The Billionaires Too (#2)

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By now, everyone was talking about her in the streets, but she was used to it; her fame took a peak when the video of her fight with Amber went viral, and when she danced on the tables at the club a few days ago.

She knew that was partly why Zunaid did not want her; she had no care in the world, she lived life to her own standards, while he lived his life according to what society bid right.

He wanted an obedient daughter, someone with discipline, and Courtney was the right candidate; she never went partying, she went to church almost every day, she did not have many friends, only went out on weekends if possible, and most importantly; she knew what she wanted to be in life.

Shannon could still remember when Zunaid sat down with her and asked her what she wanted to be in life, and she said a dancer and choreographer; but he responded the same way David did and said dancing was not a career.

"Why not study marine engineering at CPUT like Courtney?" He had asked, and Courtney chorused with him.

Shannon gave them a tight-lipped smile and stood up. "I did not agree to move in with you guys so that you could dictate my life; I left that behind with my mother and brother; I came here because I wanted a family, and if I'm too much for you then I don't know. Maybe I should move out." She did not wait to see their reactions; she stormed out of the house and went somewhere no one could see her smoking her weed.

She thought she had finally found a place to fit in, a place where nobody would judge her for the way she lived her life. But now she was back to step one. She had not been at David's house since she damaged his car, that even now, walking through the gates felt foreign.

However, not even that could deter her; she was barely even there, she did not even pay attention to the many cars parked outside the yard. She just walked into the house like a Zombie, ignoring everyone in the house.

Loud gasps resounded as she walked past the sitting room, probably due to her dirty clothes, her messy hair, and her red eyes.

She did not even realise she was crying and shaking until Lola screamed in panic and pulled her into her arms.

"Shay, what's wrong? What happened?" She heard Lola's distant voice ask as the sound of her own sobs filled her ears.

Lola led her to her old bedroom and helped her sit on the bed. Usually when she had a setback, she knew she could count on drinking and smoking to calm down and forget about her problems even if it was for a few hours; but right now, all she wanted to do was sleep.

She pulled down her bedcovers and laid down before she covered her head in an attempt to block out Lola's pleas and the rest of the world, but every time she closed her eyes, events of the previous night replayed in her head.

A few seconds passed and she rose in start, her chest clenching as if trying to suck the remainder of the life she had, out of her as she sobbed. The door to her bedroom burst open and a worried Lola strode into the room, slamming the door behind her as her in-laws peeked through the door.

She climbed on the bed and tried to pull Shannon into her arms, in an attempt to comfort her again; but Shannon pulled back.

Lola hesitantly drew back her hand, the creases on her forehead not dissipating. "Shannon, what is wrong? What happened?" She asked in a panicked voice.

Shannon shook with each sob escaping past her lips, her mind in limbo. "I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have done it!" She cried.

"Is this about what happened to Courtney? Don't worry yourself about that, it was a mistake." Lola coaxed, but Shannon shook her head.

At the moment, she did not care about what she did to Courtney, or what her so-called father said to her; she cared about the horrors swirling before her eyes. "I was going to ignore them; I should have ignored them."

"Ignored who? Shannon, talk to me!" Lola said, exasperated.

Shannon pulled her knees to her chest and nestled her head on them, rocking back and forth while her eyes remained starry and distant. "I thought they were going to hurt her; I thought they were going to kill her. I didn't know anything, I promise. I don't want to die, Lola, I don't want to die." She wailed.

"Oh, Shannon!" Lola moved to her side and held her tightly against her chest. She did not know what else to say or think. Zunaid had called her mother last night asking about Shannon's whereabouts, and then called again this morning at 6a.m. to tell them that Shannon stabbed her sister, and they did not want to see her ever again.

Lola knew Shannon was trouble, but she was hardly harmful unless provoked. However, Shannon was also delicate, most of the time people had to watch what they said to her; she had a small heart. Shannon crying was not a good sight, but Shannon scared, was worse.

Lola wondered what happened. Where was she? What did she see? And mostly, who did she see?