Chapter Five

Olima finally hailed a taxi and entered it. She paid the driver, who drove her back to their residential estate where the billionaires and high-profile families lived.

On arriving in front of the estate gate, Olima quickly paid the cab driver for her ride, rushing back into the estate gate and running home speedily.

The four estate security men wondered what was chasing Olima, as they knew her to be a beautiful young lady who mostly used her legs to run errands after her parents dismissed her.

Olima finally approached in front of their mansion gate and banged heavily on it.

Nathan quickly approached the gate from within, pulled it open, and stared at Olima's face.

"Why are you banging on the gate like that?" Nathan asked her. He was a young man, and although he liked Olima, he could not cross boundaries with her, as he knew she was his former boss's daughter.

"I'm sorry, please open the gate quickly," Olima replied.

Nathan stepped aside and pulled the gate open for her.

Olima rushed into the house and approached the mansion frontage. The luxurious duplex mansion was painted in white and had beautiful flowering plants decorated at the frontage.

Olima nervously approached the door entrance leading into their living room, knocked, opened the door, and walked into the parlor.

Mia was still in the living room watching the television.

As Olima stepped into the living room, her large brown eyes automatically fell on the huge wall clock, and she saw it was 8:30 p.m.

Without being told, Olima rushed into the kitchen to prepare their dinner. She knew her stepmother would soon step out and flog her mercilessly for wasting so much time in the market and arriving home late.

Olima hurriedly took out the vegetables she had bought and washed them quickly, while she unhooked the dried fish and soaked them in a bowl of water.

Olima quickly cut the meat into smaller pieces and washed them neatly, while she switched on the gas cooker and started cooking the meat first.

With every second that ticked on the clock, Olima was sweaty all over her body as she hurriedly cooked the soup. She jumped in fright just as she heard the kitchen door slide open.

"What took you so long to arrive home? I'm hungry," Mia complained, walking into the kitchen and approaching Olima, who was turning and tasting the soup to know if she should add more Maggi or salt.

"Taste it first. Is it okay?" Olima asked Mia, extending the big spoon to Mia's right hand to have a taste of the soup.

Mia did not know how to cook. She opened her right palm while Olima dropped a few drops of the delicious soup into it.

Mia wanted her mother to discipline Olima, so she said, "It lacks salt. Add more salt."

Olima frowned, tasted the soup again, and said, "It's okay like this."

Mia frowned, used her hands to carry the salt container, opened it, and poured more salt into the soup.

"Mia!!" Olima screamed.

Just then, her stepmother walked into the kitchen.

Olima quickly shut the pot of soup and carried it down from the gas cooker, as she was still yet to prepare the semovita they would use to swallow the vegetable soup.

"What's going on here? It's after 9 p.m., and you're still cooking the soup?" Gina questioned, walking into the kitchen.

"No, madam, I'm almost through," Olima replied, quickly pouring water into the empty new pot and starting to prepare the semo.

Gina questioned Mia, "And you, what are you standing there doing?"

"Mom, I'm hungry," Mia replied, stomping her feet to the ground and walking up to meet her mother.

"Go and sit at the dining table. The soup will soon be ready," Gina stated.

Mia frowned and said, "Olima, be quick, please."

"Okay," Olima nervously replied, watching her stepmother and stepsister leave the kitchen.

Olima gasped, "Phew!" and finished cooking the semo, using her light blue gown to wipe her sweaty forehead.

Olima then served out the semo, not wanting to anger her stepmother and stepsister, and quickly dished out their soups too into smaller plates and trays. She carried them out to the dining room.

Mia sat in the dining room across from her mother at the dining table, waiting.

Gina adjusted her seat properly to the dining table to start eating.

Olima nervously walked to the dining table and dropped the tray of food there. She served it out to her stepmother's front first, then to her stepsister's view next, and reached to serve Mia's soup and semo properly to Mia's view.

The dining table fell silent. Next, Olima rushed back into the kitchen to get her stepmother and stepsister some bowls of water to wash their hands, and she rushed back to the dining room to serve them.

Gina first washed her hands in a different bowl of water, while Mia washed hers next.

Olima asked her stepmother, "Ma, do you need anything else?"

Gina frowned and replied, "No. Go and eat your food."

Just then, Mia gasped, "Mom!..."

"What is it?" Gina glared at her daughter for screaming out her name.

Olima paused and stared back at Mia, too.

"The soup is bitter," Mia said, making Gina frown.

Gina had not yet tasted the soup, but she had already washed her right hand. She dipped her index finger into the soup to taste it too, and her face contorted in irritation.

Gina harshly stood up from the dining seat and questioned, "Olima, what is the meaning of this?"

Gina moved out from her seat, and Olima took two steps backward, stammering, "Ma... I..."

"You what? Did you taste the soup at all?" Gina roared angrily.

Olima shuddered and stammered, "Ma, I did. Mia added more salt to the soup and..."

[Slap] Gina landed a hot, resounding slap on Olima's left cheek. She approached Olima more, dragged her to the dining table, and forced Olima to taste the soup.

"Taste it and eat it, and see how bitter it is. Did Mia follow you to cook it?" Gina questioned.

Olima cried and tried to explain.

[Slap] Gina landed another hot slap on Olima and started beating her while Mia smiled viciously.

"You witch! You killed your parents, and now you want to kill my daughter and me too!" Gina yelled at Olima.

"Please, mother, I'm innocent. I didn't spoil the soup. Mia did," Olima begged.

"Shut up! Get out! I don't want to see your ugly face in this house again. Nathan!!" Gina called.

"Yes, madam," Nathan rushed into the mansion, and Gina commanded, "Throw this witch out!"

"No! Mother, please... I didn't spoil the soup. Mia did..." Olima tried to beg her stepmother. But then another hot slap landed across her left cheek.

"One more word from you, and I will have you arrested this night, witch. Nathan, throw her outside and never let her into this mansion again," Gina commanded.

Nathan grabbed Olima by her left arm, dragged her out of the living room, and threw her out of her late billionaire parents duplex mansion, outside to the street at around 10 p.m. in the night.

Mia smiled victoriously, and Gina was the happiest that the billionaire mansion now belonged to her, after succeeding in killing her best friend, and her late husband to acquire Olima's father's company and assets.