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Chapter 16: Trapped
Last Updated:
2025-01-03 23:25:57
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Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 17: Who Was Jordan?
The retreat was as quiet as ever when Jasmine stepped out later that evening. But she didn't expect much—it was midnight, and the guests were all in their rooms. Well, all except for her. But how could she sleep, with her mind racing with a million and one thoughts? She continued her stride to the large windows, which revealed the falling snow. She couldn't help but admire it—she had loved the snow ever since she was young, and even now, it was just as beautiful. She moved closer, pulling off her glove and reaching for the window to feel its chill. Before her hand made contact with the glass, a voice spoke. "Lovely, isn't it?" Startled, she turned immediately, her chest hammering. Her eyes met warm brown ones. It was Jordan. She didn't know much about him, but judging by the way Chad looked at him, he was probably bad news. He took some steps closer, his eyes fixed on the falling snow outside. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said casually. “But you looked like you could use so
Last Updated : 2025-01-04Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 18: Who Survived
Chad spent the rest of the night thinking about the news he had gotten a few days ago. Peter had reported the investigation looking into his family's case had brought up some new suspicion about someone surviving the explosion. The very idea of someone surviving that fire that'd taken out almost the entire neighborhood made a shiver run down Chad’s spine. For years, he had accepted the brutal truth that his family was gone, wiped from existence in that fiery destruction. No bodies to bury, just ashes and the worst of all was that he couldn't even identify theirs. Now, after all this time, someone was claiming otherwise? He exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers against his temples. “Damn it.” His mind had been running with wild thoughts ever since then he needed to escape not just because of Jordan but because he didn't understand what exactly was going on and not so many miles away from the scene. Who? Who could have possibly survived? Peter had been only mentioning that certai
Last Updated : 2025-01-05Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 19: Terrible Liar
She pressed her hand over Chad's chest, trying to at least create an opening to slip past, but it was of no use. The man was as solid as a damn rock. But finally, he took the hint and stepped back, giving her enough space to slip past him. “I told you, it’s nothing,” she said quickly, reaching for the door. Chad didn’t stop her this time. “You’re a terrible liar,” he commented, and in the next minute, she was gone. ~••~ THE NEXT MORNING Jasmine and Chad were back in the lodge. After their awkward morning, they had managed to agree to keep up their fake relationship and well-played act. While they were here, they had to make sure no one caught the hint of pretense. Breakfast at the lodge was lively. Everyone was chatting over the freshly prepared meal. Jasmine had usually been the only one coming for breakfast, but now seeing Chad, a few of them were shocked. Jasmine and Chad sat together in the long dining hall. She didn't understand why everyone needed to have breakfast at on
Last Updated : 2025-01-07Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 20: Jordan's Fiancee?
Jasmine headed back to the lodge and the first thing that caught her attention was Georgia and Chad. Georgia was talking to him and she even saw her laughing at something he said, though Chad remained blank and emotionless. Pushing down whatever unusual feeling she felt, she approached them. “Georgia,” she greeted. Both Georgia and Chad turned to look at her. A smile appeared on Georgia's face or at least the previous one became wider. “Jasmine! Didn't think I'd see you here. I assume you won't be needing any lessons right?” She chuckled and Jasmine followed, though it wasn't genuine. Jasmine looped her arm through Chad’s and then looked back up at her. She saw the way Georgia's expression stiffened. “It's a hot tub, I couldn't miss it. Especially not under a weather this cold. “ “Same here.” She replied. I was just talking to Chad, have you guys met?” Jasmine smiled, deciding now was as good a time as any. “Yes, actually. Oh, let me formally introduce you. This is Chad,
Last Updated : 2025-01-08Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 21: The Kiss
Jordan’s smirk deepened as he stepped closer, clearly enjoying himself. “Well, this is a surprise,” he mused, looking Chad up and down like he was sizing him up. “Didn’t think I’d run into you here.” Jasmine internally rolled her eyes, her jaw clenching. She'd just spoken to him a few hours ago and here he was pretending to know nothing. Chad didn’t reply. He simply stood there, his grip on her steadying as he looked anywhere but at Jordan. Jordan chuckled at the silence, rocking back on his heels. “Still the same, huh? Always the quiet type. Makes me wonder how you keep up in business when words are just as important as numbers.” Jasmine felt Chad’s grip tighten slightly. Jordan turned his attention to her, amusement flickering in his eyes. “And you, Jasmine. I have to say, I didn’t expect this.” He gestured between the two of them. “Mrs Blackstone—his fiancée? That’s new.” Although Chad didn't speak, he wondered how he knew her name and for a fleeting moment, he felt a wave of
Last Updated : 2025-01-11Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 22: Getting Married
Jasmine’s breath hitched as she stared at Chad, his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers. The tension between them was still very thick from their previous kiss. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to snap out of it. It was just a kiss, her very first but it was only to make their relationship believable. Nothing more. Chad still didn't say anything but his expression had gone back to its usual stoic self. His grip on her waist was firm, as if he wasn’t ready to let go just yet, jaw slightly tight, Something she didn’t have enough courage to even say. Jasmine forced a laugh, hoping to break the tension. “Well, that was fun.” Luckily for her, Chad snapped back to reality and his grip on her loosened and he stepped back. What was going on with him? He mentally scolded himself. It took a few seconds for him to finally find his voice but when he did, it was as sharp as ever. “You call that fun?” Jasmine lifted a brow, feigning nonchalance. “You’re welcome, by the way. Ava’s going
Last Updated : 2025-01-12Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 23: They Were Siblings?
Ava restlessly paced back and forth in her private suite, anger boiling within her. The room was very massive, she had an entire floor to herself, isolated from the rest of the rooms in the mansion. It was just exactly the way she liked it. Exclusive. She'd thought that if she became sarce for a few days Chad would soften his heart towards her or at least chase after her but oh how wrong she had been. She wondered if Chad truly liked Jasmine and had forgotten about her completely. No, she couldn't let that happen; she still needed him. Ava picked the glass of pine juice that stood on the luxurious desk in the middle of her room. She took a sip of the juice and dropped the glass back down. Christmas was in two days and yet she still hadn't achieved the main purpose of the retreat. She had thought that if she stayed distant and played the devastated ex, Chad might come to his senses. Maybe even chase after her. But no. Instead, she had been forced to watch him kiss Jasmine. The e
Last Updated : 2025-01-14Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 24: Brother
Jasmine's conversation with Georgia was the definition of pointless. She tries to get Georgia to say something about her and Jordan and why she'd been balling her eyes out because of him. After half an hour of trying to get her to feel comfortable enough to talk. Georgia ended up excusing herself, practically running out of the scene the moment she saw Jordan approached. She was very sure that wasn't how people were supposed to react when seeing their soon to be husband. Jasmine didn't bother waiting for him to speak and turned, walking away from him. She couldn't go back to the lodge, Chad was still there and after their kiss, she wasn't ready to be anywhere close to him yet. She moved wherever her feet could take and ended up on the other side of the mansion. Coming to think of it she'd never really been on this part of the house. It was a different area entirely, though it was painted in the same white and grey as the entire house, this part just looked different. Ahead of he
Last Updated : 2025-01-16
Latest chapter
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 47: You're Fired
The week came in a blur, and Jasmine had to return to work. Though she dreaded the idea, it was either that or she would be eating the scraps off the street for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Her mind wandered back to the New year's event, she hadn't heard anything from her Dad since then and for some reason she'd stopped herself from actively trying to connect to him, though her curiosity was at its peak. Where had he been all these years? Why did she feel something different, strange being around him?However her thoughts were interrupted by a crashing noise. She looked over to see she'd bumped into another of her work colleagues. Both her food tray and the others scattered all over the place. Shit! Shit!!Had she spaced out? She had been completely unaware of her surroundings and worst of all, this was the third time this week. She quickly bent down to help with the cleaning but before she could touch anything, Mr Whitman's voice echoed from the back of the room.“Jasmine. To the
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 46: Destroy Him
“Mina.” His voice cracked.Jasmine took two steps backwards shaking her head. “This can't be real. You're dead.”Her father, John, took a step into the light, a side smile on his face. “I am not, and I can explain everything. I just want you to believe me.”“How? Mom? Since when? Where have you been all this while?” Questions kept spilling out of her mouth uncontrollably.“I can explain, Mina. I just want this to be between us.”Her mind scrambled to make sense of his words. “What do you mean between us? We have to tell mom. Do you have any idea how hard this has been for her?”She shook her head as if trying to wake up from a terrible dream. “I must be hallucinating. You died! I went to your funeral.”John took two steps forward until he was just a few steps away from her. “I will explain everything, I just need you to promise me you won't tell your mom.” She didn't say a word and stared at him disoriented. He reached out, holding her palm in his. “You're all grown up now.”His han
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 45: New Year
The Withers family were all gathered at her Aunt Chelsea’s house. It had become their tradition to spend the New Years and Christmas there ever since her father died.Chelsea was much younger than Jasmine's mother, Nimani. If anything, she was half her age. Chelsea was her step-aunt from her Dad’s—or at least, that was how she understood it from her mother's description. All she truly knew was that they were related, and her mother had a really close relationship with Chelsea even before her marriage to her father. Chelsea brought the last tray of her MasterChef recipe, placing it gently on the table, her face beaming with pride. “Voila..” She took the tray lid off dramatically. “This year's Christmas special! Or at least what we would have had if Jasmine had showed up and did not just magically disappear. “Jasmine rolled her eyes at her. She could tell from the false anger Chelsea played that she just wanted to dig into where Jasmine had actually gone.“Can we just have dinner f
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 44: Back Home
Jasmine stared at Peter, dumbfounded. She couldn't formulate any words to fill the internal confusion she felt.Peter didn't wait for Jasmine to register an answer and instead gave a firm nod.“I'll be waiting.” With that, he turned away and left.Images of the previous night rushed back into her head. After all that, he'd just vanished the next morning. Was it something she did?Finally, dragging the life back into her dead, shocked body, she turned back into the room. But just a few steps away, a sinister chuckle stopped her cold.She didn't need to turn to know it was Ava—who else would be that jobless to pause their own life just to enjoy someone else's misery?“What's wrong, darling?” Ava mocked.When Jasmine didn't turn, she continued, “Do my ears hurt, or did I just hear that Chad abandoned you?”Jasmine's throat tightened.“Oh, please… don't act like you didn't see this coming. He's Chad Blackstone of course, do you really think he cares about you?” Jasmine stiffened as Ava c
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 43: The Contract Is Over
Earlier….Kol strolled into the rooftop party, hands tucked into his pocket lazily as he walked through the crowd, he noticed the people dancing like college freshmen teens in their first-ever frat party.The first person he spotted was Ava, who was slumped over some guy practically swallowing his lip in hers. When she noticed his presence, she dismissed the guy with a simple wave. The guy hesitated, clearly wanting more but one stern look from her, and he scrammed.“What brings you here?” She asked as soon as Kol halted in front of her.A snowflake dropped on his suit and he withdrew his hands from his pocket brushing it away.He looked at the sky, the snow was starting all over again. Then finally looked at Ava. “The hotel is a bit suffocating and I'm not used to staying cooped up in one place.” He said with the most nonchalant facial expression he could pull on. He didn't really fancy Ava or the retreat but he was tired of staying in the hotel especially since neither Chad nor Jas
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 42: A Passionate Night
By the time help finally arrived, Jasmine had long fallen asleep and Chad's mind was a whirlwind of emotions.Fortunately, Peter had arrived at the retreat the morning before Christmas and had come prepared for any kind of unexpected turn of events including an extra car.Peter moved to the passenger's seat ready to move Jasmine into the other car however Chad had other plans and would rather do it himself. Once both Jasmine and Chad were carefully settled in the vehicle, Peter started the engine and headed south to the hotel.Chad leaned back against the seat, the quiet hum of the car engine filling the space. His eyes drifted to Jasmine, still asleep against the window. Her face looked peaceful, her lips slightly parted, her breath fogging the glass faintly.He wasn’t sure how long he watched her, but then she stirred. Her brows knitted together, and she shifted, then a soft whimper escaped her lip. She was having a bad dream. Suddenly, her body tensed, her head turning slightly
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 41: Rooftop Party
Chad strolled back into the hall, he headed straight for the hall where he'd last seen Jasmine.For some reason after the conversation with Ava, he was even more eager to see her now. Why did he behave so defensive when Ava had called her all those names? It didn't make sense. He barely knew Jasmine—at least, not in the way that should have made him care. And yet, something about the way Ava had spoken about her had unsettled him.He wondered how she'd even know about her mother's illness? and worse about their relationship being a fake? But that was the least on his mind. Right now, all he wanted to do was to see her.Just as Chad rounded another corner, he spotted Jasmine walking straight from the opposite direction. She hadn't noticed him yet but when their gaze finally crashed she looked a little taken aback. She blinked in surprise. "Didn’t you just—" she paused abruptly, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something more. Chad raised a brow waiting for her to continue
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 40: It's Done
Earlier…Chad's face had shifted from its usual stone cold expression. It seemed to change anytime he was around her, he'd started to wonder whether if she had some certain control over him or if he was just overthinking it.He looked down at the paper in his hand, Jasmine's name was scribbled on it.A slight smile crept to the corner of his lips. It seemed he and Kol had similar ideas. Kol had asked him to put on an act, making Jasmine think she had him as her Secret Santa.He walked down the hall, his mind immersed in thoughts of what he would get her. He wasn’t a gift person, heck, the last time he got a gift for a woman was when he was with Ava, and even then, she was the one who basically handpicked the gift.The memory of their kiss kept replaying in his head. Why had he made such a move on her? It wasn’t part of the contract. She was just his fake fiancée, that was it.He shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. It had to be because he finally saw his brother after so long. T
Festive Deception: A Jasmine For Christmas Chapter 39: Chad Or Kol
Everyone in the retreat had gathered to witness the Christmas gift giving, there were a lot of shouts and giggles from the crowd as they handed one another the most expensive gifts. Jasmine on the other hand, had gotten a watch, it was the cheapest at the store yet it managed to run her account almost dry. She'd wrapped it carefully in a silver gift box, making it look more expensive than it actually was. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t fancy. It was the thought that counted. Right?She looked across the hall searching for Kol and Chad. Or at least one of them, if she managed to even tell them apart. She wondered if people weren't curious about how Kol had just shown up out of the blue.As she debated whether to keep searching or give up, a soft tap on her shoulder startled her.“Miss Jasmine?”She turned to find one of the retreat staff dressed in a black blazer, with her hair tied in a bun.“Yes?”“If you’d follow me, please.” The lady responded. She didn't wait for Jasmine to reply
