As early as 6:00 AM on a bright Monday morning, Olima Adams, a 17-year-old girl, rose from her bed, wearing a blue nightdress. She exited her room, picked up the broom, and began cleaning the house before her stepmother, Gina, or her stepsister, Mia, would awake.

After cleaning the tiled floor and sweeping outside the compound, Olima returned to the kitchen to prepare her stepsister's breakfast before she woke up.

Meanwhile, Gina woke up in her bedroom from her sleep. It was the first room given to her before when she married the late Mr. Leo Adams—and 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 that it was after 7:00 AM.

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 as she adjusted her white nightgown properly first, and then stood up.

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

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

Just then, Olima Adams, stepped out from the kitchen behind Gina and 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 next landed her a hot resounding slap.

[SLAP!!]

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

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

"Hmm." Gina glared at Olima and stared at her both palms that she had used to hold Olima and her too.

Gina sniffed her palms first, before she walked into the kitchen to wash them off Olima's scent, making Olima's brown eyes well up in hot tears.

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

Mia also hated Olima too, even though she never showed it to Olima, as she was a black-skinned beauty and resembled their late father, Leo, while Olima resembled her own late mother, Zoe, and she 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, and he was always more caring for Olima and Mrs. Zoe more than he ever cared for her mother—Mrs. Gina.

Mia attended day-school while Olima was in boarding school, as Olima was the apple of her father's eyes, while her mother was seen as an outcast.

Subsequently, Mia frowned as she walked downstairs and toward the dining table. She wore a blue school uniform and was a 14-year-old girl, while Olima was a 17-year-old young lady.

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

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

Nonetheless, Olima's eyes flooded with tears as she sobbed from the hot slap given to her.

Just then, Gina stepped out of the kitchen, having washed both hands off Olima's fruity scent—Olima smelled like fruit, apple in particular.

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

Olima shivered and replied, "I have prepared her 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?" Gina asked again.

"No, Ma," Olima replied, and Gina said, "Then get lost into the kitchen and serve her breakfast quickly, as it's almost 7:30 AM."

"Okay, Ma," Olima replied and left to the kitchen while Gina's black eyes burned coals at her.

Gina truly hated Olima the more because Olima looked so much like her late mother, also reminding her of her past sins—as being the cause of the late Mr. and Mrs. Adams' death.

****

Backstory

17 Years Ago

Leo Adams, a 29-year-old dark-skinned man, had married Zoe Nelson, a 24-year-old fair-skinned woman, and they gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with brown sparkling eyes named Olima Adams. But after Olima's birth, Zoe had complications.

Zoe cried as she wanted to give her husband more children, but he assured her that his love for her wouldn't change.

Two years later, Leo spoke to his wife about his intention of marrying a second wife that would birth him more children, and most especially a son that would inherit all his properties and bear his name, instead of going out to adopt a son, as Olima is a girl.

Zoe got emotional and afraid of another woman coming into her home and turning her husband's heart against her, and she spoke to her best friend named Gina Edwards to accept and marry her husband.

Zoe and Gina used to be best friends before in the past, as they attended the same high school and lived on the island where the billionaire families lived. They were still friends even after Zoe had married.

Zoe never knew that Gina secretly admired her husband, and she proposed to Gina to accept and marry her husband, Mr. Leo.

Gina wasted no time and accepted the marriage, and she moved into the white mansion to live with them.

But as Gina arrived, she changed and started quarreling with Zoe.

Gina told Zoe to leave the master's bedroom, so that she and Leo could use it, since Zoe couldn't birth another child for Leo.

But Leo was shocked at Gina's changed attitude, as she dared to quarrel with Zoe and even called Zoe a witch for refusing to exit the master's bedroom.

Leo got annoyed and threatened to divorce Gina the following day, but Gina calmed and switched back to the good friend that she was to Zoe. She then begged Zoe to plead with their husband not to divorce her.

Leo told Gina, "How dare you come into my house today and dare to quarrel with your best friend, Zoe. I regretted marrying you, Gina, and Olima will inherit all my properties tomorrow even though she gets married to a man and changes her surname to her husband's surname, she will always be my daughter. So get ready to leave my house tomorrow, as our marriage is over!"

Gina begged Zoe to plead with their husband not to divorce her, and Zoe sighed, knowing she was the one who had begged Gina to accept and marry her husband.

Zoe then pleaded on Gina's behalf, and Leo allowed Gina stayed in the mansion with them, but in a separate bedroom.

Gina then hated Zoe from that day henceforth, as she avoided speaking with Zoe. She felt probably Zoe and their husband, Leo, both conspired to marry her and bring her into the mansion to show her how lovely of a couple they were.