A FIANCÉ FOR CHRISTMAS

It was a cold winter morning on Christmas Eve. Rebecca Smith woke up with a smile on her face. This was because her boyfriend of three years, Jayden Anderson, would be getting engaged to her at the evening party organized by the Smith family.

It was no news that Rebecca Smith was the illegitimate daughter of the late business tycoon, George Smith. Rumours have it that the late business tycoon had a one-night stand with one of his maids which resulted in a pregnancy. George Smith, who was married with a six-year-old daughter, took responsibility for his actions and allowed the maid to remain in his house. He took care of all her needs and also relieved her of her duties as a maid. Unfortunately, the maid died some minutes after she gave birth to Rebecca. George Smith gave the maid a befitting burial even though his wife and other members of the family were against it. Rebecca Smith was raised in the Smith's mansion. But her stepsister, Benedicta Smith and her mother, Gloria Smith, didn't waste a minute to remind her that she was the illegitimate daughter of the family, and as a result of that, she was not welcome.

To the world, Rebecca Smith was treated like the legitimate child of George Smith even though she wasn't. This was because she attended the same school as Benedicta Smith, the legitimate daughter of George Smith. The two look pretty good outside. But Benedicta Smith spared no moment to bully Rebecca Smith once they got home. The bullying at home got worse after George Smith died in an auto crash two years ago on his way to a business conference. Rebecca Smith had no choice but to endure all the mistreatment she was getting from the Smith family.

Rebecca quickly went into the bathroom and did her morning routine. She got dressed and rushed out of her room to join the maids in decorating the hall that would be used for the party. Yes, she was more of a maid indoors than a daughter.

" Rebecca! Why are you just coming downstairs?" Gloria Smith, her stepmother yelled at her as soon as she got into the hall that would be used for the party.

"I'm sorry. I woke up late," Rebecca said timidly.

"You should be sorry for your sorry self. I will deal with you later," Gloria Smith said in anger and walked away. Rebecca breathed out in relief as soon as Gloria walked away.

"That woman is bad news," Tina, one of the maids, whispered to Rebecca, making her jump in fright.

"Oh my goodness! Tina, you almost gave me a heart attack," Rebecca said after she had calmed her raging heartbeat.

"I'm sorry. But it's not entirely my fault. I've been calling you for a while now but your mind was far away. That was why I whispered to you. Moreover, I don't want the other maids to eavesdrop on our conversation," Tina said calmly.

"Whatever. Just don't try this next time. I mean I could have died from the shock," Rebecca said with a slightly raised voice.

"Please, stop being dramatic. You didn't die, did you?" Tina said jokingly. Rebecca looked at her like she was going to kill her anytime soon.

"Fine, I won't do that again. Can you please stop looking at me like that?" Tina said with her hands up. Rebecca smiled before looking away.

"Better! Now, why were you lost in thought?" Tina asked curiously. Tina was the only person in the mansion that was close to Rebecca.

"I'm happy because my boyfriend will be engaging me this evening at the party," Rebecca said with a smile.

"You mean Jayden Anderson?" Tina asked curiously. But she got a hit on the head instead of a response.

"Ouch! That was painful. Why did you hit me?" Tina asked pouting.

"How could you ask if I meant Jayden Anderson? How many boyfriends do I have?" Rebecca asked fuming

"One," Tina replied, rubbing her head to ease the pain she was feeling.

"Good! So, that was why I hit you to help you recall things quickly," Rebecca said with a smile.

"Once Jayden engages me, we plan our wedding and soon I will be leaving this mansion for good," Rebecca said happily.

"I'm so happy for you. You will be leaving this hell of a shit hole soon. But I'm going to miss you," Tina said in tears.

"I will miss you too. I promise to frequently stop by to see you," Rebecca told Tina calmly.

"Are you sure? Are you going to keep your word to a common maid?" Tina asked in doubt.

"What's this talk about you being a common maid? To me, you are a friend, not a maid. I give you my word. I will always stop by to see you," Rebecca assured Tina and hugged her.

"Now, let's get to work before we get punished," Rebecca said immediately after she disengaged from the hug. Tina nodded and the duo joined the other maids in decorating the hall.

After hours of thorough work, the hall was set for the party. Gloria Smith inspected the hall and was impressed by what she saw.

'None of the Smiths will beat this,' Gloria Smith thought with a smile.

The Smith family was complex. It comprised three main persons and their families. The family was known for its striving business skills that ran through the blood of every member of the family.

Agnes Smith became the head of the Smith family after the demise of her husband, Frederick Smith. She bore her husband three handsome men. Kenneth Smith, the first child; Samuel Smith, the second child; James Smith, and George Smith, the last child. They were all business tycoons married with kids.

The Smith family had an age-long tradition of coming together to celebrate Christmas as a family. During Christmas, the whole family would gather at one of its members' houses to celebrate Christmas. A party was usually held on Christmas Eve. Each of the family members took turns in hosting the party. The party normally starts at Agnes Smith's house, who was the head of the family. Then the children's houses according to their positions in the family.

Each of the Smith family tried to impress other members of the family and the public whenever it got to their turn. This was because the event was aired live on the national television.

Gloria Smith had always wanted to be the best in hosting the Smith family. So, she all out to ensure that all her maids learnt the skill of event decorations and also cooking. She had earlier instructed the maids to create a unique decoration that would wow the public.

Gloria Smith took a long glance at the hall before walking away with a satisfied smile.

Rebecca lay on her bed tiredly. She was exhausted, yet she had a party to attend.

Missing the event was not an option for Rebecca.

"Are you still on the bed? " Tina asked as soon as she got into Rebecca's room.

"Why did you batch into my room without knocking? What if I was naked?" Rebecca asked with a slightly raised voice.

"I'm sorry. I've been knocking on the door for a while but I didn't get any response from you. So, I let myself in. I thought that witch had killed you," Tina replied, whispering the last part.

"Stop being dramatic! I'm not an easy catch and you know that," Rebecca said tiredly.

"Whatever. But you need to get off that bed now and get ready for the party. I'm sure that you won't want to get on the bad side of Grandma Agnes," Tina said pointedly.

Rebecca jumped off the bed at the mention of Grandma Agnes and ran into the bathroom.

" I thought as much," Tina said after laughing to her fill.

In no time, Rebecca was out of the bathroom. She briskly put on her gown, a fitted red off-shoulder gown which stopped on her knees.

" Wow! You are beautiful," Tina said in admiration while looking at Rebecca.

" Will you stop staring at me and come help me with my hair and makeup," Rebecca said while rolling her eyes. This snapped Tina out of her trance.

" I'm sorry. It's just that you look so beautiful in that dress. I'm sure Jayden won't be able to take his eyes off you at the party," Tina said with a smile, making Rebecca blush.

" Oh my God! You are blushing," Tina teased Rebecca.

" I'm not blushing," Rebecca denied and quickly used her hands to cover her cheeks. Tina laughed at her childish behaviour and started styling her hair. Rebecca's hair was styled into a bun with a few strands of her hair on both cheeks. Tina applied light makeup on Rebecca's face since she was already looking pretty. By the time she was done, Rebecca couldn't believe that she was the image in the mirror. She looked like a model from a magazine.

" Wow! Thank you so much, Tina for making me look this beautiful," Rebecca said sincerely.

" I didn't do anything. You are naturally beautiful. I just brought out that beauty," Tina said with a smile. Rebecca smiled and hugged her. Tina was just sweet and kind to her, unlike the other maids who treated her with contempt because of how the Smith family treated her, like a nobody, a common maid.

"; It's okay. We are getting late for the event. I'm sure Grandma Agnes is already looking for you," Tina said pointedly, making Rebecca let go of her immediately.

" Oh my God! I don't want that woman's trouble today," Rebecca said frantically and quickly wore her silver high heels and picked up her matching silver purse and dashed out of the room.

" Take it easy so that you don't break your legs," Tina yelled after her. But she was long gone. Tina shook her head in pity and walked out of the room.

The hall was sparkling with various decorations with soft music playing in the background. The maids, who were neatly dressed in their uniforms, were stationed at various points of the hall and assigned to perform specific tasks.

Gloria Smith and her daughter, Benedicta Smith walked into the hall elegantly. Gloria Smith wore a green ball gown while her daughter, Benedicta wore a short white fitted gown. They stood at the entrance of the hall to usher in their guests.

" Where is Rebecca?" Gloria Smith asked Benedicta after using her eyes to search for Rebecca in the hall.

" I don't know, mother. She may be sleeping in her room," Benedicta replied with a shrug.

" That lowlife! She should be grateful that she is recognized as part of the Smith family. But no, she uses every opportunity she gets to make the Smith family look bad in public. I will surely put her in her place after this event," Gloria Smith said with a frown. Benedicta opened her mouth to say something but she swallowed her words when she sighted Grandma Agnes walking towards the hall.

" Good evening, Grandma. You are welcome, ma'am, " Benedicta said with a smile and hugged her as soon as Grandma Agnes walked into the hall.

" Good evening, dear. You look so pretty. I hope you catch the attention of a cute rich young man," Grandma Agnes said with a smile.

" Grandmother and granddaughters time," Gloria said with a smile. Grandma Agnes pulled away from Benedicta and looked at Gloria Smith in admiration.

" Gloria, look at you. You are glowing," Grandma Agnes said with a smile.

" Oh mother, don't pull my legs," Gloria said with a smile. Grandma Agnes hugged her and kissed her on both cheeks.

" I'm not pulling your legs. You are truly beautiful," Grandma Agnes said with a smile.

" Thank you, mother," Gloria Smith said, her cheeks turning red.

" This way, mother," Gloria said, ushering Grandma Agnes into the hall. Grandma Agnes was wowed at the splendour of the hall. She couldn't even hide it.

" Wow! You did a great job here. Since you came into the family, you always go the extra mile to ensure that every Christmas Eve party held in your house leaves an indelible memory in the minds of all the attendees. Thank you for making all the Christmas Eve party in house memorable," Grandma Agnes said with a smile. One could see that she was truly impressed with everything.

" Mother, I'm happy to hear that you like it," Gloria said smiling ear to ear.

" By the way, where is Rebecca? Is she not supposed to be here?" Grandma Agnes asked while craning in search of Rebecca.

" I'm here," Rebecca said with a smile as soon as she got to them.

" Must you always be late for everything? Your days in this house are numbered," Grandma Agnes told Rebecca stoically.

" I'm sorry, grandma. You are welcome to this year's Christmas Eve party," Rebecca said with a smile. But Grandma Agnes totally ignored her and turned to Gloria.

" Keep up the good work," Grandma Agnes told Gloria while patting her shoulder. After that, she walked into the hall and sat elegantly on the seat designated for her.

Some minutes later, Samuel Smith and his family arrived. His wife, Rita Smith and their two children, Natasha and Queen did not look excited. In fact, it looked like they were compelled to come to the party.

" What's wrong with you and the children? Why are you all wearing long faces like we are going for a condolence visit," Samuel asked in confusion.

"I don't like that Gloria. She and her good-for-nothing daughter always make you feel like we are way below her standard," Rita said in anger.

" You are just making things up in your mind. I know Gloria does things to show off. But I don't think she is doing all that to belittle anyone," Samuel said truthfully.

"If this is not an age-long family tradition, I won't be here at all," Rita said and angrily walked away while Natasha and Queen trailed behind her.

"Women, it's hard to understand them," Samuel said thoughtfully before trailing behind his wife and children.

" You are welcome, Mr Samuel Smith and family," Gloria said with a broad smile while ushering them into the hall. Rita looked at her from head to toe, hissed and walked into the hall. Natasha and Queen followed their mother.

" Thank you," Samuel Smith said awkwardly and walked into the hall.

James Smith, his wife, Alicia Smith, and two children, Desmond Smith and Fernando Smith, arrived immediately. Samuel walked into the hall.

" You are welcome, Mr James Smith and family," Gloria said with a satisfied smile. This was because Alicia Smith has always competed with her in everything. So, she never missed a chance to shove it in her face that she would always be the best.

" Thank you, " James said and walked into the hall with his wife and children.

Apart from the Smith family and the press, a few invitations were sent out to some family friends and some high-profile people in the society.

Soft music was playing in the background while some couples were on the dance dancing. Suddenly, the music stopped, and the light went off, leaving everyone in confusion and fear. But the light came on as quickly as it went off. A young man was standing on the stage wearing an Italian suit and looking stunning. He was Jayden Anderson.

" Who is he? How dare he interrupt an event organized by the Smith family?"

" The Smith family are going to deal with him mercilessly,"

" I wonder what gave him the audacity to interrupt an event organized by the Smith family,"

" This young man got some big balls to do this,"

" Let's watch and see how the Smith family deal with him," These and more were the comments of the guests at the party. While most of the guests were disgusted by Jayden's rude behaviour, a few persons were worried about how the Smith family would deal with him.

" Who are you? What gave you the audacity to interrupt this party?" Grandma Agnes asked coldly. Jayden Anderson swallowed hard. He was intimidated by the deadly glare of the old woman.

" I'm sorry for interrupting your party. But I need to do this in the presence of the whole Smith family, and there is no better time to do it than now since the whole Smith family come together every Christmas," Jayden explained calmly, even though he was scared to death.

With what he said, Jayden got the attention of not only the Smith family but everyone in the hall. The once silent hall was filled with murmurs. Everyone wondered what was so important that he had to interrupt the party.

" Oh my God! I think Jayden is going to propose to me. I never knew he would do something as crazy as this," Rebecca happily whispered to Tina.

" Wow! That's crazy but romantic. I'm so happy for you," Tina told Rebecca sincerely.

Grandma Agnes walked up to Jayden. The hall fell silent the moment Grandma Agnes started walking towards Jayden. Everyone wanted to see what she would do to him. This was because Grandma Agnes was known to be a very tough woman who didn't take any form of disrespect lightly.

" Whatever you have to say or do is better worth interrupting this party. Otherwise, you will regret the day you were born," Grandma Agnes said coldly. One could tell that she was not bluffing.

Jayden was scared to death. He couldn't find his voice. So, he just nodded timidly. Grandma Agnes stared at him for what seemed like forever before going back to her seat. Immediately she left, Jayden released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

" Once again, I'm sorry for interrupting this party. As I said earlier, this is the best time to do this since it's the only time the whole Smith family come together. Before everyone present here today, I want to say that one of the Smiths has my undying love."

" Her beauty is like the sun, ever glowing. My love for her is unending. She captured my heart without even trying. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I interrupted this party to propose to the one that completes me," Jayden said boldly looking at the crowd before him.

His words got everyone talking. Everybody wanted to know who the lady was.

" Wow! Such a gentleman. He truly loves the lady,"

" Who is the lady?"

" I wish my daughter could get a romantic proposal like this,"

" Whoever the lady is, she is so lucky,"

These and more were the comments of the guests at the party.

Grandma Agnes could not help but smile. She was happy. If there was anything she loved, she loved her family trending in the news for positive reasons and what Jayden was doing would definitely be a gossip for bloggers and media houses for a couple of days.

" Jayden is so romantic. He will make a good husband," Tina told Rebecca with a smile.

" I know and I thank God for bringing him to me," Rebecca said with a smile.

" With all my being and in the presence of everyone here tonight, I want to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me," Jayden said with a smile before kneeling on one leg.

Rebecca looked at him with a smile, waiting for him to pop the question she was eager to hear. However, her smile was wiped off when she heard the next words of Jayden.

" Will you be my wife, Benedicta?" Jayden said with a smile. A shock Benedicta walked up to him.

" Yes, I will be your wife," she replied joyfully. Everyone clapped happily except for two people, Rebecca and Tina.

Rebecca stood speechless. She could not comprehend what happened a few minutes ago.

' I'm dreaming, right? Jayden didn't just propose to Benedicta or did he?' Rebecca asked herself silently. She pinched herself to ensure that she wasn't dreaming.

" Ouch!" She screamed out when she felt the pain.

" Why did you do that?" Tina asked curiously.

" I just wanted to be sure that I was not dreaming," Rebecca said with unshed tears.

Rebecca gave out a smile that didn't reach her eyes and blinked back her tears while she watched Jayden put the ring meant for her, on Benedicta's finger.

" Wow! We have a wedding to plan. This is the best Christmas Eve party ever," Grandma Agnes said happily.

" Thank you everyone for your time. Enjoy the rest of the party," Jayden said and walked back to his seat with Benedicta in his arms.

" Congratulations, dear. I'm so proud of you," Gloria Smith told her daughter excitedly. For years, her family was known for organizing the most expensive Christmas Eve party in the country and beyond the country. Her joy knew no bounds when Jayden interrupted the party and proposed to her daughter in the presence of the whole family and guests. To even think that the event was being aired on television, made her very excited.

" Thanks, mother," Benedicta replied happily. The Smiths congratulated Benedicta one after the other except Rebecca who stood afar watching as the guests started congratulating Benedicta one after the other.

" What are you going to do? Are you going to confront him?" Tina asked in concern.

" Confront him? No, I won't do that," Rebecca said and laughed bitterly.

" Then what are you going to do?" Tina asked worriedly. She could see the pain in Rebecca's eyes. She wished there was something she could do to make her happy.

" Nothing. I won't do anything. He chose her over me for whatever reason best known to him. Moreover, I didn't even know that they were having an affair right under my nose. So, I will go there and congratulate them like every other is doing," Rebecca said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

" No, you can't do that. The weight of this betrayal will be too much for you if you stand close to them," Tina said pointedly.

" I know but I have no choice. If I don't congratulate them, my grandma and stepmother will call me out at this party and disgrace me. That is the last thing I need now," Rebecca said sadly and quickly walked away before Tina could utter a word.

" Congratulations, dear sister," Rebecca said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes when she got to where Benedicta and Jayden were seated.

" Thank you so much, Rebecca," Benedicta with a smile.

" You are welcome," Rebecca said coldly and faced Jayden, the man who betrayed her and left her heartbroken.

" Congratulations to you too. You are such a gentleman," Rebecca said with a smile, meaning the exact opposite of what she said.

Jayden looked at Rebecca and quickly looked away. He got the underlying message Rebecca was passing to him.

He swallowed hard before responding to her.

" Thank you," Jayden replied nervously.

" You are welcome," Rebecca replied coldly and quickly walked away. Jayden's eyes trailed her until she was out of sight.