Chapter 3 Olima Plead

Olima paused at the kitchen door, as she didn't want to give up on trying to beg her stepmother.

She had graduated as the best in her school, and if she had known, she could have accepted the school scholarship program that was offered to her then.

But she thought her father had better plans for her.

She turned and begged Mrs. Gina again, "Please, Ma, I really need to write the university entrance examination to gain admission into any university."

Mrs. Gina growled, "And who will sponsor your school fees, Olima?

Did you forget how your loving father cast me and Mia away?

Well, in case you've forgotten, let me remind you that the money I'm using to feed you now is the money I was supposed to use to pay the previous old maids that I sent away.

As there's no money in this house, I cannot take my business money to sponsor your education fees at any university.

Why am I even explaining all this to you? Just get out of my sight now! Before I break your head!" Mrs. Gina shouted, and Olima finally went back into the kitchen.

Nathan was the gatekeeper of the mansion, and he knocked and walked into the living room.

He stepped in to inform Mrs. Gina that the school bus had arrived to finally take Mia to school.

Nathan knew that Mrs. Gina wasn't the madam of the house before, but after his late madam dismissed, Mrs. Gina finally took over the mansion and also became the new madam of the house.

He greeted Mrs. Gina, "Good morning, Ma. The school bus has arrived to take Mia to school."

Mrs. Gina sighed and replied, "It's okay, Nathan. You can leave us and inform the driver that Mia will be outside soon."

"Okay, Madam," Nathan bowed and immediately left the living room.

He's a 35-year-old man, and he sighed and went outside to inform the school bus driver to wait.

Mia had finished her breakfast, enjoying the noodles and fried eggs that Olima had cooked.

She stood up from her dinner chair, carried her black schoolbag away from the next chair, and said to her mother, "Mom, I'm off to school. Take care, Mom."

"Okay, my baby. Take care too," Mrs. Gina replied and sighed as she stood watching her only child exit the living room.

Mrs. Gina stared back at the dining table and went to pick up the dirty plate and tray that Mia had used.

She wondered what Olima was still doing inside the kitchen, so she went into the kitchen to find out for herself instead of calling Olima outside.

Olima stood beside the kitchen sink, washing her face. Her big brown eyes had turned pure red.

She heard the sound of the kitchen door slide open, and she immediately turned around and saw her stepmother walking into the kitchen.

Mrs. Gina glared at Olima, and she immediately asked, "What are you doing standing there beside the kitchen sink?"

Olima quickly replied, "Nothing, Ma. I was washing my face."

"Hmm." Mrs. Gina was silent, then walked up to the kitchen sink to drop the dirty tray and plate there so that Olima could wash them.

She stared at the noodles carton on the cabinet that Olima had left open, and she saw the three noodles and two eggs that Olima had carefully placed on top of the cabinet to cook.

She asked Olima, "Why did you place the noodles and eggs there?"

Olima nervously replied, "I want to cook them, Ma."

"Hmm," Mrs. Gina walked towards the carton of noodles that she had bought the previous week. She inspected it, noting that the noodles were the smaller-sized packets.

She asked Olima, "How many noodles did you cook for Mia today?"

"Two noodles, Ma," Olima nervously replied.

"Two noodles? And how many noodles am I seeing here that you want to cook for yourself alone?" Mrs. Gina asked in shock, staring into the carton and seeing that it was almost empty.

Olima shuddered and replied, "The three noodles, Ma."

"Three noodles! Just for you alone! My goodness!" Mrs. Gina gasped as she stared back at Olima, who was shivering in fright.

Mrs. Gina asked, "Did you plan to turn me into a thief overnight? How can you finish just three noodles and two eggs at once?

No wonder you still look so fresh and beautiful even after killing your late parents..." Mrs. Gina's eyes burned coals at Olima, who was trembling, and she stared back into the carton and counted.

She said, "Only one noodle and one egg are enough for you from today henceforth. If I find out that you cook more than one noodle and egg per day for yourself, then you will see the other side of me."

"It's down to just 10 noodles inside this carton. When I bought it newly, it had 40 packets... So automatically, you and Mia have eaten 30 packets in just this week.

And I am sure you ate the most. Now return those two packets to the carton to make it twelve, and you cook just one noodle and one egg for yourself.

But before that, first prepare my tea and bring it out to the dining table now."

Mrs. Gina let go of the noodles carton and finally walked out of the kitchen, while Olima sobbed and quickly rushed to the teacup cabinet to prepare her stepmother's tea.

Just the way she knew her stepmother would like it.

Olima finally stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room, carrying a tray of hot tea in her hands.

She walked up to the dining table and served it in front of her stepmother, who sat there patiently waiting for her.

Olima went back into the kitchen to prepare her own breakfast.

She made one noodle and one egg for herself, as she didn't want her stepmother to punish her.

After she was through cooking the noodle and egg, she sat on a stool in the kitchen and started eating her noodle docilely as she sobbed.

She missed her parents and knew that her late father was a billionaire, and money was never a problem.

Tears rolled freely down Olima's cheeks as she realized that her stepmother hated her and wondered who would speak to her stepmother on her behalf now.

None of her relatives seemed to care anymore after her stepmother had arrested them before.

They were only concerned about her late father's properties, his oil company, and his mega houses too.

Olima finished eating her breakfast, stood up from the kitchen stool, and went to drop her plate in the dirty sink to wash it out.

Later, she stepped out to the dining room to find out if her stepmother was through with her tea, so she could wash the teacup and tray too.

She saw that her stepmother was no longer at the dining table, as the mansion seemed silent.

She heard the sound of a car starting in the garage, and she walked up to the dining room window and saw that her stepmother had driven out from the garage, using one of her late father's expensive new cars.

Her late father had up to five brand new spotless cars, including three Jeeps.

Olima sighed and walked back into the kitchen to wash all the dirty plates and teacups before she went upstairs to her bedroom to sleep and rest for the day, as she was so tired and home alone.

After her bath, she put on another light blue gown and laid on her bed, wondering how she would overcome her stepmother's brutality daily. Next, she fell asleep on the bed.

***

Later in the evening, Mrs. Gina arrived home from her boutique shop, where she sold feminine wear, drove into the mansion premises, and parked the car.

She stepped down from the red car and locked the car door using the car remote.

She remembered how her late husband had agreed to buy a car for her after Mia had grown up to a 5-year-old little girl and complained that Olima's mother had a car. Her mother also needed a car too.

That was when Mr. Leo finally decided to buy a new small car for her, which she had been managing since then.

Mrs. Gina sighed and stared at her small black car that was still parked in the garage.

She shook her head and finally walked up to the mansion's entrance to go into the white house, as they had a beautiful fountain at the center of the compound and many beautiful flowering plants at the entrance.

Late Mrs. Zoe was a lover of flowers and plants.

Nathan finished locking the gate and greeted Mrs. Gina again, "Welcome back, Madam," as he saw her walking up to the mansion's entrance.

"Yes, thank you, Nathan. Did anyone come to look for me?" Mrs. Gina paused and asked, and Nathan replied, "No, Madam."

"Okay," Mrs. Gina answered, and she finally climbed up the mansion's entrance and went into the living room.

Olima sprang up from the black couch in the living room as she saw her stepmother walk in.

She hadn't heard the sound of the car engine, as she was watching an interesting romance movie with Mia in the living room.

The flat-screen television was so loud that Olima didn't know when Mrs. Gina arrived.

Mrs. Gina was wearing a long blue gown that accentuated her shape, and she was carrying a black handbag too.

Olima quickly greeted her, "Good evening, Ma."

Mrs. Gina's black eyes burned coals at Olima, as she didn't respond. She shifted her gaze to stare at the living room wall clock and saw it was already after 7 PM in the evening.

Yet, Olima hadn't come to her shop in the afternoon to collect the money she would use to prepare their dinner for the night.

Mia stood up too and greeted her mother, "Good evening, Mom."

Mrs. Gina finally stared at Mia and replied, "Evening, Mia. How are you doing today? Have you done your assignments from school yet?"

"Yes, Mom, I have. Olima helped me with it." Mia responded, and Mrs. Gina sighed, "Hmm."

She stared at Olima and saw her walking away towards the dining room, then asked Olima, "Olima, have you prepared dinner yet?"

Mrs. Gina knew that there were no foodstuffs in the house, but she still had to ask Olima that question.