Gauri watched with a mortified emotion at Annika who was jumping from one place to another, like she had never been to a carnival before. She couldn't understand how she was supposed to handle her, concerned that next second she wouldn't be standing in front of her. Annika tapped at Gauri's shoulder, bringing her attention. With a packet of popcorn in her hands, she forwarded it to Gauri who glared back at her. 

"How many times do I have to tell you not to wander off without my consent" Annika had to squeeze her eyes tightly when she heard Gauri's loud voice and some heads turning in their direction. Gauri looked at Annika and the bag of popcorn, this why she left her alone? For a bag of popcorn? 

"Alright mom, chill" Gauri could never understand what went inside her head and calling her mom, was not a surprise to her, Annika's doing was just like a five years old kid and Gauri had to remind her everytime that she was a grown up adult who had duties and obligations to fulfill. The way Gauri handled Annika, no one would ever. 

Annika shook Gauri's shoulders lightly, bringing her back to reality. Gauri grabbed the packet of popcorn from her hands and she took a handful of them in her hands, stuffing them into her mouth the next second. Annika chuckled, the weather was extremely cold and so it could be seen as the smoke escaping Annika's mouth. She looked around to find a number of people around her and none recognised her, a great thing. 

"Let's go on the Ferris wheel already" Annika whined and Gauri looked at the giant wheel turning slowly. Sighing, she nodded, it wasn't she had a choice there. She watched Annika run towards the place where the Ferris Wheel was. Not at all believing that she was an actress in Bollywood who did not give a care in this world about her image. She was different, as far as she had known her, Annika was none like the other actresses in there, though she respected how the other actresses were but Annika, she was a whole different case. 

Gauri followed behind with steady pace, bringing her sweater closer to her chest and fixing her hair in the process. Annika stood there ahead in some distance, waiting for her best friend who seemed to be walking like a snail. "Ouch" The voice startled Annika as she was met with a small body colliding with hers. 

"Are you alright?" Annika looked down to find a little girl with two pigtails with tears glistening in her eyes. She immediately bent down to her level, sitting on her knees, she looked at her chubby face and then at her small legs which were stained with blood. "What's your name sweetheart?" Annika slowly asked, holding her tiny hand with gentle care. 

"Anan....... Ananya" Her small sniffles made Annika hug her gently. Her one hand on her head while the other rubbing her back, calming her down. Ananya fell silent, she had weirdly found Annika's arms comfortably, the warmth radiating from her was all she needed right now. Annika's heart broke to see her cry. "Where's your mother?" She asked while parting away from Ananya who was no more shedding any tears. 

"She was here.....she was told she was going to come but she did not" As if someone had again hurt her all over again, Ananya eyes burst into hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Annika wiped them off immediately. "Don't worry, we will find your mother, alright?" Annika assured, caressing her cheeks slowly. 

Gauri stood there, at some distance and watched the two of them with awe. Being Annika's manager for a year, one thing she was sure of was, her heart was made out of gold. Annika turned her head to find Gauri standing there. She motioned with her head to come where she was. 

"So, do you want a chocolate? But before that you have to answer me one thing" Annika sat crossed leg down on the ground, not caring if anyone watched her and thought that she was a weirdo because Annika did not care at all. Ananya seemed to be only focusing on the word chocolate and she quickly nodded her head at Annika. 

"You can call me Annika didi. So, what's your mother's name?" Annika questioned, making her sit down on her laps. Gauri stood there with her arms folded to her chest, her ears wide open. If she would have asked Annika to get up and sit somewhere else, she would have refused and there weren't any benches here. 

"Priyanka..........Priyanka Singh Oberoi" Annika blinked her eyes, what was she going to do with that piece of information was now a big question. There would be many Priyanka Oberoi living here, wasn't that possible? Annika took the chocolate out of her pocket and passed it to Ananya who happily took it from her. 

Annika sighed out. "What should we do? We can't leave her alone. She barely looks like a five years old or maybe much more younger" Annika spoke as her eyes fixed on the little Ananya who was now smearing all the chocolate over her face. Her gaze travelled down to find her knee was wounded, hence the blood down her legs. Gauri nodded her head, she was against the idea to leave her alone too. 

"I want to go to mamu, he cooks delicious food, you should taste it too" Ananya blabbered, licking the chocolate off her fingers, Annika did not pay any attention to what she was saying, maybe she should just head to the hospital and get her wounds cleaned but then, wouldn't her mother be searching for her? She was in a dilemma. 

"Ananya? Oh my god" An unfamiliar voice calling out Ananya made Annika look up to find a woman concernedly at her. It did not take a minute for her to figure out that she was her daughter. "Anu, are you alright?" Annika watched her sit down and run her fingers over her head as Ananya gave her mother a confusing look. 

"Annika didi took care of me. See, I am fine" Ananya exclaimed while showing her milk tooth and pointing at Annika. She still sat on her lap, Priyanka stared up at Annika and her breath hitched. Gauri noticed this sudden change of expression on Priyanka's face and she patted Annika's shoulder. 

Annika got up and so did Ananya who now stood next to her mother. "I am sorry if she caused any trouble, she could be a handful" At that Annika shook her head. Priyanka was trying her best to remember her face, she definitely had seen her somewhere, but where? 

"She did get hurt, her knee is wounded. And I gave her a chocolate, if you don't mind"

"Oh not at all. She loves chocolates. And I am really sorry once again for everything. I am Priyanka Oberoi by the way" Annika looked at the extended hand in front of her and she shook hands with her without wasting a second more. 

"Excuse me, but we have to go" Gauri interpreted and grabbed Annika's wrist and dragged her out of the carnival and Annika let her, knowing that she would wander off again. 

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Annika laid flat on her stomach, skipping through pages of magazine, and looking totally uninterested in what she was doing. Gauri had supposedly grounded her by ordering her to not step out of the hotel room at all. Annika was pretty annoyed at her but she certainly could not stay angry at her for a long time.  With a bored expression, she flipped on her back with the magazine still in her hands. 

The name Priyanka Singh Oberoi kind of rang a bell inside her head but where did she hear that name? And as she flipped through the pages of the magazine, Annika came across a page where in a corner there was a photo of a fine male who's Annika read the name as Shivaay Singh Oberoi. 

There it was, now she knew where she had heard her surname, assuming that Priyanka was somehow related to Shivaay Singh Oberoi. She stared at his picture, his eyes were blue and they seemed to be staring back at her. She was about to read the lines under his picture when she was interrupted by a knock. 

"Yes Gauri dearest you can come in" Annika kept the magazine aside, sitting up on her knees and finding Gauri giving her one weird look.  "I booked the ticket, we are leaving London tomorrow" Annika frowned at that, tomorrow? They still haven't explored anything yet and they were already leaving? Sighing, she nodded her head with a pout.  

"I am sorry to drag you out of there but I was genuinely concerned that someone would figure out that you were the new actress of bollywood and there would be total chaos after that '' Annika smiled at her, she was like a sister to who was protective of her. Annika got up, taking steps towards her and then the next second threw  her arms around her and engulfed her into a tight hug. Gauri rolled her eyes and hit her head lightly.

"Thankyou for always being there for me Gauri, I wouldn't have come such a long way without you"

"You, Miss Annika Malhotra, is big cry baby. And you don't thank your bestfriend so shut up before we are drowned in the pool of our own tears" Giggling, Annika wiped the corner of her eye and grinned at Gauri.

 "So, who is making dinner? You or me?"

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So, I might disappear for some days, wouldn't be able to update this book or any other book.

I hope you all are liking Annika's character so far (: