“Put this powder in her stew, I will give you 500k cash and a Visa to Canada,” Mama Nkechi whispered to the housemaid, gripping a small black nylon bag tightly in her wrinkled fingers. “But Ma, Aunty Linda is pregnant. This might kill the baby,” the maid, Chidera, stammered, shaking with fear as her eyes darted toward the staircase…
“Put this powder in her stew, I will give you 500k cash and a Visa to Canada,” Mama Nkechi whispered to the housemaid, gripping a small black nylon bag tightly in her wrinkled fingers
“But Ma, Aunty Linda is pregnant. This might kill the baby,” the maid, Chidera, stammered, shaking with fear as her eyes darted toward the staircase.
“That is the plan, you fool! If she loses this baby, my son will finally chase her out and marry the Senator’s daughter. Just do it!” the old woman hissed.
Her eyes were wide with wicked determination, and the small kitchen suddenly felt suffocating, thick with tension and the bitter smell of egusi soup
How it started was not with poison, nor whispers, but with a simple introduction that turned a proud household upside down forever.
It began the afternoon Kunle brought Linda home, smiling brightly, announcing she was the woman he had chosen to marry.
Linda was beautiful and humble, a secondary school teacher who carried herself with grace despite her modest upbringing and simple background.
She had no wealthy parents, no political connections, no family name that echoed through high society gatherings and charity events.
Kunle’s mother, Mama Nkechi, hated her instantly the moment she stepped through the polished wooden doors of their mansion.
“Kunle! Is this the rag you want to bring into my house? When Chief Okon’s daughter is dying to marry you?” she screamed that day.
Her voice thundered through the sitting room, shocking even the house staff who had grown accustomed to her dramatic temper.
But Kunle was stubborn and deeply in love, and nothing his mother said could shake his resolve to marry Linda.
Despite the insults and threats, he went ahead with a quiet registry wedding attended by only close friends.
Mama Nkechi refused to attend the ceremony and swore before her relatives she would never accept Linda as her daughter-in-law.
For the first two years, the marriage was peaceful because Kunle ensured they lived far away from his mother’s interference
Linda was genuinely happy and treated Kunle like a king, cooking his favorite meals and supporting his business dreams tirelessly.
In return, Kunle adored her openly, surprising her with gifts, weekend trips, and constant reassurance of his love.
But trouble started when Linda could not conceive immediately, and the absence of a child became whispered gossip.
Two years passed without pregnancy, and Mama Nkechi seized the opportunity to reinsert herself into their lives.
“I am coming to stay until my son gives me a grandchild,” she declared over the phone without asking permission.
From the day she arrived with her numerous suitcases, the mansion transformed into a battleground of silent resentment.
Mama Nkechi would wake Linda at four in the morning to sweep the entire compound unnecessarily and criticize her efforts.
She complained about the seasoning in the soup, the arrangement of flowers, and even the way Linda carried herself.
“You are a man! That is why you cannot carry a baby!” she shouted one afternoon while Linda cried silently.
Kunle tried to defend his wife, but his mother was cunning and manipulative beyond his imagination.
Whenever he confronted her, she clutched her chest, faked dizziness, and claimed her blood pressure was rising dangerously.
Guilt always overwhelmed Kunle, forcing him to apologize and beg both women to maintain peace.
Then, just when despair began to settle permanently in Linda’s heart, a miracle finally happened unexpectedly.
Linda missed her monthly cycle and nervously visited the hospital for confirmation with trembling anticipation.
The doctor smiled warmly and confirmed she was three months pregnant, healthy and glowing with new life.
Kunle was overjoyed beyond words, lifting Linda into his arms and thanking God repeatedly in gratitude.
To celebrate the miracle, he bought her a brand new SUV and promised even greater happiness ahead.
But Mama Nkechi was not happy at all, because joy for Linda meant permanent defeat for her ambitions.
She knew if Linda delivered a son, her influence over Kunle would shrink forever beyond recovery.
So she secretly contacted a notorious herbalist from her village, known for dark and questionable remedies.
“I need something that will clear the womb and make her look unstable,” she told him quietly.
The herbalist handed her a small black powder, warning her to use it carefully and discreetly.
Put this in her food. Once she eats it, the pregnancy will end,” he said gravely.
Mama Nkechi returned home with a twisted smile, hiding the nylon bag beneath her expensive wrapper.
She waited patiently until Saturday afternoon when Kunle left for his routine golf session with friends.
Inside the kitchen, Chidera, the nineteen-year-old maid, was preparing steaming egusi soup for lunch carefully.
Linda was upstairs resting peacefully, unaware of the danger brewing beneath her own roof.
Mama Nkechi locked the kitchen door softly and approached Chidera with deliberate, threatening calmness.
She brought out the small black nylon bag and placed it firmly on the wooden counter.
“Put this powder in her stew. I will give you 500k and a Visa to Canada,” she whispered.
Chidera’s eyes widened in horror as she imagined the consequences of obeying such evil instructions.
She remembered Linda’s kindness, how Linda paid for her examination fees without hesitation last year.
But Chidera’s mother was seriously ill in the village, needing urgent surgery costing exactly five hundred thousand naira.
“Ma, please reconsider,” Chidera begged, tears forming in her eyes as she shook uncontrollably.
“Choose now! Your sick mother or this wicked woman?” Mama Nkechi lied cruelly.
“If you refuse, I will accuse you of stealing Kunle’s gold watch and you will rot in prison,” she threatened.
With trembling hands and a breaking conscience, Chidera took the black powder reluctantly.
She opened the pot of steaming soup and poured the contents carefully, guilt overwhelming her heart.
Mama Nkechi watched closely to ensure every grain dissolved into the rich, bubbling mixture.
“Good girl,” she whispered coldly. “Now serve it immediately.”
Chidera carried the tray toward the dining table, her heartbeat pounding louder than her footsteps.
Linda descended the staircase slowly, rubbing her baby bump lovingly and smiling at the aroma.
“Mmm, Chidera, the aroma is wonderful. I am so hungry,” Linda said cheerfully.
She pulled out her chair and picked up her spoon without suspicion or fear.
The spoon scooped the soup mixed with hidden poison and rose toward her innocent lips.
Suddenly, the front door burst open loudly, startling everyone inside the mansion instantly.
“I’m home!” Kunle shouted happily. “And I brought my pastor to pray for the house!”
Linda dropped the spoon gently and turned toward the entrance, surprised but pleased.
Kunle entered with the Pastor, both smiling warmly yet sensing an unusual tension.
“Honey, the Pastor says he feels a heavy darkness in this house,” Kunle explained.
“He says we should not eat anything until he prays over the food first.”
Mama Nkechi froze silently in the corner, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
“Pray over the food? No need, my son,” she stammered nervously.
“Let her eat, she is pregnant and hungry,” she insisted urgently.
The Pastor studied her carefully, then turned his gaze toward the steaming bowl suspiciously.
“Madam,” the Pastor said firmly to Linda, “do not swallow that soup.”
Chidera’s hands began to shake violently as guilt overwhelmed her fragile courage completely.
The Pastor began praying loudly, asking for hidden secrets to be exposed without mercy.
Mama Nkechi’s composure cracked under the spiritual intensity filling the dining room air.
Chidera suddenly fell to her knees, unable to bear the crushing weight of deception.
“I am sorry!” she cried loudly. “There is something in the soup!”
Everyone gasped in shock while Linda instinctively stepped backward protectively.
Kunle stared at his mother with disbelief, struggling to comprehend the unfolding betrayal.
Chidera confessed everything between sobs, revealing the black powder and cruel threats.
Mama Nkechi attempted to deny it, but her trembling voice betrayed her guilt immediately.
Kunle’s face darkened with heartbreak and anger he had never felt before.
“How could you try to harm my child?” he asked painfully.
Silence filled the room except for Linda’s soft sobbing and Chidera’s remorseful cries.
In that moment, Kunle realized love required courage to confront even one’s own blood.
He ordered security to escort his mother out of the house immediately.
Mama Nkechi screamed curses as she was led away, her pride shattered publicly.
Kunle then turned to Chidera, whose fate now rested in his hands.
Instead of punishment, Linda pleaded for mercy on the trembling young maid.
“She was afraid and desperate,” Linda whispered gently through tears.
Kunle chose compassion, promising to help Chidera’s mother without conditions or threats.
The poisoned soup was discarded, and the Pastor blessed the house thoroughly.
Peace slowly returned, though scars from betrayal lingered deeply within their hearts.
Linda’s pregnancy progressed safely, reminding them daily of grace and resilience.
Kunle learned that protecting his family meant setting boundaries against toxic influence.
Chidera became fiercely loyal afterward, grateful for forgiveness she never expected to receive.
Months later, Linda gave birth to a healthy baby boy amid overwhelming celebration.
Kunle held his son proudly, knowing evil had nearly stolen this miracle.
Mama Nkechi watched from afar, isolated by her own destructive ambition.
In time, she reflected on the consequences of greed and manipulation painfully.
The family, though shaken, grew stronger through honesty, faith, and courageous decisions.
And so, what began with whispered poison ended with exposed truth and renewed unity.