He's going to propose!

"...I think he's gonna propose!" Maria Bailey squealed to her sister, Pinkette, who rolled her eyes as they drove to the mall. The whole family was in the SUV that took them to the mall, as is their tradition every first day of December. The Christmas spirit was in the air, and no one paid attention to Maria as she spoke at the back, but she kept at it.

"I saw the ring in his drawer the last time I came to his office. I can't believe this!"

"Are you sure it's going to be you, Maria," Pinkette said almost snarkily like she knew something Maria didn't. "You don't have to act dumb around the guy because you can't wait to marry him."

"I'm not acting dumb around him, Pinkette. He loves me…"

"He is a millionaire. Everyone in this car knows why you agreed to date him in the first place." Pinkette turned to the window like she wished this conversation was over.

Maria sighed and turned away from Pinkette. Pinkette has always been very jealous, but she is the only sibling in the family who listens or pays attention to her.

Since her adopted father, Richard Baldwin, left the family, everyone turned their backs on Maria, the only adopted Baldwin. Janette Baldwin, Richard's wife, didn't take things easy on her either.

The first thing Janette did was to set Maria aside from the rest of her children and sideline her from the privileges of being a member of the family, treating her like a maid and sometimes punishing her.

Janette Baldwin would always remind Maria that she would never be entitled to the Baldwin inheritance. The Baldwins themselves are well off and own a family company that pays for their flamboyant lifestyle.

It was when Maria started dating Maxwell Griffin Tatum, the charming millionaire, that Janette began tolerating her.

In fact, the news of Maxwell Griffin being interested in Maria came as a huge surprise to everyone in the family.

"Why you? He could have any woman he wants," Janette spat the first day Maria told her of the news.

Maria had met Maxwell at the mall, not knowing he had strong ties to the family that owned the bigger company that governed Baldwin's company.

He was so nice to her, something she had never experienced in her life after Richard left. So when he told her to meet him at the same mall and at the same spot they met, Maria's love-struck bells rang.

This was it!

This was the only reason Maria was in the car with the rest of her family that evening instead of washing the dishes or cleaning their toilets.

"Whatever he says, dear. Ensure your answer is yes." Janette spat. She was in the front seat of the car, and Maria couldn't gauge her expression from where she sat.

The rest of her siblings were muffling their waves of laughter like there was some joke that Maria wasn't in on.

Maria believed she knew why Janette demanded she said yes to Maxwell. The fate of the Baldwin company is in Maxwell Griffin's family's hands. With a union between the families of these companies, the biggest one from Maxwell's side and the lesser one from Maria's side, the Baldwins are guaranteed their generational wealth.

Maria hated the feeling of being sold to marriage to save her family's fortune. Still, she wasn't bothered by it as she couldn't wait to marry the first man she had ever fallen in love with. She was glad she would finally be in a place where she was loved genuinely and appreciated.

She had no doubt Maxwell Griffin was the man for her.

***

They got into the mall, and it was nothing like Maria had seen before the decorations, the gifts, and Santa Claus at every corner; Christmas indeed was in the air.

"They used last year's decorations," Sandra, one of her siblings, booed.

"We need to stop going to this mall for the first day of Christmas, Mum," Brigette, Sandra's twin, stomps her feet on the floor. "There's really nothing to look forward to!" She whined.

But to Maria, this was everything. It was her first time being in the mall for Christmas and this was more like heaven to her. "Pinkette, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Tears streamed in her eyes. "This is the best day of my life." Maria ran further into the mall.

"The best is yet to come guys," Janette smiled slyly, holding her children close. "Just wait for it," she pulled everyone further into the mall.

Pinkette caught up with Maria, who was lost in the ecstasy of the hall. "Come, let me show you the best part," Pinkette said, grabbing Maria's hands and pulling her to the moving stairway.

"I think I need to find Maxwell," Maria said, trying to catch her breath as Pinkette pulled her further aggressively.

"What do you think I'm doing? He should be here somewhere." Pinkette said, a snarky smile resting on her face.

They got to an open lounge where there were so many Christmas decorations and snowmen, and at the center was a very tall Santa Claus in his red Santa robe, white beard, and a pair of glasses, all of which covered most of his face while he handed kids gifts.

"Oh my, I've never seen Santa Claus in real life before." Maria jumped with excitement.

"Oh you poor thing." Pinkette spat.

Maria noticed that apart from Santa Claus being wildly tall and somewhat out of place, he was doing his job sloppily. "Are they usually this tall?" Maria got closer to watch him waving. He stopped to look at her.

"Have you no manners? You don't just stare at people!" He scolded angrily, making Maria back off, startled.

He didn't sound anything like an old, happy man. In fact, Maria could tell this wasn't the real Santa Clause with his gravelly, masculine voice and menacing aura.

How did someone like this even get the kid's section?

"You're not meant to be rude, Mr Santa." Maria frowned.

"And grown adults are not meant to be in the children section." He spat back, towering over her

Maria moved away from the crude Santa to Pinkette who was absorbed by the news all over the stations in the mall.

The news anchor read out. "The notorious billionaire Tristan Tatum Steel has been arrested again for misconduct after punching a member of his panel in the face in a meeting at his company. This is the third time this week that Tristan would be spending the night in jail…"

"When will they report any meaningful occurrence that doesn't involve this man…" Maria spat.

Tristan Tatum Steel has been in the news for months now. Everyone who was born yesterday knew him.

The young brute notorious billionaire who just got out of the army and is now wreaking havoc in town with his reckless behavior.

Tristan was a walking contradiction—his life was an intoxicating mix of allure and chaos, drawing people to him like moths to a flame despite the scandals that seemed to follow him everywhere. His name was whispered in hushed tones at high-society gatherings and plastered across tabloids in bold, salacious headlines.

Rumors have it that as soon as Tristan got out of the army, he went undercover and got involved in a high-stakes poker game on a luxury yacht. Tristan had not only played with a forged identity but also seduced the host's wife in the process. The fallout was spectacular—an explosive confrontation at sea that ended with him diving overboard to evade both his furious rival and the authorities. He emerged from the ordeal drenched and grinning, gaining a loyal fanbase for his devil-may-care attitude and sheer audacity.

Then there was the incident in Milan. He was caught on camera exiting a hotel with a world-famous heiress just moments after her engagement to an international soccer star had been announced. The paparazzi had a field day, capturing Tristan in his rumpled suit, mismatched eyes glinting mischievously as the heiress clung to his arm, her lipstick unmistakably smudged. The scandal rocked the tabloids, with speculation over whether Tristan had been her escape or her undoing. He, of course, refused to comment, his silence only adding to his mystique.

But Tristan wasn't all glamor and forbidden liaisons. One of the most humanizing scandals involved a fiery breakup with a woman who accused him of being emotionally unavailable, even as she admitted he had saved her from a dire situation with her abusive family. The revelations painted a picture of a man who could be deeply caring yet unwilling to let anyone too close. Despite her bitterness, she confessed that Tristan's protective nature had left an indelible mark on her, even if his heart seemed forever locked behind a steel door.

For all his flaws, Tristan's scandals didn't detract from his magnetism—they amplified it. He was a man who made mistakes and thrived in the chaos they created. His charm lay not just in his striking appearance but in his ability to be both maddeningly infuriating and deeply compelling. People couldn't help but be fascinated by the enigma of a man who seemed to burn bridges while building empires.

"He can't help it…" Pinkette giggled, enchanted by Tristan's lore.

"Or maybe it's not his fault the press are obsessed with him." The crude Santa said.

Maria turned to him with a look of disapproval, "Why do you care? We don't need the dumpster fire life of a billionaire on our faces 24/7."

"I think you're just jealous that he gets to live a carefree life and you don't," the crude Santa spat.

"What?" Maria was really taken aback by this. Her first experience with Santa Claus, and he is rude to her.

"I think he's hot." Pinkette said, her eyes glued to the screen.

The crude Santa Clause nodded in approval.

Maria was pissed. Pinkette couldn't even defend her against this weird Santa guy.

"You know what? I'm out." Maria turned away to storm out. Just as she did, she collided with Maxwell.