Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 9-4

Faïz had fallen asleep, right there, a few centimeters from me. Busy watching him, I didn't even notice that my film had just ended. My eyes began to wander around us and then landed on his phone, sitting next to him on the armrest between our two seats. Instinctively, I looked cautiously around, failing to believe what I was doing. My heart beating quickly, I ventured into dangerous territory. I didn't even imagine how Faïz would react if he suspected for a moment my bad initiative. He would certainly kill me on the spot, disapproving of my behavior.

Once. I'll just press the keyboard once and then stop. My inner devil was fighting with my good conscience.

My finger touched the iPhone screen and I saw Rachelle's portrait appear at that moment. A violent hammer came crashing down on my chest. Disheartened, I didn't have the strength to continue what I had started and preferred to leave it at that.

I looked through the window, tears coming to my eyes, and for once I allowed them to flow discreetly down my cheeks.

I saw myself again with David, Lexy, and Asarys at The Teagan that Wednesday at noon, after my friend's phone call.

— "According to rumors, no one knows if it was him or her who wanted to end their relationship," concluded David.

All three of us were hanging onto every word.

— "Of course you must have had something to do with it," Lexy said to me.

— "Perhaps he simply opened his eyes at last," Asarys replied with open joy.

— "I'm afraid to hope for something I shouldn't. I don't know how many times I've said I'm going to turn the page on this man."

— "No, don't turn the page, just change the chapter," Lexy persisted, trying to convince me not to give up on him.

— "Did you see Rachelle on campus?" I asked David.

— "Oh, yes, the poor thing. I must admit, she's only a shadow of herself now. The situation is rather terrifying."

I was not thrilled about this news. Strangely enough, I was saddened for her, despite what we might felt for each other. We both loved the same man, and I couldn't help but put myself in her shoes.

— "Wait, don't tell me you're sorry for her?" Lexy asked when she saw the look on my face.

— "Yes, a little," I confessed. "We must not rejoice in the misfortune of others."

— "She rejoiced when she slapped you!" Asarys muttered, shrugging while drinking her strawberry diabolo, which inevitably caused David and Lexy to burst into laughter.

I wished I could have been with them right now. Asarys would have found the right words while Lexy would have minimized the situation. It was over between them, but her pictures filled his smartphone. I hated the feeling I had at that moment, and understood that she was the one who had left him.

**

Faïz woke me up when we arrived. It was very difficult for me to surface, my eyelids seemed so heavy.

— "Zoe, we have to go. We'll go straight to the hotel if you want to rest," he insisted gently.

— "No, it's okay. It's okay. I prefer that we go directly to Trac-Word. Just give me a minute."

The plane had already emptied of passengers and we were the last to get off. The hostesses lined up in front of the Airbus door wished us a pleasant stay. All six of them, hypnotized by Faïz's charm, didn't even look at me.

**

An icy breeze grabbed me once outside. The change was radical. Fortunately, a driver with African American features and a short beard was waiting for us at our exit. Faïz and I rushed into the big black sport Range Rover 4X4. I remained silent during the whole journey, without really wishing to talk or provoke Faïz for pleasure, as I often did. I preferred to watch New York march before my eyes. I checked that I had packed a pencil and a notepad in my bag so that I could begin immediately during this first visit. Trac-Word's offices were located in Times Square, while one of the many laboratories was located elsewhere in Manhattan. The others were scattered on each of the other continents.

— "Are you all right? You haven't said a word since we landed." Faïz stared at me.

It was not my habit to remain relatively silent, so he'd guessed that something was wrong.

— "It's all right. It's just the jet lag and the fact that I got up early this morning."

I forced myself to adopt a positive and relaxed attitude. He observed me for long seconds, as if to inspect my thoughts.

— "Would you want to go shopping?"

I almost strangled myself with surprise. Faïz Mattew wanted to do something with me, and what's more, shopping? The proposal was really tempting when you knew that New York was recognized worldwide as the capital of haute couture for its avant-garde taste in fashion. However, it was out of the question for me to be offered anything by this future business owner.

— "Not today, Faïz. Actually, I prefer to focus on my project."

He turned his head to the other side, leaving me no chance to analyze his reaction. After several minutes of silence, it was as if Alibaba's doors were opening in front of me. I had the impression that the skyscrapers were moving away from each other, and we finally arrived at a place that I had only seen on television until then. The animated advertising billboards were gigantic, while the posters took over the entire front of the buildings. A flood of colors jumped to my retinas. Trac-Word was in the middle of other buildings, and the golden letters at the very top of the skyscraper did not go unnoticed. All this seemed unreal to me.