"Hara what would you be doing this summer?" Nicht asked while resting his face in his hand and leaning on Zohara's table.
Zohara ignores Nicht's question and lazily fixes her belongings. They just took a National Entrance Exam yesterday and now they'll be handling some school papers that were needed upon graduation and fixing their belongings that were left in their lockers.
After fixing her stuff, she finally answers Nicht.
"I don't know, why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, making Nicht stunned for a second. Even though he has known Zohara for almost 6 years, he's still not immune to her face.
"If you just want, Annie, Rio and the others are inviting us camping and going to the capital to check the University and stuff."
"I don't want to. See you around" Zohara said with a furrowed eyebrow hearing Annie's name. Why would she attend something that would make her uncomfortable?
Everyone that saw Zohara in the hallway greeted her with a wide smile, Zohara just nodded with a slight smile. She then read the new message from her phone.
Were in the Parking A
G. School of Province B has two parking lots and Parking A is near the west exit. Zohara has been studying in G. School since she was middle school while took her elementary schooling at home.
When she was 5 years old and living in Province H, she learned that the person who was taking care of her was just a nanny, not her mother. When she was 8 years old, that was the first time she saw her father. She can still remember the first time she saw her father, he explained who he was and why he was living in a different place.
As Zohara expected, she was an illegitimate daughter, a mistake and couldn't be known. Right now, even in the future she might not be recognized. He explained it rationally with an eyes as if looking at a stranger and adult.
Young Zohara didn't make a fuss that time and just cried silently with a pitiful face. Maybe, he felt guilty, he began paying attention to her and the weight of her in his heart increased. As time passed by Zohara learned, a pitiful child can get anything, if she's smart and lovely enough, her father would give her anything. Zohara didn't care about being recognized, she knows that even if she was recognized the others will look at her with nasty eyes, she would rather live a life with a mysterious background than be a punching bag of her father's legitimate family.
Luckily, she inherited her father's great mind and knew what needed to be done. That's also how she increased her value in her father, her first win was half a year after first meeting her father. Her father suddenly gives her a random gift every month, since then it never stops until now. Then, she was allowed to move to Province B, closer to the Imperial Capital where her father lived and get to study in public school. Her father also visited at least once a month.
Now, her father was waiting in Parking A.
Upon seeing Black HX-7, she immediately entered the car and as expected her father raised his eyes from his tablet. Zohara didn't know what her mother looks like but she knows she must be beautiful because Zohara only inherited the dimple of her father and placing of three moles in her face, which was near her eyes, cheeks and lower lip, they have the identical placing. As for Zohara's other features she must inherit it from her mother, her doll amber brown eyes and soft feature while her father have a strong feature and look intimidating, especially with his position, and character that didn't smile, that's why limited people knows he have a dimple because it only shows when he really smile.
"Father!" Zohara exclaimed excitedly with a wide smile as she immediately hugged her father. Zin immediately caught her and rubbed her hair.
"My darling looks happy" Zin said and pecked her cheeks, Zohara immediately giggled as she let go and fixed her seat but still leaned on his shoulder.
"Of course, you're here. Still busy with the take over?" She asked curiously while looking at his tablet as the car left.
"Some matters still needed to be handled. How's your exam?" he asked while handling something in the tablet and occasionally tapping Zohara's hand that was wrapped around his arm.
"Of course I aced it." She said with a hint of pride
"Where do you want to study? and what course?"
"Can I study in the Imperial Capital?" she asked quite hesitant
"Of course, I'm serious when I told you, you can go home with me and meet the family. The Linx Family was still in a state of chaos a year ago because of my father's death and I still couldn't control the conglomerate, that's also one of the reasons I couldn't take you back. But since you were in High School I keep telling you, you can go back with me but you didn't want it. How about now?" He asked cautiously and softly
"I want to study in the capital, specifically University A but I don't want to live in the Linx Family Mansion, I have 1 older step sister and 2 older step brothers right? I don't want them to feel uncomfortable, also Auntie." She explained
"It doesn't matter, as long as you want it, I'll make it happen, just tell me, alright?"
"Hmm"
"As for your residence in the capital, how about a permanent resident in the Hills and an apartment near the University A?" Zin asked
"That would be nice! Hmmm… I'm already 18, can I now do a part time job and be in a relationship?" She asked sheepishly
"Why a part time job? Is your money not enough? Do you have someone you like?" He asked more seriously, he was quite worried that some random boys would abduct her daughter and do her no good.
"Because I'm bored, I think I already pick all the hobbies I can pick and master it so I want a real life experience, can I? Can I? I don't like someone particularly but I wanted to explore I've seen it in movies and novels, it seems nice" She said innocently
"Alright, just tell me if you get hired and don't associate yourself with random boys, pick people that are up to standard, alright? How about I just introduced you to the son of your Uncle Qin?" He suddenly added with a hint of worry
"No father! I want a fateful encounter!" She exclaimed excitedly with a hint of laughter. Seeing his daughter's excited face, he couldn't help but to just nod.
"Be careful, most men are trash." He said harshly, feeling worried, he suddenly wanted to hire some guards to report her businesses but he knew that Zohara would be mad so he stopped himself.
After a while they arrived at Sky Hotel and went to the Sky Restaurant at the very top to take their dinner.
"What program would you pick?" Zin asked as they ate
"What do you think father?" She asked back
"You decide, so you couldn't blame me if you get bored of it" He teased with a hint of laughter showing his dimple.
"Father! When did I ever blame you!" She said with a hint of grievance and irritation
"Now" as he laugh
"Father!" She exclaimed while glaring at him. Zin stops laughing and reaches out and pinch her cheeks before rubbing her hair.
Zohara's angry face became angrier, earning another laugh.
"Father stop teasing me" she said while pouting
"Alright, your father apologizes."
After eating their dinner, their private room opened as the staff collected the dishes and served the dessert and at the exact moment the room across from them also opened and 4 men were leaving from it.
"Isn't that Uncle Zin?" Gias Qin was shocked because he randomly looked at the room and saw the upright and cold Zin, laughing with a girl wearing a uniform.
Zan raised his eyes and looked to where Gias was looking and his eyes were filled with shock but he managed to calm down after a second before the room closed.
"You might be drunk, how can father be here, he's handling some affair in Country A." Zan said with no hint of ups and down
"I told you Gias stop drinking" Leox Hill said while laughing, while Sern Erlx didn't care and just typed something in his phone. Most probably chatting with his fiancee.
The four of them went downstairs and went to their respective cars and left. After a while Zan's car came back to the restaurant and went to the Sky Restaurant and knocked on the door.
As expected he saw his father's face with a hint of softness, hardened upon seeing him. Zin did not care if his eldest son saw him, what he cares if Zohara minds, Zin thinks for just a second before opening the door.
"Father, what happened?"
Zan heard a milky soft voice of a young girl and saw a beautiful girl wearing a school uniform looking at him with wide eyes and immediately glared at his father.
"Father!" She exclaimed angrily, his father immediately calmed the little girl by standing behind her and rubbing her head.
"Why are you here?" Zin asked
"We're dining across the room and Gias accidentally saw you, I explained."
"It's alright, everyone will know it someday. This is your sister, Zohara, she's 18 years old." Zin explained
"Hello Zohara, Im Zan" He introduced and offered a hand, Zohara accepted it quite shyly.
"You can call him eldest brother" Zin said
"Can I?" Zohara asked timidly while looking at Zan
"It's alright" Zan answered nonchalantly, Zan didn't really care that much knowing that he has a step sister, it was quite frequent in high society in comparison to the others, his father is more discreet about it. What shocked him was his father's attitude, this was the first time he saw his father being so kind and soft to someone.
"Nice to meet Zohara, I'll be leaving first." He bid his goodbye and they both went outside.
"Would she come home?" Zan asked
"She didn't want to, so you can pretend you don't know her but remember to help her if something happens." Zin answer seriously
"I'll take care of it Father"
"Go first" Zin said and enter the room, Zan can hear Zohara's angry voice as the door closes. He couldn't help but to chuckle, it's the first time someone scolded his father.
Now that she met Zohara, he suddenly remembered some weird things years ago. How he once saw a teddy bear in his father's study room, and how his mother became hysterical when she found out that his father bought topaz earrings and didn't give it to her. It's probably for Zohara, Zan suddenly has a headache realizing it would cause chaos in the house once Zohara came home, probably from his mother and younger siblings. Especially his younger sister Zara, she would cause havoc. Remembering his father's face, it looks like Zohara weighs more than anything, even him to his father.