Reality Ever After

Part 18. Head over Heels

Hi Guys, this update was not really a plan but when I started writing, this just kept flowing. It's a fun update with Manik-Nandini and their friends.

I hope you like it
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The party was on in full swing post the performance. All the guests were showering praises for FAB5 and were very impressed by their performance. They even gave a few short interviews to the media channels and newspapers present there and slowly and steadily, the party returned to a normal business networking event. Alcohol was flowing at the bars with various hors-d'oeuvres being served to all. Dinner was also being served to whoever wanted to help themselves. The various who's who of the country were in discussions about the past, present and their future endeavours with drinks after drinks. Mr. Malhotra and Nyonika were playing the perfect hosts indulging in short conversations with everyone invited and making them comfortable.

Nandini and Navya had never attended a party like this before. They had attended the FAB5 kind of parties but this one was not the same. The FAB5 parties usually had alcohol, loud music and people dancing and making out in corners in a dark room. It was very easy to go unnoticed in those parties as it was usually too crowded, dark and people were drunk beyond reason.

However, this was a very formal party. It was more like a 'networking' event where all the biggies met to show each other their wealth and other assets. They also used these parties to meet people they could not usually get appointments from and look for more business opportunities. It was also a way of meeting your friends and rivals in an informal environment which they often termed as 'breaking the ice'.

The FAB5 always knew about these parties but they stopped attending them once they entered their teens and termed these events as 'boring'. However, today, they were the centre of attention here, and they were also looking for better business opportunities with all the known faces from the entertainment industry present there.

Navya and Nandini stuck to each other mostly throughout the party. Partially because they felt very out of place as they knew nobody but the FAB5 and also with Navya being so heavily pregnant, it was difficult for them to move around and Nandini didn't find it wise to leave her on her own. Manik, Cabir and Mukti kept coming to them from time to time asking them if they were okay as they knew they'd feel a little out of place. But Nandini and Navya reassured them again and again asking them to concentrate on meeting the people out there and not worry about them. Another thing worrying Nandini, was the excruciating pain on her ankle. Her new heels had not only given her a shoe bite on both her feet but it had also led to troubling her ankle, the one she had hurt a couple of weeks ago. She thought she had recovered completely from that and hence, had decided on wearing heels today but it was turning out to be a very bad decision. She kept telling herself that it was only for a couple of hours and that she could manage.

In the meanwhile, Mr. Malhotra was introducing Manik to a few of his business partners and also a few of his rivals. Manik just smiled and shook hands with most of them while Mr. Malhotra mostly spoke to them making conversation. Mr. Mehta, one of Mr. Malhotra's business partners, was very keen to understand Manik and his future plans.

Mr. Mehta - So Manik, it's nice to finally meet you. I've been asking your father and Nyonika ki tumhare bete ko kaha chupa kar rakha hai. Tum kisi bhi business party mein kabhi bhi nahi dikhte ho.

Manik - Aisa kuch nahi hai uncle. I was just busy with college and other things.

Mr. Mehta - Right. Of course. What a fabulous performance. I'm sure you will succeed ten fold in the music industry. Srikant, I must say you have a very talented boy here.

Mr. Malhotra - Don't just go by what you can see Mehta. My son has a very sharp business sense too. You never know when the tables turn.

Manik was quite surprised at this comment from his father. Why would he tell Mr. Mehta that he was keen on business too? When he clearly wasn't. He wanted to stay miles away from the Malhotra industries and the business field altogether. He had had enough of 'give and take' in a lifetime and he couldn't imagine doing it for a living. Nevertheless, he just pretended to smile and not interrupt his dad in front of his colleagues. This was, of course, not a place for family drama. Mr. Malhotra and Mr. Mehta kept on having a discussion on the upcoming elections and how that would impact their new business venture and after listening to it for a while, he realised that the two of them were just discussing for the heck of it and were not going to make any decisions over there. This was what they called 'making conversation'. He eventually zoned out and started looking around for Nandini to see if she was doing okay. He had barely gotten anytime to spend with her since the party started and he just realised he had started missing her. Fortunately, he saw her standing at a distance, talking on the phone to someone.