Billionaire's Admirable Bride

Chapter 5

Olima found a taxi and entered the back seat. She told the taxi driver, "To the Emerson estate."

"Okay," the taxi driver replied. He started the car and drove off to the Emerson's estate.

Olima was the only passenger in the rear seat of the car. Her mind continued to ponder who was the handsome man that had stopped her earlier.

"I do not know him and I do not think he is a bad person," she reasoned, speaking to herself in the back seat of the car.

The taxi driver, however, kept his gaze focused on the road. Soon, he arrived at the towering estate gate which had a bold inscription at the top:

WELCOME TO EMERSON'S HOUSING ESTATE.

The taxi driver drove to a corner and parked, while Olima paid for her ride and got out of the car. She hastily ran toward the estate gate to check in with the security men stationed there.

There were about four security men working at the gate. They knew Olima's late father because he was a generous man. They granted Olima's entry into the gate, watching her sprinting ahead toward her father's house.

One of the security men commented, "She's a gorgeous young lady, running about on errands since her parents were gone."

The others kept mute, as they searched the cars arriving at the estate, since night had fallen.

***

Olima arrived home at the front of her late father's mansion gate. She paused in front of the small gate and banged heavily on it.

"Mr. Nathan, open the gate!" Olima yelled, fearing her stepmother would discipline her.

Nathan was living beside the gate. And since he sat outside on a stool waiting for her return, he hastily went to pull the gate open.

"Why are you banging on the gate like that?" Nathan scolded Olima, as he didn't approve of the way she hit on the gate and startled him.

"I'm sorry, sir. Please open the gate quickly," Olima replied with a faint smile, and Nathan moved aside, allowing her entry and aware of Mrs. Gina's anger.

Olima ran into the compound and made her way towards the frontage.

She unlocked the door and ran into the living room, not waiting to press the doorbell.

Luckily, the living room entrance door was open, and so, Olima entered and saw Mia lying on the couch and busy watching another movie.

"Welcome back, sis," Mia said with a smirk.

Olima looked away from Mia, as her gaze landed on the clock.

"Ah!" She gasped, seeing the time was 8:30pm.

Olima hastily rushed into the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients that she would use for the vegetable soup. She was aware that her stepmother would soon enter the kitchen to inquire if she had finished cooking their meal.

Olima didn't want her stepmother to flog her mercilessly tonight. So she brought out the cow meat, washed it thoroughly, and prepared to cook it.

She sliced the vegetables, washed the stockfish, and cooked it separately.

Finally, she untied the dry fish and peeled it off, thereby removing the bones.

Olima was not perfect with cooking, but with her ruthless stepmother's disciplinarian skills, she improved with her cooking in less than three months.

As she added all the final ingredients into the soup pot, Olima stirred it with a big spoon. She opened her left palm and dropped a few drops of soup and tasted it.

Just then, the kitchen door unlocked, and Mia came in with a pouted face.

Mia walked toward the cooking pot and asked, "Olima, what's taking you so long to cook the soup? I'm so hungry."

Mia started sobbing, wanting her mother to flog Olima for making her hungry.

"I am almost done. See, the soup is almost ready," Olima said, offering Mia the big spoon to taste the soup.

"Open your palm," she ordered Mia, and the latter obeyed, while Olima dropped some soup for Mia on her right hand to taste it.

Mia tasted the soup and found it delicious. She watched Olima stir the soup and check if she should still add more seasoning like Maggi, salt, or pepper.

"Please taste the soup again to know if it is okay, or I should add a little salt?" Olima directed her big turning spoon towards Mia's right hand again.

Mia opened her right palm, and Olima dropped a few drops of soup from the big spoon on Mia's right hand again.

Mia licked it and found the soup sweet, despite how fast Olima had prepared it.

She frowned as she wanted her mother to still discipline Olima for making her hungry.

She said, "It is tasteless. Add more salt. The soup lacks salt..."

Olima frowned, her brows furrowed at Mia. She turned the soup and tasted it again on her right palm and said, "But the soup is okay like this. Too much salt isn't good for the body."

Mia frowned and used her hand and carried the salt container. She opened it and poured a huge amount of salt into the soup.

"Ahh! Mia!" Olima screamed. However, the kitchen door slid open, and Mrs. Gina walked into the kitchen, dressed in a white nightgown.

Olima hastily shut the pot cover and closed the soup. She set down the pot from the gas cooker and prepared to make the semovita.

Mrs. Gina scowled and asked, "What's going on here? This is after 9pm, and you're still cooking the soup. Why?"

"Nothing, ma. I'm almost through with the semovita," Olima hastily replied.

"Hmmm," Mrs. Gina frowned, seeing Olima add more water into the second empty pot as she started making the semovita.

Mrs. Gina shifted her gaze to look at Mia and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Mom, I'm hungry," Mia muttered, frowning and stomping her feet on the ground. She walked beside her mother.

Mrs. Gina said, "Go and sit down on the dining chair and wait. The soup will be ready soon."

Mia frowned and walked towards the kitchen door. She unlocked it and shouted, "Olima, be fast! Please..."

"Okay," Olima nervously replied. She breathed out in relief, seeing her stepmother and stepsister had left the kitchen.

Olima sighed out once more as she was through preparing the semovita. She hastily turned off the gas cooker and used her light blue dress to wipe off her sweaty forehead.

She went to wash her hands before she resumed to dish out the meals.

Olima was convinced that Mia had ruined the soup, but she didn't have any other option. The salt had melted into the soup, and despite her attempt to remove the salt, the soup was still bitter.

Sadly, Olima set everything on two plates for Mrs. Gina and Mia as their dinner.

She carried it and served out a bowl of water for them to wash their hands. Olima also served everything on a tray. She placed the semovita in two flat plates and carried everything out to the dining table.

***

Mrs. Gina and Mia were seated at the dining table and waiting, while Olima walked out of the kitchen and served the dinner.

The time was past 9pm, and Olima walked ahead to serve Mia first, while she served Mrs. Gina too.

Mia was the first to wash her hands in the bowl of water. However, she picked up the semovita to eat the soup, but as she tasted it, she screamed, "Mom!"

"What is it?" Mrs. Gina glared at Mia. She was washing her hands, and Mia almost gave her a heart attack.

Olima nervously asked Mrs. Gina, "Ma, do you still need anything else?"

Mrs. Gina frowned and replied, "No, go and eat your food first."

Olima replied, "Okay, Ma." She walked away to the kitchen door, but just then, Mia screamed again, "Mom!.."

Mrs. Gina glared at her Mia, asking her, "What is it?"

Olima paused beside the kitchen door and stared back at Mia too.

Mia then replied, "Mom, the soup is bitter."

Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed at Mia suspiciously. She stared at her soup on the dining table, and since she had washed her hands, she dipped her right index finger into the small plate of soup and tasted it herself.

Mrs. Gina's expression hardened. She rose to her feet and yelled, "Olima, what's the meaning of this nonsense that you just cooked?"

"Ma, I..." Olima took some steps backward and stammered.

"You did what?" Mrs. Gina asked, moving away from her chair, and she rushed to meet Olima and asked, "You what? Didn't you taste this soup at all?"

"I did, ma... Mia added more salt into the soup and..." Olima stammered and replied. However, Mrs. Gina slapped Olima very hard across her left cheek.

She dragged Olima's dress and started beating her.

"Here is the soup, taste it by yourself and eat the nonsense that you cooked!"

"You stupid little wench! See how bitter the soup is and eat it by yourself! Did Mia follow you and prepare the soup?"

"Aren't you the only one that had cooked the soup and was in the kitchen when I entered there?" Mrs. Gina dragged Olima roughly towards the dining table and bent Olima's head into her small soup plate to eat it.

Olima cried and pleaded, "No, Ma, please believe me..."

Mrs. Gina slapped Olima again and yelled, "Shut up!"

Mrs. Gina started beating Olima, hitting her multiple times, and Mia smiled viciously.

Mrs. Gina said, "You killed your parents, now you want to get your revenge and kill me and my daughter too. Right?"

"No, ma," Olima cried, knowing that her stepmother wouldn't believe her. She begged, "Please, ma. I'm innocent, I didn't touch Mia. I didn't spoil the soup. Please believe me."

Mrs. Gina pushed Olima away to the ground and yelled, "Shut up, and get out from this house! I don't want to see your ugly face in this house again. Get out!"

Olima begged, "Please, ma. I don't have anywhere to go. You cannot send me away. It's late."

"You should have thought of that when you planned to poison my daughter and me. Nathan!!" Mrs. Gina called out to the gate man, and he hastily ran into the living room. "Yes, madam, you sent for me."

"Yes. Throw this witch outside of this house. I do not want to see her here again," Mrs. Gina ordered, and Nathan was stunned.

Olima begged, crawling to Mrs. Gina's feet, "I am sorry, mother. I didn't ruin the soup."

Mrs. Gina landed a powerful resounding slap on Olima's swollen left cheek and yelled, "Shut up your stinking mouth! One more word from you, and I will have you arrested this night, you wench. Nathan, throw her outside now, and never let her into this mansion ever again!"

Nathan grabbed Olima by her left arm and dragged her outside the mansion.

Olima struggled to break free from his iron grip as she cried, "Let me go! Leave me alone. This is my father's house."

Nathan knew that Mrs. Gina was wrong to send Olima away. But he was now working for Mrs. Gina, and going against Mrs. Gina meant that he would lose his job.

Therefore, Nathan dragged Olima outside of the house and to the gate of her late father's property.

It was 10pm, the surrounding had turned dark, and the moon cast a cold feeling reflecting the moonlight.

Mia smiled victoriously, and Mrs. Gina was the happiest that she had finally gotten rid of Olima.

*The mansion and oil company will be mine,* she reasoned.

Mrs. Gina went outside of the white duplex to find out if Nathan had sent Olima away.