Chapter 5

Olivia finally found a taxi, and she entered the back seat, telling the taxi driver her destination, “To the Emerson estate.”

The taxi driver replied, “Okay.”

He started the car and drove ahead, as Olivia was the only one seated in the cab, arriving at the entrance gate of the Emerson Housing Estate.

The taxi stopped, and Olivia paid for her ride before she alighted and rushed through the estate gate, running home speedily.

The estate security guards stared at Olivia and wondered what was chasing her, as they knew her well.

One of the estate guards said, “She's a gorgeous young lady, often running about on errands since her parents passed.”

The others remained silent and continued with their jobs, as there were four security men present.

Olivia finally arrived home in front of her late father's mansion gate, banging heavily on the gate and calling out to Nathan.

Nathaniel quickly approached the gate from within, pulled it open, and asked, “Why are you banging on the gate like that?"

Olivia smiled faintly at Nathan and apologized, “I’m sorry, sir. Please open the gate quickly.”

Olivia rushed into the compound and made her way toward the mansion entrance after Nathan pulled the small gate open for her.

She was nervous as she knocked on the door of the white mansion. Pulling the doorknob open, she walked into the living room and saw Mia still seated on the couch, watching television.

Mia looked at Olivia as she stepped into the living room. Olivia's big brown eyes quickly darted to the living room wall clock, and she gasped as she saw that the time was already 8:30 PM.

Olivia hurried into the kitchen and started preparing their dinner since she knew her stepmother would soon come downstairs to inquire if she had finished cooking.

She didn't want her stepmother to flog her mercilessly for wasting so much time at the market and not arriving home on time.

Olivia quickly took out all the ingredients for the vegetable soup that she had bought from the local market nearby. She washed the green vegetables quickly and chopped them into smaller pieces.

She unhooked the dried stockfish from the rubber band and soaked it in a bowl of water.

Thereafter, she quickly cut the meat into smaller pieces and washed it neatly while switching on the gas cooker and placing her empty pot on it. She started cooking the meat first.

With every second that ticked away on the clock, Olivia was sweaty all over as she hurriedly prepared the vegetable soup.

She jumped nervously when she heard the kitchen door slide open.

Mia walked into the kitchen and asked, “What took you so long to arrive home? I’m hungry.”

Olivia sighed in relief as Mia approached her and watched while Olivia stirred the big pot of soup with a large spoon, tasting it to see if she needed to add more salt or a bit of pepper.

Olivia directed her stirring spoon toward Mia’s right hand and said, “Please taste the soup first to see if it's okay, or if I should add a little more salt?”

Mia opened her right palm, and Olivia dropped a few drops of soup from the big spoon onto Mia's hand. Mia tasted it and declared that the vegetable soup was delicious.

Mia licked her right palm but frowned, as she wanted her mother to discipline Olivia for making her hungry.

She told Olivia, “Add more salt. It lacks flavor.”

Olivia frowned, her brows furrowing at Mia.

She stirred the soup and tasted it again on her palm. “But the soup is fine like this.”

Mia frowned, picked up the salt container, and poured more salt into the soup.

Olivia exclaimed, “Mia!"

Just then, the kitchen door pushed open, and Mrs. Gina walked in wearing her long white nightgown.

Olivia quickly shut the pot of soup and removed it from the gas cooker, as she hadn’t yet prepared the semolina they would use to eat the vegetable soup.

Mrs. Gina asked, “What’s going on here? It’s already after 9 PM, and you’re still cooking? Why?”

Olivia quickly replied, “Nothing, ma. I'm almost done with the semolina.”

She poured water into a new pot to prepare the semolina quickly, and Mrs. Gina shifted her gaze toward Mia and asked, “And what are you doing standing here?”

Mia muttered, “Mom, I’m hungry.”

Mia frowned and stomped her feet as she walked over to her mother.

Mrs. Gina said, “Go sit down at the dining table first, Mia. The soup will soon be ready.”

Mia frowned and walked toward the kitchen door, shouting, “Olivia, be fast, please.”

Olivia nervously replied, “Okay.” She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that her stepmother and stepsister had left the kitchen.

Olivia sighed again when she finished preparing the semolina. She switched off the gas and wiped her sweaty forehead with her light blue gown, immediately serving the semolina into smaller flat plates.

Not wanting to anger her stepmother and stepsister, Olivia quickly dished out their soup into smaller plates and placed everything on a big tray, carrying it to the dining room to serve her family.

Mia sat in her usual dining chair across from her mother, and Olivia walked up to the dining table to dish out their meals.

Mrs. Gina adjusted her seat closer to the table and began eating as Olivia served them bowls of water to wash their hands.

Mia washed her hands first before her mother.

Olivia asked Mrs. Gina, “Ma, do you need anything else?”

Mrs. Gina frowned and replied, “No, go eat your food first.”

Olivia said, “Okay,” and walked away. But just then, Mia screamed, “Mom!”

Mrs. Gina glared at Mia and asked, “What is it?”

Olivia paused by the kitchen door and stared back at Mia.

Mia said, “Mom, the soup is bitter.”

Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Mia, and she glanced at the soup since she had already washed her hands.

She dipped her right index finger into the small plate of soup and tasted it herself. Her face twisted in irritation as she immediately stood up from the dining chair and questioned Olivia, “What is the meaning of this nonsense you just cooked, Olivia?”

Olivia took a few steps back and replied, “Ma, I—”

Mrs. Gina moved away from her dining chair and rushed to Olivia.

She asked, “You what? Didn’t you taste this soup at all?”

Olivia stammered, “I did, ma… Mia added more salt to the soup and—”

Mrs. Gina landed a hot, resounding slap on Olivia's left cheek. (Slap!)

She approached Olivia again and roughly dragged her toward the dining table, bending Olivia's head into her soup plate. “Here is the soup. Taste it yourself and eat the nonsense you’ve cooked! You stupid witch! See how bitter the soup is and eat it! Did Mia help you cook it? Aren’t you the only one who cooked the soup and was in the kitchen when I entered?”

Olivia cried and tried to explain, “Ma, please…”

Mrs. Gina gave Olivia another sharp slap on her right cheek and yelled, “Shut up!”

Mrs. Gina began to beat Olivia while Mia smiled.

Mrs. Gina shouted, “You witch! You killed your parents, and now you want to kill me and my daughter too?”

Mrs. Gina continued to beat Olivia, while Olivia begged, “Please, ma. I’m innocent. I didn’t spoil the soup. Please,” Olivia cried.

“Shut up! Get out of this house! I never want to see your ugly face here again! Nathan!” Mrs. Gina called out to the gate man, and he immediately ran into the living room, responding, “Yes, madam. You called for me?”

Mrs. Gina said, “Throw this witch out of the house. I don’t want to see her here again.”

Olivia begged, “No, please, Mother… I didn’t spoil the soup.”

Mrs. Gina landed another hot, resounding slap on Olivia's left cheek and said, “One more word from you and I will have you arrested tonight, you witch. Nathan, throw her out now, and never let her into this mansion again!”

Nathan grabbed Olivia by her left arm and dragged her outside the mansion, now working solely for Mrs. Gina.

Nathan took Olivia out of the house that belonged to her late parents and dragged her toward the mansion's exit gate around 10 PM in the late-night hour.

Mia smiled, and Mrs. Gina was the happiest, having finally gotten rid of Olivia. The mansion was now her property.

She stepped outside to see if Nathan had thrown Olivia out or not.