Done Being Friends, page 2
“I missed you too.” She genuinely did. Of all the challenges she had faced on all of her mission trips, the most difficult of them all was the constant reminder of how much Zac was on her mind.
Zac glowed with a warm smile that would melt any girl’s heart. “I thought you would only be back tomorrow? Why didn’t you tell me? I have already cleared my day to pick you up at the airport.”
“Don’t be silly. You have a company to run, and George can pick me up.”
Zac allowed Faith to step out from his hug, though he wanted more than anything to keep her there. He kept one of her hands in his and brushed her fringe aside, before bending down till their eyes met. “I know I do not have to, but I want to.”
Sincerity swam within his eyes as he looked right into her. Faith was stunned silent for a second before she regained her ability to think.
She hated Zac’s habit of moving his eyes right before hers before saying the sweetest things. Whenever he did that, it never failed to render her speechless, and her brain would cease to function for a few moments.
She took a deep breath and took another step away from him.
“Sorry, Mr. Hayden. I’m not some bimbo whom you can sweep off her feet with some sweet nothings.” Though she knew that she was lying, she kept her face straight. Whenever Zac came so close to her, all she wanted to do was to close the gap and kiss him.
Zac moved his free hand to his chest and gave a look of mock hurt. Both of them erupted into laughter as Zac led her into his office. Pulling the chair out for her, he waited for Faith to sit down before he settled down onto his seat across from her.
“How was your trip?”
“Great, as always.” Faith smiled broadly.
“Sorry about walking in on you just now, I should have called Mindy first.”
A frown formed between his brows and he leaned forward. “You, Faith Preston, are the only person in the world who is welcome to walk into my office, or house, as and when you want. You know I would drop anything for you.”
The seriousness and sincerity in his voice rendered her voiceless. She blinked, but as hard as she tried, all she was able to do was to give Zac a small smile.
Seemingly happy with the reaction he had caused, he leaned back against his chair. “I don’t understand why you insist on calling Mindy when you have my number on your speed dial.”
“I don’t want to disturb you. I believe we will never come to agree on this issue, so let it go.”
Zac shook his head at her. “I never know what to do with you.”
Faith let out a soft chuckle and shook her head.
“ Anyway, are you here with my present?”
Faith grinned. She had always bought him a present no matter where she went. Just like how he would buy her anything he thought would look beautiful on her.
She slipped her hand into her tote bag, and pulled out the ancient Keris, a unique dagger that she knew Zac would like. He took it from her and admired it. He twirled it around his hands for a few moments before his face got serious.
Zac had a collection of unique knives and daggers, ranging from ninja swords to the light saber replicas from Star Wars. “How is it that you always know what to get me?”
Smiling indulgently, Faith stood up. “Your geeky secret is safe with me.”
“You are leaving already?” Zac stood up along with her. Faith’s smile broadened as she heard the obvious disappointment in his words.
“I’m dead beat. I’m going back to crash.” She walked over, intending to give Zac a hug before leaving, but Zac laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he led her to the lift, and accompanied her down to the lobby.
“So, were the sewing machines you bought suitable for the locals?”
“Yes, they learned really fast.” Then laughing softly, she shook her head as she continued, slightly embarrassed. “In fact, I personally can’t figure out how it works. The last time I tried it, the needle broke and flew right out!”
Zac laughed along. “Well, I don’t believe you ever sewed anything on your own before.”
“I did some cross-stitch! I made you that bookmark, remember?” Faith nudged him softly. “You said it was nice.”
“Yes, yes it was,” he replied in his pacifying tone, getting himself a jab to his side. Her jab was painless, but he winced anyway, giving her some satisfaction.
“Anyway, I have no idea where the needle went. In fact, I didn’t realize that it had broken until I noticed that there wasn’t any thread going through the holes like it should.”
Zac tried to control the burst of laughter that was bubbling up his throat. He pretended to cough in order to mask the chuckle, but it was futile. He adored the silly moments that Faith displayed.
She was smart and competent. When she put her mind to things, no mountains were too tall for her to climb.
Then, there were times where she could be completely oblivious and silly. Times when he just wanted to pull her in and kiss her crazy, or laugh his heart out.
As the lift’s door opened at the lobby, a few curious faces greeted their arrival. None of his employees had ever seen Zac laugh in such carefree manner, and it wasn’t a normal sight to see someone wearing jeans and T-shirt at the office either.
He cleared his throat, and one look from him caused everyone who was staring to find sudden interest in the walls and floors of the lobby.
When Zac steered her away from the curious crowd, Faith hooked her arm around his and gave him a tight squeeze. “If you keep laughing at me whenever I tell you my stories, I won’t tell you anything next time.”
“You should try that again without smiling.”
Right outside the building, Zac spotted her parents’ car, a black BMW. George got out of the driver’s seat and was about to open the door for Faith when Zac signaled for him to get back in. George nodded in acknowledgement before settling back in his seat.
Taking a step forward, Zac pulled open the door for Faith to get in.
“Will you be there for the charity dinner tomorrow?” Zac asked as he remembered the dinner Faith’s mother had invited him to.
“Do you think my mother will let me get out of it?” Faith said, giving him a look of helplessness. Her mother had the ability to make people do things her way, while Faith didn’t have a habit of going against her mother. Zac’s only response was a knowing laugh.
“Have a good rest,” he muttered as he reached in and brushed his fingers against her cheek. He let his fingers linger for a second before closing the door.
Zac stood by the road and watched the car drive away. He had forgotten about the world and knew he must look like an idiot, standing by the road and smiling long after the car was gone.
The corner of his lips turned up as he strolled back into the office building that his family owned. He thought about the last year of his college, and how his life was turned upside down in an instance.
Though he didn’t grow up sheltered like most privileged children, and was in a house where his parents barely acknowledged each other’s existence, he had a good life. He always had the freedom to do what he wanted, whenever he wanted.
From the carefree young adult that he was, he was suddenly forced to play the role of being the owner of the Hayden empire. When everyone had behaved like a ravenous wolf, trying to get a piece of the company, Faith had stayed by his side.
She was always there to give him a hug when he needed, without prodding. She was always on his side no matter what the rest of the world thought, and she had always believed in him.
When the newspaper and magazines wrote about the impending doom of the Hayden empire in his hands, Faith was beside him and believed in him. She had stood right before him, looked him in his eyes, and told him simply, “Zac Hayden, you can definitely do this. I believe in you. I believe, wholeheartedly, that you can do anything you set your mind to.”
That particular memory had been etched in his mind ever since. Whenever things weren’t going well, whenever he felt like giving up, he would close his eyes and listen to Faith say those words over and over again in his head. Her words had always been able to infuse both strength and courage for whatever problem he was facing.
Faith always had a special place in his heart, but he never dared to take their relationship a step further. He didn’t have a good track record in love. He came from a long line of ancestors with loveless marriages, and the last thing he was going to do, was to get into a relationship with Faith.
That was a sure way to lose her.
At least by being her friend, he could be sure that he would be there for her forever. Just like how she had been there for him.
She deserved someone who would love her with all his heart. He knew he would give up everything to be there for her, but with his family history, he wouldn’t risk it. All the men in his family had cheated on their wives. With such genes, he would never risk hurting Faith that way.
With a soft sigh, he strode back into his office. Faith’s perfume still lingered on his shirt, and her scent would have been more pronounced if Nicole hadn’t been clinging onto him before.
This was the second time he had seen Nicole. Her father, Jordon Smith, was a door manufacturer working with Zac on his latest apartment project, and Nicole had joined in on one of the dinners he had with her father.
After dinner, Nicole had called him several times, but he wasn’t interested, and didn’t bother to call her back. To him, Nicole was just a business associate’s daughter. He had no interest in having anything more.
Then, she turned up at his office lobby uninvited, and not wanting to create a scene, he had let her into his office. He wanted to let her know that he had no intention of seeing her, but she refused to listened and had thrown herself onto him.
Zac shook his head, not understanding what was going on in that woman’s mind. Unwilling to waste another second dwelling on her, he pushed her out of his mind and returned his focus to Faith.
Gosh, how he had missed her.
“Zac!”
Zac cringed at that voice, apparently he wasn’t clear enough to Nicole. “Nicole, you’re still here.”
“I was waiting for you, I knew you wouldn’t spend long with that one.” She gestured to the door with her chin.
His jaws tightened. “That one?” he asked, and even with just two words, the fury contained within was clear. “Do not speak that way about her! Nicole, I told you, I’m not interested in whatever you’re proposing. Please leave.”
“Zac, come on,” she coaxed with her deliberately sweetened voice. “There’s no need to get so angry. Daddy wouldn’t like it for us to quarrel.”
She hooked her manicured fingers around Zac’s hand, but he instantly pulled his hand away.
“Enough, Nicole.” Zac stared her right in the eyes. “If you think that I will entertain you just to keep your father happy, you cannot be more wrong. I do not need your father, and if he is not interested in doing business with me, there are others who are willing. So, you don’t need to bring your daddy up, because it makes no difference to me whose daughter you are.”
Looking around, Zac knew they were beginning to attract attention. “I’m not interested, Nicole. And I suggest that you don’t make a scene. Since my reputation is already in tatters, I don’t really care. But I’m sure you don’t want to make yourself look like a fool.” Then he turned and left her to simmer in her own frustration.
All eyes were on Nicole when she walked out of the office. She pouted her lips and kept her head high, refusing to be judged by the low lives around her. They were nobody, and it didn’t matter how they looked at her now. One day, she would be the one controlling their destinies.
Zac headed back to his office, grabbed the Keris dagger, and placed it into his bag with a wide grin.
No matter where the missions took Faith, she never failed to buy something unique and bring it back for him. Whenever she could, she would call or e-mail him, updating him on how things were going on.
At times, when a day stretched into two, three and then four without news, Zac would end up checking his phone every other minute, making sure that he didn’t miss her calls.
When he could no longer just stare at his cellphone, he would start venting his anger on Mindy, asking her every other hour to check if Faith had called and constantly warning her to immediately put Faith through to him when she did call.
He knew she was probably safe with the church, but having her so far away from his protection, and not hearing any word from her just unsettled him.
Tomorrow.
Leaning back against his chair, Zac smiled at the prospect of seeing Faith the next day. Maybe even earlier.
He could always drop by her house for dinner; he was sure she wouldn’t mind.
Mindy had gotten back from her lunch to hear all of the gossip already flying around the office about a blond hooking up with Mr. Hayden. She rolled her eyes at most of it, knowing that he had never brought women to the office.
On top of that, Mindy knew that Miss Preston’s trip was delayed and she wouldn’t be back as scheduled. That in itself would have been more than enough to put him in the foulest mood.
As she opened the door to his office, she saw him twirling that curvy knife and smiling to himself.
No one else in the world had the power to do that to him except Faith Preston. That meant that the rumors were nonsense. If Miss Preston were here, no one else stood a chance. “Let me guess, Miss Preston was here.” Mindy kept the door slightly opened and poked her head in. She knew from experience that Zac was always in a great mood whenever Faith came back from her mission trips.
“Yes, in fact, you just missed her.” Zac sat up straight in his chair, but the smile was still plastered to his face.
“Ah...So...the rumors about a blond are false?” Mindy raised one of her eyebrows, waiting for his answer.
Zac shook his head. “Gossip spreads like wildfire around here.”
“It’s all gossip then?”
“Sort of.” The smile disappeared from his face, and he looked right at Mindy without revealing any emotions.
“I told you, you should never let them up. This is an office, Mr. Hayden.”
Zac raised his hand, gesturing for her to stop. “I can assure you that she wasn’t invited,” he answered.
She narrowed her eyes. “Do I need to inform the security about her?”
“No, I’m sure I have put it plainly enough for her.”
Mindy shrugged her shoulders. “Do tell Miss Preston that personally, I’m extremely delighted she got back before a certain boss morphed into a complete monster.”
“You do know you’re speaking to the one signing your paychecks.”
“And you know you need me.” Mindy turned to leave, allowing the door to swing close.
As the door slammed closed, Zac leaned back, wondering why he was stuck with an assistant who was so capable that he couldn’t fire her. To make matters worse, she knew how indispensable she was to him.
Chapter Two
The moment Zac stepped into the ballroom; he attracted several different stares from women in the room. He kept his eyes straight and headed straight to his table. He only had one thought on his mind. Seeing Faith.
He only paused once when he saw Faith’s mother. She was in the midst of conversation; with several other women dressed elegantly for the event. After giving her a warm smile and nod, he continued toward his table.
The ballroom was impeccably decorated; a beautiful center piece graced every table, and table cloths in two shades of shimmering dark purple overlaid the tables.
Zac shook his head and smiled. Thinking about how he had once personally dodged Faith’s mother’s relentless persuasion of letting her redecorate his house. Faith had managed to tactfully rescue him by throwing another project in her mother’s way. Another thing that he owed Faith for.
Faith’s grandmother had arranged for Zac to be seated at the same table as Faith, but her seat, which was right next to his, remained empty. Her mother and grandmother had organized this event, and since they were already here, she should be too. However, she was nowhere in sight. He scanned the room, looking for Faith, getting slightly concerned that she was nowhere to be seen.
Zac got out of the chair and strode around the room while his eyes continued to sweep it, looking for Faith. He nodded politely when he spotted a group of women eyeing him, and was about to move right on when he caught sight of a familiar silhouette behind them.
The group of women flashed their ecstatic smile as Zac neared, but their smiles quickly dissipated when it was obvious that his eyes were looking at someone behind them rather than at them.
“Are you hiding from someone?”
Faith jumped at his voice and turned around. “Zac! Gosh, you really shouldn’t come up from behind me. I was just texting you.” Faith waved the phone in her hand before putting it into her black clutch bag.
“What were you texting me for? We are sitting at the same table. You could have just gone over to talk to me.”
Faith didn’t seem to be listening to a word he was saying. She tiptoed, placing her hands on his shoulders for support, and peered behind him before looking back at him. “My mum. I knew something was wrong when they got a hairstylist to my house to do my hair. I knew they were up to something.”
The words flowed out of her mouth so quickly that Zac had to really pay attention to catch all her words. Yes, her hair looked different. Her sleek and straight chestnut hair was curled and pinned up with a few loose tendrils framing her face.
As her feet planted firmly back onto ground, Zac playfully pulled on a tendril before letting it go.
“They even got me a new dress!” Faith sounded exasperated as she opened up her arms before her, to showcase her navy blue silk dress, oblivious to what Zac had just done. “Look at the back!” She turned around for Zac to show him what she was talking about.
