Novels by Jera J.

Dara looked from the elegant lady to Lucas. She recognized the woman but wasn't so sure. “Ms. Daisy?” She finally let out after thinking hard on where she must have seen her. “Ms. Ford.”Lucas kept staring at her. Then he passed his laptop to Dara. His eyes scanned Daisy's expensive blue halter-neck jumpsuit, tailored to perfection with wide-leg pants that grazed the floor over pointed heels. Then he looked at her straightened hair – glossy and tucked behind one ear. Minimal makeup - brushed brows and nude gloss. Small diamond studs, nothing flashy. Her nails were short, milky white.She wasn't dressed to be pretty for him. She was dressed like a woman who meant business. Lucas stepped closer to her and said, “You think this is cosplay? Who even let you in here? This is supposed to be a closed board meeting.”He tried his best not to raise his voice but anger could be heard in his tone. “Watch your tone, Mr. Miller.”“Drop the act already! You can't just wear a suit, change

Tuesday arrived rather quickly and Lucas was all set to head to the office. Josephine sat in the living room with a newspaper in her hand. “I'm off mum”, Lucas announced. His mother raised her head slightly but dropped it and kept her focus on the paper. “Are you upset with me?” Lucas quizzed.“No. Where's Nina?”“She's in the room.”“Sleeping?”“No, mum. She'll be down soon for breakfast. I think she has a shoot today.”Josephine raised an eyebrow but lowered it almost immediately. “Sit and wait. When Nina comes, you can leave.”Lucas did as he was told and in no time, Nina descended.She was in a floral emerald dress. She exchanged greetings with Josephine before heading to the dining area for breakfast. Josephine's reply was flat but Nina didn't bother to find out why. When she was done with dinner, she went back up for her handbag. She descended and turned to Lucas. “Why haven't you left yet? You have to prepare for your meetings.”“I asked him to wait. He'll drop you

“Are you okay dear?” Josephine asked with so much concern. “Yes, yes. I'm good. And my parents are okay but they travel a lot.” “Actually…”, Andrew cut in. “Our parents are not together. It's a complicated story but just as Nina said, they're always on the go.”“Oh…hopefully, I get to meet them when they land in the city.” Josephine noticed Nina was still feeling uncomfortable so she tried to ease the atmosphere. “You know, there's this perception that people with divorced parents don't have a good upbringing. But I would always demand to differ.” Andrew laughed. “I'm being serious though”, Josephine continued, smiling. “You and Nina turned out just fine. Perfect and lovely.”They continued their discussion on nothing in particular and the doorbell rang. It was Dara, Lucas' personal assistant and she came along with the documents that needed Lucas' signature.“I'll excuse myself and sign these papers.”“You can sign it here”, Josephine said. “But mum–”“No buts and ifs. Just

“When did I say it's my father's house?” Andrew quizzed. Nina remained quiet. He bit from the apple and drank from the glass of milk before speaking again. “I've noticed how your behavior has changed since you saw me. What's the matter?” Nina walked past him and poured herself a glass of water. She turned to leave when Andrew said something that made her stop in her tracks.“Walk out of that door ignoring me and I'll tell your brand new husband more than he needs to know.” Nina turned to face him. She looked like she would pounce on him. Her eyes darkened.She took the first step towards him, then a second and third, until she was a few inches away. “Are you threatening me? Threatening me so early in the morning?” “You know I don't threaten people. I talk and I get the job done. You know this very well.” “Fine. What exactly are you going to tell Lucas? Tell me. I want to know.” “You can always find out when he confronts you.” Nina dropped the glass on the table. It almos

In the Miller mansion, Andrew was seated in the living room while Nina, Lucas and Josephine went upstairs to freshen up. Josephine joined him shortly to keep him company while they waited for the couple to join them.She tried to keep the conversation light until her son and Nina returned. Upstairs, Nina was taking out night gowns from one of her suitcases. She was yet to unpack her things into the closet and as a model, she had quite a lot of belongings. “You look good in the bathrobe and you smell even better”, Lucas teased..“I could have you for dinner.” He stepped closer to her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. But Nina freed herself. Lucas stepped closer again and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Are you upset with me?” Nina raised her white pajamas and took off her bathrobe.She looked at Lucas through the corners of her eyes.He swallowed hard at her glistening body, itching to have her. She rolled her eyes and put on her clothes in a rather slow movement

“Are you going to stay up like this or do you want to talk?” “Talk about what exactly?” “Anything. We could perhaps start from what's going through your mind.” He handed her a hot cup of tea, with another in his left hand. “Thanks.” “Now tell me, what are you thinking about?” “Nothing. A lot has happened in the past few days and I'm still trying to process everything.” “Everything? Or just Lucas' wedding?” Daisy looked at him and lowered her gaze afterwards. She sipped from her cup and sighed. “I'm not bothered by his wedding. He can marry whoever he wants.” “Is that so?” “Yes.”“Then why did you suddenly walk out during the wedding? And why have you been unusually quiet since we returned?” “It's simple. I showed up to the wedding and accomplished what I wanted…Lucas and Josephine were utterly confused and shocked. It felt good to see that. And when it comes to being quiet, I have absolutely nothing to say.” “Really? Then why can't you look me in the eye?” Daisy remain

Soon, it was evening. Evelyn stood in front of her bedroom mirror, making a final adjustment to her outfit. She chose a fitted champagne-coloured gown that fell just below her knees, with a modest neckline and delicate detailing around the waist. The fabric hugged her figure without being too tight, while the short sleeves gave the dress an elegant finish.She paired it with nude heels, a matching clutch, and a pair of diamond earrings from her own collection. Her hair fell in soft waves right above her shoulders, and her makeup was polished without being too heavy.She picked up her phone and checked the time.It was almost 7pm.A knock came at the door, and Cindy entered with Ruby close behind her.“Mummy.”Evelyn turned. “What's wrong?”The girls stopped at the sight of her.“Wow!” Cindy exclaimed.Ruby's mouth fell open. “Mummy, you're so pretty.”Evelyn laughed. “Thank you, my darlings.”“You look like a princess,” Ruby said.Evelyn bent to kiss her forehead. “You two are mak

Evelyn opened the message from her assistant and tapped the attached invitation.A beautifully designed card, bearing the name of one of the most respected jewelry manufacturers in the industry. The company was preparing to unveil its latest collection at a grand launch that evening.She read through the details, taking note of the venue, the time, and the list of invited guests.It was a major event, one that would attract some of the biggest names in the jewelry business. Being invited was no small thing, and Evelyn couldn't hide her excitement.She quickly replied to her assistant, confirming her attendance.Damien, who stood near the doorway, noticed her smile.“Everything all right?”“Everything's great. Couldn't be better.” She showed him the invitation. “I've been invited to the grand launch of a new collection from Sydney's, one of the top jewelry factories in the industry.”“That's wonderful.”“It's a big event. I wasn't expecting an invitation, but I'm certainly not going

By nightfall, Damien was beginning to suspect that his daughters had planned something.First, Cindy insisted he play a board game with them. Then Ruby asked him to help arrange their toys, even though Evelyn pointed out that the girls could do it themselves.Now, they stood in front of him with hopeful expressions.“Daddy, will you read us a bedtime story?” Cindy asked.Damien smiled. “Of course. Which story would you like?”“The one with the princess and the prince,” Ruby answered.Evelyn, who sat on the edge of the bed, raised an eyebrow.“Don't you want me to read your bedtime story tonight?”Both girls shook their heads.“No, Mummy,” Cindy said. “We want daddy to read it.”Evelyn looked at Damien, who seemed just as surprised by their decision.“Well, all right.” She stood and headed towards the door. “I'll leave you to it, then.”“Mummy, wait..”She turned back.“What is it now?”“We want you here too,” Ruby said.Evelyn blinked. “But you just told me you wanted your dad to read

“We should get going now,” Theodore announced, rising from his seat.Damien also stood. “I'll go along with you.”Evelyn nodded, preparing to call the girls downstairs before they left. She had barely taken a step when Cindy's voice rang through the house.“Daddy”, she called out..She came running down the stairs, with Ruby following close behind.Damien turned, and a smile spread across his face when Cindy rushed into his arms. He lifted her and kissed her cheek.“What is it, sweetheart?”“Are you going home?”“Yes, I am. I'll come to see you again soon.”Cindy's smile faded immediately.“No. You can't go.”“Why not?”“Because I want you to stay here.”Evelyn looked at her daughter, confused by the sudden demand.“Cindy, what's going on?”Cindy slipped out of Damien's arms and held his hand.“If Daddy is going home, then I'll go with him.”Evelyn stared at her.“What do you mean by that?”“If he leaves, I'll leave too.”“Cindy…” Evelyn stepped closer. “Do you suddenly have a proble

After a while, Peter checked his phone and slipped it into his pocket.“I should get going.”Evelyn turned towards him. “So soon?”He glanced at her, then winked.She understood at once. He was most likely going to see Rayna. Evelyn pressed her lips together to hide her smile. “Well, don't forget to call me,” Evelyn said.“I won't.”Peter crouched in front of the girls. “Come here, you two. Let me say goodbye properly.”Cindy rushed into his arms, and he hugged her before kissing her cheek. Ruby joined them. “You'll come back, right?” Cindy asked.“Of course. When have I ever abandoned you?”“Never!” Cindy answered.Peter laughed. “That's what I thought.”He gave Ruby another kiss on the forehead, stood, and waved at everyone before heading for the door.Evelyn watched him leave, then turned back to the others.“Now that we're all here, I think we should discuss something,” Theodore announced.The girls were still lingering beside Damien, who had been asking Cindy about her afterno

Everyone stepped out of the courtroom and Evelyn took a deep breath, a smile settling on her face. Peter walked beside her, talking to Theodore and her about the judge's decision, while Damien followed with his hands in his pockets.“I still can't believe she actually thought she could get away with it,” Peter said. Theodore shook his head. “Let's not waste any more time thinking about her. The court has dealt with her, and that's what matters.”“You're right,” Evelyn agreed. “I just want to go home and spend the rest of the day with my girls.”She turned towards Peter to say something else, but her attention was on him rather than the path ahead.The next thing she knew, she had walked straight into someone.“Oh!”The man staggered a little, and the coffee in his hand splashed on the front of his dark suit. Some of it dripped onto the pavement.Evelyn froze.“Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry.” She reached for a tissue in her bag, then stopped when she realized she couldn't do much t