Chapter Four

Olima paused at the exquisite dining room and turned to face her stepmother. She replied, "No, ma. I checked the kitchen, and there's no foodstuff left."

Mia frowned, as she was hungry, and questioned, "Why didn't you speak up since?"

Olima stared from Mia to Gina with shock. She had helped Mia do her assignments, and Mia had been all nice and friendly with her. But once Gina arrived home, and Mia saw that her mother had returned, she switched to her mother's toxic behavior.

"Hmm. And you sat here with Mia watching the television. Didn't you know that you should have come to my shop to ask me for money to refill the house with foodstuffs and the things you need in preparing our dinner tonight? Or did you actually expect us to starve with you this night?" Gina questioned with a cold glare.

Olima replied, "No, mother—I mean, ma..."

Gina opened her purse and brought out some bundled notes of money. She counted it and said, "Here's ₦10,000. Before I go upstairs, finish my bath, and come back downstairs, make sure that you have gone to the market nearby and bought all the ingredients you will use in preparing the vegetable soup with semovita. Else!..."

Gina's eyes narrowed at Olima again. She dropped the money on the coffee table and took the flight of stairs, going back upstairs to her bedroom.

Olima rushed into the kitchen, knowing her stepmother was not joking. She searched all the kitchen containers to know the actual ingredients she would buy in preparing the vegetable soup, then hurriedly rushed out of the kitchen.

She picked up the money from the center table and left the house, hearing Mia subtly laughing at her as she rushed out like someone being chased.

Nathan stood up immediately when he saw Olima rush to the gate, holding a black polythene bag to her chest and dressed in a light blue gown.

Nathan immediately asked her, "Where are you rushing to, small madam?"

"Open the gates!" Olima screamed.

Nathan knew that Olima was sent on an errand again, as that was how she usually ran out of the house.

Nathan opened the gate, and Olima rushed out like a mad woman. She was almost knocked down by a red car driving out to exit the estate street, and the driver cussed at her, "Stupid lady! Where are you rushing to like that?"

Olima ignored the expensive red car driver cussing after her, as she rushed out to the beautiful estate street and continued running up to the estate gate to go to the market.

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Inside the flashy red car sat a young, handsome black man named Justin Robert. His billionaire parents wanted him to take over their multimillion-dollar empire and real estate businesses, as his father was known for selling houses to top billionaires in their town.

Justin is a dark-skinned, handsome guy, 21 years of age. His heart flew to his lungs as he saw his car almost hit the silly lady who ran out from her parents' home, as he knew that mostly billionaires lived in the estate.

With the sun gradually going down in the west and his car driving past her, also heading to one of his finest hangout places—the clubhouse.

Justin hated business topics and did not seem to find anything about business interesting, except drawing, watching movies in his room, and hanging out with hot ladies ready to get down in bed with him and pleasure him as hot as he wanted it.

Justin felt his dîck harden as he saw how pretty the young lady looked, and how she ran carelessly, not minding how her big brẹasts and buttọcks bounced up and down with her fast running.

Unable to see all that endowment and look away, as Jesse drove past her, Justin ordered, "Stop the car."

"Boss..." Jesse was taken by surprise at his young master's order, and he gulped and replied, "Got it, Boss."

Justin wore a red long-sleeve shirt, black trousers, and sparkling black shoes. He was breathtakingly handsome and took care of his looks too, knowing that first impressions matter.

Olima continued running upward to exit the estate gate, as night approached fast. She knew her stepmother would punish her if she did not return home early to prepare their dinner on time.

"Boss, do you need anything?" The 30-year-old impatient Jesse Andrew asked, wearing a white shirt and black trousers too.

"No, wait here," Justin replied, nervous. The pretty young lady was running up to his car and to exit the estate gate as well.

Justin was mostly used to ladies throwing themselves at him, and now he had to throw himself at the pretty young lady he was seeing again. He had seen her before countless times but could not approach her, knowing her father would also be a billionaire.

Olima did not have time to go upstairs to change her light blue gown, as it provocatively brought out all her shape. She ran up slowly after she saw that the red car from earlier—whose driver had previously cussed her—had stopped, and the side door opened.

Olima thought the driver or the passenger in the red car wanted to step down and scold her for her silly action of running out into the estate street like a mad woman, without even looking ahead to see if any car was coming.

"Hi," the dark-skinned handsome young man who stepped down from the flashy red car spoke to her.

Olima froze in her spot, staring at the tall man's face, standing in front of her.

"No... excuse me," Olima shook her head as she met Justin's desirous gaze on her.

Before Justin could speak, "Wait—"

Olima swiftly ran past him, running faster than before toward the exit gate of the estate street.

"Damn it!" Justin cursed.

Jesse only smiled in the car, having watched Olima's reaction through the driver's seat side mirror.

Justin frustratingly sat back into the car and ordered Jesse, "Start the car."

"Got it, boss," Jesse replied, waiting for Justin to hook his seatbelt properly, before starting the red car engine and driving off.

---

Olima's heart still beat faster in her chest. She had already exited the estate gate and gotten into a taxi. She breathed out in relief, wondering what the young man wanted from her, as she did not know him before.

Olima calculated all the soup ingredients she would buy from the local market nearby. She knew the main market would have closed, but she could still get some foodstuffs from some of the local sellers along the road.

Olima arrived at the market area and paid her taxi fare. She rushed toward one of the market sellers by the roadside and bought all the ingredients she needed in preparing the delicious vegetable soup.

Olima had only learned to cook five months ago, and she was not very good at it, but it was still manageable.

She never used to cook when her mother was still alive. Having to learn all that now that her mother was gone, Olima sighed and paid for all the items and vegetables she had bought.

Before Olima could round up all her purchases from the road sellers, night had fallen. She frowned, knowing her stepmother would complain.

Olima totally forgot to ask her stepmother for money earlier in the morning when pleading for her exams.

With her helping Mia do her assignments from school, Olima forgot to go to her stepmother's shop, where her stepmother sold feminine wears—since Gina owned a boutique.

Olima stood waiting for a taxi to arrive, yet there was no cab to take her home while the night continued to fall.