Irreverent Intentions

By Roman St. John

Howard Parker is a multi-millionaire real estate developer with many projects in the works. The project that he is the proudest of is Harmony Hills, the ritzy country club development that he and his wife, Olivia call home. Based in Scottsdale Arizona, Howard and Olivia live a seemingly perfect life, along with their best friends, Matthew and Vanessa Lancaster. Matthew is a cardiac surgeon, while both his wife, Vanessa, and Howard’s wife, Olivia, have a penchant for interior design. Scottsdale seems like the perfect place for both families to raise children until a mysterious woman comes to town and begins to wreak havoc in their lives. This woman, who works as a nurse at the hospital, is driven by a deranged and relentless desire for revenge. Once the truth is revealed and the woman’s intentions become clear, both the Parker and Lancaster families discover that they are in more trouble than they could ever have imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roman St. John
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9780463878255

Roman St. John

Roman St. John is a writer of mystery, suspense and romance fiction. His works consist of novels, novellas, and short stories. St. John, who also goes by the name Jonathan Ross, lives in Los Angeles.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Vanessa Lancaster was tall and lean, with shoulder-length blonde hair. She had sparkling blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a fair complexion. She was the image of perfection, and she felt that her life was ideal. She had a wonderful, loving husband, two beautiful children, and a spacious home in a cul-de-sac on Melody Drive. The cul-de-sac was in the back of Harmony Hills, which was the nicest subdivision in the most affluent area of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Harmony Hills was a wonderful place to raise children. The neighborhood, which was gated, was safe, admired, and picturesque. The homes there were filled with seemingly happy, picture-perfect families who desired to live their lives surrounded by luxury. The houses, which were all painted bright, cheery colors, had large front porches, freshly cut lawns, and impressive views of the neighborhood lake. The lake, which was appropriately named Lake Harmony, provided endless hours of entertainment for residents of the neighborhood. Although the lake was relatively small, it was large enough for boating, water-skiing, and fishing. Many families who lived in Harmony Hills owned patio boats, speed boats, and jet-skis.

The prestigious neighborhood was also home to Harmony Hills Country Club, where there was a magnificent golf course and Olympic-size swimming pool. Because the homes in Harmony Hills were so expensive, most of the residents were highly compensated professionals. There were a lot of doctors, lawyers, and successful businessmen.

Vanessa’s husband, Matthew, was a cardiac surgeon, and a stellar one at that. People came from all over the state to seek his medical expertise. Matthew’s practice was a stunning success and had made him a millionaire many times over. While most physicians were monetarily successful, the difference with Matthew was how successful he was at such a young age. He was only thirty-six years old.

Vanessa, who had a degree in interior design and once worked at her best friend, Olivia Parker’s decorating business, now chose to stay at home and focus on raising her two children, Carter, and Tammy. Carter was six years old, and Tammy was eight years old. Both kids were tan with blonde hair. They were full of energy, and Vanessa had her hands full every day. She was especially busy right now since it was summer, and the kids were not going to school every day. Most of her days this summer were spent with her kids, socializing with their neighbors, and hanging out at the country club swimming pool. Vanessa lived an ideal life, and she thanked her lucky stars every day she woke up to another day.

Today, Vanessa was having her friend Olivia over for coffee. They were going to let their kids play together while they visited and caught up on all the latest gossip. Even though they saw each other almost every day at the pool, they couldn’t talk as freely to each other in front of the other women as they were when they were alone. While Vanessa and Olivia liked their neighbors, they didn’t share everything with them like they did with each other. Vanessa and Olivia had been attached at the hip for many years, and the strong bond between them was unbreakable.

They first met in college when they were sorority sisters at the University of Arizona. Several years later, when Vanessa and Matthew looked for houses in Scottsdale, they decided on the house down the street from Olivia and her husband. While Matthew had also attended the University of Arizona with Olivia and Vanessa, Olivia’s husband, Howard, was much older. They had only met him in recent years.

Howard was a fifty-five-year-old real estate tycoon. He was the developer of Harmony Hills, and the owner of the country club. Matthew liked Howard a lot, and frequently played golf with him. It made Vanessa and Olivia happy to know that their husbands were close friends. It also made them happy to know that their children were close friends. Like Vanessa and Matthew, Olivia and Howard had both a son and a daughter. Their son, who was eight years old, was named William. Their daughter, who was six years old, was named Amy.

Vanessa looked out her living room window as she heard a car drive up outside. It was Olivia arriving with William and Amy. She went outside and waited for them on her front porch, where she greeted them with a big smile and warm embraces.

CHAPTER 2

Wow, it’s so hot today, Olivia said as she followed Vanessa into the house. This summer has been a scorcher so far.

Yeah, it’s stifling outside, Vanessa agreed.

The two women stood in the foyer and watched as William and Amy ran up the stairs to find Carter and Tammy, who were most likely playing in the playroom.

I just made some coffee, Vanessa said, motioning for Olivia to follow her. "Let’s