A strange day.

Swati's POV 

"Maam your shooting in the Mahal is arranged this noon. And a soap ad is arranged at eight in the evening as the director needs a night start view, and you have a coffee ad at midnight with the leading actor Aryan Kapoor, Oh my god he is so hot."
Says my drooling energetic secretary as she walks behind me like a servant pet with her continuous chattering about my schedule and a note pad clipped between her left hand and her full breasts.

Practically she seems like a model herself, but her height does not give her the vibe.

"Okay"
I say to Riya walking out of my dressing room clicking my silver heels that stand out with my venta black knee-length one-piece with a half collar.
She hands me my silver clutch after which I enter my royal blue jaguar, the door opened to me by my secretary and off we go, racing towards the shooting location.
The morning shoot is in the studio with a theme "Ghostess in love" 
I walk out of the car as it comes to a halt, and enter the new studio of HOPE corporation.
The name inscribed with silver glitter stand firm on the beautifully carved building with an organic look and a badass white cladding draped over it.
I am the brand ambassador of Hope cosmetic company, India's number one brand with several skincare and hair care products.

As soon as I enter the studio where they are preparing the set-up for the Halloween theme, enters my not so charming, but extremely hot friend Dhruv who also happens to be my fiancee.

"How is my honey today?
"
He says wrapping his strong hand around my waist and pulling me towards him to get the public attention!
 
I know his intentions.
He wants to show-off our arrange marriage.
"I am fine" 
I say with a beaming smile on the outside but gritting my teeth and glaring at him.
Which I guess he can understand. This tiny act of his has made the entire studio gawk their eyes at us pausing their work, it's almost like seeing a zoo animal eating flesh or India's infamous JCB digging.
Though I am 5feet 8 inches myself and with these eight-inch heels!
still, I feel very tiny in front of his 6'5" stature. Being a managing director of Hope he is no less than a model.
With that perfect face, and carved body, and those thick jet black hair complementing his skin tone, he looks no less than Michelangelo's sculpted statue.

And just look at his jerky behavior!
 
Though I had made my views on our current position very clear he still stands tall at his position peering his deep brown eyes into mine.

And I can surely tell he lacks decency, although we are engaged to be married  I do not accept PDA!
 And I don't have that type of feelings towards him in the first place.
Then why did I agree to this marriage you ask, well?
I feel he is the best person at present who can know my heart and understands me, and even mom pulled me into this arranged marriage. I accepted it after all those summersaults she pulled for me to agree to marry him. 
It's not like I love him, but he makes me feel good, so anyway, this is not the first decision of my life that I took based on mom's saying or for a matter of fact someone else's saying.

I walk into my green room with him still holding me possessively by the side and I pause at the door looking at him with a sharp stare annoyed by his actions like dude I got work!
let me go at least now!  
"Riya, ask sir to go away now, we will meet later at family dinner," I say to Riya still staring at Dhruv.

His brows knot at my speech as he stares at me with a questioning look.
Riya on the other hand stands still looking ahead without responding to my speech.
"What has happened Riya?
Tell him."
I say a bit irritated but then again she doesn't respond and stands there like a statue.
 
While Dhruv is looking at me with worried and pitiful eyes.
What has happened to him? Why has his gentle and fun expression changed to those of worry and pity for me? 
And most important, why is Riya standing like a mannequin?

"What happened Dhruv?
 Why is she not responding?"
I ask him with a much-annoyed tone getting super irritated by these two people's behavior.
 
The entire studio is looking at us again but with a different questioning look pasted on their faces.
Some look afraid while others are mumbling among themselves. 
"WHAT IN THE WORLD DID HAPPEN FOR YOU PEOPLE, TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS!
"
I yell at them with anger especially at Riya but Dhruv starts laughing and clapping his hands looking at everyone in the room.
 
"Well done guys well played, guess what Pearl we have successfully completed our prank on you.

Prank!

He says this in between his full laughter and starts laughing clenching his belly and teary eyes, the laughter in the room gets ten folds more as everyone in the room joins him including Riya who just now was standing like a statue.

My eyes which had widened in surprise finally understand their play and I place my palm slowly on my thumping heart with deep breathes at intervals and a mild smile plastered on my face.

"You people are gonna make me mad one day.

Saying this I enter the green room with Dhruv and Riya standing out of the room.
 
That did scare me!
 
Like imaging  being in a hall full of people and everyone suddenly starts staring at you,
Oh god.
I am getting goosebumps even now.
"Morning Pearl.

Says, my makeup artist  Nancy, 
Well yes, I am known as Pearl in this celeb group.
The most beautiful gem of the ocean, I don't know why but I am always fascinated by pearls, especially this one which I am wearing on my neck since childhood.  
And technically speaking, Swati is the name of a star that appears during the rainy season, and the first rain during this star ruling the sky is called the Swati rainfall, legend says at this time of the year appears the rarest species of oysters which wait for the first drop of Swati rain.
And only using that first raindrop the oysters create the most beautiful pearl in the world. And that is me Pearl. :)
This is my technical explanation for selecting the name.
 
I sit straight on the chair in front of the huge mirror with bright lights on its periphery.
I close my eyes as Nancy starts her work on my face with her magic wand. I mean her brush.
Nancy is a super famous makeup artist know for her skilled hands and funky imagination that sits perfectly for any theme photography, especially for Hope.
She is a short chubby girl with a bob cut and a fancy nose piercing, let me not forget her beautiful tattooed right hand that makes me feel chills and hearts at the same time. 
Dhruv who entered the green room sits on the sofa arranged beside the working table with a magazine in his hand that has my pic as its cover photo.
 
"You are participating in the best bridal look award?

He asks with a joyous and excitement-filled tone to which I nod my head and Nancy glares at me through the mirror making me still on the spot.
I mouth a sorry to her and she continues working on my hair and makeup adjusting my face according to the angle that suits her the best she blends brushes and combs my classic length hair.
Oh, my poor neck.

I feel cramps on my back also at this point.

I look at myself converting to a ghostess look within seconds with blood dripping from my eyes and torn muscles of my face.
I don't know how well the photos will be but I am sure of one thing, I won't get a peaceful sleep tonight. 
Thinking this to myself and I hear Nancy say 
"Okay, make-up and hair are done now slip in your costume.

I know this is weird that I am wearing the costume after the makeup but that's how Nancy works.
She firstly decides my look and then the dress that suits my look and guess what she always manages to get the right material together making the shoot a grand success. 
A large trolley of clothes gets pulled before me and Nancy and she searches for the best clothes for me from the huge mountain of white, black, red, and all shades of clothes.
 
"I guess the white one will go good.

I say innocently trying to make my point and she responds calmly to me still concentrating on her search mission  "No dear we must see what suits for the shoot and not just you.

Well, that's also true.
I sit there like a good girl waiting for her to get things done and she finally selects a gown that has a gradation of colors from white to black till the hem of the gown. 
It looks heavenly 
"It looks beautiful I hope Gracy likes this too.

I say with a sheepish smile getting the attention of both Nancy and Dhruv with another quizzical-looking face.

What now? 
I eye them with a* what is wrong *look and Nancy speaks first saying " Who is Gracy babe?

I look at her with utter surprise that she forgot the name of her own assistant.
 
"Grace is your assistant," I say with like *duh* look and her well-shaped brows knot further.
"My assistant? I don't remember hiring one with that name.
I look at Dhruv with a surprised look cause just days ago I and Dhruv and her assistant Grace were walking her back home after a late-night shoot to drop her home as she was feeling insecure.
We became great friends there and I send my new pics to her to which she gives me her critiques. 
Dhruv gives me an assuring look and says to Nancy "Dear you must have forgotten her name and you usually change so many of your assistants.
"
Nancy seems to agree to his point and nods in affirmation.
 
"Well maybe, I am so caught up in work for many companies and celeb weddings that I have started to forget even the casual things.

Saying this she starts to assemble the dress properly and asks Dhruv to walk out of the room which he does halfheartedly with an almost crying puppy face.

I look at him walk out of the room beaming sheepishly and he winks in my direction making his exit as he secures the door behind him.

I stand tall and firm for Nancy to dress me up and my smile subsides unable to brush off the incident that happened just now.

What has happened to these people?
 
Am I seeing things?!
 
That's not possible Dhruv also agreed with my statement, maybe Nancy has started to forget things cause of stress.
 
And maybe Dhruv really arranged the prank today morning just to tease me.

I stop my overthinking business and walk out of the green room in a full-fledged model mode.
 
Its showtime.

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