You are lying...Rastogis are lying!" a fan who couldn't restrain himself screamed out. However, because the scene was so noisy, his voice was lost amongst the crowd.
"All I can say is, we can't do anything about her!" Siya Rastogi knew the host was trying to save the situation, but she insisted on causing trouble; defaming Pratiksha was her aim for coming to this event.
The hosts smiled awkwardly as they got ready to invite the trio to sign the wall, but...at that moment, a Lincoln Limousine pulled up at the head of the red carpet. The person that got out of the car was the editor of TQ...Mr. Narayan Mahajan. Most importantly, he wasn't alone...
This was the first time he attended an event with someone!
Everyone watched as he walked around the front of the car to the other side and opened the door. Afterwards, he could be seen helping a woman out like a gentleman...
Onlookers looked carefully and noticed, the beautiful woman was...Pratiksha!
The Pratiksha that had supposedly said she wouldn't make an appearance, had a warm smile on her face as she hooked her arm on Mr. Narayan Mahajan's arm and walked down the red carpet. Pratiksha's fans immediately started cheering.
She had arrived...Pratiksha had arrived.
Hearing the cheers, Vikrant subconsciously turned to see what all the commotion was about. When Pratiksha appeared in front of the trio, Siya Rastogi's face turned pale...it was not a good look.
Didn't they agree to watch over her? How come she was here?
Upon seeing Pratiksha, the two hosts lit up in excitement because this meant, Siya Rastogi's plan had gone down the drain.
They quickly invited Pratiksha and TQ's editor in front of the signing wall and stood her next to the trio.
"Pratiksha, you are so beautiful today..."
"Thank you," Pratiksha humbly clasped her hands together and bowed thankfully to the hosts and her fans. This action made everyone present like her even more.
"Just now we were questioning President Vikrant . We were asking why you didn't attend such a big event with them. So it turns out you were with Mr. Mahajan...I was wondering how the Bright Night Gala could not include you."
"But, Pratiksha is attending as my accompanying guest, the organizer's never sent her an invite..." Mr. Narayan Mahajan said directly to the hosts.
These words couldn't come from Pratiksha, but it was OK to come from Mr. Narayan Mahajan because he was well known for being straightforward. As soon as he spoke, the hosts were stunned as they fought to give an explanation, "Mr. Mahajan, there must be a misunderstanding, Pratiksha is definitely on our invite list. The invite was sent to her agency..."
As soon as the word 'agency' left his mouth, the host realized where things must have gone wrong.
Rastogi Entertainment!
Rastogi Entertainment must have hidden her invite.
As an agency, how could they treat their artist so shamefully? Fans on the scene all glared at the trio...
Shameless!
To think, just a moment ago Siya Rastogi was trying to push the blame onto Pratiksha.
"Pratiksha is a model that I have high hopes for. Because of Rastogi's actions, I will now officially announce, I will use all my resources to pave a new path for Pratiksha. I could even open up a studio for her," Mr. Narayan Mahajan announced; his announcement was like a huge slap to Siya Rastogi's face.
Pratiksha simply smiled the entire time...
She wanted to know, with Vikrant using Rastogi's name so many times, whether he was trying to ruin his own reputation.
Most importantly, the incident with the invitation allowed everyone to see Rastogi's true motive. It seemed since they couldn't keep Pratiksha, they were going to do all they could to defame her...
Unfortunately for them, not only did things not go to plan, everything ended up backfiring.
"Distinguished guests, please head in...not only is the atmosphere exceptionally lively tonight, we are also expecting a special guest."
The host couldn't allow the vibe to become stale even though they knew of Rastogi's wrongdoings. After all, in the end, they were guests that had officially been invited...