Billionaire's Admirable Bride

It was six months since Olima Adams lost her parents, and she had been living with her stepmother and stepsister since then.

Her stepmother turned her into a maid and also withdrew her from furthering her education.

Seventeen years ago, Mr. Leo Adams had married Mrs. Zoe Elliott, and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with brown sparkling eyes named Olima Adams.

But after Olima was born, Mrs. Zoe had complications.

Mrs. Zoe cried that she wanted to give her husband more children, but her husband assured her that his love for her would not change.

Two years later, Mr. Leo spoke to his wife about his intention to marry a second wife who would bear a son for him, since Olima was a girl, so that his son could continue to bear his name and inherit his properties.

Mrs. Zoe became worried about another woman coming into her matrimonial home and turning her husband's heart against her, so she spoke to her best friend named Gina Edwards about agreeing to marry her husband.

Gina and Zoe had been childhood best friends, having attended the same college and grown up in the same town.

Mrs. Zoe was a light-skinned 25-year-old woman, and she spoke to her best friend, Gina Edwards, to agree to marry Mr. Leo.

She begged, "Please, Gina, can you accept and marry my husband? He needs a son to take over his properties and to bear his name after we leave."

Gina Edwards was also a 25-year-old light-skinned woman, and she wasted no time accepting to marry Mr. Leo Adams.

Mrs. Gina had been jealous of Mrs. Zoe's marriage, even though they were childhood best friends. She told Mrs. Zoe, "Yes, I will marry Mr. Leo."

Unbeknownst to Mrs. Zoe, Gina was jealous of her marriage, as she secretly admired Mr. Leo during her visits to Mrs. Zoe's home to see Olima.

After Mr. Leo officially married Mrs. Gina, Mrs. Gina finally arrived at the white villa to live with them, but Mrs. Gina changed on the first day of her arrival.

Mrs. Gina told Mr. Leo to send Mrs. Zoe away from the master's bedroom since she was the new wife and could give Mr. Leo more children, while Mrs. Zoe was unable to.

Olima was only two years old when her father officially married Mrs. Gina.

Mr. Leo became annoyed by Mrs. Gina's sudden change in attitude and told her, "How dare you move into my mansion today and dare to quarrel with your best friend Zoe?

I thought you and Zoe were best friends? Do you think that I agreed to marry you because I love you? If Zoe hadn't spoken to me about you, do you think I would want you?

Get ready to sign the divorce papers tomorrow and leave my house! Olima is still my daughter, and she will inherit all my properties, even if Olima grows up tomorrow and marries a man, thereby changing her surname to her husband's surname. Olima will still be my daughter."

Mrs. Gina frowned as she realized that Mr. Leo truly loved Mrs. Zoe more than she had thought.

She switched back to being the good friend she had been before to Mrs. Zoe. She went down on her knees and begged Mrs. Zoe to plead with their husband not to divorce her.

Mrs. Zoe was a kind woman and knew that it was all her fault, as she had begged Mrs. Gina to agree to marry Mr. Leo.

Mrs. Zoe finally spoke to Mr. Leo on Mrs. Gina's behalf and begged him not to send Mrs. Gina away, not after marrying her.

Mr. Leo calmed down and accepted that Mrs. Gina should continue living with them, but he took Mrs. Gina to a separate bedroom and told her not to cause any quarrels again. Otherwise, he wouldn't hesitate to throw her out.

Mrs. Gina realized that she couldn't claim Mr. Leo as she had thought; instead, Mr. Leo had rejected her.

Mrs. Gina stayed in the new room that was given to her, but Mr. Leo ruined her wedding night by not touching her that night and refusing to see her at all.

Days turned into weeks, and unable to bear the shame of being called a barren woman, Mrs. Gina finally went into Mrs. Zoe's bedroom one day.

She pleaded with Mrs. Zoe to ask their husband not to divorce her and to perform his conjugal rights with her as her husband too.

Mrs. Zoe knew that it was all her fault. She was scared of another woman coming into her home and turning her husband's heart against her. So she agreed to speak to Mr. Leo.

When Mr. Leo arrived that night after their dinner, Mrs. Zoe refused her husband from touching her and sent him to Mrs. Gina's bedroom.

She told him, "You cannot continue to avoid Mrs. Gina in this house. Please go to her room and perform your conjugal rights with her."

Mr. Leo could see the pain in Mrs. Zoe's eyes, as her words did not reach his heart, but he finally left for Mrs. Gina's bedroom and made love to Gina that night.

Mrs. Zoe cried alone on her bed and finally drifted to sleep, feeling helpless.

After that night, Mrs. Gina still wanted Mr. Leo to touch her every other night, but Mr. Leo refused and told Mrs. Gina, "I cannot sleep with you every night. Only one night is enough to get you pregnant."

Mrs. Gina became annoyed. After Mr. Leo left for work that day, she quarreled with Mrs. Zoe, calling her a wicked woman.

She accused Mrs. Zoe of being a bad friend and told Zoe that she was depriving Mr. Leo of loving her too.

Mrs. Zoe later informed Mr. Leo about the quarrel when he arrived. Mr. Leo became annoyed and brought the divorce papers home the following day, ordering Mrs. Gina to sign them and leave his house.

But Mrs. Gina refused and told Mr. Leo, "I am pregnant."

Mr. Leo knew that he couldn't send Mrs. Gina away with his child growing in her womb, so he allowed Mrs. Gina to continue living with them.

After eight months of carrying the baby in her womb, Mrs. Gina finally welcomed a baby girl, and Mr. Leo's hopes were shattered as he had expected the baby to be a boy.

Mrs. Gina was happy to be a mother and named her daughter, "Mia Adams."

Mrs. Gina hoped that Mr. Leo would touch her again and get her pregnant, but Mr. Leo still avoided her, having sent her to live in the guesthouse.

Time flew by, and after 14 years, Mr. Leo still did not touch Mrs. Gina again.

Mrs. Gina knew that she couldn't go outside to cheat on Mr. Leo to get pregnant with another man's child, so she made up her mind to kill Mr. Leo and his wife and seize all of Mr. Leo's wealth and oil company for herself.

Mrs. Gina was tired of seeing Mr. Leo and Mrs. Zoe acting so lovingly, as Mr. Leo avoided her and never accepted any gifts from her.

With each passing day that Mrs. Gina yearned for Mr. Leo's love, she knew that he would never love her. So she arranged for a truck driver to ram into late Mr. Leo and Mrs. Zoe's car.

She knew that they were going to Lemon Hill High School for Olima and Mia's graduation ceremony.

She was also going to the school for her own daughter's graduation, as Mia was moving into a senior class while Olima was graduating as the best in her class.

Mrs. Gina attended the graduation ceremony alone and snapped several photos with her daughter, while Olima waited in vain for her parents to arrive.

Later in the evening, when Olima finally got home, she was shocked to receive the news of her parents' absence. She cried, knowing that her stepmother hated her the most.

She wanted to leave the house too, but there was nowhere for her to go.

Olima patiently waited for her uncles to arrive. When her uncles arrived, they were asking Mrs. Gina about the oil company, other documents, and the mansion.

It was only three months after her parents' burial ceremony ended, and Mrs. Gina wasted no time in arresting all her in-laws.

She accused them of killing Mr. Leo and his wife so they could claim all Mr. Leo's wealth.

Mr. Leo's two brothers had to sign an agreement never to disturb Mrs. Gina again, and they left without returning.

No one asked about Olima again, and Mrs. Gina moved into the main mansion that Mr. Leo had previously chased her away from. She threw all of Mrs. Zoe's possessions away.

She burned them outside, as she couldn't bear to see all the beautiful portraits and images of late Mrs. Zoe on the living room walls.

She replaced the empty walls with her own photos, leaving Mr. Leo's images up on the wall.

Mrs. Gina sacked all five housemaids, including the cook, and turned Olima into her housemaid.

She told Olima, "I think you saw how your late father treated me and Mia when he was alive. Well, there is no money for you to further your education, so you will have to remain my maid, helping to take care of this house that your parents left behind.

We cannot sell it to sponsor you through school. That would be very selfish of you, to sell the only property we live in when we haven't seen the will or acquired another house."

Olima couldn't do anything, as her stepmother withdrew her from her tutorial classes and turned her into a maid.

She was forced to learn how to cook, wash dirty dishes, and wake up very early in the morning to tidy up the house.

She had to take care of the garden, her mother's farm, and trim the flowers too.

Olima cried, but her tears weren't enough to resolve the issue as she watched Mia resume going to school, even though her stepmother had already told her that there was no money for her to resume.

Mrs. Gina later invited the family lawyer to understand about late Mr. Leo's will.

When the lawyer arrived, he told Mrs. Gina that the will could not be changed, and the will regarding the company stated that the oil company left behind by Mr. Leo Adams should be given to Olima Adams, but only when Olima turned 24 years old.

Mrs. Gina became annoyed and sent the lawyer away, thinking about how she would turn the oil company and all other companies that belonged to late Mr. Leo Adams into her own.

It was a bright Monday morning. Olima woke up in her bedroom at 5:30 a.m. She was wearing 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.

Olima swept the entire mansion clean, starting from the top floor and working her way down to the first-floor living room.

She swept and mopped everywhere until it was spotless before heading outside to sweep the entire compound.

After finishing her work and making sure the entire mansion was neat, Olima went back into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her younger stepsister.

She knew that her stepmother and stepsister would soon wake up from their sleep.

---

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 got married to Mr. Leo Adams.

She yawned and stretched as she sat up carefully on the bed and stared around her bedroom, feeling like the madam of the house again.

"Hmm... How time flies," she said as she dropped her legs down from the bed and stood up.

Mrs. Gina was wearing a long white nightgown, and she put on her slippers that were beside the bed, knowing that it was school resumption day.

Her 14-year-old daughter, Mia Adams, was going back to college.

The time was 7 a.m. sharp on her room clock. She went downstairs to inspect the house and see if Olima was done sweeping and mopping the entire mansion to look clean.

Mrs. Gina stepped downstairs into the living room and looked around. She saw that Olima had cleaned everywhere, and a satisfactory smile curved up her face as she intended to get her revenge by punishing Olima too.

She walked up to the dining table to sit down and wait for her daughter to come out for her breakfast just before the school bus arrived.

Just then, Olima stepped out from the kitchen and saw her stepmother in the dining room.

She stepped out to find out if Mia was ready to have her breakfast. Seeing her stepmother in the dining room, Olima quickly greeted the older lady, "Good morning, Ma."

Mrs. Gina swiftly turned to face Olima as her blood boiled hot to hear Olima call her "Mother."

She rushed up to meet Olima, and next, she landed a hot, resounding slap on Olima's 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 angrily as she glared at Olima.

"No, Mother... I mean, Ma," Olima replied as she sobbed, while Mrs. Gina glared at Olima, releasing the grip she had on Olima's shoulder.

She questioned Olima again, "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, and Mrs. Gina narrowed her eyes at her before moving away from Olima and sniffing her palms that she had used to hold Olima.

Mrs. Gina hated Olima's scent because Olima smelled like apple.

Mrs. Gina immediately went into the kitchen to wash her hands of Olima's fruity scent as she felt irritated to be reminded of late Mrs. Zoe.

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

Mia was standing on the balcony upstairs, and she saw her mother grip Olima by the shoulders and land a hot, resounding slap on Olima's left cheek.

The sound of the slap reverberated around the living room and shocked Mia as she stepped out to walk downstairs.

Mia knew that her mother hated Olima as Olima had enjoyed the luxury of their late parents' wealth.

Mia knew how her late father loved Olima and late Mrs. Zoe while abandoning her own mother.

Similarly, Mia was wearing a blue school uniform with white stockings and black shoes, carrying her black school bag on her shoulder.

She carefully descended the living room stairs, ready to go to school, and her school bus would soon arrive.

She 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.

Mia was a dark-skinned 14-year-old girl, while Olima was 17 years old.

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

Mia had also witnessed how her late father had treated her mother, and she was unhappy with how her mother was treated inferiorly while Olima and her late mother were treated like royalty. Olima was the apple of their father's eye.

Settling into her dining chair, Mia kept her school bag on the next chair beside her. Her mother stepped out from the kitchen and glared at Olima again.

Olima's brown eyes welled up with hot tears, and Mrs. Gina yelled at her, "What are you standing there doing? Haven't you prepared Mia's breakfast yet? Get into the kitchen and serve it now before I break your head!"

Olima quickly ran back into the kitchen and dished out Mia's breakfast. She didn't want her stepmother to flog her that morning.

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

Mrs. Gina knew that she had to live with her gruesome sins of killing her best friend and their late husband out of jealousy. Olima resembled her late mother, while Mia also looked like late Mr. Leo Adams.

Mrs. Gina grimaced as she remembered when Mr. Leo was still alive. He usually fed Mrs. Zoe in front of her and pampered Mrs. Zoe at the dining table across from her whenever they had their breakfasts and dinners before she was sent to live outside the mansion.

She wished that she had peacefully signed the divorce papers and left when Mr. Leo offered her a divorce after she first quarreled with Mrs. Zoe.

But she stubbornly refused to leave as she loved Mr. Leo and wanted him as her husband too.

Now she had killed the truck driver to hide her secret for life as they were living in the Emerson Estate, where the billionaires' families lived. And she was not ready to go to jail yet.

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

Mrs. Gina replied, "Nothing, Mia, I am fine. What's Olima still doing in that kitchen? Does she want me to storm into that kitchen and break her head?"

Olima quickly stepped out from the kitchen and walked up to the dining table, serving Mia's breakfast while Mia adjusted her seat closer to the dining table.

Olima stood aside, wondering if she could speak to her stepmother about the need for her to resume her tutorial classes, as she really needed to further her education and become a nurse.

Olima stood beside the dining table, and Mrs. Gina glared at her and asked, "What are you standing there doing again? I thought I asked you to leave?"

Olima shuddered in fear and moved backward a little while Mia continued eating the delicious noodles and eggs at the dining table.

Mia 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 to try her luck and plead with her stepmother about the need for her to resume her tutorial classes.

She spoke, "Ma... it's about my university entrance examination form that I have spoken to you about?"

Mrs. Gina stood up from the dining chair harshly, moved the chair backward, stepped out from her seat, and said, "And I told you that you're not going into any university, Olima!

How did you graduate as the best in your class and pass your examinations when you cannot understand simple English at home?

Just get out of my sight now before I give you another slap!" Mrs. Gina warned, and Olima quickly ran away toward the kitchen door and stopped.

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.