Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 10-4

Trac-Word looked like a real anthill at that time of day. People were constantly coming and going outside the offices.

— "Remind me again, what magazine do you work for?"

— "I am on an internship at So Home News."

— "This is a first for us. We are more used to managing the press department with magazines or newspapers specialized in the health field."

As I got out of the elevator, I tried to follow Chloe, but her very fast pace almost forced me to jog.

— "Yes, that's what I thought I understood when Faïz—"

— "Faïz?" she was amazed. "It feels strange to hear someone calling our future CEO by his first name. You must be...very close."

She stopped sharply in front of the cafeteria and turned to me, staring at me attentively. Out of breath, I tried to regain regular breathing.

— "No, it's not... Him and me... I'm just staying with the Mattews," I stammered.

I must not have been convincing, considering the amused air Chloe took faced with my disordered words. She then leaned towards me.

— "Zoe, I won't hide from you the fact that here, Mr. Mattew is the most coveted man. He's every woman's fantasy," she confessed to me in a low voice.

She immediately became serious again and pushed open the doors of the huge cafeteria. The decorations of the place reminded me of nature. Chairs and sofas were arranged everywhere. The buffets displayed different menus, and the choices were varied, even for hot drinks. We sat on one of the sofas with our coffee in hand.

— "How did you start working here at Trac-Word?" I allowed myself to ask Chloe.

— "Let's say I didn't have an easy adolescence. I dropped out of school very early. When I was eighteen, I got pregnant. My mother threw me out and told me there wouldn't be enough room for me and my future child at home. I then went from home to home for young mothers in difficulty. I was living in absolute precariousness, and the birth of my daughter did not help things. Just as I was about to give up everything, that is, give my child up for adoption and decide to kill myself afterwards, I stopped in a church not far from there. It was as if something was pushing me to go in. It is when you really hit the bottom that you start begging Heaven, so I did like everyone does, squeezing my hands to pray. I asked the one person I had never believed in for help. That was two years ago."

She stopped. The emotion in her was strong, rekindled by painful memories. I had tears in my eyes myself, as if I was feeling her pain at that time.

— "Chloe, you don't have to tell me everything. I don't want to put you in that state. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

— "No, I don't mind telling you about it. In reality, not many people know this part of my story. When I left St. Theresa's Church, I jostled a young man without paying attention. It was Mr. Mattew. He caught me just before he fell to the ground. I don't know what happened, but his eyes pierced me. It was as if, in a split second, he had read the story of my sad life. In front of my distress, he took me for coffee, opposite the church, and we talked a lot. Well, I'm the one who talked a lot, in truth. A week later, I had a position at Trac-Word in the press and communication department. It completely changed my life. The name of this multinational company is like a password that opened all the doors for me. Today, I can offer everything to my daughter."

A puff of emotion overwhelmed me. When you met Chloe for the first time, no one could imagine oneself for a moment that she'd had such a difficult life before. The meeting with Faïz was a real blessing for her. The image that I had of him changed completely. I'd painted a portrait of him rather cold, authoritarian, and without real compassion for others, but I broke it at that moment into a thousand pieces.

— "I realize that after six months I don't know him at all," I whispered to myself.

— "You can never really know a person."

Her phone rang, and she immediately consulted the message she had just received.

— "Perfect," she said, "we will be able to continue. James and Andy have finally arrived. These two, I swear..."

Chloe raised her eyes to heaven, pretending to be exasperated, then we gathered our things together to leave, always on the double, on the run. My feet in my pumps were already burning me.