Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 12-5

It was Julio who came to open the door, enthusiastic to see us.

— "Come on, come in. I am happy to see you again, Zoe," he welcomed us, smiling cheerfully.

He had kept his little glasses on, round with tinted lenses, which barely allowed us to see his eyes.

— "I feel like I'm at the Addams family with Uncle Fester," Lexy whispered behind me.

— "Shut up!" Asarys replied with clenched teeth.

I turned to my friends, all three of whom flaunted the most hypocritical smiles on their faces.

— "Will you be all right?" I asked them.

— "Yes, we are like little fish in the water," David whispered, mimicking it with his hands.

— "You had better behave yourself," I threatened them.

Julio approached us.

— "Victoria and William will be here soon. Give me your things, I'll take them up to one of the rooms upstairs."

We got rid of our handbags, not bothering to keep our phones on us. The network wouldn't reach here.

— "Zoe, can you take your friends to the main room?"

— "Of course. See you soon, Julio!"

He disappeared into the stone staircase. I showed the way to my friends. In the main hall, a banquet and tables had been set up. There were already a lot of people there, the Mattew family included.

— "I'm not disappointed that I finally came. Look at this, it's worthy of the castle of Versailles!" exclaimed Lexy.

— "I can't believe my eyes," David replied.

Asarys, silent, contemplated the place, totally charmed, then added,

— "You were right, Zoe. It's incredible."

**

I didn't know, with all the crowd, where to go. I tried to spot faces I knew. Several generations coexisted in a harmonious atmosphere with a background of classical music. Waiters wandered into the middle of the hundred or so guests, trays in hand, carrying small treats and champagne glasses.

— "Zoe!" Lily called out to me, waving her arms.

We headed towards her. The closer I got, the more beautiful she was. Her long black dress from the nineties, with its timeless style, suited her perfectly. It was the first time I'd seen her with her hair tied. Her raised and puffy haircut took my breath away.

— "Lily, you look beautiful," I said as I reached her.

— "Thank you, darling. As you can see, there are a few more people than expected."

She pinched her lips, worried about how her daughter might react.

— "Don't worry about it. Once the surprise is over, Vicky will enjoy her evening. We're seventeen years old only once, after all," I reassured her.

Lily relaxed and looked over my shoulder, looking surprised.

— "Gee, Charles is telling me Victoria's coming," she said.

Julio, at the back of the room, clapped his hands to get our full attention.

— "The queen of the evening is coming. We'll turn off the lights for the surprise effect. Thank you all for staying quiet."

A hubbub of voices went up in the room before giving way to silence. The lights gradually dimmed until they were completely extinguished. We squeezed together, one against the other, in order to have a landmark in the darkness. Victoria's voice reasoned on the other side of the doors.

— "Get your files back soon, my family is waiting for us, William. We're already quite late. My mother's going to kill us."

When the doors open, the lights came on and everyone shouted at the same time, followed by long applause. Victoria's hands went up to her mouth, in shock. She rushed to her parents to hug them. William, by her side in his tuxedo, shone. Victoria kissed him too and the music started again. My friends cheerfully called a lot of things towards Victoria. Then I saw William sweeping the room with his eyes until he caught mine. He looked like a mannequin, with his hair slicked back and his beard shaved short. He smiled at me. Obviously there was no resentment in him.

— "Come on, Zoe, let's go say hello to Vicky." Asarys pushed me and pulled me away with her.

I came to my senses and headed for the person who was the focus of all the attention tonight. When Victoria saw me, she shouted my name and threw herself at me.

— "You knew about this, didn't you? That it would be like this?"

She pretended to be angry with me, but the brightness in her eyes showed the opposite. She was happy to be surrounded by the people she loved.

— "Don't get me wrong, I didn't know all the details," I told her. "I just had a few bits of information."

— "It's a success! My parents just told me that Faïz will join us a little later. He must have gone to pick up Ray, I think."

She let go of my arm to kiss David, Lexy, and Asarys, who were around her. William joined us soon enough.

— "Are you all right?" he asked me while giving me a kiss that lingered a little too long on my cheek.

— "Yes. You are looking fine," I remarked.

— "Thank you. You are very beautiful," he whispered in my ear.

I blushed slightly and then he added,

— "Want to get yourself something to eat with me at the buffet?"

Reason and heart began their inner spiritual warfare. I wanted to spend time with him, but at the same time, I knew that Faïz was coming. Unfortunately, I couldn't split in two. I couldn't decide between them.

— "Go ahead, Zoe," encouraged Lexy. "And make me a plate, please. I'm starving."

My friend winked at William and he seemed to thank her with one of his smiles. The discussion began between us as we headed for the buffet. To my great pleasure, he was the first to finally get interested in my article on Trac-World. He even offered me his help for its realization, if I needed it. On our way, I noticed that the young women present for the evening had their eyes on him. They literally liquefied when he passed by. Before he helped himself, he suddenly became serious and stood right in front of me.