Page 53 of Addiction

“Rehana’s here with her entourage, and she seems to be in a tizzy.”

“Do you know what’s up with her?”

“Oh no, I’m not getting involved in that. I’ve heard she’s mean when she’s in a foul mood,” Lavina said. “You anyway have a meeting with her now. You see to her.”

Navya rolled her eyes, already annoyed by the situation. Her foul mood hadn’t dissipated since her chat with Vasily. Leaving her cabin, she walked into the conference room, Lavina following her. Rehana was sitting at the head of the conference table, yelling at someone on her phone in rapid Arabic. Her two assistants were fidgeting as they stood behind her, looking nervous.

Navya took the chair to Rehana’s left, opened her iPad, and began scanning through it. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, but Rehana continued to speak on the phone.

Navya stood, addressing the two girls behind Rehana. “I have another meeting soon. Perhaps, we can reschedule this to another time next week. Which means that for the upcoming Tiffany event, she won’t have a choice in what she has to wear.” Navya looked at Rehana, who had stopped talking. “I suppose that’s okay,habibiti. You seem so busy on your phone today. I will see you in a few days. I’m sure we can fit in a time when we both are free to focus only on you, or else we can continue with the outfits I suggested for the rest of this week’s engagements.”

Navya turned to the door.

“Wait,” Rehana said.

Lavina winked at Navya. Having worked with models for too long, Navya knew that Rehana would never leave the whole selection of her wardrobe to Navya. She would definitely want an input. Hence, Navya had said what she had. Sure enough, her monologue had gotten the model’s attention.

“Let’s do this,” Rehana said and disconnected her phone. A second later, she pressed a hand to her cheeks. “I’m so upset today. I need to be hydrated. Girls, where is my water?”

One of the assistants handed her a bottle of black water. Alkaline water, as Navya understood it to be.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Navya asked.

Rehana barked out some instructions in Arabic, and one of her assistants dropped a magazine in her hand. Rehana held it aloft.

It was the latest copy of Noir Fashion, the magazine owned and edited by Ananya. Navya hadn’t had a chance to read it yet. Ananya had just got it home last night.

Navya looked from the magazine to Rehana. “Sorry, what am I looking at?”

Rehana tossed the magazine on the table angrily. “There is an article here on the top models of the world, and they haven’t even mentioned my name.” Her voice rose in decibels with every word that came out of her mouth. “How could they have missed my name? This is such an insult. How can they do this to me? Don’t they know that I am the reigning model in the Arab world? And this…” she opened a page, “This editor, Ananya M, who does she think she is? My PR team has been trying to reach her since morning, but she refuses to speak to them. Such a bitch. I will ruin her.”

Navya shared an amused look with Lavina. Rehana was dreaming if she thought she could even touch Ananya. Although not many people knew it, Noir Fashion was under the umbrella of the Poseidon group. Rehana was talking out of her hat.

The only reason Ananya didn’t use her full name in the magazine was due to a silly bet between her and Rajiv. Ananya had told him she would be successful despite her Mehra name, and Rajiv had told her that she’d be successful faster by using it. As usual, Ananya loved proving people wrong, including theirbrother, and hence, she’d worked hard and made a mark for herself as Ananya M. Her sister was truly a badass.

“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding,” Navya said, trying to appease her. “Besides, you are beyond these articles. Everyone in the modelling industry knows you.”

She needed the model in her good graces. It was thanks to Rehana that two other top models and a celebrity influencer had also signed up with Navya.

Rehana stood. “No, no… my life is a mess. My life sucks. First this magazine article and now this man…”

“Sorry, what man?” Navya queried.

“My boyfriend… He’s playing hard to get.”

Navya laughed. “Are you serious? He’s playing hard to get? With you?”

“Can you believe that?” Rehana stared at Navya and then sat down again. “You tell me what should I do. Help me.”

Navya blinked.

“Wait, you wantherto tellyouwhat to do?” Lavina butted into the conversation, sounding genuinely amused.

Lavina’s amusement and disbelief weren’t misplaced though. Navya had very little experience when it came to romantically dealing with men. She stared blankly at the model, not knowing what to say.

“Of course, she can help me,” Rehana said. “She managed to snagtheArmaan Oshnov. Every woman who’s met him, wants him. And those who only know of him, want him even more. He’s like a… what do they call it in English?” She turned to her assistants, speaking in Arabic to them.

One of the girls giggled. “She wants to say he’s a God in between the sheets.”

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