"Guys! Please be careful with that! Those plates and glasses are delicate!"

"Excuse me! Those decorations don't belong here!"

"Those aren't the correct flowers!"

"I'm losing my mind!"

I collapsed in one of the chairs that was set by one of the large dinner tables. My head was pounding and my feet were sore from my high-heel shoes. But I couldn't rest. This week was the last week for preparations for the Christmas party. Every year, a leader is selected by a draw to put on a Christmas party for all the world leaders in their country's capital. This has been done for the last 15 years and this year, it was my turn. The taxpayers thankfully don't pay for anything besides the security. All other expenses are covered by me and me only.

I had decided on doing a large dinner and a long night of dancing and karaoke as well as a Secret Santa. Saturday night would be the night we just relax and let loose our wild sides; something I know Eric will have no problem doing. A couple of the leaders are heavy drinkers so I put a 2 drink minimum on the bar since for the dinner everyone gets a choice of a Canadian red or white wine. So technically everyone has a 3 drink minimum. Non-alcoholic beverages are obviously offered since some of us don't or don't want to drink, myself included.

The party has proven to be harder than it looks. The contractors that I hired shattered one of the chandlers, some of the food listed on the menu were not correct and some were missing, the karaoke machine was damaged from being transported, and just recently the flowers that I ordered we were, in fact, not mine. It's been a pain and all the problems just add on to my throbbing headache.

"Aspirin?" a man said. I turned my head and looked up. It was my Finance Minister, Terrance Moyle. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," I smiled as I grabbed the bottle of aspirin and the bottle of water.
"I see the party is coming along great!"

"Great? You mean terrible. Nothing has gone right. We only have a few days left to prepare and we're not even close to being finished! I don't even know if we'll be ready for Saturday!"

"Don't say that! It looks great so far. Sure, you had a few mishaps but it looks like everything is starting to take shape. You just need to stop worrying all the time," he smiled.

I sighed, "Ah you're right. It does look pretty good so far. But you know me! I'm a worry-wart. You still leaving for Europe?"

"Yep, I'm leaving on Wednesday for Germany. We're visiting Candice's parents in Frankfurt since they can't make it out here. Afterwards, we're coming back to Canada and we'll be landing in Halifax and we'll be grabbing the ferry to St. John's to visit my family."

"That sounds great. You'll be crazy busy though. Think you can handle all that?" I laughed.

"Trust me, we do this almost every year. I think we'll be okay." he laughed. "Well, I have to get going. I have to finish packing. Good luck with the party!" he said as he walked off.

"Thanks! Enjoy your trip!"

After he left, I shut my eyes and my head dangled from the back of the chair. I just wanted all of this to be over. I'm feeling pretty tired from all of this. Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt...

"Oh crap! Not again! You broke another chandelier!"

So much for that nap.

I have no idea how this happened but the party was ready to go on Saturday morning. The leaders starting pouring in at a quarter to 6, the first being Eric Reynolds; the American President. At exactly 6 o'clock, everyone was here. Everyone was smiling and chatting up a storm like there wasn't a care in the world. As I filled my glass with water from a large pitcher, I felt someone embrace me from behind.

"Mon beau Belle! How are you?"

"Agathe! It's good to see you!" I said as we placed kisses on each other's cheeks.

"Oh Belle, this party is wonderful! Everything looks so expensive! I never knew you had this much money!" She laughed.

Way to notice the expensiveness of the party Agathe... I said to myself. She creped in closer and whispered in my ear.

"But on a serious note, I'm pretty happy that everyone is here. It just wouldn't be the same without everyone here."

"Agathe! Get over here! Me and Catalina are going to get on the karaoke machine!" a woman yelled.

"I better go. Miss Italy is calling out to me. Merci beaucoup for putting on this party!" Agathe said as she walked off to join the other two women. I couldn't help but smile. We've been through a lot this past year so it's great to see smiles everywhere.

"Belle?"

I turned around to see a tall and well-built man standing in front of me. He was sharply dressed in black and holding a small present.

"Ivan, the Secret Santa isn't until after dinner," I smiled.

"I know. I'm not your Secret Santa. This is just a small gift from me," he said as he held out the gift for me. I accepted the gift and took a long look at it.

"Ivan, you didn't have to do this. You don't need to buy me things to keep me happy," I smiled. He pulled me close.

"But I wanted to. After seeing what you went through, I wanted to keep that smile on your face; regardless of what it would take to do it."

"You're awfully sweet. Should I open it?"

"Of course! I want to see your reaction."

I took the present and ripped off the bow and wrapping. I opened the box and removed some of the paper. I gasped. It was a gold heart necklace. Around the inside of the heart were small circular diamonds.

"Oh Ivan, it's beautiful!" I smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. I had that handcrafted for you from one of the finest jewellers in Moscow."

I took the necklace out of the box. I took his hand and placed it in his hand. He looked at me strangely.

"Do you not like it?" he asked worriedly.

"Of course I do!" I said. I lifted my hair up and he got the message. He opened the small clip and placed the necklace around my neck. I lowered my hair and he took a good look at me and smiled. He then pulled me into a gentle embrace and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

"You look beautiful Belle. It suits you perfectly. Just like I predicted," he smiled.

"Thank you. This is certainly a wonderful gift."

He gently ran his hand on my hair, "I love you so much. Never forget that."

I gripped on to him tighter, "I love you too Ivan."