Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 8-7

Before entering the villa, she took me affectionately by the arm.

— "If you need to talk, I'm here. You know that."

— "Thank you, but don't worry, Vic," I reassured her.

I gave her a sincere little smile.

— "Everyone is here?" I asked before entering the living room.

She sighed as she nodded.

— "Yes, everyone is here, and I feel they're preparing something for my birthday."

Damn, it's already next week. This important event had completely slipped my mind.

— "Time goes by so quickly. It's something to celebrate. I'm sure it'll be great," I assured her confidently.

— "I hate surprises," she grumbled.

As soon as I entered the large room, I immediately saw Faïz from behind. He was sitting outside on the couch on the terrace. He turned his head slightly to the side when he heard our steps, but did not turn around. Suddenly, he got up from his place and disappeared from my sight. Charles was in the living room, sitting in an armchair, apparently absorbed in reading his files. Unlike his son, he looked up at us with a smile, obviously happy to see us.

— "Zoe!" he cried out.

— "I feel like my parents love you more than me," Victoria whispered to me.

She patted me on the back, simulating a false fit of jealousy. Charles came up to me and kissed my cheek, then tenderly took his daughter in his arms.

— "Come and have a drink," he suggested.

He called Miss Arlette to prepare some lemonade for us. Lily, in a bathing suit and a sarong, appeared from the terrace.

— "Hi, girls. Have a good day? There's still a little sunshine. Come and have a swim."

I looked outside. Lily was right, the sun was just sinking. As the weeks went by, the Dome, which became increasingly opaque, acted on the dimming of the light. There was not much difference between the day I'd arrived and today, but there was no denying that the daylight had changed.

— "Mom, I have a ton of work to do. I'm going upstairs to change and get to work."

Lily watched her daughter disappear from the room, then quickly approached me.

— "Zoe, are you aware that next week is Vic's birthday?" she whispered.

— "Yes, it's Wednesday."

I directed my head towards the entrance to make sure that Victoria was not sneaking up on us.

— "So, we organized a surprise for her," said Lily.

She seemed so happy with her initiative.

— "Vic... Uh... The surprises? Are you sure about that?"

— "No," Lily said, proud of herself.

I cleared my throat and took care to choose my words.

— "So maybe we could just do things as simply as possible?"

— "No! We will celebrate it with great pomp and circumstance. If we listened to Victoria, we would live like real hermits."

She swept her remark with a wave of her hand and then added,

— "We rented a cottage in Sonoma. I'll make sure Victoria spends the day with my parents."

— "In Calabasas?"

— "That's it! We'll invite cousins and some family members. I thought about inviting your friends, Asarys, Lexy, and David, too. I know Vic would appreciate it. The five of you are always together."

— "I'll call them later and tell them about it. Do you want to organize everything for Wednesday evening?"

— "No, on Saturday. With classes and work, it wouldn't be reasonable. Thank you, Zoe."

She hugged me and then went into the kitchen to serve us the lemonade.

— "Is Faïz still on the terrace?" I asked Lily as I walked towards the large windows.

— "You'll find him in the garden. Here, have your drink." Lily handed it to me before she left to serve her husband.

**

A small breeze surprised me as I stepped outside. They were sore from the pumps I had been wearing all day. The cool soil did me a lot of good. On the side of the terrace, a real little paradise had been created by Lily herself. No wonder, when you know that flowers and nature were one of her passions. She'd decided to make this place a small haven of peace. In this living space, the serene and luminous atmosphere contrasted perfectly between nature and design. The dark green lawn did not seem to suffer on sunny days, while the trees with thick foliage shaded the large garden. Not a single leaf covered the ground. An explosion of colors mixed with all the flowers and green plants that surrounded us.