Chapter 2 - Stepmother's hatred

On a bright Monday morning, Olima woke up in her bedroom at 5:30 a.m. She wore a light blue nightgown and rushed out of her room 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, Olima swept the floor and then went outside to sweep the surrounding area as well.

Once she was done with her work, she returned to 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 away as she worked.

Olima finished mopping to make everything 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.

Olima knew that her stepmother and stepsister would soon wake up, so she hurried to finish 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 lady 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 slipped on 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 Olima had finished sweeping and mopping the entire mansion to look neat, as she had ordered.

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

Walking up to the dining table to take her seat, Mrs. Gina waited for her daughter, Mia Adams, a 14-year-old girl, to come down for her breakfast just before the school bus arrived.

Meanwhile, Olima walked out of the kitchen and saw her stepmother in the dining room.

She came out to check if her stepsister Mia was ready for breakfast.

Upon seeing her stepmother seated at the dining table and glaring at her, Olima quickly greeted the older lady, "Good morning, Mother."

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

She rushed up to Olima 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 stupid late mother?" Mrs. Gina questioned, glaring at Olima.

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

She released Olima's shoulder, which 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," Olima shakily replied.

Mrs. Gina narrowed her eyes at her before moving away and sniffing her palms, which she had used to hold Olima.

Mrs. Gina hated Olima's scent, as she smelled like apples. She immediately went into the kitchen to wash her hands of Olima's fruity scent, feeling irritated at being reminded of the late Mrs. Zoe.

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

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

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

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

Mia was not ready to say "sorry" to Olima, so she looked away and walked 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 Olima was 17.

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

She had witnessed how her late father treated her mother, and she was not happy about it. Her mother was treated unfairly while Olima and her late mother were treated like queens. Olima was also the apple of their father's eye.

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

Olima's brown eyes welled up with hot tears at Mrs. Gina's yelling. 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 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 the 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. Olima resembles her late mother, while Mia also looks like late Mr. Leo Adams," Mrs. Gina grimaced, remembering how Mr. Leo used to feed Mrs. Zoe at the dining table. He pampered Mrs. Zoe in front of her whenever they had breakfast together 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 their first quarrel, she stubbornly refused to leave because she loved Mr. Leo so much and wanted him as her husband.

Now she had killed the truck driver to hide her secret for life. She lived in the Emerson Housing Estate with her daughter and Olima and feared what the news would be when it got out to the public.

Only 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 Olima 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.

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

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

Olima 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, Olima 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..." Olima shuddered in fear and moved backward a little toward the kitchen door.

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

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

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

Mrs. Gina stood up from her dining chair, moving it backward and stepping out.

"I told you that you aren'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 yelled, glaring at Olima.

Olima sadly went back to the kitchen door and stopped, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.