[Chapter 55: Miss World]
"What? Aishwarya Rai? Indian?"
John recognized the name and, combined with a vague sense of familiarity, asked again uncertainly.
At the same time, Kenny and Mansour walked over just in time to hear John's surprised question.
"Hey, little guy, do you actually know me?" Aishwarya responded with a little surprise.
"Yeah, John, who's Aishwarya Rai?" Kenny asked immediately.
"Wow, I know who she is," Mansour said with a smile, clearly recalling something.
John thought that since Mansour was from the UAE, it made sense he would know Aishwarya Rai, given the close geographical and cultural ties between India and the Middle East.
"John, I gotta say, you've got some serious luck. You bumped right into Miss World -- wow, this is the real Miss World," Mansour joked.
Hearing Mansour's teasing, Kenny finally understood why John was so surprised. After all, no one expected to literally run into the reigning Miss World right here on the beach.
...
"Alright, gentlemen. Hello, I'm Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994," she said, taking off her sunglasses and introducing herself. "I just arrived in Los Angeles and am preparing for a charity event. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Seeing her radiant face, John couldn't help but admire her beauty. He had heard of Aishwarya before; she had been crowned India's top beauty for almost two decades and once was one of his goddesses.
Before the Miss World competition, Aishwarya Rai was already famous throughout India for countless commercials and was celebrated as the country's most beautiful woman.
In 1994, surprisingly, she entered as the first runner-up in the Miss India pageant -- which was a shock since she was the most popular and widely considered a sure winner -- but instead of Miss India, she took the runner-up spot.
With that title, she competed in Miss World and fought her way through to win the entire crown.
That year was unique: both Miss World and Miss Universe crowns went to Indian contestants -- an unprecedented achievement that became quite a story.
Unfortunately, John wasn't familiar with the Miss Universe winner from that year, but he certainly knew Aishwarya well.
...
Mostly because in later years, Aishwarya's fame skyrocketed. After winning Miss World in 1994, she trained in acting and officially debuted in Bollywood by 1997. Her rise was unstoppable.
She quickly became Bollywood's top beauty.
Internationally, magazines even named her the world's most beautiful woman. Hollywood's queen of charm, Julia Roberts, once called Aishwarya the true "world's most beautiful."
Her Hollywood paychecks exceeded millions, making her the first Indian star to break into Hollywood's top tier.
John knew that if you searched India's top beauties on any platform, half of the results would be about her, illustrating just how respected Aishwarya Rai was worldwide.
So bumping into this legendary beauty -- who had also been one of his own goddesses -- no wonder John was so stunned.
...
In fact, after she removed her sunglasses, not only John but Kenny and Mansour were all dazzled by her youthful charm and exotic allure.
The group chatted casually -- after all, any man would enjoy a conversation with such a stunning woman.
Soon, when others came over to greet Aishwarya, it signaled that she had to leave. They exchanged friendly goodbyes.
Watching her walk away with her entourage, John assumed those were organizers from the Miss World event.
...
Perhaps it was Aishwarya's magnetic personality; the group had been having a great time until she left, and then their interest faded.
They settled into a rest area, sipping drinks and people-watching on the beach, chatting casually.
For lunch, they enjoyed a seafood feast at a beachfront hotel, satisfying their appetites.
In the afternoon, the trio reinvigorated themselves and returned to the beach, capturing beautiful scenery with a camera.
They sunbathed, took a swim in the ocean, and later played several beach volleyball games at sunset, fully enjoying their day.
That evening, they had another seafood barbecue by the shore, experiencing the unique California beach vibe, including street musicians and performers.
Essentially, they spent the whole day at the beach. Shopping or amusement parks held no appeal for them.
They returned to their beach house, freshened up, and wrapped up their day before heading back to Los Angeles.
---
That night, on the second-floor balcony, John reclined in a rocking chair, gazing at the starry sky.
The chair swayed gently as he occasionally grabbed grapes from a nearby table, savoring the peaceful moment.
Ring~ring~ring~
"Damn, who's calling this late?"
Hearing his phone ring, John felt a bit irritated.
"Hello? Who's this?"
"Hey John, it's Kenny."
"Alright, Kenny, what's up so late? Don't tell me you guys already planned tomorrow's outing."
"No, no time for fun. Today's the last day before work kicks back in. I'm calling because Mansour and I just got an unexpected invitation, and we thought of you. Interested?"
"Okay, tell me."
"We both got invited to a charity gala tomorrow night at the Hilton. It's connected to the person we met today," Kenny said, half-jokingly using the charity event as a cover.
"A charity gala? Sounds like it's not really my scene."
"Oh, but the organizers are related to the person we ran into earlier."
"You mean... Aishwarya Rai, Miss World?" John's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Wow, so true! Mansour, I told you our John has a thing for that woman, and I was right," Kenny teased on the other end.
Clearly, Kenny and Mansour were together, joking around.
"Wow, Mansour's still with you? Kenny, don't tell me you two are having an affair... Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. May God and the Allah bless you."
John said in a serious tone over the phone, which immediately made Mansour angry and Kenny shriek in mock horror.
"Ha ha ha..." John laughed heartily.
Looking up at the night sky once again, he couldn't help but feel the beauty of the evening.
*****
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