Betrayed

A moment down memory lane 2

" Thanks so much for everything," Gwendolyn said with unshed tears as soon as they got to the gate of her house.

" The pleasure is mine," Wilson said with a smile while he used his handkerchief to dab her eyes.

" Please, can you give me your phone number before you go?" Wilson asked with a smile.

" Sure," Gwendolyn replied and gave him her phone number.

" Thanks, I will call you tomorrow," Wilson said just as she alighted from the car.

Gwendolyn nodded and waved at him while he drove off.

She sighed sadly when she thought of how to face her father and stepmother.

She slowly made her way to the house with the grocery bags in her hands.

" Where the hell are you coming from by this time of the night?" Zack Malcolm, Gwendolyn's father yelled angrily as soon as she walked into the sitting room.

" From the grocery store. Mother sent me to....." Gwendolyn started to say but was cut off by her stepmother.

" Shut that thing you call a mouth, before I shut it for you, you lying tramp! "Fiona yelled angrily.

Gwendolyn looked at her stepmother in shock. How could she say that to her knowing fully well that she was the one who made her to be drenched in the rain?

" How long ago did you leave the house? You are always fond of coming home late whenever I send you to get something," Fiona yelled angrily.

* Why is Fiona always painting me black before my father?* Gwendolyn asked herself silently as she watched her stepmother in disbelief.

" Moreover, I saw you coming out of a flashy car. I know it was your boyfriend who dropped you off some minutes ago," Fiona added, ignoring the murderous eyes Gwendolyn was giving her.

Gwendolyn's jaws dropped as soon as she heard what Fiona said.

She turned to her father to explain things but two slaps landed on her face.

" I can't believe you are this shameless! So this is how you've been behaving whenever I'm away, "

" Why can't you be like Stephanie, your sister?" Zack Malcolm yelled angrily.

" Now, tell me. Where the hell are you coming from?" Zack asked through clenched teeth.

Gwendolyn looked at her father like he had suddenly developed two heads.

How could he still ask her that after giving her two slaps? She asked herself silently.

" Father, I will not answer that question. You can choose to believe whatever you want," Gwendolyn said angrily.

She angrily dropped the grocery bags and ran to her room ignoring her father's calls.

She had had enough of her father believing whatever her stepmother, Fiona said.

Gwendolyn lay on her bed weeping profusely as she recalled how life had been to her.

Her mother died a year after she was born. Her father was forced to marry a second wife so that she could take care of her.

When her father married Fiona, she was kind to her and took care of her like her own daughter.

But things changed immediately after she gave birth to Stephanie, her stepsister.

Fiona started maltreating her whenever her father was away.

She had tried many times to inform her father but he did not believe her. Instead, he believed whatever her stepmother said.

She could not tell how her father turned from being a caring father to a nonchalant one.

With so many thoughts on her mind, she slept off.

The ringing of her cell phone woke her up. She could not help but get angry at whoever was calling her.

She reluctantly answered the call.

" Hello! Gwendolyn Malcolm speaking. Who am I onto?" Gwendolyn asked tiredly as soon as she answered the call.

" Hello, dear! I am Wilson, the man who gave you a lift home last night," Wilson said from the other end of the phone.

" Oh! Good morning. Thanks for taking the stress to get me treated and bringing me home," Gwendolyn said in appreciation.

" Morning? I didn't call earlier because I wanted you to have enough rest. Moreover, it's past noon now. I hope you are feeling better today," Wilson said calmly.

" What the hell?" Gwendolyn screamed and jumped out of the bed. Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall. She gasped when she discovered that it was actually past noon.

" What's the matter?" Wilson asked worriedly.

" What's the matter? Of course, everything is the matter!" Gwendolyn yelled angrily.

" I don't understand. What's going on?" Wilson asked in confusion.

He could not understand why she was angry.

" I'm damn late for work," Gwendolyn said as calmly as possible.

After all, Wilson was not the cause of her lateness to work.

" But the doctor said you should take the day off work today. Moreover, you are working in your father's company. He should understand that health is wealth," Wilson said calmly.

" You won't understand. I will talk to you later. I need to go to work today no matter how late I am," Gwendolyn said and ended the call before Wilson could utter a word.

She hastily made her way to the bathroom to take her bath. In no time she was out. She quickly put on her clothes and dashed out of the house.

" Malcolm Enterprise," Gwendolyn said to the driver of the cab she had flagged down and quickly got in.

She really hoped that her father would not make a fuss about her lateness to work. Gwendolyn thought silently while she rode in the cab.

" We are here, ma'am," the driver said as soon as they got to Malcolm Enterprise.

Gwendolyn paid the driver and alighted from the cab.

She took a deep breath before walking into her father's company.

Gwendolyn noticed that her colleagues were whispering among themselves and looking at her in a way that she could not comprehend.

She ignored their whispers and stares and made her way to her office.

Gwendolyn was dumbfounded when she saw her whole family waiting for her in her office as soon as she got in.

" Is this how you come to work whenever I'm away?" Zack Malcolm yelled angrily.

" No father. I actually woke up late because of the effect of the drug...." Gwendolyn was trying to explain before Fiona cut her off.

" Gwendolyn, I can't believe that you are still trying to lie even after you were caught red-handed in the act," Fiona said with a surprised tone.

Gwendolyn wanted to say something but her father spoke before the words could come out of her mouth.

" Gwendolyn, you are fired. Get your things and get out of my company. You can take your lazy self elsewhere," Zack Malcolm said in a cold voice.

Gwendolyn looked from her father to her stepmother and then to her stepsister.

* Is this some joke or what? How can my father ask me out of the family company?* Gwendolyn asked herself silently.

" You are joking, right?" Gwendolyn voiced out her thoughts.

" Do I look like I'm joking? Of course, I'm damn serious with what I said," Zack Malcolm yelled angrily.

" You can't sack me. My mother owned sixty percent share in this company and she willed everything to me," Gwendolyn said with confidence.

" Well, this paper says otherwise," Fiona said as she flung a paper across Gwendolyn's face.

"You have transferred everything to your sister," Fiona said with a smile.

Gwendolyn's eyes widened at the content of the paper.

She realized that her signature was forged.

" I didn't sign this," Gwendolyn said with a shaky voice.

" Then who did?" Zack asked angrily.

" You can prove that in the court," Fiona said plainly.

" Leave here or I will call the security to throw you out," Zack Malcolm yelled angrily.

Gwendolyn tearfully ran out of the office and out of the company, ignoring the stares and murmurs she was hearing.