Spreading Rumors

"Are you holding up well?" Sikandar asked, suspecting that he had been too heavy-handed during the fight scene.

After all, the man in front of her was so tender that it made him... feel protective of him for a moment.

Isha suddenly felt a little embarrassed and couldn't even look away. She narrowed her eyes to hide her shyness.

Sikandar looked at her strangely and then retreated to the side.

Sister Yashi said, "Why do you care? If he has a problem, it's good for you."

Sikandar did not say anything. After a day of acting together with Ish Pratap, he realized that he got into character quite quickly. The two of them really felt evenly matched. It was very satisfying to meet such a capable actor.

It was just like playing ping-pong. It was only interesting if they exchanged blows. If they were to blindly suppress their opponent or be suppressed by them, they would inevitably feel vexed.

He had also lost his initial scorn about the casting decisions.

"Why don't I see Isha Sharma here?" Sister Yashi said again.

"Isha's scenes are at the back. She's just playing two of the personalities. She doesn't have many scenes. It's normal for her not to be here now." Sikandar admired Isha a little. He had seen all her movies and had thought about them carefully. He felt that it wasn't easy to be able to reach her level.

Sister Yashi picked up the shooting schedule and took a look. Isha would indeed be coming in a few days. Isha's scenes did not overlap with Ish Pratap's, so it was understandable that she would only be coming in later.

She thought for a while and said, "After Isha comes over, get closer to her. I'll do some publicity for you and let you use this to increase your popularity."

"You want to make me and Isha into a ship?" Sikandar's sharp eyebrows immediately furrowed. It was one thing for him to use marketing accounts to step on Ish Pratap. When male artistes were together, they would always be compared.

But what was this about Isha?

Sister Yashi was satisfied with everything about Sikandar, except that he was a little too stubborn. There was no one around, so she said directly, "Sikandar, how can anyone place all their hopes on their works now? It'll take at least half a year for a movie to be filmed and released. In this half a year, if you don't release some news to maintain your popularity, it'll be too late. If you don't dare to continue stepping on Ish Pratap, can't you just stir things up with Isha Sharma? Hasn't she been shipped with many others? Besides, how do you know that she won't be willing?"

Sikandar lowered his head and suddenly looked up. "You know that I have a girlfriend outside the circle. There are some things that will definitely backfire if I stir up too much."

"Brother Sikku! Don't forget how you came to our company back then. Since you've joined the company, you have the obligation to earn money for the company." Seeing Sikandar's expression turn ugly, Sister Yashi's voice softened. "If you don't earn money, how can you support your family and marry your girlfriend? In this circle, if you don't become famous, you'll be stepped on. Since we can't use Ish Pratap, what's wrong with making use of Isha?"

Sikandar was speechless and closed his mouth in silence.

Sister Yashi knew that he had been convinced. What was the use of being virtuous in this circle? Could being virtuous earn them money?

The shooting of Split went well. For several days, the results were good.

Director Jagan was so happy that he smiled whenever he saw someone. He happily let everyone continue doing things as they always had.

Isha removed her makeup, stretched, and walked out. A group of people came to greet her.

She raised her eyebrows in response.

A figure squeezed out from the staff and shouted, "Ish Pratap!"

This familiar voice came from a familiar person Isha had met a few days ago.

She was really haunting her.

She turned around and saw that it was Vani. Vani was dressed like a staff member and holding a towel. She said, "Ish Pratap, you forgot to bring a towel."

Seeing that she was delivering towels, the other staff members dispersed and left.

Isha took the towel and said calmly, "Thank you."

"Ish Pratap, I apologize for what happened last time. I was really blinded by greed to say those words to you. Whether you forgive me or not, I feel very guilty. I sincerely apologize to you."

"There's no need to apologize. However, I really didn't expect you to stay in this City." Logically speaking, the person Pratap Group wanted to send away shouldn't continue to be here.

Vani also understood how risky it was for her to stay. She was now facing the entire Pratap Group.

However, if she left, it would mean that everything in her life would be gone. Her boyfriend, her father... Everything would be doomed.

So no matter how risky it was, she had to try again.

"Ish Pratap, I originally wanted to leave the capital, but you also know that if I leave, I'll have nothing left. Therefore, I can only stay and seek an opportunity. Please help me. This time, I won't ask you for help as an ex-fiancee. I'll only ask you for help using my identity. Please do me a favor and help me," Vani pleaded in a low voice. She was already very humble.

Isha squeezed the towel casually in her hand and said, "What are you planning to do? How do you want me to help you?"

"I need an investment! I want my father's and boyfriend's companies to be revived!" Vani said loudly. She was immediately filled with hope. Ish Pratap was finally willing to give her a response.

Ish Pratap was her only hope now. She had gone to Pratap Group several times. Not to mention seeing Shivam, she couldn't even touch the higher-ups of Pratap Group. She couldn't even step into Pratap Group.

She had no choice but to continue looking for Ish Pratap.

A cold smile appeared on Isha's thin lips. "You came to me for investment and to help your companies revive. Is this how you approach me?"

"Huh?" Vani was a little confused. She widened her eyes and looked at Ish Pratap with a confused expression.

"Do you think other people will give you investments so easily? You don't even have a proposal or a future plan for the companies, yet you came over asking for an investment. I said last time that you weren't sincere at all. Obviously, I wasn't wrong. You don't actually want to revive those two companies, do you?"

"I..." Vani was a girl who was born and raised in a wealthy family. The Vani's family had raised their daughter to the point where food and clothing were readily available. She was used to being a rich young lady and did not have any social common sense at all.

Now that the companies were about to collapse, her capable subordinates had long left. Her father was sick, and her boyfriend was in a terrible fix. There was no one around her to help her think about these things.

She blushed at Isha's words.

Isha raised her eyebrows and said, "Your so-called preparation, pleading for my help, and asking for investments are all just wishful thinking. You don't know what your companies are like, nor do you know what it takes to get an investment. You've mustered up your courage, and it's good to have courage, but you're not 18 anymore. Courage can't solve anything."

"I can make preparations after this..." Vani was extremely embarrassed. She had really not thought about this at all. It was just that her boyfriend had asked her to come, so she came.

She had tried to think of a way to solve the problem, but she couldn't even find the source of the problem. It was as if everything was a mess and she thought that everything would be fine with Pratap Group's investment.

"With all due respect, Miss Vani, with your attitude and way of doing things, even if you get an investment from Pratap Group, your companies can't possibly improve. Pratap Group can't invest in such a company." Isha sighed and looked sympathetically at the silly girl in front of her. "Your best bet is to leave early. Things won't be too hard even without the companies. Find a job and live well."

"No, Ish Pratap, I still have a chance..." How could Vani find a job and live a good life? That option had never existed in her life since she was young.

Besides, if that happened, she would definitely lose Happy.

Isha didn't want to talk to her anymore. It was the responsibility of parents to educate their children. She wasn't Vani's mother, so she had no obligation to educate her.

She turned to leave.

Vani felt that her hope was fading. Seeing that Isha was about to leave, she had an idea and said loudly, "Ish Pratap, if you leave, I'll tell the media that you abandoned me and the child in my stomach!"

She knew that celebrities in the entertainment industry were most afraid of scandals. If things got out of hand, it would affect their careers.

Therefore, as long as there was a problem, these artistes would reduce it to a small matter. If they could solve the problem with money, they would not be stingy with money.

Isha couldn't help but sneer when she heard this. She turned around and said, "I thought you were just stupid. I didn't expect you to be so vicious."

"Ish Pratap, I have no choice. You forced me to do this. I don't want to be your enemy either." Vani clenched her fists. "Just treat it as doing a good deed and help me. I can pretend that I didn't say anything just now. This bit of money is nothing to you and Pratap Group, but to me, it's my entire life. If you help me, I'll take back those words!"

Isha slowly walked toward Vani. At this moment, her temperament was noble and cold, making Vani not dare to blaspheme or offend her. However, her desire to get an investment still prevailed. She forced herself to meet Isha's gaze.

Isha chuckled. "I have to say, you're really good at using underhanded methods. Previously, you tried to goad me, but you've now changed to slandering others. You even know how to guilt trip others. It turns out that you're not stupid. You're just smart but aren't using your brains in the right place. You're poor and I have money, but why should I help you?"

Vani swallowed her saliva. "I'm desperate. I don't want to do this either."

Isha sneered. Fortunately, she was a woman. If she was really a man, she might actually be framed by such a person. Nowadays, in order to attract attention, the media didn't care if the matter was true or not. They always reported it first. The more sensational the news, the more they liked it. By the time the person involved clarified the matter, it would already be difficult to salvage the loss.

Once rumors spread, careers would be lost.

It was no wonder that some artistes were afraid of trouble. For some small-scale scandals, they would spend money to settle them first.

Vani was right about this.

Seeing that Ish Pratap was deep in thought, Vani thought that she had already hit the nail on the head and caused Ish Pratap to worry. Although she was afraid of Ish Pratap's aura, she did not back down. "Ish Pratap, I really don't want to fall out with you. I believe you don't want these scandals to affect your relationship with Mr. Pratap, right? I can swear to you that as long as my father's and boyfriend's companies survive this crisis, I won't look for you again. I won't say a word about these things or even appear in the capital again."

"Vani, you used the wrong method from the beginning! If you had brought a proposal and explained your companies' situations and profitable projects from the beginning, perhaps the investment funds would have already reached your companies' accounts. But then again, if you really had such ability, you wouldn't have been rejected by all the investors in this City."

"I promise you, as long as you invest, I'll quickly make up for those things!" Vani said urgently.

"It's too late. From the moment you came to me, it was already too late. As for the matter of you wanting to frame me, go ahead. Do you think modern medicine can't find out what happened to the child?" After Isha finished speaking, she didn't even spare her a glance.

Vani really did not expect that Ish Pratap would not be threatened at all. Weren't celebrities most afraid of scandals? Could it be that he did not even care about his career or Mr. Pratap's thoughts?

She stood there, stunned.

When Isha left, she saw the flash of a camera.

There were many people who liked to take photos of celebrities, not to mention that this was a filming location. There would probably be paparazzi or passersby secretly taking photos everywhere.

After Isha got into the car, she thought for a moment, took out her phone, called Meera, and briefly explained the situation.

Meera couldn't stop laughing. "There's actually such a silly girl in this world? She's really my source of joy today. Since you didn't agree to her request, is she planning to make a fuss about it in the media?"

"I guess that's possible. However, this timing is just right. If she makes a fuss, it'll give me an opportunity to announce that Ish Pratap is Isha Sharma. I was still worried that I hadn't found a suitable opportunity to announce this matter."

Meera nodded in agreement. "This is indeed a very good opportunity. If she wants to cause trouble, let her. I'll prepare some countermeasures and keep an eye on the situation."

"I didn't want to bother about her, but since she's offering herself up for me to use, I'll use this incident to teach her what it means to be evil."

Meera said, "Yes, you've advised her many times. If she had any self-awareness, she would have stopped long ago. Now, no matter what happens, it'll be her own fault."

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