Chapter 24: chapter 24

After Neil's PR statement went live, he paid a few influential social media accounts to clean up his and Layla’s public image. Over the next three days, he used every trick in the book to salvage Layla’s professionalism and reputation — and as expected, he continued shifting the blame onto Inaya. He believed that scandals like these never lasted long. In a few days, the public would lose interest and move on to the next big thing. Once new gossip took over, this drama would be buried and forgotten. Soon, Layla would be free to return to work like nothing ever happened.Their plan was simple: let Layla win the Top Ten Model Award and then announce that she’d be heading overseas for further studies. That way, she could secretly deliver the baby without anyone knowing. The only reason Neil was willing to accept the child was because Layla was his first love, and she had waited by his side for years. Plus, Layla had a bright future ahead, and Neil wasn’t ready to let go of his golden goose just yet.Meanwhile, Yashvi Shah, Inaya’s manager, looked at the PR article with a sarcastic smile on her face. Disgusted by Neil’s shamelessness, she decided to drop by Inaya’s house to check in. She still had the spare key, so she let herself in — only to find the house empty.Confused, she gave Inaya a call. “Inaya, where are you? Why aren’t you home?”Inaya was at her new place, filling up the bathtub for Atharv. She chuckled softly, “I didn’t get a chance to tell you… I’ve shifted houses.”“What? Where? Is it safe? Does Neil know about this?”Just then, Atharv walked into the bathroom. Unaware that Inaya was on a call, he said, “You should’ve let the maid do all this...”Yashvi’s ears perked up at the unfamiliar male voice on the other end. Her tone shot up in surprise, “Inaya! Who’s with you? Don’t tell me... you’ve gone to such lengths just to make Neil jealous? I knew it! Who else would support a model who’s already stepped away from the industry? Don’t tell me… someone powerful is backing you up?”“Where are you? I’ll come get you! You don’t have to stoop so low!”“Inaya, please… meet me once or I’ll die with stress!”Inaya looked helplessly at Atharv, covering the phone’s mouthpiece, “My manager is having a bit of a misunderstanding. I think I should go meet her and clear it up.”“Do you trust her?” Atharv asked calmly. Truth was, he had already done a background check on Yashvi. She was loyal, passionate, and although not the most strategic manager, she had always been there for Inaya.“I do,” Inaya replied confidently.“Then I’ll send someone to pick her up,” Atharv decided.Inaya gave it a thought and agreed. She wasn’t the same naive Inaya from before — she had learned to be careful and strategic. She called Yashvi again and told her someone would come pick her up from the old house.Yashvi let out a deep sigh. There was a clear note of disappointment in it.Inaya smiled faintly and hung up the phone. She turned to Atharv, “The bath is ready. Are you going to take it now?”Atharv raised an eyebrow and started buttoning up his shirt again, covering his perfectly toned collarbone. “We’ve got a guest coming. The man of the house should be present… and anyway, I’d prefer to bathe… with you.”Inaya blushed at his boldness — but then slowly nodded, unable to hide her shyness.---