THE DON'S OBSESSION

© Luciana Rielle 2026. All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the author’s written permission.

JESSIE

“I’m going to drop out of school.” I yank on my ponytail, the tightness of the elastic doing nothing to ease the knot of panic in my chest.

Carla and Mona shoot me a glare, but neither of them says anything. Of course, it sounds ridiculous to them.

The words feel ridiculous even to me, but the truth is, I’m running out of options. Tuition is due in a week, and I’m nowhere near close to having the money. My part-time job at the café barely covers rent, let alone classes. The stack of bills on my desk stares back at me like a pile of unanswered questions.

If only someone would just offer me a way out of this nightmare…

But, of course, that wouldn’t happen.

“Would you stop frowning? You’re going to get frown lines at twenty-one,” Carla teases, moving closer to sit next to me on the bench facing the university science lab building.

I glance at her, frustration bubbling up. “What am I supposed to do, Carla? I’m dead broke.” I scrub my hands down my face, bending my head to rest against my jeans.

She rubs her hand down my back but doesn’t say anything. I know they wish they could help, but they can’t. Carla has a rich boyfriend, sure, but she’s using the money he gives her to pay off loan sharks.

If you asked me how the hell she ended up tangled with them, I wouldn’t be able to tell you, but I do know that they’re always on her back, so most of her cash goes to them.

As for Mona, she’s got nothing. Her family practically disowned her this semester. They told her to work and pay her way because they didn’t want to keep paying for a daughter who’s gay. Assholes, all of them.

So yeah, I’m all alone in this. No parents, no help.

I’m an orphan.

“What if you join the website?” Carla says suddenly.

My ears perk up at the mention of a “website,” and I sit up so fast, I nearly crush her face. You’d think someone waved KFC chicken in front of me. I love chicken.

I turn to face her completely, just as a tired Mona drags herself over to sit on my left. Her white and blue hair swings as she walks, a soft swish in the air.

“Tell me. What website? Can I make money on it?” I asked eagerly, my curiosity piqued.

Carla’s lips twitch. “You know the website I’m talking about. The one I met Killian on.”

I let out a sigh. “The sugar daddy website?”

It’s not that I find the idea repulsive, okay, maybe a little, but I’m not exactly comfortable with it either. When Carla first mentioned it, I imagined some old grandpa, with a bald head and a gut that hung over his belt, the kind of guy who’d want to be pampered by a young girl like her in exchange for cash. A man with kids, grandkids, the whole shebang. But when I saw Killian for the first time, the sugar daddy she met on the site, my jaw dropped.

The man was young—huge, tall, and ridiculously handsome in a brutal, rugged way. And the size difference between him and Carla was... wow. That’s all I can say.

Carla never told us exactly what she does for him, but I wasn’t naive enough to not know. Of course, it’s sex.

But the thought of sleeping with someone like Killian? It wasn’t repulsive. Not at all. In fact, it was fine.

“She’s in her head again.”

Carla’s words snap me out of my thoughts, and I blink at her, realizing I’ve been zoning out.

“I don’t know.” I slouch against the chair, tapping my foot nervously.

Carla grabs my jaw, turning my face toward hers. I get a full look at her pretty face, and for a second, I can definitely see why Killian is spending money on her. Carla is beautiful. She’s the prettiest one in our trio. With her cat-like eyes, natural long white hair, and soft pink lips, always looking like they’ve just been kissed, sometimes, when she talks, I get lost just watching her lips move. Not to mention, her body is exactly the one everyone’s obsessed with these days. The kind everyone flocks to TikTok and Instagram for, the one people spend thousands on surgery to achieve. The BBL body.

Hers was natural though, she had that perfect hourglass shape, and she was so fucking sexy.

But me? I’m what you’d call a wallflower. Unlike Carla and even Mona, who love wearing dresses that accentuate their curves, I stick to hoodies and trousers. Whenever they describe me, it’s always something like, “Look over there. Yeah, it’s that one that’s always in a hoodie.”

But that’s what I feel comfortable in. And then there are my large glasses. I know, right? Who still wears glasses? What about contact lenses? Well, let’s just say I almost died the last time I tried them, so I’m sticking with what I know.

“Seriously, Carla, I’m not sure. That kind of website caters to girls like me.. and calm down, I’m not saying I’m ugly or anything, but it’s not guaranteed that I’ll get someone like your man.”

Carla nodded, but Mona was the one who spoke up next. “You’re very pretty, and most guys love that nerd look.”

I turned to her and rolled my eyes. The nerd look?

She laughed at my expression, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

But Carla wasn’t laughing. “The term ‘sugar daddy’ doesn’t mean they’re old men. It just means men who are willing to spend money on young girls. Most of the men there are young. Killian is in his mid-thirties. So just go for it, and you’ll have the best sex of your life.”

At her last words, her face flushed, and I couldn’t help but notice the hickey covering her entire neck. It was a brand, loud and clear: MINE. KEEP OFF.

I smiled. Her eyes were shining, glowing even. She was definitely loving it.

“But can you guarantee all of them will be like Killian?” I arched a brow in question.

She shook her head. “I don’t think there’ll be another like him.”

Her voice was filled with admiration, even a little affection. Hmm, she was falling for him without even realizing it. It made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to think too much about it. She was the same one who said Killian reminded her that this was no strings attached, no feelings, yet here she was, acting a little clingy.

But I wasn’t about to dwell on that. I had my own problems.

This was my last year in school, and I had to finish it in one piece.

Because for some crazy, deranged reason, I’d actually been considering how much I could sell a kidney for.

Yep. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I took a deep breath. “Okay, Carla. Sign me up for this sugar daddy thing.”