Chapter 2: The Interview

She took a deep breath before picking up the call.

"Hello" she mumbled with a trembling voice and shaking hands.

"Get home now!" a voice rumbled from the phone's speaker, making her lips quake.

The call ended abruptly, Margret stared at the wall blankly without moving a muscle.

She swiftly dressed up and grabbed her purse, she quickly left the room after giving a lasting look at the man lying on the bed.

Margret took a taxi from the hotel to her home, the servant brought her into the sitting room, Mr Owen looked at his first daughter angrily.

Brenda and her mother sat on a sofa snickering at Margret, "Dad" Margret called out to her father nervously.

"Margret, what have you done? Where have you been all night? is it true that you were whoring around Houston the entire night?" Mr Owen yelled at Margret angrily.

Margret trembled in fright and shook her head, she managed to reply "isn't true, Dad"

Mr Owen threw the newspaper in his hand at Margret, and the newspaper fell off her face, she looked down and her eyes reddened, tears clouded her eyes as her gaze fell on the cover page.

A vein bulged on Mr Owen's face, he bellowed "why did you keep lying? Margret, I thought you were different from your mother, you are just like her" 

Margret looked at Brenda and her stepmother, the mother and daughter were snickering.

"Brenda, yo-"

Smack!

Mr Owen landed a slap on Margret's face, her head cocked to the side. Mr Owen's visibly trembling finger pointed at Margret and he gritted his teeth.

He was utterly disappointed that Margret didn't even own up to her mistake. "are you still blaming your innocent step-sister for your actions? I don't want to ever see you again, I don't have a prostitute as a daughter"

Margret's face turned pale immediately, she looked at Mr Owen with shocking facial expression, she could see desolation, disappointment and anger in his eyes.

"why are you still standing there? get out!"

"Margret, you can go and meet the man you slept with, stop angering dad" Brenda chimed in, fanning the flame.

Margret was too shocked to even move any part of her body, Mr. Owen pulled her arm roughly, and dragged her out of the house, he pushed her roughly, forcing her to fall hard on the floor.

With a tear-stained face, Margret looked at her father standing at the door numbly without reacting until the door was slammed shut.

She sprang to her feet all of a sudden "Dad, please, listen to me, I was drugged, it wasn't intentional"

With a tears-filled face, she pounded on the door with all her strength.

She kept on begging for her father to open the door, till a storm gathered in the sky, "please, dad, listen to me, I was drugged" she cried in a hoarse voice.

Thunder rumbled in the sky with lightning flashes illuminating her pale face occasionally, and the wind blew her dress, making her shiver in cold.

She turned around and left when it started to rain, Margret wandered the street under the downpour.

She strode into a telephone box, and dialled a number "who is this?" a voice asked from the other end.

"It is me, Margret, Daniel, listen to..." the call ended abruptly, and she stared at the telephone in her hands speechlessly.

She wasn't expecting her family, and her boyfriend to abandon her at such a time she needed comfort and succour from those that claim they love her.

She remained standing despite the cold and stormy wind, her hands trembled violently.

A car pulled over, and a lady stepped out of the car, carrying an umbrella "Margret!"

She called out to her, but the rumbling thunder swallowed up her voice, she ran over and wrapped Margret who stood rooted without moving her coat.

She took her to the car covering her with her umbrella, she drove Margret to her house in her car.

She made a warm bath for her, and after she was done bathing, she prepared a cup of hot coffee for her.

"Margret, are you alright? I read the news in the newspaper, and when I came to look for you at your home, I was told you were sent away... you are crying" Millicent gasped in horror.

Margret eyes were red "Millicent" she mumbled, and covered her face with her palms, weeping silently.

Millicent came over to where she sat, and crossed an arm around her shoulder "it is fine, Margret, you don't have to cry, you are safe here"

Millicent comforted her till she fell asleep, the moment she switched on the television, a man was been interviewed on the screen.

"Mr Jones, you have been a popular businessman in Houston City for years, there is a rumour going around that you have an affair with Margret Owen, the rising star of Jing entertainment, is this supposed rumour true?"

If Margret were to be awake, she would have recognized the man, as the fat man who she abandoned in the hotel room.

"yes, of course, I and Margret have been in love for years, I am planning to marry her publicly, I know most of her fans are eager to hear our love story"

Millicent grabbed the remote angrily and pressed one of the buttons furiously "bullshit! All of you are lying" she yelled.

"What is going on, Millicent?" Margret asked, Millicent, stiffened, she quickly changed the channel and turned around.

She smiled mysteriously and started giving silly excuses "nothing, I was just talking about what I witnessed the other day, hey, you don't have to mind..." 

Margret's face changed, and her eyes teared up immediately she heard what the familiar face said on the television screen.

"He is the one," she said and sobbed, "who?" Millicent reposted wondering.

Turning around, she realised that she had changed the channel, but not the live interview.

She quickly switched off the television "I am sorry, Margret, I didn't wish for you to watch that"