At Luxford Academy, the elite boarding school for the ultra-rich, Adriana and Nicholas have been bitter rivals since childhood. Forced to live in the same dorm, their once-friendly pranks have escalated into daily clashes-sharp insults, constant bic...
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I woke up to the faint sound of laughter echoing through the house. The smell of freshly baked pastries and cinnamon lingered in the air, a clear indicator that Christmas morning was in full swing downstairs. Blinking against the warm sunlight filtering through the windows, I rolled over to find Nick still fast asleep beside me. His arm was draped lazily over my waist, his breathing soft and even.
"Nick baby," I whispered, nudging him gently. "It's Christmas."
He groaned in response, burying his face into the pillow. "Five more minutes, Adri."
I rolled my eyes with a fond smile before leaning down to place a kiss on his cheek. "Suit yourself, but if we're late for presents, Dio's gonna open all of ours just to be chaotic, and I'll blame you."
At that, his eyes fluttered open just enough to glare playfully at me. "She wouldn't dare."
"Oh, she would," I shot back, slipping out of bed and grabbing one of Nick's sweatshirts from the chair. It was ridiculously big on me, falling almost to my knees, but it was warm, and I wasn't about to get dressed yet.
With that, I padded barefoot out of the room, the sounds of chaos and Christmas cheer getting louder as I made my way downstairs.
The living room was insane.
The massive Christmas tree in the center sparkled with warm white lights and more ornaments than seemed necessary. Underneath it was an explosion of wrapped gifts—colorful boxes of every size, ribbons everywhere, and gift bags spilling out onto the rug. The fireplace crackled warmly, stockings hung perfectly along the mantle. It looked like something straight out of a movie.
Daphne was the first to notice me, her little face lighting up with excitement. "Adri!" she squealed, abandoning whatever toy she'd been playing with to run up to me. She wrapped her tiny arms around my legs like a koala, nearly knocking me over.
"Good morning, you little menace!" I laughed, scooping her up into a hug. "Did Santa come?"
She nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing everywhere. "He did! And he brought so many presents!"
From across the room, Theo's voice rang out dramatically, "Don't believe her! I am Santa!"
Lia, sitting on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa, shook her head at him. "You're too loud to be Santa."
"That's rude," Theo pouted, earning a giggle from Lia, who pulled him back down onto the couch with her.
"Finally," Dio called from her spot on the floor, sitting criss-cross surrounded by presents. She was wearing Christmas pajamas covered in little reindeer, looking far too awake for this time of morning. "I was about to send a search party for you. Where's Nick?"
"Upstairs being lazy," I replied, just as Nick came padding down the stairs in his sweatpants and a T-shirt, his hair still a mess.
"Lazy?" he echoed, arching a brow at me. "I'm here, aren't I?"
