CHAPTER SIXTEEN : BEST OF LUCK RIYA
“By the way, Riya, what’s your plan?” Mrs. Khanna asked, her tone casual yet caring, as she took another sip of her morning tea.
“Nothing… I want to go to the office, but he refuses me to go there now,” Priya said, pointing toward Aryan with a little pout on her face. Her lips pressed together childishly, her expression somewhere between complaint and playfulness.
Mrs. Khanna smiled softly. “So, what do you need to go to the office for now? You should focus on your acting career.”
There was a glow of pride in Mrs. Khanna’s eyes as she spoke. Priya’s dream had slowly become her own — she no longer saw Priya as just her daughter-in-law, but as someone whose success she wanted to see shine across the world.
“I am also saying to her the same,” Aryan said casually while adjusting his watch. Priya instantly turned her gaze toward him with her brows raised and lips curved in disbelief. When did you say that, Mr. Khanna? she thought sarcastically, shooting him a side-eye glare.
Aryan tried to avoid her sharp look, pretending to focus on his phone, while a faint smirk appeared on his face — he clearly enjoyed teasing her like that.
“I want to be focused, but I don’t have any shoot right now,” Priya said honestly, her tone soft and slightly disappointed. She had been waiting for an opportunity — a call, a role, a chance to prove herself.
“That’s all? I don’t think, being your aunt, you should be worried about this,” Mr. Khanna said with a playful twinkle in his eyes.
“Means?” Priya asked curiously, tilting her head.
Mrs. Khanna smiled mysteriously, as if a plan was already forming in her mind. “You just get ready quickly, we have to go somewhere,” she said, her tone confident and secretive.
Priya blinked in confusion but didn’t argue — she trusted Mrs. Khanna enough to follow her lead.
“I’m getting late. I have to go,” Aryan said as he stood up from the chair, brushing off his suit sleeves. His tone was brisk, professional — a sudden shift from the warmth of the breakfast table.
As soon as he stood, Priya instinctively got up too. “At least let me see you off,” she said softly. Together, they walked to the door.
Standing near the main entrance, Aryan turned to her with a small smile that almost looked genuine. “Bye…” he said.
“Bye,” she replied with a bright smile that lingered on her face even after he stepped out. There was something about his tone that made her heart feel lighter — a warmth she couldn’t explain.
As she walked back into the living area, Mrs. Khanna looked up from her seat and said, “You go and get ready soon.”
“Okay, Aunty,” Priya said sweetly.
Mrs. Khanna frowned playfully and shook her head. “No… not Aunty. You have to call me Mom… okay?”
That one word — Mom — touched Priya deeply. She froze for a moment, her heart swelling with emotion. Slowly, with a soft smile, she said, “Okay.”
“And what about me?” Mr. Khanna asked from behind his newspaper, pretending to sound jealous.
“Dad,” Priya said with a giggle.
“Good girl,” Mr. Khanna said proudly, his smile reaching his eyes. The warmth in the room suddenly grew stronger — it felt like a real family breakfast, not just an arranged situation.
Just then, Priya’s phone buzzed. It was a message from Aryan. She opened it and read:
‘Best of luck, I think your first shoot is going to happen today, so be ready for that.‘
Her face instantly lit up with joy. Her smile grew even brighter, a mix of surprise and happiness. She typed back a quick ‘Okay’ with a little sparkle in her eyes.
Looking up, she said excitedly, “I’ll be back!” and left from there.
“Where will you go to take her?” Mr. Khanna asked curiously.
“At Jully’s place,” Mrs. Khanna replied thoughtfully.
Jully — one of the most talented and respected directors in all of Paris — had directed multiple hit shows and movies. If Priya was going to meet her, it wasn’t just another visit; it could be a turning point in her career.
“Okay… but first, call her and ask if she’s in Paris or not,” Mr. Khanna reminded gently.
Mrs. Khanna nodded and immediately took out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and pressed on Jully’s name, holding the phone to her ear as a small smile of excitement appeared on her face.
On Call:
“Hello, Director Jully,” Mrs. Khanna said warmly, her voice filled with familiarity and affection.
“Oh, my beautiful! How are you?” Jully’s cheerful tone echoed through the receiver, her voice lively as ever.
“I’m fine. What about you?” Mrs. Khanna asked, smiling unconsciously.
“I’m fine too,” Jully replied with a playful laugh.
“By the way, Jully, where are you? I mean… in Paris or somewhere else?” Mrs. Khanna asked curiously.
“Yes, I’m in Paris. Why?” Jully asked, her tone shifting slightly with intrigue.
“Oh, that’s great! Actually, I wanted you to meet my daughter-in-law. She’s into acting, so I thought maybe you might have some work for her,” Mrs. Khanna said, her voice carrying a mix of pride and hope.
Jully took a deep breath and chuckled. “What a great timing,” she said dramatically.
“Means?” Mrs. Khanna asked, leaning forward with curiosity.
“Actually, I was starting the shoot for my new series today. But at the last moment, the female lead refused to come. You just bring her to the location — we’ll start shooting today itself!” Jully said in excitement, her voice bursting with relief.
Mrs. Khanna’s eyes widened. “Okay, done! See you there!” she said, hardly able to contain her excitement before ending the call.
Mr. Khanna, who had been watching her expression change throughout the call, leaned forward and asked, “What happened?”
“It’s good news,” Mrs. Khanna said with a bright smile.
“What is it?” he asked, setting down his newspaper.
“Jully was starting the shoot for a new show today, but her actress refused to work at the last minute,” Mrs. Khanna explained, her voice still filled with disbelief at the coincidence.
“So?” Mr. Khanna asked, though a smile was already forming — he could sense where this was going.
“And when I told her about Riya, she agreed to take her in the show without even meeting her! She called us immediately to come to the set,” Mrs. Khanna said proudly.
Mr. Khanna chuckled. “Oh, that’s very nice,” he said, nodding approvingly.
Just then, Priya came rushing into the room, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “What’s nice, Dad?” she asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
“Congratulations, you got the shoot!” Mr. Khanna said, smiling widely.
“What… really? How?” Priya’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly in pure disbelief. It felt like a dream — something too good to be true.
“Just magic,” Mrs. Khanna said playfully, winking at her.
“Magic?” Priya repeated, confused but smiling, her heart racing with excitement.
“Think about it later. Now quickly come — the director is waiting for us,” Mrs. Khanna said, getting up from her seat.
Priya nodded eagerly, her excitement overflowing. She grabbed her bag and followed Mrs. Khanna toward the door.
Mr. Khanna watched them leave, smiling proudly to himself. “Looks like our daughter’s luck is shining already,” he murmured fondly as the door closed behind them.
The entire set buzzed with activity — bright studio lights flickered, cameras were being adjusted, and crew members rushed around holding scripts, makeup kits, and sound equipment. The air was thick with the familiar chaos of a film shoot.
Amidst the commotion, Mrs. Khanna and Priya entered. The moment Jully spotted them, she smiled in relief.
“Hey, Jully!” Mrs. Khanna called out warmly.
“Finally, you came!” Jully said, exhaling as if a burden had just lifted off her shoulders. Her face brightened with genuine happiness.
“Meet her — she’s my daughter-in-law, Riya,” Mrs. Khanna said proudly, pointing toward Priya.
Jully turned to look at her, her eyes immediately softening. “Hello, dear. Nice to meet you,” Jully greeted, extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you too,” Priya replied politely, shaking her hand with a small but confident smile.
Mrs. Khanna crossed her arms and asked curiously, “Well, tell me one thing — how did you agree to take her in your show without even meeting her?”
Jully chuckled lightly, her eyes glinting with affection. “Because you said she is your daughter-in-law… and your daughter-in-law can’t be an ordinary girl. That’s why,” Jully said with a teasing grin.
Mrs. Khanna laughed softly. “Oh, yaa…” she said, proud and amused.
Turning to Priya, Jully said in her professional yet kind tone, “You go and get ready… we’ll start shooting after a while.”
“Okay. But first, tell me — what’s my place, my role?” Priya asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.
“Oh yaa, I forgot,” Jully said, laughing at her own absent-mindedness.
“It’s okay,” Priya replied with a smile, her excitement mixed with nervous anticipation.
Jully clasped her hands together dramatically. “So… you are the lead actress of this show.”
“Really?” Priya asked in disbelief, her eyes widening.
“Hmm,” Jully nodded proudly. “And today is the first day of the shoot. And the first shot is yours.”
Priya’s heart skipped a beat — her very first project, and she was already the lead. She could hardly believe it.
“And what is the story?” she asked, leaning forward eagerly.
Jully began explaining with an expressive tone. “The story is — you belong to a very big family, and today is your wedding with the lead actor. But you don’t want to get married, that’s why you run away from there. And after this, you both meet coincidentally, but you don’t recognize each other because you both didn’t see each other’s faces before.”
Mrs. Khanna chuckled and looked at Priya. “Priya, looks like this is your story,” she said playfully.
“Means?” Jully asked, confused but smiling.
“Nothing, you say — how do they meet?” Mrs. Khanna said quickly, changing the topic.
“They meet at a party,” Jully replied.
“Oh, it’s different,” Mrs. Khanna said thoughtfully, nodding.
Jully smiled. “Maybe it’s enough for today… I’ll tell you the rest of the story later.”
“Okay. By the way, who wrote this show?” Priya asked curiously.
“I am,” Jully said proudly, “but the starting of the story was the idea of Jake — the lead actor of the show.”
“Jake?” Priya repeated softly. For a moment, she froze — the name hit her like a wave of memory. It felt oddly familiar, as if she’d heard it before, somewhere important.
And suddenly, a confident male voice echoed from behind them — “Hello, Mrs. Jully.”
They all turned around.
“Look, he came,” Jully said, smiling brightly.
Jake walked in with his signature charm — tall, effortlessly confident, and dressed in a casual blazer. His eyes scanned the set — and then stopped on her.
“What’s going on?” Jake asked casually, stepping closer.
“Jake, meet her — she’s the new lead actress, Mrs…” Jully began, but before she could finish, Jake’s expression froze. “Priya?”
❁𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑❁
❀𝕴𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖎𝖙!❀
♡ 𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 ♡
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