Chapter 2 - Stepmother Hatred

On a bright Monday morning, Gina woke up in her bedroom from sleep, as it was the first room given to her when she married the late Mr. Leo Adams. Two months before he chased her out to the boys’ quarters apartment. She stretched as she stared at the wall clock. She saw it was 7 a.m.

Gina carefully sat up on her bed, feeling like the madam of the house again.

"Hmm... how time flies." She dropped her legs down, still sitting on the bed as she adjusted her nightgown properly first. Then she stood up from her bed, as she's a 39-year-old lady.

Gina walked out of her room and made her way downstairs, as she knew that it was school resumption day, and her daughter, Mia, was going back to school early.

Gina carefully walked downstairs to the living room, paused, and stared around the living room. She saw that it was mopped clean, making her smile in satisfaction.

Just then, Olima Adams, a 17-year-old girl, stepped out from the kitchen behind Gina, and she greeted her stepmother, "Good morning, Mother."

Gina’s blood boiled at the mention of the word "mother." Without any warning, she turned to face Olima, who was dressed in a pink nightgown, and she rushed at her and grabbed her by the shoulders, then landed a hot, resounding slap on her.

[SLAP!!]

"How many times have I warned you never to call me Mother again? Do I resemble your late mother?" Gina demanded angrily, making Olima cry.

Olima quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, ma."

"Shut up! And keep your stupid sorry to yourself. Have you prepared breakfast yet?" Gina asked, and Olima stuttered and replied, "Yes, ma."

"Hmm." Gina glared at Olima and stared at both her palms that she had used to hold and slap her.

She sniffed her palms first, before she walked into the kitchen to wash them free of Olima's scent, making Olima's brown eyes well up with hot tears.

Mia stepped downstairs into the living room too, already dressed for school. She's in Senior Class 1. She knew that her mother hated Olima with passion.

Mia also hated Olima, even though she never showed it. She was a black-skinned beauty and resembled their late father, while Olima resembled her own late mother and was an exact replica of the late Mrs. Zoe Adams.

Mia hated the fact that before her late father passed away, he never acknowledged her mother, and he was always more caring toward Olima and Mrs. Zoe than he ever was toward her mother, Mrs. Gina.

Mia attended day school, while Olima was in boarding school, as Olima was the apple of her father's eyes, while her mother was seen as an outcast.

Mia frowned as she walked downstairs toward the dining table, wearing a blue school uniform. She's a 14-year-old girl, while Olima is a 17-year-old.

After Leo and his first wife, Zoe, passed away, Mia knew that her mother had sent the previous maid away with the excuse that there was no money to pay the maid's salary. She turned Olima into their full-time maid, withdrawing her from her tutorial classes, and her mother even tore the admission form to any university and stated that Olima was not going to any university but would remain her lifetime maid.

Mia looked away from Olima's face, knowing that Olima had enjoyed all the luxury of their father's wealth before, while she and her mother had to live in the boys’ quarters building. Her mother had already told her the whole story.

Olima’s eyes flooded with tears as she sobbed from the hot slap given to her.

Just then, Gina stepped out of the kitchen, having washed both hands free of Olima's fruity scent, as Olima smelled like apple.

Gina asked, "What are you standing there doing?! Have you prepared breakfast yet, or do you want my precious daughter to be late for school?"

Olima shivered and replied, "I have prepared Mia's noodles, ma."

"Then serve it. Or do you plan on starving my daughter to death? Do you want her to be late for school?" Gina asked again.

"No, ma," Olima replied.

Gina then said, "Then get into the kitchen and serve her breakfast quickly, as it is almost 7:30 a.m."

"Okay, ma," Olima replied, and she went to the kitchen while Gina's black eyes burned like coals at her.

Gina hated Olima more because she looked so much like her late mother and also reminded her of her past sins, being the cause of the late Mr. and Mrs. Adams’ deaths.

"Mom, it's okay," Mia said, with an adorable smile curved on her face.

Gina stared at her daughter and groaned. Mia also resembled her father, but she was still her daughter.

Gina sighed and walked to the dining room to take her seat.

"It can never be okay with that stupid witch being in this house with us. Ugh," Gina grimaced, walking to the golden dining seat to sit. She remembered how her late husband used to sit at the dining table directly across from her and feed Zoe to her lips.

Gina's face twisted in irritation at the memory.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Mia asked, sitting on the left seat across from her mother at the dining table.

Gina frowned and replied, "Nothing, Mia. What is taking Olima so long to serve the noodles? Does she want me to storm into that kitchen?"

Olima quickly walked out, carrying a tray of hot noodles in her hands. She kept it on a smaller plate on the tray, with fried eggs placed on top of the noodles.

The delicious aroma made Mia smile as she sat up properly and collected the tray from Olima.

Mia did not know how to cook, as Olima was forced to learn how to cook by Gina. Shortly after she took over the mansion.

"Get out. What are you still standing there staring at?" Gina demanded, glaring at Olima.

Olima shuddered away, knowing that her stepmother had hated her. But the hatred had grown three times worse, making her feel more guilty for her late parents’ death.

Olima wished they had never driven in the same car to her school to witness her graduation from college as the best in her science department.

Now her stepmother had plainly refused to let her further her education, with the excuse that there was no money, but Mia was going back to school after it resumed from its long-term holiday.

Mia was already in the second term, while Olima was still at home.

Olima walked a bit and stopped at the kitchen door, thinking of speaking to her stepmother again. She needed to write the university entrance examination, and she would apply for a government institution instead of a private one.

Olima walked back toward the dining room again while Mia ate the delicious noodles and fried eggs.

Olima stopped with a trembling body as she said, "Ma..."

Gina turned and glared at Olima as she met her gaze and asked, "What do you want? I thought I asked you to leave here?"

Gina shifted her dining seat backward and stood up, while Mia continued to eat her meal silently.

Olima spoke in a shaky voice, "Ma, it's about my university entrance examination, that I—"

"I told you that you're not going to any stupid university, Olima. Don't you understand simple English? How did you graduate as the best in your class when you don't understand simple English at home? Get out of my sight!" Mrs. Gina yelled, and Olima hastily ran away to the kitchen door.