Chapter 2

Present day:

It was a bright Monday morning when Becky woke up in her bedroom at 5:30 a.m. She wore a light blue nightgown and rushed out of her bedroom to tidy up the house. She knew that it was the first day of school, and her younger stepsister, Mia Adams, was going back to college.

Stepping into the living room, Becky swept it and went outside to sweep the entire surroundings too.

Through with her work, she went back into the house and resumed mopping everywhere.

Six months had passed since she lost her parents. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and she hastily wiped it off as she worked.

Becky finished mopping everywhere to make it look neat. Then she discarded the bucket and mop in the laundry room before going to the kitchen to clean it up and prepare breakfast for her younger sister.

Becky knew that her stepmother and stepsister would soon wake up from their sleep, so she hurried to finish the cooking.

****

Meanwhile, Mrs. Gina Adams, a 39-year-old woman, woke up in her bedroom upstairs. It was the first room given to her when she initially married Mr. Leo Adams.

She yawned and stretched as she carefully sat up in bed. Looking around her bedroom, she felt like the madam of the house again.

"Hmm... How time flies," she said, dropping her legs down from the bed and standing up.

Mrs. Gina wore a long white nightgown and her slippers that were beside the bed. She knew that it was school resumption day, and her 14-year-old daughter, Mia Adams, was going back to college.

It was 7 a.m. sharp in her room. Mrs. Gina then went downstairs to the living room to inspect the house, wanting to know if Becky was through sweeping and mopping the entire mansion to look neat like she had ordered her to.

Stepping into the living room, Mrs. Gina saw that Becky had cleaned everywhere. A satisfactory smile curved up her face, as she intended to get her revenge by punishing Becky too.

Walking up to the dining table to have her seat, Mrs. Gina waited for her daughter, Mia Adams, a 14-year-old girl, to step out for her breakfast, just before the school bus would arrive.

Meanwhile, Becky walked out from the kitchen and saw her stepmother in the dining room.

She came out to find out if her stepsister Mia was ready to have her breakfast.

Upon seeing her stepmother seated on the dining chair and glaring at her, Becky quickly greeted the older lady, "Mother, good morning."

Mrs. Gina swiftly turned to face Becky, her blood boiling hot at hearing Becky call her "Mother."

She rushed up to meet Becky and landed a hot resounding slap on her left cheek. [SLAP!]

"How many times have I warned you never to call me mother again in this house? Do I resemble your late mother?" Mrs. Gina questioned, glaring at Becky.

"No, Mother... I mean, Ma," Becky replied, sobbing, while Mrs. Gina glared at her again.

She released Becky's shoulder that she had gripped tightly and questioned her, "Have you prepared my daughter's breakfast? Or do you want Mia to be late for school today?"

"No ma, I have prepared Mia's breakfast," Becky shakily replied.

Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed at her before she moved away and sniffed her palms that she had used to hold Becky.

Mrs. Gina hated Becky's scent as she smelled like apples. She immediately went into the kitchen to wash her hands off Becky's fruity scent, as she felt irritated to be reminded of late Mrs. Zoe.

Becky looked like her late mother and smelled like her too, and Mrs. Gina hated that.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Mia stood up on the balcony upstairs and saw when her mother had gripped Becky by her shoulders and delivered a hot resounding slap on her left cheek. The sound of the slap reverberated around the living room and shocked Mia. She just stepped out to walk downstairs.

Mia knew that her mother hated Becky, as Becky had enjoyed the luxury of their late parents' wealth. She knew how her late father loved Becky and the late Mrs. Zoe.

Mia wore a blue school uniform with her white stockings and black shoes. She was carrying her black school bag on her shoulder. She carefully descended the living room stairs, stepping down to have her breakfast as her school bus would soon arrive.

Mia was not ready to say "sorry" to Becky, so she looked away and walked up to one of the dining room chairs to sit down and have her breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom," Mia greeted her mother before sitting down. She was a dark-skinned 14-year-old girl, while Becky was 17 years old.

Mia resembled her late father very much, and she knew her mother had told her the whole story of how Becky's mother had begged her then to agree to marry Mr. Leo Adams.

Mia had witnessed how her late father had treated her mother and was not happy with it. Her mother was treated unfairly while Becky and her late mother were treated like queens. Becky was also the apple of their father's eye.

Settling in her dining chair, Mia kept her school bag on the next chair beside her. Her mother stepped out of the kitchen and glared at Becky, asking her, "What are you standing there doing? Haven't you prepared Mia's breakfast yet? Get lost into the kitchen and dish it out now, before I break your head!"

Becky's brown eyes welled up with hot tears as Mrs. Gina yelled at her. She quickly ran back into the kitchen and served Mia's breakfast because she didn't want her stepmother to discipline her.

Sobbing, she dished out the delicious noodles and fried eggs onto a red flat plate. She then placed it on a white tray and stepped out of the kitchen to serve it on the dining table in front of Mia.

Mrs. Gina sat there silently, knowing that she had to live with her guilt of killing her best friend and their husband. 

"If only I had known, I should have signed the divorce documents and left Leo when I still had the opportunity too. Becky resembles her late mother, while Mia also looked like late Mr. Leo Adams too," Mrs. Gina grimaced, remembering when Mr. Leo was still alive, he usually fed Mrs. Zoe in her presence at the dining table. He pampered Mrs. Zoe in front of her, whenever they had their breakfasts together in the dining room, before she was sent to live outside the mansion.

Mrs. Gina wished that she had peacefully signed the divorce papers and left. When Mr. Leo had offered her a divorce after she first quarreled with Mrs. Zoe. But she stubbornly refused to leave because she loved Mr. Leo so much and wanted him as her husband too.

Now she had killed the driver to hide her secret for life. She lived in the Emerson housing estate with her daughter and Becky, and feared what the news would be like when it got out to the public.

Only the billionaires lived around, and Mrs. Gina was not ready to go to jail yet.

Mrs. Gina sighed heavily, and Mia asked her, "Mom, what's the problem?"

"Hmm, nothing, Mia. I am fine. What's Becky still doing in that kitchen serving your breakfast? Does she want me to storm into that kitchen and break her head?" Mrs. Gina questioned aloud, her anger boiling.

Becky swiftly rushed out of the kitchen after hearing her stepmother's statement.

Walking up to the dining table, Becky served Mia's breakfast while Mia adjusted her seat closer to the dining table properly to resume eating.

Becky moved aside, wondering if she could ask her stepmother about the need for her to resume her tutorial classes. She really needed to further her education to become a nurse.

Standing beside the dining table, Becky paused and met Mrs. Gina's irritated gaze.

"What are you standing there doing again? I thought I asked you to leave?" Mrs. Gina queried.

"Ma..." Becky shuddered in fright and moved backward a little toward the kitchen door.

Mia smiled and ate the delicious cooked noodles and fried eggs on the dining table. She knew that she didn't know how to cook, and Becky was forced to learn how to cook by her mother.

Becky stopped beside the kitchen door and thought about trying her luck to plead with her stepmother on the need for her to resume her lessons.

"Ma... It's about my tutorial class for the university entrance examination that I have spoken to you about?" Becky began, shivering and fearing her stepmother's wrath.

Mrs. Gina stood up from her dining chair, moving it backward and stepping out. She yelled, "I told you that you ain't going to any university! How did you graduate as the best in your class when you cannot understand simple English at home? Just get out of my sight now before I give you another hot slap!" 

Mrs. Gina glared at Becky, who sadly went back to the kitchen door and stopped, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.