Chapter 89 Meeting an Acquaintance
The lights in the private room were flickering like a bad horror movie.
Donna strutted in first, said a few things, then turned and called out to Margaret, who was hanging by the door, "Get in here."
Margaret gripped the tray like it was a lifeline, tottered in on her high heels, and stepped into the room.
"Mr. Ingram, this is the new girl. Be nice to her, don't scare her off," Donna purred at Rex, who was lounging on the sofa, decked out in a gold chain, floral shirt, and slicked-back hair.
Rex grinned, stroking his chin. "Sure thing, you can go now."
Donna turned to leave, whispering to Margaret, "Remember what I told you. Do whatever he says. Be good."
Margaret pressed her lips together as Donna swayed out the door.
Raymond was chilling in the corner of the sofa, hidden in the shadows.
Alvin stood next to him, eyeing Margaret as she poured wine. 'That profile looks so much like Margaret.'
Raymond puffed on his cigarette, staring at his phone. Margaret hadn't called since he ignored her call.
He even checked the blacklist; no blocked calls.
She gave up after one call. Who did she go to for help? Daniel had already left Silverbrook. Besides him, who else could she turn to?
Alvin leaned in and whispered, "Mr. Howard, I think I saw Mrs. Howard."
Raymond glanced at him.
Alvin said, "The one pouring the wine is Mrs. Howard. When did Mrs. Howard get mixed up with Mr. Ingram?"
Raymond frowned, staring at Alvin before looking at Margaret, who was kneeling on the ground, holding a wine bottle.
Her burgundy bodycon dress hugged her curves.
High heels made her legs look long and slender.
Curly hair and heavy makeup covered her face.
The lights dimmed again, and Raymond couldn't see her face clearly. She looked familiar but was dressed up like a Christmas tree.
No way that was Margaret.
Margaret was at least ten years younger than her.
Rex's taste was really bad.
Rex leaned forward, holding a cigar with his stubby fingers, and asked Margaret, who was kneeling and pouring wine, "What's your name?"
"My name is Margaret," she said softly, pouring a glass of red wine and pushing it in front of Rex, mimicking lines from TV, "Mr. Ingram, here's your wine."
"You've got a sweet tongue." Rex looked pleased, slapped his thigh, and laughed heartily, his small eyes narrowing to slits.
Margaret heard the crisp sound of a lighter. Her eyelid twitched, and she looked towards the sound.
In the shadows, she could only see the rough outline of a man smoking, surrounded by a cloud of smoke, making it even harder to see his face.
Another person stood beside him, also indistinguishable.
Alvin couldn't help but speak, "Mrs..."
Raymond coughed, and Alvin shut up. He got the hint to keep watching the show.
"This is Mr. Howard, our big client we're signing a contract with today. Sweetheart, take this glass of wine to Mr. Howard." Rex's voice came again.
Hearing "Mr. Howard," Margaret's hand shook as she poured the wine.
Raymond immediately came to her mind.
It couldn't be such a coincidence. There were lots of people with the last name Howard. How could it be Raymond?
"Don't sweat it, Mr. Howard's a real softie," Rex said, picking up the glass of red wine from the table and handing it to Margaret, who was still clutching the wine bottle.
The wine was spiked. If Margaret and Raymond ended up in bed, Raymond would be happy to seal the deal.
If Raymond got mad later, it would all be on Margaret.
She would be the one drugging the wine.
Margaret put down the wine bottle. She just wanted to get this over with and collect the $300,000 balance. Marlon was still waiting in the hospital.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, grabbed the wine glass from Rex, and stood up from the floor.
Her knees were numb from kneeling too long, and she almost stumbled.
She walked in her high heels, wearing a forced smile, into the deep shadows.
Margaret held the wine glass with both hands and offered it to him. "Mr. Howard, please have some wine."
Raymond didn't take it. Instead, he put out his cigar and said coldly, "Turn on the lights."
That voice was way too familiar.
As soon as he finished speaking, Rex turned on all the lights in the private room.
The room suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.
Margaret's hand shook violently, almost spilling the wine.
Raymond? No way, it couldn't be him. What were the odds?
Margaret, with her back to Rex, stared at Raymond in shock.
Raymond sat there lazily, leaning on the sofa, legs crossed, squinting. "Ms. Hughes, when did you switch careers to this line of work?"
Margaret pressed her lips together, forcing a bitter smile. How ironic, her worst fear had come true.
There was no way to explain it now.
Rex laughed in agreement. "She needs money. A woman like her will do anything for money."
Raymond looked at Margaret, his lips curling in mockery. "For money, you'll do anything?"
"Yes. Mr. Howard, please have some wine." Margaret's eyes reddened, her heart in turmoil, but she still smiled and brought the wine closer to him.
He had no intention of taking it. Raymond knew the wine was drugged, but he didn't know if Margaret or Rex had done it.
Raymond lowered his eyes, glanced at the shimmering liquid in her glass, and smiled coldly. "Mr. Ingram, how did you meet her?"
"I don't know her. She came to apply for the job. She needs $500,000." Rex looked uneasily at Raymond. "Mr. Howard, do you know her?"
Raymond sneered, "Would I know her?"
"Of course not, Mr. Howard, you're a distinguished person. How could you know such a lowly woman?" Rex said with a fawning smile.
Raymond's cold gaze fell back on Margaret's heavily made-up face. She was wearing a strong perfume that made him frown. He loosened his tie with interest. "Five hundred thousand dollars, just for delivering wine? Are you dreaming?"
"What do you mean?" Margaret's eyelid twitched. What was he up to now?
Raymond took the wine glass from her hand and placed it on the table, then looked up at her. "You work here, pleasing men must be your specialty, right? How about a striptease for entertainment?"
Margaret clenched her fists, staring at him in shock, but her voice was controlled. "Mr. Howard, is it fun to humiliate me?"
Raymond pulled out a bank card from his suit pocket, held it between his long fingers, and threw it at Margaret's face. "I won't make you strip for nothing. There's $50,000 on this card. Stripping once will earn you an extra $50,000. Isn't that a good deal?"
The card flew past Margaret's face, stinging her cheek.
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