Barrel The Nightmare Before Christmas

I came to this new school with one goal—stay invisible. No drama. No chaos. Just finish the semester and get out. But everything changed the moment I laid eyes on him—Aiden Cross. Rich, arrogant, dangerously charming. The school's golden boy and certified heartbreaker. He had no business looking at me, let alone touching me. And yet, there he was, lips still warm from kissing another girl, smirking as he walked straight toward me… and pulled me into his world with one simple, cocky line: “Care to join?” From that moment on, my plan to stay out of trouble was officially ruined. Now, I’m skipping school, arguing with him like we’ve known each other for years, sharing moments I swore I’d never allow, and feeling things I can't ignore. But Aiden? He hides behind jokes and a player reputation—brushing off anything real like it’s just another game. He’s everything I told myself to avoid. So why does my heart race every time he’s near? Between surprise kisses in the cafeteria, his jealousy-fueled fights, and our late-night talks that cut deeper than I ever expected, I’m starting to realize one thing: Sometimes the person you least expect becomes the one you can’t let go. But can I trust him with my heart? Or will he leave me like he does everyone else. He was supposed to be my nightmare. Now… he might just be my love story.

Consumed by rage from her ex-husband’s betrayal, Elora weds the first psycho she meets, unknown to her that he is the most prominent business tycoon in California. However, Orson Wilson has dark secrets, including the fact that he is marrying her to save her. But from whom? What happens when Elora realizes she is in danger? When she finds out who this stranger is? When his secrets come to light.

Aria hates Christmas. It’s the season everyone else seems happy while she pretends she is fine. But everything shatters on Christmas Eve when she catches her boyfriend cheating. Broken and confused, she walks into the cold night....straight into the path of a stranger with blue eyes who saves her from an attack. He is dangerous, mysterious… and a werewolf Alpha. As she uncovers secrets about her forgotten past and her own bloodline, Aria becomes trapped between humans and wolves, lies and loyalty, love and danger. Is meeting the Alpha her fate… or the beginning of a new nightmare?

One wrong text and her Christmas will be one she wouldn't forget in a hurry. Red is trying to rekindle things with her sweet ex, Darren but her cold, controlling boss, Alton Donovon, shows up at her apartment the night she mistakenly sexts him. She swore it was an accident, he doesn't believe her. Alton has been watching her for longer than she realized. He’s always been an asshole… until one slip pulls them into a spiral that forces him to confront the way he truly feels. And this Christmas, he plans to make her admit her feelings. Even if that entails following her all the way to Maysville, the little town she grew up in. And with Darren tagging along too, this Christmas is about to be one for the books.

"I knew it was a nightmare. But I am willing to risk everything just for that nightmare... A beautiful nightmare." - Zederina Xeuzeil Rare Lanchenco

This is a two in one Christmas holiday story. PLOT ONE: HIRED FOR CHRISTMAS Blair is a reporter who had been dating her childhood sweetheart, she is asked to come home for Christmas but her boyfriend Zade suddenly breaks up with. To pay her boyfriend back and make sure no one in her family feels pity for her, she decided to hire a boyfriend for Christmas. Hiring a boyfriend for Christmas isn't a problem but what happens when Blair, her hired boyfriend and her ex- boyfriend are to stay under one roof for Christmas? How is she going to survive Christmas with her ex boyfriend she still loves and her hired boyfriend under one roof!!? Who was this stranger and why did he agree to be a random girl's boyfriend for Christmas?! PLOT TWO: OH! WHAT A CHRISTMAS Avery, a medical doctor who loses her license due to a misunderstanding, returns to her hometown for Christmas to clear her head and hide from everyone but returns with her rich boyfriend Jared. On returning, she meets her ex boyfriend and childhood friend Tyse of over ten years. I don't think she would be clearing her head as the three of them stay under the same roof. What's the worst that could happen with the three of them under the same roof? Could feelings be rekindled or nahh?

Billionaire heiress Julia Wilson had come to loathe Christmas. Five years ago, it had shattered her life when she walked in on her husband, Ryan Thompson, in what appeared to be a compromising position with his secretary. The heartbreak had forced her into premature labor. By the time her twins, Lucien and Olivia, were born, she’d signed the divorce papers, severing ties with the man she once loved. Ever since, Julia buried her pain behind an iron-clad business persona, working herself and her employees to the bone every holiday season to escape the memories of her ruined Christmas. For Ryan Thompson, Christmas was no easier. A top-tier lawyer and businessman infamous for his undefeated courtroom record, Ryan’s victories felt hollow compared to the loss of his family. A misunderstanding had cost him his wife and the chance to watch his twins grow. For five years, he’d kept his distance, silently watching over Julia and their children, waiting for the right time to make amends and reclaim what he had lost. A chance encounter with a stranger leads him to his family’s doorstep, dressed as Santa Claus. Will Julia slam the door in his face, or will she accept him for the sake of their children? Can they rekindle their love and fulfill the twins’ Christmas wish, or will their relationship burn in the wake of his betrayal? What Julia doesn’t know is that fate—or perhaps the twins’ clever planning—has something else in store.

Heiress Danielle Dawson has it all. A mansion, fleet of exotic cars, a live-in chef, housekeepers, a fortune that can feed nations and a dad that indulges her every wish. All these, and she is still empty. When her father, greedy for more power and wealth, arranges her marriage to the powerful Valentino empire's heir, Danielle, a believer in love marriages, fights it at first but later gives in and decides to let destiny take it's course; but being betrothed to Adrian Valentino is not the bed of roses she is used to. With great power comes great responsibility and millions of enemies after your downfall. Adrian need not fret as his betrothed is more than ready to fight his battles and slay his demons; but how can you love someone who doesn't believe in the emotion, and how do you save someone that doesn't want to be saved? That too when you begin to discover your own demons?

Sophia is a young writer who dreams of being an author. After a traumatic heartbreak, she moves to New York to pursue her dream. Years later, Sophia returns for Christmas to her hometown, Evergreen Heights, where she encounters people from her past. Will feelings resurrect, or will Sophia have the strength to move forward? Only time will tell...

Fehintola Racheal Bankole, is sent by her wealthy, corporate family at Christmas to secretly convince Damilare Nathan Ajayi, to sell his struggling small-scale Winery. The plan is to transform it into a high-end winery as a new project for the New year. What Fehintola doesn’t expect is to fall in love with the small town, the small winery, and the man who runs it.