UNCONDITIONAL

IV

Overall, Noor's day at work was well within routine consisting of meetings, paperwork, and some brainstorming for upcoming projects, however, one odd thing took place towards the end of the day. Rather, one odd person, a new intern. A girl, about 20 years of age with the name of Harleen. She was hired to assist Noor. This girl, overly curious for her age and position, looked at Noor in the eyes and spoke to her like no one in her company had ever dared to. She was inquisitive and fearless. Noor, usually intolerant of useless chatter, sat there listening to this girl's blabber much to everyone's surprise and even found herself nodding in response to some of her statements.

Harleen was explained her job thoroughly. It involved being at Noor's home as much as it did in the office. She was to draft a lineup of everything from Noor's daily schedule and meetings to the parties she attends. She rode home with Noor in her car that night. It was pretty late, so the house as usual had gone to sleep and was only dimly lit. Harleen was mesmerized by the size of the house, the design, and the details. Noor's butler showed her around and explained to her what her job would be starting early morning the next day. Noor retired to bed shortly after Harleen left.

The next morning, she arrived from her workout to see Harleen already there. She was surprised by the girl's commitment to her job. Harleen greeted her as she took a seat at the dining table for breakfast. Noor nodded in response and searched for the water bottle. Once again, it was nowhere to be seen.

"Maria!" She called out in rage. Rarely did she ever raise her voice to this extent.

"Ma'am, Mr. Dhaliwal..." Maria ran out pointing towards the kitchen. Noor immediately got out of her chair to check what was happening. Harleen followed closely behind.

At the kitchen sink, stood Prem, untwisting the cap of the water bottle. "I heard you were looking for this." A devilish expression sat on his face as he eyed Noor. Noor stared at him prepared for what he would he do next. Her eyes filled with tears as he dumped the water down the drain. Throwing the empty bottle in the sink, he started on his way out.

"Why?" Noor choked on her word as he was passing by.

"Don't act like you don't know." He paused to look her deep in the eyes. "I despise you. And these tears, they give me immense peace."

"You should've told me earlier; I would've given you enough to take a bath in." Noor smiled softly as tears rolled down both of her cheeks. The look of disgust returned to Prem's face he pushed past her.

"Make sure Bhuji doesn't find out I didn't eat today." Noor ordered a deeply saddened Maria as she wiped her cheeks. Harleen stared in disbelief as she watched Noor disappear in the hallway towards her room.

As Noor got ready for day, Harleen got a chance to sit back and cope with the traumatic event she witnessed earlier. She hadn't recovered from it completely and didn't think she ever could but was able to compose herself into a presentable condition by the time Noor approached her.

"Ready?" Harleen asked Noor.

Noor nodded in response. No trace of any current or past emotion anywhere on her face. Harleen noticed how expressionless she always was. Also, how she never spoke unless she really absolutely needed to. She was so powerful that a single look from her eye and a simple nod by her gets people running around her.

Harleen followed her around all day. From one place to another, from meetings to tours, from speeches to presentations. All day, she couldn't help but admire every single move Noor made. After all, Noor Dhaliwal had been her idol since the day she first read about her. She was living her dream life working for the biggest Real Estate mogul in the state of Washington, but something was off. Something was horribly, terribly off, with the woman she had absolutely worshiped for the past five years.