Chapter 1. Stepmother's hatred

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

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

17 years ago, Mr. Leo Adams 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 because she wanted to give her husband more kids, 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 of marrying a second wife who will birth a son for him since Olima is a girl. So that his son could continue to bear his name and, as well, inherit his properties.

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

Gina and Zoe used to be childhood best friends. They attended the same college and grew up in the same town.

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

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

Gina Edwards was also 25 years old and a light-skinned woman too, like Mrs. Zoe, and she wasted no time and accepted to marry Mr. Leo Adams.

Mrs. Gina was previously jealous of Mrs. Zoe's marriage; even as 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, and Gina also secretly admires Mr. Leo when she usually visits Mrs. Zoe's home to see Olima too.

After Mr. Leo had completely 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, and she told Mr. Leo to send Mrs. Zoe away from the master's bedroom since she was a new wife and she could give Mr. Leo more kids since Mrs. Zoe was unable to.

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

Mr. Leo got annoyed by Mrs. Gina's sudden change in attitude, and he told Mrs. Gina, "How dare you move into my mansion today, and you dare to quarrel with your best friend Zoe? I thought Zoe and you were best friends. Do you think that I agreed and married you because I love you? If Zoe hadn't spoken to me about you, do you think that I want you? Get ready to sign the divorce papers tomorrow and to leave my house! Olima is still my daughter, and she will inherit all my properties, even though 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 saw that Mr. Leo truly loves Mrs. Zoe more than she had thought. And she switched back to the good friend that she was before, 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 she knew that it was all her fault. As she was the one who had begged Mrs. Gina to agree, she agreed and married 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 Gina.

Mr. Leo calmed and finally accepted Mrs. Gina to continue living with them, but he took Mrs. Gina to a separate bedroom and told her not to cause any quarrel again. Else! He wouldn't hesitate to throw her outside.

Mrs. Gina saw that she couldn't claim Mr. Leo, as she had thought that Mr. Leo would ditch Zoe away and accept her as his new wife. Instead, Mr. Leo rather ditched her away.

Mrs. Gina finally stayed in the new room that was given to her, but Mr. Leo ruined her wedding night, as he didn't touch her that night and refused to see her either.

Days turned into weeks, and not able to bear the shame of being called a barren woman, Mrs. Gina finally went into Mrs. Zoe's bedroom one day, and she pleaded with Mrs. Zoe to plead with 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 and after their dinner ended, Mrs. Zoe refused to let her husband touch her, as she sent him away to Mrs. Gina's bedroom.

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

Mr. Leo could see the pain in Mrs. Zoe's eyes. As her words didn't reach her heart, he finally left for Mrs. Gina's bedroom and made sweet love to Gina that night.

Mrs. Zoe cried on her bed alone and finally drifted to sleep, as there was nothing she could do.

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

Mrs. Gina got annoyed, and after Mr. Leo left to work that day, she quarreled with Mrs. Zoe and called Zoe 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, and Mr. Leo got annoyed and brought the divorce papers home the following day, and he ordered Mrs. Gina to sign them and to 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 hope was shattered as he had thought the baby would be a boy.

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

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

Time flew past, and later, 14 years later, Mr. Leo didn't touch Mrs. Gina again.

Mrs. Gina knows that she couldn't go outside to cheat on Mr. Leo, to get pregnant for him, or to give him another man's child. So she made up her mind to kill Mr. Leo and his wife and to seize all Mr. Leo's wealth and oil company to become her own.

Mrs. Gina was tired of seeing Mr. Leo and Mrs. Zoe acting so lovely all day in her view, as Mr. Leo avoided her and never accepted any gift from her hand.

With each passing day, Mrs. Gina yearned for Mr. Leo's love. She knew that Mr. Leo would never love her, so she arranged with a truck driver who rammed into the late Mr. Leo and Mrs. Zoe's cars. 

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 too. Mia was going into a senior class, while Olima was graduating as the best in her class.

Mrs. Gina attended the graduation ceremony alone, and she snapped several photos with her daughter while Olima waited all 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, as she knew that her stepmother hated her the most.

She wanted to leave the house too, but there was nowhere she could go. 

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

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

She accused them of being the ones that had killed Mr. Leo and his wife, so they could claim all of Mr. Leo's wealth.

Mr. Leo and his two brothers had to sign an agreement never to disturb Mrs. Gina again, and they left and never returned.

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

She burned it outside, as she couldn't withstand seeing all the beautiful portraits and images of the late Mrs. Zoe on the living room walls.

She replaced the empty walls with her own photos. She left Mr. Leo's images on the wall too.

Mrs. Gina sacked all the 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 as my maid to help take care of this house that your parents left behind. We cannot sell it to sponsor you through school. That will be very evil of you to sell the only property that we live inside when we haven't seen the will or acquired another house."

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

She was forced to learn how to cook.

How to wash the dirty dishes and to also wake up very early in the morning and 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 know about the late Mr. Leo.

And when the lawyer arrived, He told Mrs. Gina that the will cannot be changed, and the will about the company stated that the oil company that was left behind by Mr. Leo Adams should be given to Olima Adams. But only when Olima turned 24 years old.

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