Chapter Three

Olima stopped at the kitchen door and begged, "Please, ma, I need to write the exam so I can gain admission into the university."

"And who will sponsor your f*es, Olima? Do you want to tell me that you're blind and didn't know how your loving father cast me and Mia away? Well, if you've forgotten, let me remind you—the money I am using to f*ed you now is the money I should be paying to the old maid. There's no money in this house, and I cannot take my business money to sponsor your university f*e. Why am I even explaining all this to you? Just get lost from here now before I break your empty head!" Gina shouted at Olima.

Olima sobbed and went back into the kitchen, while Mia finished eating her breakfast.

Nathan knocked and walked into the living room. He is the gateman of the house. He came to inform Gina that the school bus had arrived to take Mia to school.

"Good morning, madam," Nathan greeted Mrs. Gina. He knew that she was not the madam of the mansion before, but after his former madam's death, Gina took over the mansion and became the new madam of the house.

"Yes, what do you want, Nathan?" Gina asked, stepping away from the dining room and walking into the living room to meet Nathan after dismissing Olima.

"The school bus has arrived to take Mia to school," Nathan informed.

Just then, Mia stood up from her dining chair—she had finished her delicious noodles and fried eggs. She turned, and carried her black schoolbag.

"Mom, I'm off to school. Take care," Mia said to her mother and walked away from the dining room.

Gina responded, "Yeah, take care too, my baby."

Gina watched Mia leave the house and sighed. She stared back at the dining table that Mia had used, seeing the empty dirty plate still sitting there.

Gina walked up to the dining table, picked the tray and plate, and went back into the kitchen to find out what Olima was doing inside.

---

Olima stood beside the kitchen sink, crying as she washed her face and sobbed. She thought to prepare her breakfast, but hearing the kitchen door push open, she turned backward and stared at her stepmother walking in.

Gina's eyes narrowed with irritation at Olima, as Olima was very pretty for her age, with bigger breasts and a nice, seductive shape than Mia. Olima was also taller.

Gina asked, "What are you standing there by the sink doing?"

Olima shuddered and replied, "I want to prepare my own breakfast, Ma, and cook another noodles."

"Hmm." Gina hummed and walked toward the carton of noodles she had bought the previous week and inspected it.

"How many noodles did you cook for Mia today?" Gina asked, checking the noodle carton. The noodle packets were small-sized.

"Two," Olima replied, visibly shaking as she saw her stepmother stand beside her.

"And how many noodles am I seeing on top of the cabinet that you want to cook for yourself alone?" Gina glared at Olima.

Olima shivered and replied, "Thr—three."

"Three noodles! Just for you! My goodness! Do you intend to turn me into a thief overnight?" Gina questioned in shock.

Olima quickly shook her pretty head and replied sadly, "No, Ma."

"Hmm. Then how can only you finish three noodles just this morning? What about Mia? What will she eat to school tomorrow morning and until this week and the entire month is over? No wonder you're looking so fresh and chubby every week even after killing your parents." Gina glared at Olima again.

Olima took more steps backward in fear.

Gina walked closer to the cabinet top where Olima had dropped the three noodles she wanted to cook, picked them up, and said, "Only one noodle is enough for you. I will count this carton of noodles now to know how many remain. If I notice that you cook more than one noodle for yourself per day, then you will see the other side of me."

Gina warned and counted the remaining noodles in the carton. "It's remaining just ten noodles. So automatically, you and Mia have eaten thirty noodle packets already this week. And I am sure that you ate the most. Return those two packets now into this carton to make it twelve, and cook just one noodle and one egg for yourself alone. But before that, prepare my tea first and bring it out to the dining table."

Gina dropped the noodle carton and walked out of the kitchen, leaving only Olima inside.

Olima sobbed and quickly prepared her stepmother's tea the way she knew her stepmother would like it. She stepped out and walked to the dining room to serve it, where Gina sat waiting.

After Olima finished serving Gina her tea, she returned to the kitchen to prepare the single noodle and one egg for herself. She sat on a stool in the kitchen and ate her noodles quietly.

Olima's father had been a billionaire, and she had not thought of applying for her school scholarship examination when she was still in school. She felt that her father might not be pleased with the preferred choice of university that her school had offered for their best graduating student.

Olima continued to sob, as none of her maternal or paternal relatives cared to ask about her again, even after her parents were gone. They were rather concerned about who would inherit her father's oil company and his properties, and who would take over the CEO position. But with her stepmother alive and around, none of her uncles dared to interrogate Gina, as she had threatened to arrest them again if any of them came to visit.

Olima finished eating her noodles, stood up from the kitchen stool, and stepped out to the dining room to clear her stepmother's used teacup. She saw that her stepmother had left the house.

Walking up to the dining room window, Olima peeked out and saw that one of the cars Gina drove had left the mansion premises. It was one of her father's latest, expensive, tire-burning new cars.

Olima sighed, walked back into the kitchen, and washed all the dirty plates and cups there. After she finished, she went upstairs to her bedroom, wondering how she would overcome her stepmother's daily torture.

---

Later in the evening, Gina returned home from her shop, driving the expensive, black Jeep into the garage and parking it.

There were about five exotic cars parked.

Gina vividly remembered that her late husband, Leo, had only agreed to buy her a car after Mia grew to five years old and complained that Olima's mother had a car, so her own mother also needed one. That was when Leo finally decided to buy her a small car.

Parking the black exotic Lexus Jeep that the late Mr. Leo had previously used, Gina stepped down from her ride and locked the Jeep doors with the car remote in her hand. She walked toward the main mansion, and Nathan greeted her as she left the garage: "Welcome back, madam."

"Yes, Nathan. Well done. Did anyone come to find me?" Gina paused and asked, before walking back to the house.

"No, Madam," Nathan replied with a smile.

Gina nodded, glanced away and went back into the mansion. She saw both Olima and Mia seated on the living room black couches, watching the huge flat-screen television that displayed a romance movie.

Olima stood up immediately on seeing her stepmother walk into the living room, as she had not heard the sound of the car due to the noise from the romance movie.

"Good evening, ma," Olima quickly greeted Gina, but she did not respond. Her black eyes shifted to look at the living room wall clock and saw it was 7 p.m.

"Hmm." Gina hummed and eyed Olima irritably.

Mia stood up and greeted her too: "Good evening, Mom."

"Evening, Mia. Have you done your homework?" Gina asked Mia, and she responded, "Yes, Mom."

Gina walked toward the living room stairs and paused, while Olima shifted away to the dining room area.

Gina asked, "Olima, have you prepared dinner yet?"

Gina knew there was no foodstuff in the house, so she asked to be sure.