"I would have loved it if you could've gone home with me. I don't know what to say to the children or how to face them, they have been raining all kinds of questions on me and I am out of answers for them."
"I know you can figure it out, honey." She said.
"Hmph. I hope so too. Dear, I called your workplace to inform them of your accident and they have given you a leave of absence, they said you can resume work after your recovery. Now you have no reason to worry just rest."
Two days later, she was discharged from the hospital. Olivia returned home to her family. The kids were elated to see their mother. They have missed her. It was a reunion day for the family.
Some days later, she has fully recovered and had to return to work.
Her daily activities have normalized. She continued to play her role as a good mother and wife...
===============
In the present, Mrs. Olivia has become so heartless towards her stepdaughter maybe because of her deceased husband who was no longer with them and there was no need for her to mask her face like a cute little rabbit anymore.
The property documents were transferred into her name as a caretaker. It will be under her care until the children are eligible to take up the responsibility.
However, her late husband was in debt before he died.
She has been doing a good job thus far, she managed to clear most of her late husband's debts. It's just remaining the loan he took from the bank for his business. This was because at some point in her late husband's life he encountered adversity that left him in a dilemma.
He was left to choose between his family and business. it was difficult for him because both were very important to him.
His family was his entire existence but at the same time, the family can't survive without the business. They would be out on the streets and that's not what he wants for them.
He was left with one choice to solicit help from friends and family.
You indeed get to know the people that love and care for you in your difficult times. Most of his relatives were not willing to help him.
Only a few out of his many friends decisively lent him a helping hand. One of them was Mr. Clerk.
Mr. Clerk was a very good friend to Mr. Fazer. They had been friends for a long time right before their graduation from college.
Mr. Clerk lives overseas with his family and seldom comes back to his hometown.
He never hesitates to help his best friend whenever he needs his help.
But he often gets mad at his friend because the latter mostly conceals his problems from him.
Sometimes, Mr. Clerk sees through him and could tell something's wrong with him.
He helped his friend's family to run the business when the latter died. Most of the money that was used to clear the debts was from him. Olivia has been on the good side of Mr. Clerk.
She has been working diligently ever since she was made the property caretaker.
Fortunately, her efforts paid off because the restaurant has improved ever since she took over.
Of course, why wouldn't she give it her best when her children's future depends on it.
She knows she can't be a civil servant forever. Sooner or later she will retire from her job.
She only has the restaurant to be their source of income at that time.
Her twins are yet to graduate from school. Their graduation was in the same year. She hopes that her kids would be able to get a job after graduation.
Annabel is the eldest in the family, she has long finished her studies. Currently, she works to assist her family.
Although it's a small paying job, she still believes it will go a long way to help them.
Regardless of her good intentions towards the family, they considered her to be an enemy and maltreats her.
Olivia has nothing but hatred for her. And the fact that Mr. Fazer gave forty-five percent of his property to her was enough for her to hate her more.
Annabel's mother was the real owner of the restaurant business.
He took over the business as per her request when they got married.
Olivia knew all about it, this was why she was insecure, afraid that she and her kids might hold no shares and also with the fact that most of it would be in Annabel's name if anything should happen to her husband.
She has always been jealous of Annabel since she had her twins.
Olivia belongs to the category of people that considered a male child to be more important than a female child.
She thought after her delivery, He wouldn't care about Annabel anymore but she was completely wrong, there were no changes in the father-daughter relationship.
She even went as far as she could to alienate their relationship but she failed miserably. Instead, the father-daughter relationship became stronger.
Annabel wasn't just his first wife's daughter. She was a souvenir from the lovely moments he spent with her and as well a symbol of their love for each other.
Such memory is hard to eliminate but Olivia doesn't know that.
Now, she is working so hard to take Annabel out of the family picture. It would have been a cup of tea for her if she was not bothered by what people would say and think.
Over the years she has crafted a good image for herself in society.
Yes, that was true because it was only the family members that know what happens in the family, outsiders honestly do not have a clue.
No one knows of her ruthless behavior towards Annabel except her children.
Everyone in the family has a reason to hate her.