Barrel The Nightmare Before Christmas

To avenge her Fiancé, who got hit and fell into a coma a few days before their wedding, Sophia Bret goes to work for the Ice Titans, only to bump into Rhett Whitmore, the man who made her high school a living nightmare, and he hasn't changed a bit. She must tolerate him to dig out the truth. But what happens when she finds out the truth was never the truth? What happens when what she finds shatters her world again?

All Jasmine ever wanted was love… but in her world, love only exists to destroy. After four years in a loveless marriage forced by her mother, Jasmine finally signs her divorce papers—yet all she’s left with is a gaping wound in her heart. In a quiet coffee shop, she finds comfort in a magnetic stranger on the brink of his own divorce. One conversation turns into a soul-stealing kiss—wild, forbidden, and impossible to forget. But fate is cruel. Her perfect stranger is Galvin Walton, the impeccably attractive, ruthless billionaire husband of her flawless, vicious sister, Cashmere. Forced to spend Christmas at the Walton mansion, Jasmine is trapped, watching Galvin play the role of the perfect husband… while his hungry eyes follow only her. And the nightmare is only beginning. Edwin Monroe, her ex-husband, returns, claiming the divorce was never valid and she still belongs to him. When he notices the heat in Galvin’s gaze, his possessiveness becomes feral. Two powerful, obsessive men want her and hate each other. None of them is willing to lose. In a mansion where secrets are weapons, loyalty is a currency, and desire is the most dangerous game of all, Jasmine becomes the spark of a deadly obsession when all she wanted was a fresh start. That kiss was a promise of passion, but giving in won’t just shatter her family, ruin her future, and cost her everything… it will set the Walton dynasty ablaze and burn them all to the ground.

"I like her," I said as I sat across from my mother unable to keep the frustration from boiling over. "Like who?" "Callie," I admitted, my chest tightening as I said her name. Her expression froze for a moment before she set the papers aside and leaned forward. "You’re joking, right? Callie is your brother’s girlfriend." "I don’t care," I snapped. "I can’t stand seeing him with her. She should be mine, and I’m not going to just sit back and watch them together." "Well, well. This is interesting." She sat back, steepling her fingers. "You really want her all to yourself?" "More than anything," I confessed. A slow smile crept across her face, and it sent a chill down my spine. "Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Whatever she had in mind, I knew it wouldn’t be simple. But if it meant having Callie… I was willing to do whatever it took. **************** Callie was given a choice by her new boss: either lose her job or act as his escort for his family’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, pretending to be his girlfriend. Left with no other option, she reluctantly agrees to be his escort but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s walking straight into a trap. Dive into a story of love, betrayal, romance, suspense, and a Christmas miracle. Second Chances Under the Tree is a gripping and intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

My husband lies to me about working late on Christmas Day. I know he wants to give me a surprise—I saw a jewelry set worth millions of dollars in his pocket. However, all I receive is the news of him pretending to be Santa Claus as he delivers a gift to his female secretary. She flaunts it on social media. "You're the most precious Christmas gift I've gotten." My husband changes the background photo on his social media to a photo of them together. I smile and like the post. Later, the secretary comes to me and smugly says she's pregnant. Meanwhile, I pull out a diagnosis report verifying that my husband is sterile. "Checkmate!" She visibly panics.

As Christmas drew near, my little sister claimed she’d seen Santa Claus in the house. “He had four legs, real long, like dead branches. He crawled on the floor like a dog. His mouth was full of teeth, and I saw him with my own eyes, climbing out of the chimney. His bones were making this clicking, clacking sound.” The Santa she described was nothing like the legends. My parents and I thought it was just her imagination. Until I posted about it online. A user named “NocturneNotes” insisted my sister wasn’t lying, and that the thing was dangerous. Panicked, I asked him what we should do. He gave me three rules: “On Christmas Eve, from 11:30 PM to 2:00 AM, the entire family must ‘sleep’ by the Christmas tree.” “You can’t actually fall asleep, or you’ll die in your sleep.” “No matter what you hear or feel, you absolutely cannot open your eyes or stop pretending to be asleep. Once it hits 2:00 AM, it will leave on its own.”

I was six months pregnant when my husband's childhood sweetheart showed up on Christmas Eve, pregnant too, demanding her place in his life. Smiling, I welcomed her in. "Come on in. Make yourself at home." In my previous life, I had forced my husband to kick Shirley out. She collapsed from low blood sugar and froze to death that very Christmas Eve. Matthew did not hold it against me. On the contrary, he softened, stayed by my side and took care of me while I waited to give birth. However, when the baby came, despite being an obstetrician himself, Matthew sent our healthy newborn son straight to the morgue. I begged him desperately, but his face was twisted with hatred. "If you hadn't been so petty and dramatic, Shirley wouldn't have died along with her baby!" "You're heartbroken over your son? Then go freeze to death too. Pay for Shirley’s life with your own life." Just like that, I opened my eyes again, back to the moment Shirley arrived on Christmas Eve.

Emaline Liliana's dreams and sleep have always been erotic and lustful, fueled by intense touch, passionate kisses, love, and care. She dreamed of a man with red eyes and two pointed fangs who always smiled and laughed before ending the dream with a bloody scream. A nightmare that is both beautiful and endless. Once the Vampires had taken over the world, the ruthless Vampire King gave the humans a choice: become a source of blood for them, or become their beloved. A place where a human who is both naïve and blind would perish.

She was utterly betrayed, used, and cast aside by the person who was supposed to be her mate. So, just a day before their wedding, she made a daring escape. But little did she know, her journey to freedom only led her into the clutches of another horrifying nightmare, one even more terrifying than before. How on earth did she find herself trapped in her new-mate’s possessive embrace? And to make matters worse, she was helplessly falling into a his merciless and alluring trap. What a bewildering twist of fate!

My in-laws, who have flown back to the country for the Christmas holidays, visit my home on Christmas Eve for dinner. But Selena Collins, the housekeeper, has only prepared two plates of cold shrimp ravioli despite the fact that I've specifically reminded her about my mother-in-law, Lora Fischer's allergy to shrimps. Selena just tells me in a stoic manner, "Mrs. Peterson, I know that you country bumpkins love taking advantage of everything. So, I completely understand that your parents want to mooch off a meal from the Peterson family during the holidays. "But as Mr. Peterson's most caring housekeeper, I have the right to protect the Petersons' assets from getting leeched by outsiders. Yes, this includes a regular meal. "Then again, I have a heart of gold, you see. I won't starve the elders at all. These are leftover shrimp ravioli from last year. Your parents should hurry up and leave after polishing the ravioli off. "Mr. Peterson is very busy with his work. I can't let him deal with your impoverished parents after getting home from a stressful day at work." I'm stunned at first, but I soon realize that Selena has mistaken my in-laws for my parents. She's purposefully causing me trouble as always. I'm about to explain the truth to Selena when I see my enraged in-laws turning to leave. But Selena wastes no time in calling the bodyguards over to stop them. "I completely understand that country bumpkins like you two have poor character, but wasting food is a really bad trait. "Since the shrimp ravioli is already prepared for you, please finish them all before leaving."

After Christmas, I went on a vacation. For the trip back, I failed to get a train ticket with a sleeping berth. Thus, I was tired and mussed when I got home. When I opened the door, someone shoved a bunch of cleaning tools at me. The man sneered at me and commanded, “Hurry up! You need to finish cleaning this place before 6:00 p.m.!” I looked at him and saw that he was wearing my father’s silk pajamas. I took a few steps back to check that yes, this was my family’s two-story mansion. It was my home, but who was this man? And what was this about cleaning? Did the man intend for me to clean? I was the son of the owners of the house! I messaged the family’s group chat and mentioned my mother. The message read, [@Mom, your boytoy is asking me to clean the place up. What gives?]