Chapter 3
1656 Words
Olivia paused at the kitchen door, reluctant to give up on begging her stepmother.
She had graduated as the best student in her school, and if she had known, she could have accepted the scholarship program that was offered to her then.
But she thought her father had better plans for her.
She turned and pleaded with 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, Olivia? Did you forget how your loving father cast me and Mia aside?
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 I've sent away.
There's no money in this house, and I cannot use my business funds to sponsor your education.
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 Olivia finally retreated back into the kitchen.
Nathan, the gatekeeper of the mansion, knocked and walked into the living room.
He stepped in to inform Mrs. Gina that the school bus had arrived to take Mia to school.
Nathan knew that Mrs. Gina wasn't the madam of the house before, but after his late madam passed away, Mrs. Gina finally took over the mansion and became the new madam.
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 was a 35-year-old man, and he sighed as he went outside to inform the school bus driver to wait.
Mia had finished her breakfast, enjoying the noodles and fried eggs that Olivia had cooked.
She stood up from her chair and carried her black school bag away from the next chair, saying to her mother, “Mom, I'm off to school. Take care."
“Okay, my baby. Take care too," Mrs. Gina replied with a sigh as she watched 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 Olivia was still doing in the kitchen, so she went in to find out for herself instead of calling Olivia out.
Olivia stood beside the kitchen sink, washing her face. Her big brown eyes were pure red from crying.
She heard the sound of the kitchen door slide open and immediately turned around, seeing her stepmother walking into the kitchen.
Mrs. Gina glared at Olivia and asked, "What are you standing there beside the sink doing?"
Olivia quickly replied, "Nothing, Ma. I was just washing my face."
"Hmm," Mrs. Gina was silent as she walked up to the kitchen sink as well, dropping the dirty tray and plate there for Olivia to wash.
She noticed the carton of noodles that remained open on the cabinet top and saw the three packets of noodles and two eggs Olivia had carefully left there to cook.
She asked Olivia, "Why did you leave the noodles and eggs there?"
Olivia nervously replied, "I want to cook them, Ma."
"Hmm," Mrs. Gina walked toward the carton of noodles she had bought the previous week. She inspected it and saw that it was a smaller-sized packet.
"How many packets of noodles did you cook for Mia today?" she asked.
“Two packets, Ma,” Olivia nervously replied.
"Two packets! And how many packets of noodles am I seeing here that you want to cook for yourself alone?" Mrs. Gina exclaimed in shock, staring into the carton and noticing it was almost empty.
Olivia shuddered and replied, “Th-three packets, Ma.”
“Three packets! Just for you alone! My goodness!" Mrs. Gina gasped as she stared back at Olivia, who was shivering in fright.
"Did you plan to turn me into a thief overnight? How can you possibly finish just three packets of 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 with fury as she glared at Olivia, who stood quaking in fear.
She counted the contents of the carton again and said, “Only one packet of noodles and one egg are enough for you from today onward. If I find out that you cook more than one packet of noodles and one egg per day for yourself, then you will see the other side of me.”
“It's only ten packets remaining in this carton. When I bought it newly, it contained forty packets... So automatically, you and Mia have consumed thirty packets in just this week. I am sure that you ate the most. Now return those two packets to the carton to make it twelve, and you can cook just one packet of noodles and one egg for yourself. But first, prepare my tea and bring it to the dining table now.”
Mrs. Gina let go of the noodles carton and walked out of the kitchen, while Olivia sobbed and rushed to the teacup cabinet to prepare her stepmother's tea, just the way she knew Mrs. Gina liked it.
Olivia finally stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of hot tea in her hands.
She placed it in front of her stepmother, who sat there patiently waiting.
Olivia then returned to the kitchen to prepare her own breakfast.
She made one packet of noodles and one egg for herself, not wanting her stepmother to punish her.
After she finished cooking, she sat on a stool in the kitchen, eating her noodles quietly as she sobbed.
She missed her parents and remembered that her late father was a billionaire, so money had never been a problem.
Tears streamed down Olivia's cheeks as she realized her stepmother hated her and wondered who would speak up for her now, as none of her relatives seemed to care after her stepmother had turned them away.
They were only concerned about her late father's properties, including his oil company and several mansions.
Once Olivia finished her breakfast, she stood up from the stool and rinsed her plate in the sink.
Afterward, she stepped out to the dining room to see if her stepmother was finished with her tea so she could wash the teacup and tray as well.
She noticed that her stepmother was no longer at the dining table; the mansion seemed silent.
Olivia heard the sound of a car starting in the garage and walked to the window. She saw her stepmother driving out in one of her late father's expensive new cars.
Her late father had five brand new spotless cars, including three SUVs.
Olivia sighed and returned to the kitchen to wash all the dirty plates and teacups before she went upstairs to her bedroom to rest for the day, as she felt exhausted and alone.
After her bath, she wore a light blue gown and lay on her bed, wondering how she would endure her stepmother's brutality day after day. Eventually, she fell asleep.
***
Later that evening, Mrs. Gina arrived home from her boutique shop, where she sold women's clothing, drove into the mansion, and parked the car.
She stepped out of the red car and locked the door with the remote.
She remembered how her late husband had agreed to buy a car for her after Mia turned five and complained that Olivia's mother had a car. Her mother needed one too.
That was when Mr. Leo finally decided to buy a small car for her, which she had been managing since then.
Mrs. Gina sighed as she gazed at her small black car still parked in the garage.
She shook her head and walked toward the mansion entrance to enter the white house. A beautiful fountain graced the center of the compound, surrounded by many flowering plants, as late Mrs. Zoe had been a lover of flowers and plants.
Nathan finished locking the gate and greeted Mrs. Gina as he saw her approaching, "Welcome back, Madam."
"Yes, thank you, Nathan. Did anyone come to look for me?" Mrs. Gina asked, and Nathan replied, "No, Madam."
"Okay," Mrs. Gina answered, finally climbing the stairs to the mansion and entering the living room.
Olivia sprang up from the black couch upon seeing her stepmother walk in.
She hadn’t heard the sound of the car engine as she had been watching an interesting romance movie with Mia, the flat-screen television loud enough to drown out Mrs. Gina's arrival.
Mrs. Gina, wearing a form-fitting long blue gown that accentuated her shape and carrying a black handbag, overlooked Olivia initially.
"Good evening, Ma," Olivia said quickly.
Mrs. Gina's dark eyes burned fiercely at Olivia, who felt the weight of her silence as Mrs. Gina shifted her gaze to the living room wall clock. It was past 7 PM.
Though Olivia had failed to come to her shop in the afternoon to collect money for their dinner, she said nothing.
Mia stood up and greeted her mother, “Good evening, Mom.”
Mrs. Gina finally looked at Mia and replied, “Evening, Mia. How are you doing today? Have you finished your assignments from school?”
“Yes, Mom, I have. Olivia helped me with it,” Mia responded and Mrs. Gina sighed, "Hmm."
Turning her gaze back to Olivia who headed toward the dining room, Mrs. Gina asked, “Olivia, have you prepared dinner yet?”
Mrs. Gina knew there were no food supplies in the house, but she still had to ask Olivia that question.
- Writer
