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.