Her True Color.

 Catherine stretched as bright lights shone directly at her eyes, she slowly opened them before yawning. It was dawn, everywhere was looking bright, her windows were already open and everywhere looked neat. 

She guessed the maids were already here to clean up and would come back later to change the sheets and dress the bed. As she sat up, she felt a sharp pain inside her head while her stomach started acting up, she quickly rushed inside the toilet when she felt like throwing up.

 She continuously vomited everything in her stomach for more than five minutes until nothing was coming out again. She flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and cleaned her mouth before heading back to the room to lie down. She was experiencing another hangover, from the too much alcohol intake from last night.

 "Gosh! I feel like I'm dying," she blurted. A knock came on her door before a maid with a tray walked in.

"Good morning Young Miss, your mother asked me to give you this for your hangover, it helps relieve it," the maid announced and dropped the tray on a table beside the bed before leaving. 

Catherine stood up and took the herbal tea and started sipping it. It has been helpful and always relieved her hangover within half an hour. Another knock came again.

 "Come in," Catherine announced, slightly annoyed. She was never given privacy until she asked for it.

"Good morning Young Miss, your father wants your presence in the dining room, breakfast has been served," the maid announced.

"My father is back?" Catherine asked with surprise.

"Yes, he came back yesterday evening," the maid replied.

"Tell him I'm coming down very soon," Catherine said and drank all the herbal tea before rushing inside her bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and went downstairs.

"Good morning dad, Good morning mom!" Catherine greeted before sitting down on her usual dining chair.

"My Sunshine, how was your night?" Mr. Byers asked.

"Great, how about yours?" Catherine asked.

"Good, your mother never allowed me to feel cold and lonely," Mr. Byers replied which left Mrs. Byers blushing.

"Stop it, honey," Mrs. Byers chuckled.

"That's great," Catherine said before biting into a slice of bread.

"What kept you from coming back home very early yesterday?" Mr. Byers asked.

"Oh about that, we visited different places though," Catherine replied sarcastically.

"You and who?" Mr. Byers asked.

"Me and Sally of course," Catherine replied.

"You mean that wayward girl, you are still seeing her?" Mr. Byers asked.

"She is my best friend Dad, how could you think I will stop seeing her because you said so," Catherine replied.

"Have you forgotten what she did to you two years back?" Mr. Byers asked.

"She apologized and I forgave her above all, she is a changed person now like me... Mom knows," Catherine said which made Mr. Byers look towards his wife, who in return looked away.

"Mabel, you knew all this while and didn't say anything?" Mr. Byers asked his wife.

"She is just a harmless friend now, besides they have dropped all their old habits," Mrs. Byers replied.

"How did you know, do you follow them out?" Mr. Byers thundered with anger.

"Thomas always does and he has never brought back any bad report, last night when Catherine came home, she wanted to come to greet you but I asked her not to disturb you that's why you didn't see her last night," Mrs. Byers explained.

"Ask Thomas to report here immediately," Mr. Byers said to his head of servants, who was standing nearby and he left immediately to fetch Thomas. After some minutes, he came back with Thomas who was already prepared for the day.

"Good morning Sir_"

"What has Catherine been doing with Sally all the time you follow her out?" Mr. Byers asked, cutting Thomas short.

"Sir, they only exchange pleasantries, shop together and sometimes visit the Cinema to watch a movie," Thomas reported.

" I strictly asked you to personally report to me on the phone whenever Catherine sees Sally again, why didn't you do it?" Mr. Byers asked.

"I asked him not to because you wouldn't understand and would act the same way you are doing right now when you find out," Mrs. Byers said.

"Dad, why are you trying to choose my friends for me? I'm 21 and old enough to live the way I want to," Catherine said.

"Shut up! 21 and miserable huh? You don't care about anything other than spending money. Until you work hard to earn money, you ain't choosing your meaningless lifestyle," Mr. Byers thundered.

"Why Should I work when my Dad is a multi-billionaire that has it all? I don't want any stress," Catherine said.

"It is my money and not yours until I hand them over to you, they aren't yours. I might decide to marry a second wife, have another child, and give it to him/her, or will all my riches go to the less privileged," Mr. Byers said.

"You wouldn't try that John, she is your only child and deserves everything you own," Mrs. Byers thundered.

"Until she proves responsible and starts working hard, she is not eligible for it," Mr. Byers said, which caused Catherine to grit her teeth.

"You are going abroad to complete your studies and earn more degrees that would help in taking over my position in the future when I retire," Mr. Byers announced.

"What?" Catherine exclaimed with horror.

"Yes, and until you graduate, you ain't coming back, you dare not pick up your old life there.

 Even if you do, you would face all the consequences all to yourself because I won't allow you to come back until you graduate and earn all the degrees you are supposed to, even your mother won't come to your rescue this time around. if she acts stubborn and contrary to my others, I'm going to file for a divorce."

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Byers asked with fear when she heard about divorce.

"I'm serious this time around, anything that makes you go back to the rehabilitation center, you ain't going to come back to this house," Mr. Byers said.

"F**k you Dad, I hate you and everything about you. I'm not F**king going nowhere. I promise to leave your paradise for you this time around, I'm done," Catherine yelled with anger and stood up from the dining chair.

"Catherine," Mrs. Byers called.

"You see what you have turned your daughter to?" Mr. Byers asked.

"I'm leaving, I'm done, until I decide to come back to this f**king house, no one should come after me," Catherine said and started leaving.

"Catherine, Catherine!" Mrs. Byers yelled but it didn't stop Catherine from continually going to her destination.

"Thomas, make sure you follow her," Mrs. Byers added.

"Never!" Catherine said and rushed towards the dining. She picked up a table knife and pointed it at Thomas.

"If you come any closer or follow me again this time around, I'm gonna kill you and bring all your intestines out of your stomach," Catherine threatened.

"Don't go after her Thomas, stay back," Mr. Byers said.

"But honey_"

"Silence!" Mr. Byers thundered, cutting Mrs. Byers short.

"Thank you, Dad!" Catherine said mockingly and left.

"God, what have I done to deserve all this?" Mrs. Byers asked and broke down in tears. Mr. Byers stood up from the dining and left for the study room.

*

"Sally, I'm coming over," Catherine said over the phone immediately Sally picked up the phone.

"What's the problem honey, you sound strange?" Sally asked.

"My devilish father is back, don't worry I will explain everything when I come over," Catherine said.

"Don't forget to bring the money again," Sally reminded.

"Don't worry, I have some cash that I stole from my mother's bedroom two days ago, she has been looking for it but I wasn't made a suspect," Catherine chuckled.

"Is it huge like others?" Sally asked.

"Yes, 10,000 dollars," Catherine replied.

"Wow! that's great honey, come over quickly with the money, I can't wait," Sally said.

"Okay," Catherine replied and cut the call. She brought out the bag, kept the money, changed her clothes, and got ready to leave. Her door opened and Thomas came in.

"Can't you knock any longer, are we now equal?" Catherine asked.

"I'm sorry," Thomas apologized.

"What do you want?" Catherine asked with impatience.

"Please don't do this, you have to listen to your Dad, he means well to you. Everything you are doing right now is a waste, you will regret it someday and then it might be too late," Thomas advised.

"How dare you try to tell me what to do, idiot!" Catherine asked with anger and landed a hot slap on Thomas's cheek.

"Lowly servant, know your lane. monthly paid mere bodyguard," Catherine scoffed, pushed Thomas who hasn't recovered from her reaction, and went outside before shutting the door.

She got to the garage and opened one of the cars, she put the bag in the back seat, shut the door, and climbed in the driver's seat.

"Don't do this Catherine," she heard her mother say, she looked at her and started the car not listening to her pleas.

"Catherine, Catherine!" Mrs. Byers who stood beside the car she entered yelled but Catherine didn't listen. She reversed the car and started driving out, Mrs. Byers ran after her and started hitting the car window.

Catherine didn't pay attention to her, after the gate opened, Catherine zoomed off with a speed that pushed her backward and made her fall on the hard floor. 

Two other bodyguards rushed towards her and raised her before leading her inside for the head maid to attend to her knee which was bruised and bleeding due to the fall.

Catherine drove to Sally's house and packed the car along the road before going into the mini compound, where Sally stayed. She knocked on the door before going in, she met Sally inside the kitchen making some breakfast.

"Good morning babe!" Sally greeted with a smile.

"This place stinks," Catherine scoffed, holding her nose.

"I haven't been able to clean up, I have been regularly high on drugs for almost a week now," Sally replied.

"At least hire a maid that could help you clean whenever you become high," Catherine advised.

"I'm not as rich as you are, I stay alone and also fend for myself," Sally replied.

"But I do send you huge amounts of money every two days," Catherine said.

"You know how much my regular drugs cost, it takes all the money and still isn't enough," Sally explained.

"But_"

"Forget about it, Catherine. We are going to the club tonight. I heard that new drugs have been introduced, I can't wait to test them and feel heavenly," Sally said with excitement.

"My dad knows about our friendship, but he is still against it," Catherine said sadly.

"Is it because of what happened two years back? Chill babe, he is just being jealous of our friendship besides I never handed you over to them with my right senses, I was high... I apologized later on, didn't I?" Sally said.

"He thinks you ain't good enough for me to associate with, he said I'm going abroad to study," Catherine said.

"Never!" Sally thundered.

"You ain't leaving me for nowhere, how am I gonna survive... I need your money, your f**king money to survive. I don't care about anything other than your money," Sally blurted with anger. Catherine looked at her with wide eyes, not understanding what she meant.

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked.

"You heard me correctly, it is the money I care about," Sally said again.

"So you never cared about me, you faked our friendship because of the benefits you get in return?" Catherine asked with surprise.

"Yes, knowing about my main motive towards you, is it really painful? Who wants to genuinely associate with a rich lad that gets everything easily like you? I have to struggle every day to get by in life since my parents abandoned me," Sally said.

"Oh, my God! you are wicked... you are insane, I hate you," Catherine cried out, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Is it now you know that I'm fucking insane... besides I killed my parents and ran away, I killed them for bringing me out to the world to suffer," Sally confessed.

"From now on, it is over between us... I never knew you have been pretending. my Dad has been right all along and you made me disobey and say nasty things to him," Catherine said with regret.

"I never forced you, you did them by yourself," Sally said.

"But you advised me to do it," Catherine yelled with more tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm leaving," Catherine announced and turned back to leave with the bag of money she came with.

"Not so easily, you ain't leaving until I'm done with you," Sally replied and rushed towards Catherine, who sensed her coming and started running to escape, but she lost balance before the front door and fell.

"Hahaha, I got you," Sally laughed and dragged her back with her two legs.

"Leave me alone, let me go," Catherine said.

"Never!" Sally replied and tied her legs with a rope that was nearby.

"Help, help!" Catherine yelled aloud at the top of her voice.

"Shut up, do you think I would allow anyone to come to your rescue?" Sally asked and brought out an injection filled with a liquid substance.

"What is that?" Celine asked with panic.

"The new drugs I was talking about, this is a sample given to me for a test, but I would rather have you taste it first," Sally said.

"No, Sally, don't," Catherine cried and started struggling. Sally overpowered her and injected the drugs into her system through her neck.

"Anything Sally wants, I get," Sally said triumphantly before standing up. Catherine started feeling weak after a minute, everything started becoming blurry to her before her whole body started jerking until she passed out.