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Chapter 2

I had just woken up, still groggy with sleep, and instinctively reached for my phone. My eyelids fluttered for a moment before opening fully. s**t! It was already 4pm. My heart skipped a beat. I had a date at 7pm!

I jumped out of bed, slipped on my slippers and rushed to the living room. Zaya was sprawled on the couch, glued to the TV screen.

—Old hag, you’re already back? I called out, noticing her there.

She turned her head slightly toward me, a teasing smile on her lips.

—“Already” back, you mean already out? She shot back, laughing. I woke up at 2pm, girl, this tiredness won’t let go of me.

She stifled a yawn before adding:

—By the way, Nathan’s driver brought the car back.

—You’re talking about tiredness, but it’s already 4pm and I have a date at 7!

Zaya stared at me for a moment before breaking into a wide, mischievous grin.

—What? I asked, narrowing my eyes.

—I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so we can gossip! She exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement. I can’t believe we spent the whole night with Nathan Erwane, and you’re seeing him again today!

I let out a nervous little laugh and flopped onto the couch.

—Sis, you’re not the only one! When he said good evening to me yesterday, I had no idea it was him. It was his raspy voice that caught my attention. I shook my head, replaying the scene in my mind. Imagine my face when I turned around and saw who it was… I played it cool on the outside, but on the inside I was jumping around like a fangirl!

Zaya burst out laughing before nodding.

—I can imagine! You caught his eye. Even when Malick brought those girls over, he wasn’t “into it.” She raised her eyebrows. That guy was completely fixated on you. They were so surprised when you pulled out your car keys.

—Right?! I agreed, amused. They weren’t expecting us to have a car. Not like guys like them have never seen girls drive though.

—Yeah, but since they thought we were hot and all, they assumed we were the same type of girls as the ones they picked up.

I rolled my eyes.

—Dumb way to think, but anyway…

Zaya glanced at her phone and jumped.

—It’s already almost 5pm… Go get ready for your “intimate dinner”!

I rolled my eyes before answering, feigning indifference:

—Whatever! I’m just gonna do a quick little touch-up.

Then, like a lightbulb going off in my head, a detail suddenly came back to me. I turned to Zaya, a sly grin spreading across my face.

—Heeey! I almost forgot, you little sneak…

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

—What now?

—Yesterday at the party, I saw you talking to Ethan. And this morning he couldn’t stop staring at you.

Zaya shrugged, putting on a falsely innocent pout.

—Oh him? Ah, we talked a bit… He told me he’s into me, apparently.

I widened my eyes, feigning shock.

—“Apparently”?! Did you not see the way he was looking at you? But you’re not interested either?

She gave a half-smile, clearly embarrassed.

—I am, but you know my bad luck with guys. Plus he’s so handsome that… She shook her head. Hehe, it’s giving me a headache!

I laughed softly before replying:

—A headache? Have you seen Erwane? That one right there… I can’t even imagine his situation, with all the girls he meets. I shrugged. Anyway, I’m just living in the moment. It’s not like I’m going to marry him.

Zaya nodded.

—True. Alright, go on, you’re going to be late!

I nodded and went to get ready.

In the bathroom, I took a quick shower, letting the hot water wake up my still-sleepy muscles. I applied a lavender shower cream all over my body and waited about ten minutes before rinsing off.

Back in my room, I headed to my closet, undecided. In the end, I went with fine purple lingerie—I wasn’t sure why I was putting on something so sexy, but anyway…

For the outfit, I chose slightly sheer black palazzo pants, a red corset bustier with thick straps, red heeled sandals and a small black bag. For makeup, I focused on my eyes: perfectly drawn eyebrows, precise eyeliner, a touch of mascara, and to complete the look, a purple lipstick matching my lingerie.

I tied my dreadlocks into a high ponytail and carefully styled my baby hairs. A cloud of perfume wrapped around me as I glanced at my phone.

7:20pm!

My heart skipped a beat seeing Erwane’s message. He’d been waiting downstairs for 20 minutes.

—s**t! I muttered, quickly texting him back that I was on my way.

Grabbing my bag, I rushed out. Zaya had disappeared, probably off doing her own thing.

Downstairs, an imposing black Rolls-Royce was parked outside. I walked over, a shiver of excitement running down my spine. That car… my absolute weakness.

I got in and found him sitting behind the wheel, just as charismatic as ever.

—Hi, sorry I’m late. I lost track of time.

He looked me over with a half-smile before answering, his smooth voice brushing against my ear like a caress.

—Given the result in front of me, you’re forgiven. He paused, his gaze burning. You look stunning.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I lowered my head slightly to hide my reaction.

—Thanks… You don’t look bad yourself.

His all-black look played up his bad boy vibe: slightly ripped jeans, a half-open shirt revealing a tattoo on his chest, a leather jacket, red-soled Louboutin sneakers. His effortlessly styled hair, his earrings and his intoxicating cologne completed the look perfectly.

He started the car, and half an hour later, we were in Bonapriso, in front of a luxurious restaurant.

We got out of the car and walked in. The atmosphere was hushed, softly lit by elegant chandeliers casting a gentle glow over the carefully set tables. A waiter, dressed in a flawless black uniform, greeted us and led us to a table near the large bay window.

I sat across from Erwane as he absentmindedly picked up the menu. His fingers traced the edge of the leather cover, but he didn’t open it right away.

—What can I get you? The waiter asked with a polite smile.

I shrugged.

—I’ll let you choose, I said to Erwane with a small smile.

He nodded, ordered for both of us, and the waiter discreetly walked away.

Erwane leaned back in his chair and locked his eyes on mine.

—I’d like to get to know you better, I have to admit you intrigue me.

I raised an eyebrow, amused.

—Oh really? Why’s that?

He shrugged, a half-smile on his lips.

—I don’t know… Just because. First off, how old are you?

—24, and you?

—28. And what do you do, for real?

—I’m a strategy manager, and I have a clothing boutique with Zaya.

He looked genuinely impressed.

—A boutique? Where?

—In Bonamoussadi.

—That’s cool. Are you really sisters or just close friends? And how did you open the boutique? Where’d you get the capital, did your parents help?

I let out a light laugh before answering.

—Yes, we’re really sisters. Half-sisters actually. We share the same father, but he passed away six years ago. As for the capital, our mothers didn’t help us. We started with online sales. Since I had some fairly popular contacts whose pages I managed, they promoted us, and the business took off pretty fast. In eight months, we’d saved up enough to open the boutique. And if you’re wondering about the car… my ex helped me cover the rest of the money to buy it, eight months ago.

Erwane crossed his arms and looked at me with a mix of admiration and curiosity.

—You built that on your own… I’m impressed.

I smiled, flattered by his sincere tone.

—And your ex? How long has it been over?

I took a sip of water before answering, a teasing smile on my lips.

—Six months ago, a little before I opened the boutique.

—And you don’t see each other anymore?

I raised an eyebrow, amused.

—Is that jealousy I’m detecting in your voice?

He gave a small smile, but didn’t answer right away.

—No, we don’t see each other anymore, I continued. If you really want to know, he’s married. Once I found out, I cut him off completely.

Erwane frowned slightly.

—Oh… I see. And you haven’t wanted to date anyone since?

—Not really. What about you? Are you seeing someone?

He locked his eyes on mine, a mysterious glint in them.

—No. But something tells me I won’t be single for much longer.

My heart skipped a beat.

—Interesting… And who’s the lucky girl?

He raised an eyebrow, an enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

—I’ll introduce you to her one of these days.

I don’t know why, but a sudden pang of jealousy hit me. Part of me hoped he was talking about me. But another, more rational part reminded me that it couldn’t possibly be the case. There was nothing particularly special about me that would make a man like him want to settle down with me. He crossed paths with beautiful girls every single day.

—I think I lost you there…

His voice pulled me back to reality. I blinked, slightly thrown off.

—Oh, sorry. What were you saying?

—I was asking if you liked the wine.

I glanced down at my glass, which I’d absentmindedly brought to my lips.

—Oh… yes, it’s delicious, thank you.

—Glad to hear it.

He took a sip from his own glass before staring at me with an unsettling intensity.

—Why aren’t you with anyone? I asked suddenly. You’re handsome, smart, rich, and famous on top of it all. Don’t tell me you’ve never met a girl who made you want to settle down?

He shrugged slightly, playing with the stem of his glass.

—Honestly, I have. But I was so focused on my career that I never took the time to really get to know anyone seriously.

—I see. But do you think you could, one day? You must want to start a family at some point.

He nodded slowly.

—Yeah, I think so. And you’ve got a point… I’d love to have my own little family. My mom would be thrilled, since I’m her only son.

—The only son? Mommy’s favorite, I see. How many sisters do you have?

—Two. An older one and a younger one. And you, besides Zaya, do you have other siblings?

—On my mom’s side, I have a 12-year-old little brother. On my dad’s side, there’s Zaya and two other girls he had with his wife. So in total, I have three sisters and one brother. I’m the oldest.

Erwane nodded.

—I can tell you and Zaya get along really well. Is it the same with the others? Isn’t it hard sometimes? Blended families aren’t always easy.

—It’s not really like that, I explained. My dad and my mom, it wasn’t serious between them. They dated for six months, then my mom found out she was pregnant. They’d already broken up by then, and he was seeing Zaya’s mom… Eight months later, she was pregnant too. Zaya and I are eight months apart. He acknowledged me as his daughter, but he married Zaya’s mom.

Erwane let out a low whistle, impressed.

—That’s quite a story… As for me, I never knew my father. He died when I was four, and my little sister was only three months old.

I felt my heart tighten slightly.

—I’m sorry… It must have been hard growing up without a father.

—Sometimes, yeah. But my mom is a real fighter. She did everything she could so I wouldn’t feel his absence. I owe her everything.

—I can imagine… My dad was never really a role model for me. But I was lucky enough to have two mothers. Zaya’s mom always treated me like her own daughter.

Erwane smiled softly.

—I admire that kind of woman.

The waiter arrived with our food, and we kept talking throughout the meal. The mood was light, easy, like we’d known each other forever.

As we finished our desserts, Erwane said:

—I’m going to a club with the guys tonight. Want to come? You can call Zaya if you want.

—Why not. I’ll let her know.

She said yes immediately.

—What time are we heading there?

—Let’s say between midnight and one.

I checked the time.

—It’s 10pm. What do we do until then?

Erwane raised an eyebrow.

—What do you want to do?

—Something fun… but you won’t be able to handle it.

—Why not? What is it?

—I want to go ride a Ferris wheel.

His smile widened.

—Then let’s go.