Chapter 3

Olima paused at the kitchen door, as she didn't want to give up on trying to beg her stepmother.

She had graduated as the best in her school, and if she had known, she could have accepted the school scholarship program that was offered to her then. But she thought her father had better plans for her.

Olima turned and begged Mrs. Gina again, "Please, Ma, I really need to write the university entrance examination to gain admission into any university."

Mrs. Gina growls, "And who will sponsor your school fees, Olima? Did you forget how your loving father cast me and Mia away?"

"Well, in case you've forgotten, let me remind you that the money I'm using to feed you now is the money I'm supposed to use in paying the previous old maids that have been sent away. As there's no money in this house, and I cannot take my business money to sponsor your education fees into any university."

"Why am I even explaining all these to you? Just get out of my sight now! Before I break your head!" Mrs. Gina shouted, and Olima finally went back into the kitchen.

Nathan, the gatekeeper of the mansion, knocked and walked into the living room. He stepped in to inform Mrs. Gina that the school bus had arrived to take Mia to school.

Nathan knew that Mrs. Gina wasn't the madam of the house before, but after his late madam's dismissal, Mrs. Gina took over the mansion and became the new madam of the house.

He greeted Mrs. Gina, "Good morning, ma'am. The school bus has arrived to take Mia to school."

Mrs. Gina sighed and replied, "It's okay, Nathan. You can leave us and inform the driver that Mia will be outside soon."

"Okay, Madam," Nathan bowed and left the living room. He's a 35-year-old man, and he sighed and went outside to inform the school bus driver to wait.

Mia was through with her breakfast, as she enjoyed the noodles and fried eggs that Olima had cooked.

She stood up from her dining chair and carried her black school bag away from the next chair, as she said to her mother, "Mom, I'm off to school. Take care, mom."

"Okay, my baby. Take care too," Mrs. Gina replied and sighed, as she stood watching her only child exit the living room.

Mrs. Gina stared back at the dining table and went to pick up the dirty plate and tray that Mia had used.

She wondered what Olima was still doing inside the kitchen, so she went into the kitchen to find out by herself, instead of calling Olima outside.

Olima stood beside the kitchen sink, washing her tear-stained face. Her big brown eyes had turned pure red.

She heard the sound of the kitchen door sliding open, and she immediately stared backward and saw her stepmother walking into the kitchen.

Mrs. Gina glares at Olima and asked her, "What do you stand there beside the kitchen sink doing?"

Olima quickly replied, "Nothing, Ma. I was washing my face."

"Hmm," Mrs. Gina was silent, and she walked up to the kitchen sink too, to drop the dirty tray and plate there, so that Olima could wash them.

She stared at the noodles carton that was on top of the cabinet, which Olima had left open, and she saw the three noodles and two eggs that Olima had carefully placed on the cabinet top to cook.

She asked, "Why did you place the noodles and eggs there?"

Olima nervously replied, "I want to cook them, ma'am."

"Hmm," Mrs. Gina walked towards the carton of noodles that she had bought the previous week, and she inspected it, as the noodles were the smaller-sized packets.

She asked, "How many noodles did you cook for Mia today?"

"Two noodles, Ma," Olima nervously replied.

"Two noodles, and how many noodles am I seeing here that you want to cook for yourself alone?" Mrs. Gina asked in shock, as she stared into the carton and saw that it was almost empty.

Olima shuddered and replied, "The...three noodles, Ma."

"Three noodles! Just for you alone! My goodness!" Mrs. Gina gasped, as she stared back at Olima, who shuddered backward.

Mrs. Gina asked, "Did you plan to turn me into a thief overnight? How can only you finish just three noodles and two eggs at once? No wonder you still look so fresh and beautiful even after killing your late parents..." Mrs. Gina's eyes burned with anger at Olima, who was shivering in fright, and she stared back into the carton and counted it.

She said, "Only one noodle and one egg are enough for you from today onwards. If I find out that you cook more than one noodle and egg per day for yourself, then you will see the other side of me."

"It's remaining just 10 noodles inside this carton. And when I bought it newly, it was 40 packets... So automatically, you and Mia have eaten 30 noodle packets just under this week. And I'm sure that you ate the most. Now return those two packets back into this carton to make it twelve, and you cook just one noodle and one egg for yourself. But before that, first prepare my tea, and you bring it out to the dining table now."

Mrs. Gina let go of the noodles carton and walked out of the kitchen, while Olima sobbed and quickly rushed up to the teacup cabinet to prepare her stepmother's tea the way she knew her stepmother would like it.

Olima finally stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room, carrying a tray of hot tea in her hands.

She walked up to the dining table and served it in front of her stepmother, who sat there patiently waiting for her.

Olima then went back into the kitchen to prepare her own breakfast.

As she prepared the one noodle and one egg for herself, she didn't want her stepmother to punish her.

After she was through cooking the noodle and egg, Olima sat on a stool in the kitchen and started eating her noodle docilely as she sobbed.

She missed her parents and knew that her late father was a billionaire, and money was never a problem.

Tears freely rolled down from Olima's eyes as she knew that her stepmother hated her and wondered who would speak to her stepmother now on her behalf. As none of her relatives seemed to care anymore after her stepmother had arrested them before.

They were only concerned about her late father's properties, his oil company, and mega houses.

Olima finished eating her breakfast and stood up from the kitchen stool to drop her plate in the dirty sink to wash it out.

Later, she stepped out to the dining room to find out if her stepmother was through with her tea, so she could wash the teacup and tray too.

Olima saw that her stepmother was no longer there in the dining table, as the mansion seemed silent.

She heard the sound of a car starting in the garage and walked up to the dining room window, where she saw that her stepmother had driven out from the garage, using one of her late father's expensive new cars.

Olima's late father had up to two brand new, spotless cars, with three Jeeps too.

Olima sighed and went back into the kitchen to wash out all the dirty used plates and teacups, before she went upstairs to her bedroom to sleep and rest for the day, as she was so tired and home alone.

After her bath, she wore another light blue gown and laid on her bed, wondering how she would overcome her stepmother's brutality daily. Soon, she fell asleep on the bed.

Later in the evening, Mrs. Gina arrived home from her boutique shop, where she sold feminine wear, and she drove into the mansion premises and parked the car.

She stepped down from the red car and locked up the car door using the car remote.

Mrs. Gina remembered how her late husband had agreed to buy a car for her after Mia had grown up to a 5-year-old little girl and complained that Olima's mother had a car, and her mother also needed a car.

That was when Mr. Leo finally decided to buy a new small car for Gina, which she had been managing since then.

Mrs. Gina sighed and stared at her small black car that was still parked in the garage.

She shook her head and finally walked up to the mansion frontage to go into the white house, as they had a beautiful fountain at the center of the compound and many beautiful flowering plants at the frontage. As the late Mrs. Zoe was a lover of flowers and plants.

Nathan finished locking the gate and greeted Mrs. Gina again, "Welcome back, Madam." As he saw her walking up to the mansion frontage.

"Yes, thank you, Nathan. Did anyone come to look for me?" Mrs. Gina paused and asked, and Nathan replied, "No, Madam."

"Okay," Mrs. Gina answered, and she climbed up the mansion frontage and went into the living room.

Olima sprang up from the living room black couch as she saw her stepmother walk into the living room.

She didn't hear the sound of the car engine, as she was watching an interesting romance movie with Mia in the living room.

As the flat-screen television was so loud, Olima didn't know when Mrs. Gina arrived.

Mrs. Gina was wearing a long blue gown that brought out her shape, and she was carrying a black handbag too.

Olima quickly greeted her, "Good evening, Ma."

Mrs. Gina's black eyes burned with anger at Olima, as she didn't respond. She shifted her gaze to stare at the living room wall clock and saw that it was already after 7 p.m. in the evening. Yet, Olima didn't come to her shop in the afternoon to collect the money that she would use in preparing their dinner for the night.

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

Mrs. Gina then stared at Mia and replied, "Evening, Mia. How are you doing today? Have you done your assignments from school yet?"

"Yes, Mom, I have. Olima had helped me to do it," Mia responded, and Mrs. Gina sighed, "Hmm." She stared at Olima and saw her walking away towards the dining room, and she asked, "Olima, have you prepared dinner yet?"

Mrs. Gina knew that there were no food items in the house, but she still had to ask Olima that question.