Novels by Jennifer Okoye

Jade stood at the back of the church in a silver dress that suddenly felt all wrong. Too tight. Too shiny. Like it knew exactly what she was about to do. Maybe her real mistake wasn’t walking into this church. Maybe it was ever loving an older man like Kain. Last night still clung to her skin. The way he touched her. The way he said her name. How the hell was she supposed to erase that? She tried to breathe. Her chest tightened. Fingers numb. Inside, her heart thundered like a war drum — but outside? Still. The church looked like a royal fantasy. Gold arches. Endless white roses. Velvet-covered pews. Cameras flashing from every corner. And at the altar, dressed like a queen in pure white, stood Scarlett. Her sister. Her nightmare. Smirking like she’d already won — little did she know, Kain had footage of her bribing hotel staff, setting them all up. After everything she had done , she would be done for. Jade didn’t flinch. Her parents smiled like everything was fine — l

The moment his eyes cracked open, Kain knew something was wrong.His body was heavy. Too heavy. Like sinking into quicksand. His head spun. His mouth tasted like ash. It felt dry and bitter.He tried to sit up.Failed. Miserably.Scarlett.What the hell did she give him?He dragged a hand through his messy hair, wiping sweat from his brow, struggling to claw his way back to consciousness. His pulse thudded in his ears, loud and relentless.“Kain?”A soft voice, close yet distant.His heart stuttered.Jade.His eyes fought to drag toward the door, his muscles screaming in protest.There she was. Standing by the door. Hesitant. Nervous. Like she wasn’t sure whether she should’ve come in at all.“What are you… doing here?” His voice came out rough, hoarse—weak. He hated how it cracked.“Scarlett said you needed me. That you wanted to talk.” She stepped closer, her eyes scanning him, concern flickering behind the calm exterior. “You don’t look good.”Her words almost made him laugh. Or c

Jade froze.But Kain didn’t stop.His mouth brushed the corner of hers—hot, unyielding, claiming—as if the assistant’s voice hadn’t just shattered the moment.Her heart plummeted. For a wild second, she’d thought it was Rob barging in with trouble.But no. Worse.What would the assistant think, seeing her like this? With him?Stupid. So stupid.“S-sorry to interrupt, sir,” the assistant stammered, cheeks flushed. “The Millers are asking if you’ll join them for dinner.”Kain’s jaw flexed, a muscle ticking. “I’ll be there.”Jade shoved him back. Her hands trembled. Why had she come?She knew how this would end. Same way it always did—with shame. With heartbreak.She stormed past the assistant, down the corridor, away from his scent, his heat, his everything.But her fingers brushed her lips.What did I just do?She could still feel the scorch of his mouth on hers.Worse—why did I like it?Because she’d just kissed her sister’s fiancé.No. He had kissed her.But she hadn’t stopped him.A

The cameras snapped like lightning tearing across a black sky.And then—he stepped out.Kain Wolf emerged from the white Bentley.Noise erupted around him—shouts, camera shutters, fans screaming his name. The world wanted a fairy tale.A picture-perfect love story.But inside him?There was nothing but a hollow ache curling in his chest like rot.Scarlett stepped out after him. Her crimson dress clung to every curve like a promise she never meant to keep.She slid her hand through his arm with the ease of someone who posed for power, not for love.Like she was his.Like she ever had been.He looked away.Because no flashbulb, no crowd, no amount of applause could blind him to the truth.She wasn’t the one. The air felt too tight.His lungs burned with the weight of absence—Jade’s absence.He scanned the crowd, instinctive. Hoping.But all he saw were strangers and shadows.What replayed instead:The gunshot.The blood.The rain.A woman collapsing into him. Her heartbeat syncing with

The rain lashed down like judgment. It didn’t fall—it punished. It soaked her dress to her skin, heavy like regret. Her heels squelched on the cracked sidewalk. Her hair hung in ropes down her spine. Every step carved more pain into her legs, her lungs, her soul. But Jade didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Because if she turned back now—he’d see her break. Behind her stood Kain. Silent. Still. Burning. She didn’t need to look. She felt his eyes on her—hot on her back like fire. Like he was memorizing her. The way she left. The way she crumbled. He didn’t chase her. He didn’t beg. And that shattered her more than if he had. She bit her lip until she tasted blood . You’re doing the right thing, she lied to herself. He’s just a beautiful stranger. You don’t fall for every beautiful thing you see. You’re saving him from you. She crossed the street—toward the alley. The shortcut to nowhere. Quiet. Fast. Invisible. Because girls like her? They d

Kain should’ve kissed her. Her breath had trembled against his, her heartbeat thudding like war drums between them. One second longer and he would’ve taken her mouth, claimed it like a vow, ended the torment burning behind her eyes. But instead— “I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice cracking like something breaking in her chest. “But don’t follow me.” Then she ran. Not from the storm. From him. He didn’t chase. Couldn’t. Her words had gutted him, but it was her eyes—the way they flinched like he was the danger—that held him still. Outside, rain screamed down in sheets as she vanished into the dark. Her black dress clung to her like second skin, a ghost trailing through the headlights—flickering, then gone. His phone buzzed. “Boss,” his assistant crackled. “We’ve got her. Profile, address—want us to move—?” “No need,” Kain muttered, jaw tight. “I already found her.” He turned—and the world snapped. A car. Headlights off. Barreling toward her. His pulse flatlined.

A month ago:As I stand here, silently observing the world as it continues to turn around me, a profound and a somber ache takes root in the depths of my chest. Each passing moment serves as a stark reminder of the stark contrast between their lives and mine. They stride through their days unburdened, pursuing their aspirations with a sense of freedom that eludes me. Meanwhile, I find myself ensnared within the confines of a reality that I never wished for nor chose.“Every day, the yearning within me intensifies, an insatiable hunger for something more. I long to shatter the shackles that my family's expectations have placed upon me. I burn with the desire to chase my passions, to venture into unexplored territories, and to infuse vitality into the dreams that haunt my restless nights. Yet, every step I take seems like a battle, an unending struggle against the oppressive weight of their demands and the chains of tradition that bind me,” I reflect, my thoughts continuing to echo in t

As the layers between them fell away, Leon's gaze traveled over the contours of her body, a smoldering intensity that seemed to set her aflame. "Take off your heels," he ordered, the words punctuated by his gaze that held her captive. With each action, Ava's daring seemed to grow, an unwavering assertion of her presence and her desire.Finally, the moment arrived, an apex of audacity and vulnerability that neither of them could escape. "Take everything off." The command, issued with a mixture of command and curiosity, hung in the air like a challenge that Ava met with a resolute gaze. She stared into his eyes, a silent understanding passing between them, a recognition that they were both testing the boundaries of their attraction.And then, as fabric fell to the floor and inhibitions were stripped away, a silence descended, heavy with unspoken desire. Leon's closeness was intoxicating, his scent mingling with the charged air that enveloped them. Ava's heart raced, the thudding rhythm

As she ventured further, the silence of the mansion's interior seemed to envelop her, the grandeur of the surroundings both captivating and imposing. Her gaze roved, searching for the man who had effortlessly dominated her thoughts, her emotions inextricably linked to his enigmatic presence.In the dimly lit expanse of the mansion, Leon's movements remained unhurried as he poured himself a drink, the liquid glinting in the ambient light. Although his posture was seemingly nonchalant, his senses were attuned to the slightest shift in the environment. He sensed Ava's presence, her arrival a palpable shift in the air, even before she had made herself known. His voice, rich and layered, broke the silence with an observation that echoed his own intrigue. "You are one brave kid, aren't you?" The words, laced with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, seemed to hang in the air like a challenge.With each step that brought him closer to her, the layers of mystery that shrouded him seemed to d

Ava met his gaze, her eyes steadfast and resolute. "I want to get to know you better," she confessed, her words carrying the weight of her determination. With a half-smile that revealed a touch of enigma, Leon responded, "Be careful what you wish for.... It will cost you."The words hung in the air, a subtle challenge that resonated with the promises and mysteries that had woven their paths together. The masked ball had become more than an event; it was a turning point, a juncture where their worlds converged and diverged, each step they took on the dance floor reflective of the journey that lay ahead.Drawing on her own well of courage, Ava took the initiative, flipping the script as her curiosity drove her to voice the question that had lingered in the recesses of her thoughts. With a steadiness that belied the racing of her heart, she inquired, her unwavering gaze fixed upon him, "Why did you agree to go out with me?" The weight of her query hung in the air, a palpable undercurren

There he stood, clad in a manner that effortlessly exuded charm and authority. It was as if time itself paused, allowing her to take in the sight before her. The man who had captured her thoughts and ignited her curiosity was now standing before her, a living embodiment of her dreams. As their eyes met, a palpable connection formed — an unspoken understanding that held promises yet to be revealed.In that fleeting moment, Ava's nervousness was replaced by a sense of wonder, and the discomfort she had felt vanished in the wake of his presence. The ambiance of the event now seemed to bend and mold itself around them, cocooning them in a world of intrigue and possibility. With his words still hanging in the air, they were poised at the precipice of an encounter that would forever alter the course of their destinies.A month ago :Positioning himself gracefully before Ava, Leon donned a coy smile that exuded an irresistible allure, a beguiling charm that effortlessly seized her undivided

In this intricate web of longing and uncertainty, the world had taken on an ephemeral quality, reduced to a backdrop for her yearning. Time flowed with the pulse of notifications, and each ding, each buzz, carried the potential to shift her reality. As the days melded into nights and then back into days, Ava's existence became intertwined with the device that held the key to a door she desperately wished to open.Her phone, once a constant companion and harbinger of anticipation, became a weight in her hand. The persistent staring yielded to a sense of resignation, a realization that the insistent vigilance was claiming too much of her mental real estate. The hope she held onto like a fragile flame was gradually extinguished by the relentless passage of time.It was in the midst of one such early midday, as the sun stretched its rays across the sky, that the familiar ringtone pierced the air. The screen flickered with an unknown number, a digitized beacon in the sea of uncertainty. Un