More than twenty days had passed since Akshatha had completed her examinations.
One paper after another, she had finished them, and now she could finally breathe a little.
Soon after, the payments for her recent modeling assignments began arriving.
This time, the amount was considerably better than before.
A large part of her recent work had been couture assignments, and those projects paid significantly better than some of her earlier runway work.
Akshatha was pleased.
All those fittings, rehearsals, travelling, and long days had finally translated into a good payment.
Around the same time, Nagaraju received several months of rental income from the Dubai apartment.
He didn't personally know the tenants and had never been particularly interested in dealing with the day-to-day details of the property.
As long as the rent arrived on time, he was satisfied.
The Dubai property had become another source of passive income for the family.
Nagaraju had also decided to move his family into a better locality in Mumbai.
The new residence was in a well-developed community with facilities that made everyday life much easier.
There was a proper gym.
A swimming pool.
Open spaces.
Sports facilities.
And children from several families living in the same community.
It didn't take long for everyone to settle in.
Akshatha particularly loved the gym.
She made exercising part of her daily routine.
Almost every day, after finishing her studies and other work, she would spend some time at the community gym.
Swimming became another part of her routine, although she preferred doing that about twice a week.
For her, it wasn't only about modeling anymore.
She had discovered that regular exercise helped her feel energetic and disciplined.
Manu, meanwhile, had found his own favourite part of the new community.
The sports area.
There were several children his age living nearby, and before long he had become friends with them.
Football became one of his favourite activities.
On other days, he would join the older children for basketball.
He would return home sweaty and excited, talking endlessly about whichever team had won that day.
"Akka! I scored today!"
Akshatha would look at him and smile.
"How many?"
"Two!"
"Only two?"
"Two important goals!"
She would laugh.
"Okay, okay. Very important."
Manu would then continue explaining every detail of the match.
The new house had brought a different kind of happiness to the family.
For Akshatha, it provided a comfortable place where she could study, exercise, work, and rest between her increasingly demanding commitments.
For Manu, it gave him a community of children to play with.
And for their parents, it was simply satisfying to see their children enjoying the home.
After so much travelling, business, family tension, and unexpected events, these ordinary days felt surprisingly peaceful.
Akshatha had her routine.
Akshatha had barely settled into her routine when her phone rang.
It was her agency.
There was an urgent requirement.
A Dubai resort was putting together an advertising campaign and needed one more model to fit into an existing group of models. The work was short—only two days—but the client was reputable and the agency wanted Akshatha to take the assignment.
"Can you travel?"
Akshatha thought for a moment.
"Yes."
The timing was actually convenient.
The extended family had already been discussing another trip to Dubai.
This time, it wasn't just Nagaraju's immediate family.
After Chaitra had moved to Mumbai and begun rebuilding her life, her elder brother Karthik had also moved to Dubai for work.
A few months later, their parents were brought from the village to Mumbai for some time, so that the family could remain connected and support one another.
Chaitra's life had also become much more stable.
Her television career was progressing.
She had received a proper female role and was now earning a respectable income.
Together with Karthik's support, she was working toward establishing herself permanently in Mumbai.
Her parents were no longer carrying everything alone.
Both their children were contributing.
---
With everyone in a better position, the brothers and their sister began discussing a family holiday.
The idea was simple.
Ten days in Dubai.
The elder uncle's family would come.
The younger uncle's family would come.
Nagaraju's family would come.
And their sister's family—including Chaitra and Karthik—would join them.
This time, they wanted the trip to be more relaxed than their previous visit.
---
Accommodation wasn't going to be a major expense.
Nagaraju already had his Dubai property.
Since the family was travelling together, they decided to stay there rather than book multiple hotels.
That meant their individual major expenses would mainly be their flight tickets and personal spending.
When Akshatha's mother heard about the plan, she smiled.
"So this time we're going to Dubai for a holiday?"
Akshatha laughed.
"Apparently."
Her mother looked at her.
"And your work?"
"Two days."
"Then you can work first and enjoy the rest of the trip."
Akshatha nodded.
That sounded like a perfect arrangement.
She would travel to Dubai for the resort campaign, complete the two-day assignment, and then join her entire family for the remaining holiday.
For once, work and family plans had fallen neatly into place.
As planned, Akshatha and her mother travelled to Dubai first.
The rest of the family would join them later, once everyone had completed their preparations.
This trip was different from Akshatha's earlier Dubai visit. She wasn't travelling primarily for a holiday this time.
She had been called for a two-day resort advertising campaign.
The agency had arranged everything with the client beforehand.
Their accommodation was at the same resort where the campaign was being filmed, which made the schedule much easier.
Akshatha was part of a larger group of models selected for the campaign.
The resort wanted the advertisement to create the feeling of an elegant Dubai holiday—not simply show rooms and facilities, but sell the entire experience.
Because Akshatha was still a teenager, the production team treated her as such. She was given the same professional arrangements and respect as the other models, while ensuring that the scenes and wardrobe assigned to her were age-appropriate.
Her mother remained with her throughout the assignment.
---
The Campaign Concept
The resort's advertising team had designed the campaign around a simple idea:
"A Dubai escape where every moment feels like a holiday."
Rather than making it a conventional advertisement with someone simply standing beside a swimming pool, they wanted a short cinematic travel-style film.
The campaign would follow different guests throughout their stay.
Akshatha would be part of the younger group of guests, appearing naturally within the resort environment.
The first morning began with the group arriving at the resort.
The cameras captured:
The grand entrance and lobby
Guests checking in
The view from the resort's rooms
Walking through landscaped areas
The swimming pool and leisure facilities
Beachside scenes
Breakfast and dining
Evening activities
The Dubai skyline and resort surroundings
The director wanted everything to feel natural.
"Don't look at the camera unless I tell you."
"Just enjoy yourselves."
That made the scenes look less like an advertisement and more like an actual holiday.
---
Akshatha particularly enjoyed the beach scenes.
The group walked along the shore while the camera followed from a distance.
Another scene showed the models sitting together and talking while enjoying refreshments.
There were also shots of Akshatha walking through the resort with her mother nearby during the production, giving the campaign a subtle family-holiday atmosphere.
The resort wanted to appeal not only to wealthy couples but also to families and younger international travellers.
That was one reason Akshatha's presence worked well within the campaign.
She looked like a genuine young traveller enjoying Dubai rather than someone simply posing for a commercial.
---
The second day focused more heavily on the resort experience.
There were breakfast scenes.
Poolside shots.
A sequence showing guests preparing for an evening outing.
Then a sunset sequence overlooking the water.
The final scene showed the entire group together as the sun went down.
The director watched the monitor and smiled.
"That's the shot."
Everyone relaxed.
The two-day campaign was complete.
Akshatha had enjoyed the experience, but she knew the real holiday was only about to begin.
Her family would soon arrive in Dubai.
And this time, instead of rushing between castings, fittings, and meetings, she would have several days to simply spend time with them.
Her mother looked at her as they returned to their room.
"Work finished."
Akshatha smiled.
"Now the holiday begins."