Cartwright Christmas Novels & Stories

He was tall, really tall for a Santa Claus, that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes—oh, his eyes. They were an icy gray that seemed to bare my soul, uncovering every hidden secret before his eyes. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, but I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the way those eyes made me feel, something so distinct yet I couldn't put my hands on it. “Merry Christmas,” he murmured, his deep baritone causing my heart to thrum so loudly in my chest I could only stand there and gawk like a damn fool.

The following day, after lunch, a fleet of sleek luxury cars swept up the driveway of the Ashford family estate. Mr Cartwright Senior had arrived in full force, with the intention of formalizing the marriage alliance between his granddaughter, Vivica, and Mr Ashford Senior’s grandson, Jason. Mr Cartwright Senior stepped out of the luxury car, ready to negotiate a union that he believed would merge two of the country's most powerful families. He remained blissfully unaware that Mr Ashford Senior was prepared to shut the door on the Cartwright family for good.

I sat frozen, unblinking, watching as he brought his face closer. "I'm going to tell you something, but I need you to promise me that you'll keep it between us." I swallowed nervously. He was so close, I could barely think. "How about you tell me first, then I'll think about keeping it a secret." His smile widened. He stared at me silently for a few seconds, slowly accessing me with his eyes. "Alright." He said finally. "My family, and everyone else in New York, know me as Christian Cartwright, or the Cartwright playboy."

The judge continued, saying, "Chad Cartwright has waived all of his rights. Period. There is no further debate." Carter and Cecelia Cartwright were absolutely livid. No doubt, Carter was so used to getting what he wanted, whenever he wanted it. Now, the loss was glaring him in the face. He wanted Alessandro, for what reason? I had no idea. I was just glad my son wasn't falling into his hands. Cecelia began barking out a series of angry cuss words, clenching her fist and looking as though she wanted to punch Chad. She refrained from doing so, at least, though I wouldn't have been opposed if she decided to do so.

Christina asked, belatedly putting on an affected loving granddaughter act. “Oh, cut the crap, Christina. You’ll like nothing more than if I suddenly dropped dead and stopped breathing, but unfortunately for you, my girl, I’m still very much around and will be for quite a while. Anyway, enough with the niceties, I wanted to present you both with an early wedding present.” Mr. Carter said, leaning to the side and grabbing a book that was on a stool beside him. He opened the book and brought out cheques, which he presented to both of them. The cheques were for a hundred thousand dollars each. “Thank you, Mr. Carter. This is a lot. I don’t know what to say.” Austin said gratefully, while Christ

When Mr and Mrs Winthrop took theirs, the carts were empty. “Cristela didn't get anything." Regalia announced smugly. I tore open my card, it was the only one that was sealed with an envelope. Everybody's eyes were on me, some were staring knowingly other were just expecting. I pulled out my card, I noted that it was the most beautiful too. My heart did a somersault in my chest. 'My love, I tried to find you a gift but nothing was good enough, nothing in the world could be an appropriate gift to show how happy I am to celebrate our first Christmas as couples, so I hope 'I' am enough'

My line of thoughts was disrupted when Carter chuckled and moved closer to me. “I would love to go to your house, Ryder. Afterwards we could go to the festival. I want to buy some gingerbread and mistletoe.” I smiled, but then my happiness died. Why would Carter want mistletoe? I heard he had broken up with Simon. Did he already have another boyfriend? I started fretting my lower lip between my teeth. “Are you spending Christmas at home?” I asked, feeling a bit guilty for the jealousy spreading through my senses.

“Officially it was the night they broke into my house, although I did not know who they were or what they looked like at the time. The first time I knew who they were and what they looked like was when I visited them at the police station.” “So, you are saying you had never met the defendants before the night they broke into your house?” “That’s correct.” I was confused by his line of questioning it was not something we had covered. “Miss Garrison, can you tell me who Charlene Smith is?” “She’s a colleague at work.” “And on the 22nd of December last year did you attend the annual Christmas party with Charlene Smith?” “Yes.” My heart sank as memories came flooding back. “Judge I would like to

… In the blink of an eye, a few days had passed, and the atmosphere of Christmas grew stronger. Santa Claus ornaments, reindeer-themed decorations, and even various Christmas trees began to fill up the streets and alleys as various Christmas gifts were placed at the doorways of the shops. Catelyn and Joanne went out to shop for a few things, as well as gifts for Miles and Ollies. Together, they decorated Atherton Manor and turned it into a place beaming with Christmas vibes, though they were so tired that they were out of breath in the end. This went especially for Catelyn, who was six weeks pregnant at this point.

“Merry Christmas.” “Merry Christmas.” The rest of us did the same. Cato stared at his mother for a while but didn’t say anything. He seemed annoyed with her words rather than pleased. But maybe I was reading too much into it. After dinner, gifts were exchanged. Bates handed Cato the present he’d brought in earlier. “Open it.” He practically tossed it at him. Cato ripped open the box and found a blue watch inside he. He turned it over and saw the engraving in the metal on the back. “To my big brother. Merry Xmas.”