Nobela ni Jayla Neel

By the time Zara arrived home, it was well past midnight.She unlocked the front door quietly, hoping everyone would be asleep. The last thing she wanted was another confrontation.Unfortunately, her hopes were short-lived."Where have you been?"Zara closed her eyes briefly.Of course.Her mother was sitting on the living room sofa, her arms folded across her chest. The television was on, but judging by the way she immediately stood up, she hadn't been watching it."Good evening to you too, Mother.""Don't get smart with me. I've been calling you for hours.""I saw your calls.""And you couldn't answer?""I didn't feel like talking."Her mother's expression hardened."After the embarrassment you caused me tonight, you think you can come into this house and speak to me like that?"Zara dropped her purse onto the nearby chair."Embarrassment? Is that what you're worried about?""Of course! Do you have any idea how ridiculous you made me look?"Zara let out a short laugh."Interesting.

The moment they were out of sight of the other guests, Zara pulled her arm away from Jordan's."Would you mind explaining what exactly that was?"Jordan glanced down at her before looking ahead."I assume you're referring to the engagement announcement."She stopped walking."Of course I'm referring to the engagement announcement! What else could I possibly mean?"He stopped too, his expression remaining frustratingly calm."There's no need to raise your voice."Jordan gestured towards a door at the end of the corridor."Come with me. We should talk somewhere private."Zara hesitated, then followed him.He led her into a quiet office overlooking the city. The moment the door closed, she turned to face him."Okay. Talk."Jordan loosened his tie slightly before walking towards his desk."First, I owe you an explanation.""An explanation would be lovely. An apology would be even better."He paused."You're right. I shouldn't have made that announcement without consulting you."Zara folde

What the hell had he just done?Jordan maintained his composure, refusing to let the surprise he knew his announcement had caused, show on his face.He wasn't particularly fond of impulsive decisions. In fact, he despised them.He was a man who preferred to think things through, examine every possible outcome and make decisions based on facts rather than emotions.Yet here he was, announcing an engagement to an employee he barely knew.An employee he had never had a personal conversation with outside the occasional professional exchange.Zara Johnson.He knew her name, her position and that she was competent at her job. Beyond that, he knew practically nothing about her.And yet, he had just announced that they were getting married.Well, engaged.His eyes briefly moved to the woman standing beside her. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and outrage.He couldn't say he blamed her.But he had seen the way she'd struck Zara. He had seen the girl's attempt to hold back her tears a

"How dare you!"Zara's mother's voice rang through the ballroom, loud enough to make several people stop what they were doing and turn in their direction.Zara stood frozen, one hand pressed against her cheek where her mother's palm had just connected with her skin. The sting was almost unbearable, but the humiliation was worse.Not here. Not in front of all these people.She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, desperately fighting the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to give her mother the satisfaction of seeing her cry."There you go again, defending Zach and everything he does," Zara spat, her voice trembling with anger.Her mother scoffed, looking thoroughly unimpressed."I am not defending him. So drop it before I hit you again."Zara let out a disbelieving laugh.Of course. Because that was how every argument with her mother ended. It didn't matter what had happened or who was at fault. Somehow, Zara always became the problem.She had