DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend
Page 25
"You play innocent, but you take advantage whenever the opportunity presents itself to sleep with my boyfriend. You're just a bitch!"
I raised my hands nervously in front of me and interrupted Faïz so that he would not intervene. I approached her, trying to keep as much self-control as possible.
"You're so vulgar, Rachelle. I'm going to give you some information: he doesn't belong to anyone, and no, I'm not fucking him."
Faïz came between us, feeling that the situation could get out of hand at any moment.
"You lying bitch!" shouted Rachelle, "you were only waiting for that. Since the first day, you've run after him. You—"
"Rachelle, shut up!" interposed Faïz, who was losing patience.
He took her by the arm and dragged her to his door.
"Don't touch me! You disgust me!" Rachelle burst into tears.
Faïz, full of anger, turned to me.
"Zoe, I'm sorry. I have to settle this. I'll pick you up tomorrow to—"
Before he even had time to finish his sentence, I went to my suite and slammed the door behind me. I collapsed to the ground behind it with my hands in my hair, smothering silent cries. I heard the cries of Rachelle and Faïz on the other side of the wall, but I refrained from going to listen to what they were saying to each other. The evening could have been perfect, but instead I would have another of my worst memories. One more. I couldn't stand my dress on my skin anymore and hurried to take it off. I threw it ragingly to the ground without even taking the trouble to hang it on a hanger behind the door. I stared at it for a moment. Like Cinderella, I had had my few hours of happiness. I went to the bathroom to remove my makeup and then tied my hair with an elastic band. As I prepared to go to bed, I noticed that the screams next door had stopped. Perhaps they were reconciling? The thought made me wince and tears flooded my face. I lay down in the sheets, my heart crumbling. Fortunately, fatigue overwhelmed me immediately.
"Zoe, you are like nature, rebellious and fiery, but as soon as the slightest bad weather comes in sight, you let yourself be beaten down and withered," my mother told me, showing me the countryside around us.
"I wish I'd never met him," I confided to her with pain.
We walked on a green path. I even managed to smell the wild nature.
"Unfortunately, you can't go against these events. That's life. We have to keep going."
She stopped suddenly to face me.
"You'll have to be strong. Promise me. Wherever you are, I'll be there."
She lay her hand on my heart.
"Why do I feel like this is goodbye, Mom? Why do you want to leave me again?"
"You have to let me go, Zoe," whispered my mother, moving away.
"How am I going to bear your absence?"
"One day, we'll meet again. Much later, of course. Promise me you'll be strong."
"I will be strong. I promise you."
She wrapped me up in her arms. Curled up close to her, I filled myself with her warmth, letting my tears run down my cheeks.
"I'm ready to let you go, Mom," I whispered, devastated inside.
She looked at me at length and stroked my face. Then she finally detached herself from me in order to continue in silence on her way, alone, on the country path. I knew it was the last time she would come to life in my dreams. As she walked away, I hoped that she had enjoyed the last landscape I had offered her.
FAÏZ
Rachelle, sitting in the chair near the large windows, wiped her tears with a wave of her hand.
"How did it come to this, Faïz? I didn't see anything coming."
The young man, sitting on the bed, did not answer. His only concern was in the suite next door. At Zoe's angry look, he knew he had once again ruined everything. He chased away the very idea of going to join her, to take her again in his arms. If Rachelle hadn't come that night, he would have spent the night with her.
"Faïz!" called Rachelle, raising her voice.
His dark gaze fell on the woman sitting not far from him. She seemed destabilized by his black eyes, with whom she was madly in love.
"I'm sorry. I will always keep our history close to me. Regret nothing, no moment. You brought me so much, Rachelle, and I hate myself for being the cause of your grief."
"Did you even love me?"
"As I was able to. You know I've never been comfortable with feelings."
"What about Zoe? Do you love her as you're able, too?"
The young man did not answer, letting the silence do it for him.
"I'd better go," said Rachelle, completely devastated.
"At this time of night? It's not reasonable. Stay and sleep here."
She wondered where he wanted her to sleep. They probably weren't going to share the same bed. The answer was not long in coming. Faïz took his jacket and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'll get another room, if that's what you're worried about. Good night."
He left, leaving Rachelle alone, in immense sadness. She understood at that moment that he would never return to her again.
12
I finally walked across the tarmac of Los Angeles Airport under a blazing heat. Since our departure that morning from New York, the conversation with Faïz had been limited to the very least. Pouting wasn't in my nature, and I wasn't avoiding him, either. Any feeling of resentment didn't occupy me. Up to him, if he wanted to talk to me about his late evening. For my part, it was out of the question to ask him for an explanation. However, it seemed that he did not know how to approach the subject. On that point, I wasn't going to help him, either. The valet had brought Faïz's car, which waited for us down the stairs of the jet. Then I glimpsed a Bentley beside his McLaren, which was also waiting.
"Zoe," said Faïz in an embarrassed tone, "the girls came to get you directly from the airport. They wanted to finish Victoria's birthday preparations with you. I thought it would do you good to see them."
"They didn't have to."
"Asarys and Lexy are happy to see you again, and I'm sure you are, too. You must have a lot to tell them."
Faïz stared at me with an accusatory look. I couldn't believe it. It was he who had finished the night in his suite with his ex-girlfriend, and he seemed to practically reproach me.
"Not so much!" I spit, harsh.
My remark stung him sharply, and his black look answered in his place. Screams came out of the car. Asarys and Lexy rushed towards me. I hurried to get back to them without even taking a look at Faïz.
"Oh! You look tired, Zoe!" said Asarys, placing herself in front of me.
— "We wonder why," said Lexy.
I sighed as the only answer to my friend's misplaced remark.
"What? But no, I wasn't thinking what you were thinking," she continued to provoke me.
"Lexy, grrrrr, not now, please!" I asked her to stop her innuendo.
Faïz, behind me, pretended he hadn't heard anything and escorted me to Asarys's car, where he put my suitcase in the trunk. The girls greeted Faïz and then went up to the Bentley to give us some privacy so we could say goodbye. Lexy's curious look in the passenger mirror was not very discreet, but it was just like Lexy. Faïz put his bag on the ground and approached me with his hands in his pockets. I tried to silence my weakness so as not to succumb to his destructive charm.
"Look, Zoe," he hesitated.
"I assure you, I don't need you to explain anything to me. Rachelle came, and I know it wasn't planned."
"Nothing happened."
His eyes begged me to believe it. He continued, "she stayed in my room, but I slept somewhere else, in another suite. She knows it's all over."
A great relief seized me. I was so afraid to hear a completely different truth. I carried a hand to my forehead, trying to hide this sudden tranquility. I then changed the subject to one that was much more worrying to me.
"The fires? What's the status? From here, LA doesn't look like it's on fire."
His face closed abruptly.
"Be careful. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. The girls are waiting for me. I'll see you later?"
"Yes."
His gaze lingered on me before he took his bag and moved towards his McLaren.
When I sat in the back of the Bentley, the reactions of my two sidekicks were not long in coming. Their two heads turned at the same time.
"I warn you, we want to know everything," Asarys said to me.
"With every detail," Lexy added.
I tilted my head back, letting myself drop to the back of my seat.
"Nothing happened," I began, waiting for the repercussions of my confession.
Asarys started the engine, accompanied by Lexy's cries. During the ride, I told them broadly about my stay in New York.
"If Rachelle hadn't shown up, you and Faïz would have spent your first night together," Asarys breathed, disappointed at the turn of events.
"I can't say if we're together or not right now, but we've gotten quite a lot closer over the last couple of days."
Before my friends continued their interrogation, I also took advantage of the opportunity to catch up on out what had happened during my absence.
"How is it going with Ray?"
"Yes... We're considering moving in together."
She glanced at me in the rearview mirror, worried to observe my reaction. Indeed, I almost choked listening to this news.
"Is this a joke? I mean, isn't it too soon? Asarys, come on, you've only known each other for a few months."
"I knew you were going to say that, but it's getting serious between us and I don't know how to explain it to you. It's as if I've known him forever. We are so fusional."
"Well, you're in love, basically! We understood it well," Lexy cut her off.
"It's your choice, Asarys. If you're happy, that's the main thing. If he breaks your heart, I'll kill him," I said without appeal.
"Yep, that's how it works where we're from."
Lexy made the West Coast sign with her hands to imitate the gangster mafia in Los Angeles. Then she chose a Jay-Z song from her playlist, which she put at full volume.
After we sang a little too loudly, Asarys parked in the Walmart parking lot.
"Girls, let's calm down," I said, "I still need my voice to party tonight."
Lexy went out first in search of a cart.
"Are you still going to sing tonight?" Asarys asked.
"No," I said, "I wouldn't risk it. Did you finish the video editing with what I brought you for the birthday?"
"It's in the box," she confirmed. "The result is amazing."
"Great, thank you. I hope she'll like my surprise."
Inside the store, it was nice. We felt like we were breathing again. According to Lexy and Asarys, Charles and Lily saw to the decorations themselves, while Faïz and Ray had been in contact with the caterer for a few days. We went through the department store following Lily's shopping list to the letter.
"I'm going to call Victoria. I haven't spoken to her since Thursday. I want to make sure she's okay."
I grabbed my cell phone. That was when I saw William's message on the screen.
Hi, how are you? I hope everything went well for you. I'll see you tonight.
Strangely enough, I felt a touch of sadness mixed with a feeling of impassivity. I was happy that William was still speaking to me, but sad I had not managed to choose him over Faïz. Of course, Zoe, it's so much better to be a masochist. I silenced the little voice inside me and decided to dial Victoria's number.
"Are you happy to be back with us?" she asked when she answered.
"I don't know if I prefer the heat wave in LA or the winter of New York. Do you realize the two extremes I just went through in a few hours?"
She burst out laughing and then added,
"I admit, it sounds crazy! Otherwise, it went well over there with my brother?" she asked me in a small voice.
"Good." I forced myself to answer her as naturally as possible. "We got along perfectly well. I'll see you later to talk more about my stay, if you want."
Victoria worshipped her brother at all levels. She was a loving and faithful sister. I did not want her to be caught between two vices, nor did I want her to even feel obliged to listen to my confidences about him. It was out of the question that she would be involved in our stories. It was not her role.
"Yeah, I'm very disappointed that you're part of this charade!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Cut the comedy. I'm not fooled. The only thing I don't know is who will be at my party, nor where it will take place."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"It's a shame, Zoe. I really trusted you."
I repressed a sneer.
"Vic, do your melodrama to someone else. Come on. Bye."
"See you later, Zoe."
With the cart well filled, we headed for the check out. Then we had to go back to Elora to drop off the groceries. From what I had understood, Charles would take everything back to William and Julio's mansion.
"I'll take my things to the villa and we'll get ready at your place, Lexy."
"Don't forget to come back to the campus, girls. I left the surprise video for Victoria in my room," Asarys said, while unpacking the groceries at the register.
Putting all the bags in the trunk was an ordeal in the overwhelming heat.
"The Mattew have butlers, cleaners, and gardeners, but we get stuck with the shopping. There's really something wrong," Lexy complained.
"Consider yourself lucky you don't have to prepare tonight's banquet, Lexy. It's a simple task we've been given, so stop grumbling. It's for Vicky," Asarys pointed out to her.
She threw her hands up before sitting in the passenger seat of the car again.
"I certainly wouldn't have done it for you, know it," she growled at Asarys.
During the drive, I was surprised to note how much I had missed Los Angeles. I was looking forward to getting back the Mattew.
"Does the weather forecast show the same thing again for next week?" I asked the girls.
"Apparently, it's over on Monday. We should return to our regular temperatures," Asarys told me.
"There will even be big storms," Lexy added. "We really need them to put out the damn fires."
I was soothed to hear this good news. For once, I welcomed the rain with the greatest pleasure.
I pushed the gate of the villa, followed by Lexy and Asarys. Miss Arlette greeted me quickly. She seemed very busy and was going to a fair amount of trouble in the kitchen. Lily and Charles arrived from the terrace.
"Hello, Zoe!" exclaimed Charles warmly as he saw me.
He took me in his arms. It was the first time he had done this, proof that they had missed me. Lily imitated him by staying a little longer.
"Are you all right? Have you had time to have lunch since you arrived?" she worried immediately.
I then caught Asarys and Lexy's eyes, who begged me to say no. The poor things must have starved to death as much as I had. Since I'd landed this morning, we hadn't taken a minute to breathe.
"Not really. We just had time to do the shopping. Everything is in the trunk."
"I'm going to put them in my car and go to the mansion right away," Charles said.
Asarys handed him the keys to her Bentley while Lily invited us to eat outside.
"Settle down by the small garden, girls. Trees provide plenty of shade and protect from the heat. Miss Arlette will bring you something to eat."
"Thank you, Mrs. Mattew," my friends hastened to answer.
Before crossing the bay window, I called to Lily.
"Where is Victoria, actually? Is she still meeting us directly at Julio and William's?"
"William picked her up this morning to take her shopping. I didn't want her to se
e the last-minute preparations at my parents' house. He'll take her to the mansion when everyone arrives."
"I'll get ready at Lexy's and then we'll go straight to their place."
"Very well. Thanks for the shopping, Zoe. Ah, one last thing. How did it go to New York with Faïz?"
Lily squinted every time her lie detector was in place. But why did everyone keep asking me that question? No one had asked me anything about Trac-World again, nor even about my article that I had started to refine in the jet.
"Faïz was charming, as usual."
I ran away before giving her time to ask me a second question, leaving her with a pout full of ambiguity. Indeed, she knew her son by heart, so the word "charming" could not be compatible with his character.
"I had never set foot on the terrace before, not even in this garden." Lexy, in ecstasy, let herself fall into one of the chairs.
"It's beautiful, this view with the pool. This villa is the stuff of dreams," added Asarys.
Miss Arlette immediately joined us with a plate full of sandwiches and Coca-Cola.
"It feels good to sit down for a minute," I sighed, tired. "I could almost take a nap if we had a little time."
I took my phone out of my pocket. I had completely forgotten to answer William's message, so I took advantage of this moment of calm to send him an answer, indicating that I was happy to see him tonight.
The pools at Lexy's residence were crowded. With this heat, everyone would fight for every square inch of water.
"The place is usually rather deserted," Lexy pointed out to us when we took the building elevator.
"I just pray that this time the air conditioning at your home will work," Asarys begged, waving a flyer in front of her face.
When we entered her apartment, we welcomed the fresh air with open arms.
"Thank God!" Asarys shouted as she closed her eyes.
"Well, we don't have time to rest," I said, "we have to get ready in a hurry. I would like to point out that in two hours, Vic will be at the mansion and we have a little way to go."