The Mask Stays On

Roxy was used to media attention her whole life as the richest man’s daughter. But not while in disguise. In disguise, she was just another girl in the crowd, free from her parents and the public scrutiny that came with it. That’s why she was caught off guard when she was accosted by two men as soon as she returned to the hotel and got out of the taxi.

“Excuse me, are you the Aslanspiration girl?” Tayyib asked her.

“You have the wrong person,” She dismissed his claim and tried to leave quickly with her shopping bags but Tayyib and Akbar blocked her way.

“We are Akbar and Tayyib from Shah Sarai Glam, we just want to talk to you about the recent video,” Akbar introduced themselves.

“Oh, that gossip magazine that all the aunts without a life read?” Roxy snarked, “Not interested.”

“Hey! We are a respectable magazine with a distinguished reader base,” Tayyib said.

“Whatever! Like I said, you have the wrong person,” She tried walking the other way but they got it the way.

“We just need a few minutes,” Akbar said.

“I’m busy,” she tried walking around them but they blocked her way again.

“It won’t take much time,” Tayyib said.

“We just want to know more about you,” Akbar added.

“I don’t have anything to say,” She said.

“We just want to know what happened that day,” Tayyib insisted.

“It’s all over the net, just watch the video to find out,” She replied.

“What’s your relationship with the Pepper Spray Man?”

“It’s none of your business!”

“Was the entire fight pre-planned?”

“Are the Anti-West Squad still threatening you?”

Roxy took out her phone to call her guards but stopped when she remembered she was still in disguise and calling them would mean blowing her cover.

“I will call the police if you don’t leave me alone,” So she decided to threaten them instead.

“We have freedom of speech, you can’t silence us,” Akbar scoffed.

“I warned you-” Roxy pretended to dial a number but Tayyib snatched her phone, “Hey! Give it back!”

“We’ll return your phone if you do an interview with us,” Tayyib said.

“Now that’s just blackmail!” Roxy tried snatching her phone back but Tayyib pulled it away.

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Come on, you’ll feature on our website and be more famous.”

“I don’t want to be more famous!”

“But people want to know more about you.”

“What part of I don’t want to be more famous is difficult to understand?”

“Well you’re already famous so what’s a little more popularity?”

“Return my phone and leave me alone, else I will scream,” Roxy warned them.

“The public deserves answers.”

“Hey!” A gruff voice said, “Leave the girl alone.”

“And who-” Akbar’s voice got stuck as he turned around to see a seven-foot giant muscular man with grey hair and beard in kurta pajama worn by hotel guards.

“I said leave her alone,” repeated the muscle tank named Tabrez Khan.

“Relax bhaijaan, we’re just reporters from Shah Sarai Glam, we just want to interview her for a story,” Tayyib tried to placate Tabrez.

“The girl said no,” He reminded them.

“It’s none of your business anyway,” Akbar said with every ounce of courage he had left.

“The young miss is a guest at the hotel,” Tabrez replied, “it’s my duty to safeguard her from unwanted attention. And even if she wasn’t I don’t take kindly to men harassing ladies at night.”

“Calm down bhai, we are decent people, we are just doing our job,” Akbar said.

“Then do the decent thing, return her phone and leave her alone before I get the police involved,” Tabrez gave the reporters a final warning. Tayyib and Akbar got the message, they handed Roxy her phone and scrammed away from the hotel.

“Are you alright?” Tabrez asked Roxy.

“Yes, thank you uncle,” Roxy answered, “They just weren’t leaving me alone.”

“These media people forget basic etiquette as soon as they find something newsworthy,” Tabrez sighed, “They’ve been roaming around outside the hotel for days waiting for some story ever since Mr. Raees and his family arrived.”

“They’d never try something like this with the Raees family,” Roxy said.

“Only because they are always guarded when going outside.”

“These reporters need to learn to respect people’s privacy.”

“I agree, but they don’t listen and we can’t stop them from gathering like vultures outside the hotel premises.”

“You’ve done a good job keeping them from entering the hotel,” Roxy complimented Tabrez.

“Do you need help with your shopping bags?”

“Oh no, it’s okay thank you,” Roxy turned him down.

“Have a good night then, Allah Hafiz.” Tabrez went back to his post.

Roxy rushed to her room and removed her disguise, putting on PJs with floral patterns. Still shaken by the confrontation with the reporters, Ruqsana called Adnan and told him about it.

“So let me get this straight: two reporters tried to interview you as Roxy not knowing that you’re Ruqsana,” Adnan asked.

“Yes, that’s pretty much it,” Ruqsana replied.

“I would normally say there’s nothing to worry about but that would be a lie. If those two recognized you from the meme, then others could too. Even if they don’t know your real identity now, they might figure it out later.”

“What should I do?”

“Can’t you just change your disguise? Use another wig and contact lenses?”

“I could but then I’d have to explain to Prince why.”

“Which is an issue because?”

“I sort of implied to him that I and Ruqsana are two different people.”

Adnan sighed, “Why not tell the truth? I’m sure he’ll forgive you if you explain your circumstances.”

“It’s just that I have been having such a good time being Roxy with Prince, I’m afraid that being Ruqsana would ruin things with him.”

“And you want me to believe you’re just friends?”

“Bhaijaan! Please be serious.”

“Well if you won’t change your disguise, how about staying inside the hotel until the end of your trip? That way those reporters won’t be able to bother you.”

“I was planning on staying in my room tomorrow and day after tomorrow because of the functions, but there’s the AniCon coming up this week. I even prepared my cosplay for it.”

“Are the reporters still outside?”

Ruqsana took a peek from her balcony, noticing Tayyib and Akbar talking to other reporters. “Yup, still there waiting for me.”

“Can’t you stay inside until those reporters give up on hounding you?”

“I don’t know when they’ll give up. The way they questioned me, they may never give up.”

“All the more reason to hide inside.”

“I can’t hide forever.”

“It’s not forever, just until you are in Shah Sarai.”

“But I need to go to the AniCon with Prince, I may never meet him again.”

Adnan sighed again. “Your cover will be blown at this rate, you know that right?”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Just keep an eye on them and try not to get caught.”

“I will, by the way, can you get Tabrez uncle a bonus or something? He really helped me out today.”

“Tabrez Khan? The head of security at our hotel in Shah Sarai?”

“Yes, I think that’s him.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks. Take care, Allah Hafiz.”