All Chapters of Santa's Dirty Obsession: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

"There she is."I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Four years of this had taught me to recognize the particular brand of cruelty in Carson's voice, the way it dripped with anticipation like he was about to do something he'd been looking forward to all day.I kept walking, clutching my textbook tighter against my chest, praying that if I ignored them, they'd get bored and leave me alone.They never did.But hope was a stupid, stubborn thing."Hey, Rosie-Posie!" Carson called out, louder this time. "Don't you dare fucking ignore us when we're talking to you."My sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as I stopped, my entire body going rigid. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my legs had turned to lead.I turned slowly, and there they were. Five of them, blocking the corridor like a wall of malice. Carson with his letterman jacket and that grin that made my stomach turn. Marcus, who'd made it his personal mission to document my humiliation on social media. Rya

EVAThree hundred thousand dollars.That was the number glaring back at me from the loan app on my phone screen, red and accusatory, like a wound that refused to close. I stared at it until my vision blurred, until the numbers started to swim together into one massive, incomprehensible debt that sat on my chest and made it impossible to breathe.And then my phone rang.St. Mary's Hospital. Again.I closed my eyes and answered, already knowing what they were going to say before the nurse's apologetic voice filtered through the speaker."Miss Rose, I'm calling about your mother's treatment plan. The doctors have reviewed her case, and we're going to need an additional one hundred thousand dollars for the new round of chemotherapy. Without it, we can't move forward with the procedure scheduled for next week."One hundred thousand dollars.On top of the three hundred thousand I already owed.Four hundred thousand total.I thanked her quietly, promised I'd figure something out, and ended t

EVAThe dress was white silk and far too expensive for someone like me to be wearing.I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror backstage, barely recognizing the woman looking back. The fabric clung to curves I'd spent years learning to accept, draping elegantly from thin straps that left my shoulders bare. My hair had been styled in soft waves that cascaded down my back, and someone had done my makeup—subtle but flawless, emphasizing eyes that looked too wide, too frightened for the confidence this dress was supposed to project.Through the heavy curtains, I could hear the low rumble of voices and the clink of crystal glasses. I'd peeked out earlier, just once, and immediately regretted it. The ballroom was filled with men in tailored suits that probably cost more than my entire year's rent. Expensive cars lined the circular driveway outside—Maseratis, Bentleys, and a midnight-black Lamborghini that gleamed under the fairy lights strung through the winter trees.These were