Done Being Friends, page 7
She felt as though she was stuck in some charade, with everyone pretending that she was some capable and experienced business woman who could deal with any situation.
Even as Faith trotted up the stairs, her mood was shifting in the opposite direction. She was slipping down into a downward spiral and she knew it. Voices screamed in her head, telling her that she would utterly fail, destroying all the efforts her father had put into the company and disappoint everyone around her.
By the time she got to the top of the stairs, the voices had taken a stronghold in her heart and mind, and she stood where she was, completely paralyzed with fear.
Faith took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. There was no point in standing there and letting all her insecurities and worries drown her. God, help me.
Letting out a sigh, she forced a smile back on her face. It’s a good day. I will be fine. Everyone will be fine. Everything will be fine. I need to brush up on my vocabulary, but besides that, everything else is fine and under control.
“George, coffee for Miss Kane and a cup for myself,” she called out, not knowing exactly where George was but believed he would hear her.
Be brave Faith. Your father needs you.
Chapter Five
Faith closed her eyes, allowing the water to flow down her face, mixing into a concoction of diluted tears.
All the uncertainties that she was facing were causing so much jitters, even the warm water on her exhausted self didn’t do a thing to help. She kept telling herself over and over again that she would be brave and face whatever that was set before her. She would deal with it the best she could and everything would be fine.
Still, she couldn’t drown out the screaming voices in her head. Voices of fear, insecurities and dubiety.
No matter how much she tried to slow her breathing, to calm herself down, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and she couldn’t stop the rapid palpitations in her chest. All she wanted to do was to get into bed and pull the covers over her head.
If only life could be a book, allowing her to flip right to the end to find out the ending to the story. If only she could shut her eyes tight, convince herself that it was a nightmare, and wake up to her perfect world.
She buried her face in her hands. Enough. Enough Faith. Pull yourself together.
It was with tremendous effort that she made herself get out of the shower, put on some make up so she wouldn’t look like she hadn’t slept for the entire night, and got dressed in dark blue jeans and a buttoned down black blouse.
She knew that everyone in the office would be wearing something more formal, but she had never worked a day in her life and therefore, never had the need to get a suit of any kind.
As she trudged out of her room, she took out her phone and hit the speed dial for Zac.
“Morning Zac, are you busy?” Faith bit her lips, she really didn’t want to disturb Zac, but her fingers had moved without her command. She knew that only he could snap her out of the doom and gloom mood. Only his voice could quell the screaming voices in her head and only his hugs can ease the tremors raking through her body.
Work wise, it would be great to have someone more experience to advice her on the things that should be done and so forth.
“Faith Preston, how many times must I tell you that I will drop anything for you?”
Faith couldn’t help smiling at that as she plodded down the stairs. Her eyes had been on the floor, and she had no idea that Zac was right at the bottom of the stairs. Faith knocked right into him and her hands flew out, grabbing his shoulders to steady herself.
Instead of moving back, Zac stabled Faith and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into his chest. “Good morning.”
Faith’s gasp of shock from bumping into him became a soft sigh as she laid her head against his chest. “Morning,” Faith whispered.
Her soft whisper broke his heart. Zac knew that she was struggling but would never admit it. He lifted her out of his arms and with his hands on her shoulders; he cocked his head to the side and smiled.
“You smell great and you look beautiful, but don’t you think something more formal would be more suitable?” Zac looked at her with his arms still on hers.
“I do not own any working gear, Zac.”
“I figured, so I told Jessica to send your father’s assistant to get you a suit. She should be back before the meeting, and you can change into it.”
Without any warning, she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest. She really needed a hug. She gave a small smile as she felt Zac’s arms tightened around hers. He said nothing, but she knew he understood.
They stood at the bottom of the stairs for a few minutes, and Zac simply held Faith patiently. He knew all that was going through her mind and the fear that she was experiencing. Though she said nothing, he knew that she was just putting on a brave front, and the slight tremor that was reverberating through her was an outright proof.
He knew he had to comfort her, to say something in order to make her feel better, or she would have a breakdown anytime. “I’ll be right here with you,” Zac whispered softly, brushing her hair. “I promise.”
Zac felt Faith nodding in his arms and taking in a deep breath, Faith stepped out of their hug. She smiled, genuinely, because for the first time that day, she truly felt that there would be a happy ending. He smiled back at her, then draping one of his arms over her shoulders; he led her into the kitchen.
“I will be here. Right here, beside you,” Zac uttered as they strolled into the kitchen. Faith didn’t reply, but the certainty in Zac’s voice eased all the fear that was running rampant in her mind.
As she sat down, steaming pancakes were laid before her. Faith had always been a constant person, she had loved pancakes when she was young, and her tastes hadn’t changed much.
“It’s a little late for breakfast, isn’t it?”
“Eat. You have a long day ahead of you.” Something about his commanding voice was just so alluring. Faith smiled and dug in.
Jessica slipped into the kitchen, sipping her coffee. “Everything is ready, all we need is you.” She walked over to where Faith was sitting, gave her shoulders a squeeze and gave her a reassuring smile. Then she glanced over to Zac, who gave a nod.
Jessica walked out of Faith’s kitchen knowing that she was in good hands. She knew that Zac would sooner give up his life than let any harm happen to Faith.
When Jessica was out of sight, Zac shifted his chair to face Faith, pulling her chair between his legs.
“I have cleared my appointments for the next week. I will be right here with you, so don’t worry, all right?”
His deep brown eyes bore right into Faith’s. He always had the ability to speak with so much sincerity swimming in his eyes that it melted Faith’s heart. “Thanks Zac.” Faith leaned in and gave him a light peck on his cheek.
Zac smiled broadly. “Eat,” Zac gestured to the food and dug in himself while Jessica went back to the office to prepare for the things ahead.
After breakfast and coffee, they stood and left the house. Zac pulled Faith’s hand into his, resting her hand on his elbow. They walked in comfortable silence and reaching the driveway, Zac led her to his car and opened the door for her.
Throughout the drive, Zac remained silent, thinking that Faith would like some peace.
Faith looked out of the car and tried to focus. She could sense that Zac’s eyes had flickered onto her a couple of times, probably wondering about what she was thinking.
She knew that she should be focusing on how to answer the board about her father’s condition, what would happen to the company and so forth. She knew that she should perhaps get some rest so that she could her exhausted brain ready for all the new information that would be thrown onto her, but all she could think about was why Zac hadn’t turned up for dinner and hadn’t bothered inform her about it.
It wasn’t long before curiosity won over propriety. “So what happened last night?” Faith looked at Zac, observing his face to detect any lies or half-truths. Both Zac and Dylan had the habit of telling her white lies to protect her, and she didn’t like it.
“I had some paperwork to catch up on,” Zac answered without missing a beat.
Liar. Faith turned and looked out of the window. She hated people lying to her, she wasn’t stupid but she didn’t want to catch Zac on the lie. Keeping her eyes outside the window, she asked another question.
“Why then did you call Dylan to come over without informing me?” She tried to sound impassive but it wasn’t really working.
Silence. Even before Zac spoke, Faith knew it was going to be another lie.
“I just thought it would be more important that someone accompany you for dinner. I didn’t think you would see the difference in having dinner with Dylan than with me.”
It was different. Faith knew it, but pride spoke for her. “Yes, it didn’t matter. But I would have appreciated it if I had been informed.”
With that, Faith was determined not to speak any more. She kept her eyes looking out of the window, not allowing herself to take even a peek at Zac.
She knows I lied. Zac’s jaws tightened, and he let out a soft sigh. Faith was like a human lie detector. She was good at observing things that others didn’t and she was extremely good at catching when people were lying to her.
Why did I even bother to try? Zac really didn’t want to lie, but what was he to say? That Dylan had guilted him into doing so, that he was so upset that he didn’t have the mood to argue with him, or that he thought he loved her but he was afraid that he would end up hurting her instead?
Zac kept turning his head to check on Faith, but she had kept her eyes firmly away from him. He knew she probably was furious with him. He wanted more than anything to reach his hand over and hold her hand, to apologize to her and coax a smile back onto her face.
No, it wouldn’t help. He would have to wait till the storm blew over before saying anything.
The comfortable silence in the car became incredibly difficult to tolerate. Zac knew that she was fuming, and he could almost touch the anger that was radiating out from her.
As he continued driving, Zac came up with a redemption plan. He was going to smile, coax and charm her back into a better mood. He knew Faith really well and knew exactly what he had to do to be back in her good graces. It would probably not be easy, but he would do everything needed to get her smiling again.
As he pulled into the parking lot, his thoughts got more serious. He knew things could get ugly in the office. Silently, he made himself a promise to protect her from it.
Parking his car, he scooted out of it and sprinted over to open Faith’s door. He had the warmest smile on his face, but Faith had kept her face straight and her eyes away from him. He had expected that, but continued to keep the smile on his face.
They had barely taken three steps when flashes went off in front of them, and a series of ‘click, click, click’ could be heard. Damn paparazzi.
The quiet car park erupted with noises from the paparazzi yelling out their questions. “Miss Preston, is it true that your father had a heart attack?” “Miss Preston, will you be taking over the company?” “Miss Preston, is it true that your father is in a bad condition?” “Miss Preston, please update us with what is going on.”
Immediately, Zac wrapped one of his arms protectively over Faith’s shoulders and pulled her close to him. Faith was completely stunned. She didn’t make any move, allowing Zac to pull her into his arms and drag her along. When her sleep-deprived brain finally processed what was going on, she turned and hid her face in Zac’s chest. There was nothing she could do, but to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Zac jostled his way forward and kept his hands over Faith, making sure that the microphones and recorders the reporters were jamming in their directions didn’t hit her. Her hands were digging and clinging so tightly onto his shirt that her knuckles had turned white.
Though her face was hidden from him, Zac could feel the fierce pounding of her heart. He knew that she had never faced such a hostile situation before and was probably terrified.
The very thought made him want to pull her back into his car and drive her somewhere so that he could hide her. “Don’t worry, I got you,” Zac whispered into her ears and continued moving toward the office building.
Zac reached into his pocket, pulled out the security card and swiped it, unlocking the door. Pulling Faith in, he made sure he closed the door shut with his leg, ensuring that no reporters would be able to slip in through the door with them.
He pulled Faith in front of him, using his frame to block hers from the paparazzi. Keeping his hands around Faith, he pressed the lift’s button which sent one of the doors flying open immediately. He led Faith in and heaved a sigh of relief as the door shut, returning the silence and shutting out the flashes from the camera.
Once the door was completely closed, he released his arm and lifted her chin. “Angel, are you all right? You will be safe now; they can’t get into the building. I have told Jessica to triple the security at the door and post patrols.”
Faith blinked and sighed. “Thanks Zac, I didn’t expect the ambush. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you.”
Zac pulled her head in and kissed her forehead. “I am here. Will be here. Don’t worry.”
Zac brushed her hair and pushed her fringe that had covered her face. Standing straight, he adjusted his crumpled shirt. When he saw his bunched up shirt, he chuckled softly.
Faith looked up and smiled sheepishly. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“Feel free to do that again anytime,” Zac smirked.
“Triple the security? Is that really necessary?”
“You really can’t miss your sleep, can you?” Zac turned to see the confused look on her face. “See, you’re so slow you can’t even get what I meant.”
“You forget that I get grumpy when I get tired.”
“And hungry.”
Faith scowled at him and he had the audacity to smile.
“All right, shutting up.”
The lift was a direct access to her father’s office on the fortieth floor. The entire level was his; no one could access it without the special security pass. As they entered the office, two security guards stood by the lift, eyeing the two unfamiliar faces. Zac kept his eyes on Faith, only looking away once to nod his head when he was acknowledged by Chelsea.
Faith had kept her head high as she walked in. She gave Chelsea a polite smile as she was greeted and continued striding toward her father’s office.
She glanced around the familiar room. Sunlight was pouring in through the full length glass windows, illuminating the entire room. The dark brown mahogany desk stood proudly before a black leather chair. Her father’s office was big enough to be an apartment. Besides the desk and chair, a black leather sofa with a small coffee table lined the side of a wall. On the other side of the office, there was a private bathroom complete with a shower and a changing area.
As she walked into her office, she was half expecting to see her father walk out of the bathroom to greet her. The office seemed hollow without her father, or perhaps, it was her heart which was feeling empty. As she walked over to the desk, her fingers skimmed the top of the polished table, hesitating a moment before taking Mr. Preston’s seat.
“I haven’t been on this side of the table for the longest time,” Faith choked slightly at the words.
Zac watched her as she took in the surroundings. He saw how her brows furrowed and how she fought back her tears as she looked at the black leather seat where her father had been sitting just the day before.
So much had changed since yesterday.
Zac walked over and placed his hand on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. At the same moment, Jessica walked in and cleared her throat to get their attention. “The project managers are already in the meeting room.”
Immediately, Faith let out a heavy breath, readying herself for the battle to come. Zac sat down on a couch as Faith stood.
“You’re not coming?” The alarm was clear in Faith’s voice.
“These are the company projects; I don’t think your father want outsiders knowing about the details.”
Faith clasped her hands behind her back, wringing them. “Please? I...I don’t think I’ll understand anything. I really need...your advice.”
Zac wished she had ended her sentence with a you. I really need you. Still, the alarm in her voice melted his heart. He stood up and walked beside her. He had intended to put his arms around her and walk out together, but they were in the office and they should be more professional.
He tilted his head toward the door and gestured for them to get going. Faith took in a deep breath and strode out with him.
Fear and uncertainty was percolating within her, but despite all that she was feeling, she had managed to keep her face straight. As she entered the conference room, all heads turned. The project managers looked as nervous as she was. She gave them an amiable smile and settled into her seat.
Zac took the seat beside her and gave Faith an encouraging smile. Nodding, Faith finally spoke. “Let’s begin. Fill me in on all the different projects, the stage that we’re at and what are the things that need to be done.”
Immediately, the teams started presenting on the projects, bringing Faith up to date with all that was happening in the company. Preston currently had two new projects going on, two major projects. Both were resorts with plenty of details that Faith would have to see to.
Zac made himself pay attention while the projects manager briefed Faith and informed her of the status of the projects. He couldn’t help but look toward Faith periodically, wondering if she could get what the managers were saying.
She would scribble down notes while the managers spoke and was staring intently at the files of information before her. Now and then, she would draw in a deep breath and tilt her head to the sides to stretch her neck.
