Evening---
"Nora, have you finished your work?" Mr. Jonathan asked as he came out of his office with his coat in his hand.
Nora took her backpack and stood up to leave too. "Yes sir. I checked all the drafts you asked me to. The email has been sent. Mr. Secretary asked me to inform you about the status of the project. Which I'll do on our way to the exit."
"No. Update me about that later on. For now let's go out for dinner. We have dinner to attend." He said and beckoned her to come.
"... I am sorry sir. I have plans sir." Nora denied politely.
Hearing that, Mr. Jonathan's eyes narrowed as he asked back. "With whom? Your brother?"
"Yes sir." Nora truthfully replied.
"That's not a plan."
"..." Nora didn't reply to that.
"Listen Nora. In the business world, connection and network is very important. I know that you have many connections by now, but you have to maintain such connections too."
"I understand sir. But I have informed you once, that I don't do dinner outside. Other than that, anytime is fine with me."
"Why is dinner time so important to you? Is it more important to you than your own future?"
"Yes sir. Sorry for my impoliteness. I need to have dinner with my brother." Nora answered.
***
"You really never miss your dinner with your brother, do you?" Mr. Jonathan asked with an amusing look on his face.
Nora politely gave a smile and with a small nod, as she affirmed. "I never do sir."
The dinner they, she and her brother, always share is something more like an affirmation to each other that they are good, unhurt and... Alive. No matter where they are the whole day, they must share their dinner together.
This isn't some kind of ritual to them. But more like an assurance to Nora at first, and later to both. And that's why it's important for them to be together at that time of the day. After all these years it has never happened that both of them aren't together by the evening.
"What if your friends want you at the party?" He asked.
"I don't party, sir. I don't have time. Moreover I don't have friends either." Nora replied truthfully.
It's not like she never does, but only if it's important or inevitable to avoid but at those times even, Krish insists on staying beside her. And Nora never says no to him.
While talking to each other, both Mr. Jonathan and Nora walked into the lift to go down.
"You are a perfect ideal child for every parent. I wish my son could learn something from you." He complimented wholeheartedly.
The place where they live is only for those who earn in billions. There only successful businessmen or stars prefer to stay. Only now was the first time that a young teenage girl, with her younger brother, came to live there alone with no background or with no company name.
Most of them loved Nora as a good kid. Some wanted to be her godfather or mother, but Nora was firmly against all such relations. Her aloofness towards all such love was very evident to everyone. She respected them and that's all she wanted between them. Love at such a place meant nothing to her.
The interest she showed towards business since so small was commendable to them. Some were selfish too. They wanted Nora for themselves.
They knew it's hard for their own kid to get such a gift with such power and money, therefore they tried to get Nora as their part of a family or as a coworker in their group and let her grow their kid's name from dark.
However, Nora avoided both the contact. Everyone around them knows that she is an orphan and has something valuable to hold on to in the future and that's what makes them try their best to take advantage of her.
But after all the fake sympathy she had, Nora could see their fakeness easily. She knew who was trying to take advantage of her and who was not.
And that's why she only chose those people as her teacher who was honest to her. And Mr. Jonathan was one of them.
"So you are really not coming?" Mr. Jonathan asked again as they came out of the building.
"No, thank you, sir."
"Now we are outside the building, stop calling me sir."
"..." Nora did not reply.
After that none of them said anything anymore. They silently walked sideways to wait for his car.
Within a couple of seconds, another familiar car came and parked right in front of them.