Billionaire's Admirable Bride

Chapter 2

On a bright Monday morning, Mrs. Gina woke up in her bedroom—the first room given to her when she officially married the late Mr. Leo Adams, two months before he chased her out to the boys' quarters apartment. She stretched as she stared at the room's wall clock and saw it was 7 a.m.

Gina carefully sat up on her bed, feeling like the madam of the house again, and said, "Hmm... how time flies." She dropped her legs down, still sitting on the bed, adjusted her nightgown properly, and stood up.

As a 39-year-old lady, Gina walked out of her room and made her way downstairs. She knew it was school resumption day, and her daughter, Mia Adams, was going back to school that early.

Gina carefully walked downstairs to the living room, paused, and stared around. She could see that the living room was already mopped clean, which made her smile in satisfaction.

Just then, Olima Adams, a cute 17-year-old girl, stepped out from the kitchen behind Mrs. Gina. Olima greeted her stepmother, "Good morning, mother."

Gina's blood boiled hot at the mention of the word "mother." Without any warning, she turned to face Olima, who was dressed in a pink nightgown. She rushed up to Olima, grabbed her by the shoulders, and landed a hot, resounding slap.

[SLAP!!]

"How many times have I warned you never to call me mother again? Or do I resemble your late mother?" Mrs. Gina questioned angrily, making Olima cry aloud. Olima immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, ma."

"Shut up! And keep your sorry to your stupid self. Have you prepared breakfast yet?" Mrs. Gina asked. Olima shuddered and replied, "Yes, ma."

"Hmm." Gina glared at Olima and stared at her own palms, which she had used to hold and slap Olima. She sniffed her palms first before walking into the kitchen to wash them off Olima's scent, making Olima's brown eyes well up in hot tears.

Mia stepped downstairs into the living room, already dressed for school. She was in senior class 1 and knew well that her mother hated Olima with passion.

Mia also hated Olima, even though she never showed it. Mia was a black-skinned beauty who resembled their late father, while Olima resembled her own late mother and was an exact replica of the late Mrs. Zoe Adams.

Mia hated the fact that before her late father passed away, he never acknowledged her mother. He was always more caring for Olima and Mrs. Zoe than he ever cared for her mother, Mrs. Gina.

Mia attended day school while Olima was in boarding school—Olima was the apple of her father's eyes, while her mother was seen as an outcast. Mia frowned as she walked downstairs toward the dining table, wearing a blue school uniform, white stockings and black shoes. She was a 14-year-old lady, while Olima was three years older.

After Mr. Leo and his wife Mrs. Zoe passed away, Mia knew that her mother had sent the previous maid away under the disguise that there was no money to pay the maid's salary. She turned Olima into their full-time maid, withdrawing Olima from her tutorial classes. Her mother even tore the admission form to any university and stated that Olima wasn't going to any university but would remain as her lifetime maid.

Mia stared away from Olima, knowing that Olima had enjoyed all the luxury of their father's wealth before, while she and her mother had to live in the boys' quarters building. Her mother had already told her the whole story.

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Olima's eyes flooded with tears as she sobbed from the hot slap. Just then, Mrs. Gina stepped out from the kitchen, having washed both hands off Olima's fruity scent—Olima smelled like fruit, apple in particular.

Mrs. Gina questioned Olima, "What do you stand there doing? Have you prepared breakfast yet, or do you want my precious daughter to be late for school?"

Olima shivered and replied, "I have prepared Mia's noodles, ma."

"Then serve it out. Or do you plan on starving my daughter to death? Do you want her to be late for school?" Mrs. Gina asked again.

"No, ma," Olima replied. Mrs. Gina said, "Then get lost into the kitchen and serve her breakfast quickly. It's almost 7:30 a.m."

"Okay, ma," Olima replied and left to the kitchen.

Mrs. Gina's black eyes burned coals at Olima. She really hated Olima even more because Olima looked so much like her late mother, also reminding her of her past sins—being the cause of the late Mr. and Mrs. Adams' death.

"Mom... it's okay," Mia said with an adorable smile curved on her pretty dark face. Mrs. Gina stared at her daughter and groaned out. Mia also resembled her father, but only that Mia was still her daughter. She sighed and walked to the dining room to take her seat.

"It can never be okay with that stupid witch being in this house with us. Ugh," Mrs. Gina grimaced as she walked to the golden dining seat to sit. She subtly remembered how her late husband used to sit at the dining table right across from her presence, and he would feed Mrs. Zoe to her lips. Mrs. Gina's face twisted in irritation at the remembrance.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Mia asked her mother again as she sat on the left seat across from her mother at the dining table.

Mrs. Gina replied, "Nothing, my dear. What is taking Olima so long to serve the noodles? Or does she want me to storm into that kitchen?"

Olima quickly walked out, carrying a tray of hot noodles in her hands—a smaller plate on the tray with fried eggs placed on top of the noodles. The aroma made Mia smile as she sat up properly and collected the tray of noodles from Olima's hand.

Mia didn't know how to cook, as Olima was forced to learn how to cook by Mrs. Gina shortly after Mrs. Gina took over the mansion.

"Get out, or what do you still stand there staring at?" Gina questioned Olima angrily as she glared at her.

Olima shuddered away. She knew that her stepmother had hated her before, but the hatred grew thrice as much, making her feel more guilty for her late parents' demise.

Olima wished they had never driven in the same car to her school to witness her graduation from college as the best in her science department. Now her stepmother had plainly refused her from furthering her education with the excuse that there was no money, but Mia was going back to school after the school had resumed from its long-term holiday.

Mia was in second term already, while Olima was still at home.

Olima walked a bit and stopped at the kitchen door, thinking to speak to her stepmother again—that she needed to write the university entrance examination and would apply for a government institution instead of a private one.

Olima walked back toward the dining room again while Mia ate the delicious noodles and fried eggs. Olima stopped with a trembling body and spoke, "Ma..."

Mrs. Gina turned and glared at Olima, meeting her gaze, and questioned, "What do you want? I thought I asked you to leave here?" Mrs. Gina shifted her dining seat backward and stood up, while Mia continued to eat her meal silently. Olima spoke in a shaky voice, "Ma... it's about my university entrance examination, that I..."

"And I told you that you're not going to any university, Olima. Don't you understand simple English? How did you graduate as the best in your class when you don't understand simple English at home? Get out of my sight!" Mrs. Gina roared, and Olima swiftly ran away.