Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 7-5

When we arrived at the villa, Lily was standing at the entrance, returning from work. Posted in front of the door with her night blue suit and pumps, her appearance as a businesswoman did not go unnoticed. I was told that Lily was a real shark in the justice system, just the opposite of the sweet woman I knew. When she saw William at the wheel of the car, she raised her arm fervently upwards, waving it vigorously, then came to meet us.

— "What a surprise! Where did you three come from?" she asked us with a smile on her face.

— "From Valentin's," Victoria replied.

— "Did it go well this morning?" she asked William and me.

— "Better than I would have hoped," he confided, giving me a look that spoke volumes.

I wiggled uncomfortably in front of these two while Lily seemed thrilled with the news. She opened the door and we all went inside.

— "Would you like a glass of lemonade?"

— "With pleasure," William accepted.

I understood that he intended to stay with us for a little while longer. I called to Lily as I walked towards the stairs.

— "I'm sorry, but tonight I have to meet the girls at the beach, and I'm going to take this opportunity to advance a bit in my homework."

— "Okay, go." She gave me a sympathetic smile.

William and Victoria had already settled by the pool and seemed to started a big, long conversation. They didn't see me go upstairs.

**

My room was bathed in an orange light, which indicated the end of the afternoon. Standing there, at the threshold of my door, hesitant to enter, I felt my pulse accelerate. The trauma of the previous day was still very much present. The door, smashed to pieces by Faïz, had already been replaced by a new one. I took a deep breath before going inside and hurried to change. I quickly grabbed the first T-shirt I saw and jeans from my dressing room. Then, I went to retrieve the notes on my desk, taken the previous weeks, concerning the press house with whom I had applied for my internship, and for whom I had managed to get an interview for that Monday. So Home News was known as one of California's most read weekly magazines, but also beyond its borders. Indeed, the diversification of its articles reached all categories of readers. Getting in touch with this big company had been a real battleground. The house recruited very few interns, but the fact that I was trilingual allowed me to get an appointment. I was going to take my chance to win my place there.

**

Sitting on my bed, my heavy eyelids started to sting as I was putting away my notes, probably because of the fatigue accumulated recently. I started to work on the social science component for the midterms that were going to start next week.

After only a few moments of flying over it, my mind began to wander. Then my gaze escaped through the bay window. The sunset was beautiful. In the distance, I could see the contours of the Dome. Faïz was right, it was becoming more and more visible, getting darker every day. However, the people of LA did not seem to have any questions about this phenomenon. It was true that they were not aware of the situation, so why panic? The government could tell them any excuse if all this ever grew and people demanded some explanation.

Laughter from the terrace came to me. It had to be said, William had a knack for relaxing the atmosphere. Lily and Victoria deserved those few precious little moments of bohemian charm. I struggled to see my notes clearly. My head seemed to weigh tons. I decided to lie down for a little while, feeling myself slowly drifting into a sleep that had caught up with me. As I closed my eyes, I heard my mother's soft voice whispering a few words in my ear.

— "My miracle, do not forget the light of your heart."

The darkness caught me.

**

— "Zoe?"

A sweet and sensual voice came to me from the distance. I had to leave the dreams I had taken refuge in and struggle to open my eyes. William, like an angel leaning over me, waited patiently for me to emerge. I filled my lungs with his cologne, which helped me to wake up.

— "Wake up," he whispered to me with his most beautiful smile.

— "It's so hard," I whispered.

— "Yes, I believe you."

He helped me by putting his arm slightly behind me and with his other hand, he stroked my cheek. The gesture literally took my breath away. We had only known each other for a few hours, but his familiar ways with me made me feel that I had known him much longer.

— "What time is it?" I shouted as I saw outside that night had fallen.

— "Almost 9:00 p.m."

— "Fuck... No, it's not possible!"

I jumped and rushed to the bathroom to fix my curly mane in a hurry.

— "Can you give me my phone?" I shouted so that William would hear me.

— "I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

He entered the bathroom, showing a little pout on his face while holding out my phone to me. Eight calls from Asarys and Lexy and six from Faïz. At the sight of his first name, my body froze. He must have been worried or angry that I wouldn't answer his calls. Instinctively, I was about to call him back, but I immediately canceled that action. No! I had to stop doing that, being available as soon as he wanted and adapting to his mood of the day. I absolutely had to get out of this spiral.