I preferred to shorten our discussion by hanging up as soon as possible. Faïz straightened up and walked towards me. Near me, he raised his hand to put a strand of hair back behind my ear. I swallowed, magnetized by his familiar contact.
"I could have listened to you talk that way for hours. You seemed to be singing," he gently addressed me.
Faïz turned around and headed for the exit. He held the door for me in order to let me pass in front of him. Surprised by his remark, I smiled at him, eyes bright in the absence of words at that moment.
In the hotel lobby, I hastily closed my jacket, already feeling the cold penetrating through the seams of my garment. I caught sight of Adan through the front doors, waiting for us outside. I picked up the pace to save him a few seconds less outside his vehicle, forcing Faïz to do the same.
"You're in a hurry to get to Trac-Word," he said, suspicious.
"Adan is waiting for us!"
"It's kind of his job, Zoe."
"I'd rather he did it in the warmth!"
I avoided meeting his gaze, guessing that he must be, from every point of view, exasperated by my remark.
"Good morning, Mrs. Reyes," Adan rushed to meet me.
He opened the door for me and I sat in the back, Faïz on my heels.
During the car ride, he listened carefully to the information on the radio while I watched New York and its buildings.
"There are more people on the streets here than in LA," I noticed, without realizing it, aloud.
"People travel mainly by transport or on foot, unlike in LA where even to drive a hundred meters, the car is essential."
Faïz fixed me with a familiar glance, as if he now wanted to reduce the distance he had forced himself to put between us all along. Quickly, he looked away, anxious to clear his thoughts, and then decided to brief me one last time on the names of the employees, as well as their jobs, but also on the company's habits. Finally, he encouraged me to be sure of myself and to ask any questions that would be useful in writing my article. Times Square, faithful to its image, wasn't empty. The general atmosphere, although heavy, remained animated by its superheroes scattered throughout the four corners of the crossroads, while its shops and restaurants were already crowded.
"Have a good day, Adan," I said to our driver before going to the entrance of the building.
"You too, ma'am."
Inside, Faïz immediately went to the reception desk where the same hostess as last night was present.
"Good morning, Mr. Mattew."
"Hello, Mira. Can you notify the communications department that Zoe Reyes is coming? They already know about her visit today."
"Yes, sir."
She complied without delay. Faïz then went to the elevators. As soon as the doors closed on us, he turned to me, his eyes locked on mine.
"Come with me tonight," he whispered with supplication in his voice.
He was, of course, talking about the reception. His eyes seemed to be begging me. It was the first time I felt indispensable to him. Dazed, I hesitated for a moment. I watched him intently, then took a deep breath.
"All right, I'll come."
He closed his eyes, the features of his face relaxing. A small beep interrupted the moment, indicating that we had arrived on our floor. Faïz accompanied me with a slow step to my desk while adding,
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. There is a good chance you'll finish earlier than me tonight. Adan will wait for you downstairs and then take you to the hotel. I'll pick you up at eight o'clock."
We stopped in front of an open door, which apparently must have been one of the meeting rooms, then Faïz wished me good luck before leaving without turning around. Uncomfortable, I made my appearance in the room, which overlooked Times Square. A young woman was waiting for me there, sitting at a large table. When she heard me come in, she raised her head from her computer. A big warm smile split her face.
"Hey, you must be Zoe. I am Chloe. Delighted," she called out to me familiarly.
She got up immediately to meet me. Chloe was smaller than me, which surprised me, because I already considered myself tiny. Her hair, blonde on top and black underneath, fell to her shoulders. Her very classy white and yellow suit must have been very expensive.
"Hello... Yes, I'm Zoe. It's nice to meet you, too, " I said, offering her a handshake.
"Dolce Gabana!"
"Excuse me?"
"My outfit is a Dolce, if were wondering."
I started to blush slightly. God, I must've looked like a little peasant girl who must not know anything about the world of fashion.
"I must be blindingly obvious," I replied shyly in an embarrassed tone.
"Let's go sit down, if you don't mind. Andy and James are coming right away."
Once seated, I took out of my big bag a pencil and a notebook on which were already written a lot of notes.
"Before I start, I'd like to know if that's really the color of your eyes?" she asked me, intrigued.
"Yes. I don't wear contacts."
"Fascinating. You must be asked often."
"I'm used to it," I confided to her with a shy smile.
The conversation with Chloe passed without difficulty. Her extroverted tendencies made conversation easy, which gave me the impression that I had known her all my life. I was not complaining about it. Quite the contrary, it encouraged our exchanges. Her gestures and friendly tone allowed me to relax as the minutes passed.
"We are currently on the innovative therapies and first worldwide level," she continued during the presentation.
Chloe seemed passionate about her work. We had been together for almost two hours and I tried to write everything she said quickly without getting lost on the way. Faïz had warned me this morning in the car. There was no room for any misapplication within Trac-Word. No one would come to hold my hand.
"Can we talk about a consecration of degenerative medicine in the world?" I cut her off in the middle of her speech.
"This is a promising market. Trac-Word must look into it. For the moment, we are only at the testing stage."
"How many trials have you conducted so far for these therapeutic projects?"
"Nearly eleven thousand on patients. Sixty percent are from cells of other donors."
Chloe got up from her chair.
"What do you say we take a break and go get some coffee?"
"Yes, it wouldn't hurt me," I answered without hesitation.
"Let's go to the cafeteria on the first floor. Andy and James may have been held up at the lab on the other side of Manhattan, but they should be here soon."
She took her things and I followed her.
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 Mattew."
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 e
verywhere. 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."
"You can never really know a person."
Her phone rang, and she immediately consulted the message she had just received.
"Perfect, 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.
In the meeting room, the two buddies were arguing about a television show presented by Jimmy Fallon.
"He gives pep, this young man. Find another one dancing or rapping with the stars he invites!" threatened James with his finger pointed at Andy.
"Are you kidding me?! Conan O'Brien, that's a real man. Yes, yes, authentic. He says what he thinks, without censorship. He's not a bootlicker."
"STOP!" intervened Chloe, miming a time out with her hands before resuming. "Gentlemen, you will continue your debate in the public square if you wish, but on your break time."
She then turned to me.
"This is Miss Zoe Reyes, who—"
"Thank you, Chloe, but the introductions were made yesterday. Did you ever get a head start?" Andy said in a falsely tragic tone, stuck in his chair.
"Yes, this morning when I started the presentation of the firm without you."
We took our place around the table and then James got up and lit an overhead projector that reflected several diagrams on the board in front of us, one on the worldwide growth of the company's activities, another on the market share of the last two years. Andy and James had their hearts set on explaining everything to me so that nothing seemed opaque to me. The figures they gave me had never been released to the press before. Three hours passed at full speed, so quickly that the subject was exciting. My notes filled dozens of pages of my notebook.
"To sum up, Trac-Word wants to eradicate the problem of shortage on treatments for several diseases," concluded James.
"Cellular research constantly put forward by the firm would therefore be the solution?" I asked, trying to study the subject from all angles.
"Yes, largely," Chloe said.
"Innovative therapies are constantly emerging over the decades. Today, cellular work is primordial to research, but tomorrow it may be something else," Andy said.
"My stomach is twisting with pain. Maybe we could go for a bite to eat?" James suggested.
All three of us approved and went to the cafeteria to have something to eat.
I noticed that there were many more people than a bit earlier. The place was now full. Trac-Word pampered its employees, offering a variety of meals. Two chefs were mandated to prepare the menus. At the buffet, I opted for raw vegetables with a dish in sauce. To my great surprise, Chloe found a place quite quickly. Once settled in, I started looking for Faïz with my eyes. We had spent nearly twenty-four hours together, and I had become more accustomed than I would have thought to the proximity between us.
"The leaders of the company don't eat here," Chloe said.
I must have really had the look of a moron and I blushed shamefully.
"I should have suspected," I said, trying to take a tone as detached as possible.
I could not imagine Faïz in the middle of this room, sitting with the common man. Absorbed by my thoughts, I switched off from the conversation with my colleagues, which mixed with the background brouhaha.
"Zoe?" James called out to me.
I pull myself together in a few seconds.
"Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. You said?"
"For tonight, how will you be dressed? The gala?" asked Chloe.
"I wasn't notified of this event when I packed my suitcase for New York. So it'll be a simple pants and shirt."
All three looked at me with disappointed expressions on their faces.
"No way," Chloe protested, looking at the other two.
"Poor little thing," Andy said, with a disconcerted look when glancing at his plate.
"No, no, don't worry about me, it suits me very well." I tried to reassure them about my fate.
"Wait, maybe her pants and top are from a great French haute couture brand!" exclaimed James.
The three heads turned to me with such hope in their eyes that I could not torture them any further.
"Yeah... Givenchy," I said, my teeth clenched.
What am I involving myself in? Hrrrrrrrrr. However, my answer had the desired effect. I saved each of them from a heart attack.
"This evening is important for the group," explained Chloe. "The gala is of such class. Small ovens, refined decorations, and parades of very handsome men."
Her little wink said a lot. James announced to us that he would be in the company of his wife, and Andy with his grandmother.
"You will come with Mr. Mattew?" asked James, full of curiosity.
"That is what is planned."
"You're so lucky," sighed Chloe. "What about your hair?"
Her question caught me off guard.
"I don't know. I don't think I'll do my hair any other way tonight."
My hair, loose with my curls, fell everywhere, and I really didn't want to make an effort for an event where I already knew before that I would be at the bottom of the room, bored to death, counting the hours that would separate me from my bed. I was reminded of Faïz's almost begging face this morning in the elevator. I couldn't let him down.
The visit to Trac-Word's premises lasted well into the afternoon. In this gigantic building, we met many people except Faïz, to my great despair. We finished the visit to Human Resources with a manager named Sienna. I noticed that she, too, was not yet in
her thirties. Truly, the average age of this company was rather young, which was confirmed to me by the latter during our interview. She explained to me all the measures that Trac-Word had taken to fight against sexual and racial discrimination within the firm. This interview had interested me so much that I had forgotten the time. I was surprised to note that it was already 6:00 p.m. when I took a look at my watch.
"I have to go and pick up my daughter," apologized Chloe, indicating to us that it was time for her to leave.
"We'll see each other tonight, my pretty," said Andy with a wave of his hand as a farewell gesture.
"Zoe, are you going to be okay?" asked Chloe anxiously before leaving the room.
"Yes, I think I have everything I need. Thank you for giving me your time. It was very captivating, " I answered in a sincere tone."
She couldn't help but come and give me a warm hug.
"If you ever need anything for your article, you send me an email. I'll answer you as soon as I can. We'll save the goodbyes for tonight. You, too, have to hurry up to leave. The offices are closing early tonight."
I thanked her again before letting her go and then it was Andy, James, and Sienna's turn to take leave. They had all been incredible and endearing during that day. James walked me back to the exit of the reception hall. As agreed, Adan was waiting for me. He immediately invited me to settle inside the vehicle.
"See you later, James," I told him before I got into the Range Rover.
"See you tonight. We're glad you're sharing this moment with us. You'll see, our evenings are really entertaining."
Although somewhat skeptical, I was happy to see them all one last time before turning the page on New York.
"Yes, I don't doubt it!"
When Adan started the car's engine, he gave me a worried look in the rearview mirror before warning me in an embarrassed voice about the situation.
"I received the order to drop you off at the hotel, Miss Reyes, without waiting for Mr. Mattew."
"Yes, Adan, that's what's planned. That's fine with me, thank you."
DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend Page 22