Chapter 6.

Sir Stanley's party was in full swing, and the gifts were yet to arrive, making Jason a little antsy, he had sent a couple of messages to Raphael and he had assured him that the gift would be delivered in time,

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the celebrant has a few words” the MC announced with a smile, and handed the microphone over to Sir Stanley who was seated regally in his wheelchair,

Sir Stanley gave a speech of appreciation and then cleared his throat, his entire face beaming, while his face was all smiles, that of his wife and every other person was gloomy and unhappy. Jason cast a glance at Faith who was seated beside him, her face lowered and he felt a pang in his chest, before returning his attention to the ongoing speech,

“As you may have all heard, my granddaughter, the favourite one at that, my sweet Faith Reynolds is engaged”,

The crowd broke into applause, beaming and subtly looking to get a glimpse of Faith and her fiancé, Sir Stanley waved his hands to calm them before he continued with his speech,

“Her husband is a man after my heart. One that I have approved of, and I know he will treat my Faith right and stand by her. Join me in wishing them a happy married life. Jason and Faith, please get on your feet," Sir Stanley urged; Jason grabbed Faith's sweaty palm in his, and they both got to their feet, the latter albeit reluctantly. When the couple rose to their feet, the crowd gasped loudly, while some had widened eyes, a few shared curious glances amongst themselves, and Jason who had sharp hearing could hear some of their snide remarks,

“Are my eyes deceiving me?!" While the person spoke, they rubbed at their eyes and opened them once more with widened mouths,

“How can a grandchild of the Reynolds family descend so low to marry beneath their status?" Another one observed with popping eyes,

“There were rumours that she was dating Ryan Cape! His father is the owner of Cape Enterprise and they are the number two wealthy people in our state! How can she leave such a person for this- this trash?”

An elegant woman whispered to her friend whose eyes hadn't left the couple, with her wide eyes still staring, the friend mumbled a response,

“M-maybe she's pregnant for him."

Her friend scoffed and rolled her eyes,

“That even makes it worse! Can you imagine someone as beautiful and classy as Faith Reynolds in bed with that hobo?!" The poor woman shuddered at the thought, cringing as she did.

At their table, Faith's parents felt like the ground should open and swallow them for the embarrassing moment, but her father Jack was like the black sheep of the family and the least favoured, no matter his dislike for the situation, he couldn't challenge it,

His mother, on the other hand, was fuming in her seat and sneering at her husband; her fist was clenched tightly by her side. Rita knew she had to do something to salvage their reputation, and so without waiting for her husband to continue his speech, she grabbed the extra microphone from the table and spoke into it,

“We're here to celebrate my great husband for his service to our community and for turning seventy. Please, it's time to bring your gifts forward, and please do enjoy the rest of the party, and the array of delicious cuisines that our international chefs have made for this special occasion",

She gave a smile that belied how she was boiling within, and the people gracefully clapped, before a few people began making their way to present their gifts.

“I present to you a world-class portrait of Sir Stanley, proudly drawn by the revered Leo Ricci"

“Grandfather, here's a one-year subscription to your favourite spa"

“Father, this is a vintage shirt that cost over five million dollars. Wear it with pride”

One by one, the guests and families began bringing their gifts.

Jason, who was now seated, rubbed his palms over his trousers, occasionally casting a glance at the door, hoping to see anyone from the delivery company. He had hoped the gifts he would present would silence the voice of his mockers,

Faith cleared her throat, her eyes were stained with unshed tears, she brought her mouth closer to Jason's ears and whispered,

“I hope you brought something for Papa. If we don't present anything, Grandmother will roast us and spit us out"

Her voice was like music to his ears, smooth and sweet and Jason smiled before nodding his head and whispering back,

“Yes, I did. Trust me, even the devil will be floored and impressed with my gift”

Faith nearly scoffed but said nothing else, wondering what he could possibly present that would impress her materialistic grandmother, and he didn't seem like one to be able to afford her grandmother’s taste.

At that same moment, Ryan Cape got to his feet, with his hands in his pocket, he strutted towards Sir Stanley and Rita's table, with a small smile on his face, Rita who had seen him approach, smiled widely and spread her arms to receive him with a hug, just as the door barged open, distracting the party and causing everyone to turn in the direction of the door.

Jason calmly replied and Ryan's face squeezed

“Your name is of no value! Just like your looks! What do you even do for a living? I'm not sure someone like you has a job! Do you need one? I can help you get a job as a cleaner in my company if only you can bow down and lick my feet!"

Ryan announced, jutting his chin at Jason's face. Jason's face had gone totally red, not from embarrassment but from anger, but he refrained. Faith's cousin, Michael scoffed and rolled his eyes,

“A fool like him wouldn't understand the opportunity you've just laid before him! I'm certain he doesn't read the news nor know that your company is one of the top-ranking companies in the country!”

Jason felt utterly insulted; only today, he had been labelled with different derogatory names and insults to his person, and he clenched his fist tightly, his fingers grazing his palm. Ryan on the other hand, raised his voice and spoke loudly,

“Not only that Michael! Carter's Group is about to become bigger than a household name! Greenlife Group is investing millions of dollars into our company! We're about to go global!"

At his revelation, everyone gasped; Rita, Grace and Faith had their mouths covered while Michael unabashedly gaped at a beaming and puffed-up Ryan.

Meanwhile, Jason's brows creased as he heard the revelation. He wasn't aware of his company investing in Carter's group, and he made a mental note to look into it.

Madam Rita suddenly exclaimed and slammed her hand onto the table, startling everyone, including a stoic Sir Stanley,

“Can you see what you've cost our family?! With this decision of yours! Ryan would have been able to help us with the contract, but you decided to throw away all of our future for only God knows what and why! And you decided to do that by giving away our grandchild to this bloody nobody with no pedigree!” Madam Rita wailed; her face was reddened, and she was breathing heavily.

Michael shook his head and walked over to his grandmother, placing his hand over her shoulder in an affectionate manner,

“Calm down Grandmother. I'm certain Ryan can still help us with that, and I will work to help him with it" he smiled at both Ryan and his grandmother, before looking over at Jason and sneering at him,

“Although I must say, Ryan, you might need to actually give our soon-to-be-in-law that cleaning job, or that of a security. He has to some way find a way to provide for Faith, Grandmother has practically alienated her from the family"

"I'm certainly capable of taking care of myself and my family if need be” Jason retorted, causing everyone apart from Faith and Sir Stanley to laugh, Ryan scoffed and jabbed his finger at him,

"You?! With the way you look! Can you even boast of a mere one thousand in your account? That amount is what I spend in a minute you fool! I'm sure you haven't seen such a sum in your miserable life!” Ryan interjected snidely and Madam Rita and the others nodded in agreement.

Sir Stanley, who had been quiet all the while, had reached his brink and was livid, he couldn't understand how his family could insult his guest in his presence. The young man was like a son to Raphael who had once saved his life, and he trusted the man with his life, and for him to not give him a lowly person,

“That is enough!!!" he thundered, and everyone shivered, straightening up to their toes.

“You will show some respect to me and my guest! I have made my decision, he's the best man for Faith, and it will remain so"

Faith cowered behind him, tears streaming down her face and Jason smiled sadly, his arms aching to be wrapped around her. He didn't know what it was about her, but she seemed familiar, like someone he had met in his former life and he yearned to protect her from her family.

Sir Stanley took Faith's hand and then rolled his chair to Jason's side, and placed Faith's clammy hand into Jason's,

He lifted his head to gaze at his whole family, clearing his throat he spoke in a clear and loud voice,

“Faith is to be married to Jason, and that's final! I'll be making the formal announcement at my birthday party next week!"

The room fell silent, a pin could have been heard if it was dropped. Sir Stanley ignored the glances of his family and motioned to his butler to wheel him away, leaving the gaping faces of his family behind.

The week-long awaited event had arrived, and Jason was in attendance, standing solo as he nursed a glass of wine that he hadn't taken any sip from,

He could recognize a lot of people, though they didn't recognize him; only a few did, and they knew not to disclose his identity. Safe to say, the party was for the high and mighty of society. He had ensured that Raphael had sent the gift he had ordered, but it was yet to arrive due to some sort of delay from the delivery company.

Jason had ordered a custom-made AceTate watch alongside a rare D’ador Scotch, he was certain Sir Stanley would enjoy it as Raphael had assured him that the man knew and moved his scotch,

“Such useless filth! Can't even afford to own a decent suit, shows up to such a prestigious event in rags!"

Grace Reynolds, Faith's mother sneered from a nearby table, she and Rita hadn't let Jason be seated with the family, choosing to alienate him to a table they termed fit for his kind,

To top it off, the guy who had dared to challenge him, Ryan Cape, was seated right beside their table, alongside CEOs of different companies. Jason smirked at the irony, he had helped to set a lot of people on that table in life, helping them with their current position.