The price of loving Jennifer.

Chapter One – Matchmaking

The notification chime on Jennifer Oko’s phone sounded for the fourth time that morning.

Her eyes opened immediately.

For a brief moment, excitement rushed through her. She reached for the phone on her nightstand, hoping the message she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Her NYSC call-up letter.

She unlocked the phone.

Her excitement vanished.

It was another notification from her university group chat.

Jennifer groaned and dropped the phone onto her plush duvet.

“Seriously?”

She fell back against her pillows and stared at the ceiling.

For three weeks, she had been checking the NYSC portal almost obsessively. Morning, afternoon, night. Still nothing.

At twenty-two, Jennifer was ready for a new beginning. She had recently graduated from university, and although her father had already started talking about her future, she wanted to experience life on her own terms.

Being Douglas Oko’s daughter came with privileges, but it also came with expectations.

Her father was one of the wealthiest businessmen in the city, owning commercial properties, shopping complexes, warehouses, and residential estates. His name carried influence wherever he went.

Jennifer loved him, but sometimes his wealth felt like a cage.

Everyone knew her as Douglas Oko’s daughter.

She wanted people to know Jennifer.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

“Jennifer, my dear?”

She recognized her father’s voice.

“Come in.”

Douglas Oko entered, impeccably dressed in a tailored dark suit. Behind him came Victoria, Jennifer’s stepmother, wearing a graceful dress and her usual pleasant smile.

“Good morning, Dad.”

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Morning, Victoria.”

“Good morning, darling.”

Douglas glanced at the phone on her bed.

“Still waiting for your National Youth Service Corps posting?”

“Yes.”

“You'll get it. Be patient.”

“I've been patient for three weeks.”

Douglas chuckled.

Jennifer looked between him and Victoria. Something felt strange.

“You didn't come here just to discuss NYSC.”

Douglas exchanged a glance with Victoria.

“We're hosting a special dinner tomorrow evening,” he said. “Greg Adams and his family will be joining us.”

Jennifer knew Greg Adams. He was one of her father's biggest business partners.

“Should I tell the kitchen to prepare something special?”

Victoria smiled.

“We want you there.”

“Why?”

“Greg's son, Julian, just returned from London. He completed his master's program.”

Jennifer's stomach tightened.

“Dad…”

Douglas smiled.

“Julian is educated, ambitious, responsible, and comes from a respectable family. Greg and I believe he would be a wonderful match for you.”

“A match?”

“You should meet him.”

“Are you trying to arrange a marriage?”

“Nobody is forcing you to marry him.”

“Then why am I meeting him?”

“Because you may like him.”

Jennifer folded her arms.

“And because his father does business with you?”

Douglas's expression hardened.

“That has nothing to do with it.”

Victoria quickly intervened.

“Darling, it's only dinner. Talk to him. Get to know him.”

Jennifer shook her head.

“I don't want someone deciding who I should love.”

Douglas's voice softened.

“We're not deciding that. I'm asking you to give him one evening. If there is no connection, we'll leave it there.”

Jennifer looked at him.

He seemed sincere.

That made refusing even harder.

“Fine. One dinner.”

Douglas smiled.

“That’s my girl.”

“Don't celebrate. I'm doing this because I respect you, not because I want a boyfriend chosen by my father.”

Douglas laughed.

“I understand.”

He and Victoria left the room.

The moment the door closed, Jennifer grabbed her handbag and car keys.

She needed to see Jack.

Twenty minutes later, she was driving toward the other side of town.

The luxurious streets surrounding her father's estate gradually gave way to crowded roads, small shops, old taxis, and buses. Finally, she turned into a dusty auto garage.

The smell of motor oil, petrol, burning rubber, and exhaust filled the air.

Jennifer parked and stepped out.

Her designer sneakers looked completely out of place against the grease-stained ground.

Then she saw him.

Jack Timon stood beneath the raised bonnet of an old sedan. His faded work shirt was stained with grease, his dark hair messy, and his hands covered in oil.

He looked nothing like the polished men her father usually brought home.

Jennifer loved that about him.

Jack looked up.

His tired face brightened.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

He wiped his hands with an old rag.

“What brings you here?”

“My dad.”

Jack's smile faded.

“What happened?”

Jennifer leaned against her car.

“He dropped a bomb on me this morning.”

She told him about the dinner.

“Greg Adams?”

She nodded.

“His son just returned from London.”

Jack's expression changed when he understood.

“Julian Adams?”

“You know him?”

“Only by reputation.”

“They want me to have dinner with him tomorrow.”

Jack looked away.

“And you agreed?”

“Just one dinner.”

Silence settled between them.

Jennifer studied his face.

“You're jealous.”

“I'm not.”

She smiled faintly.

“You're terrible at hiding your feelings.”

Jack shook his head, but the smile never reached his eyes.

Jennifer's expression became serious.

“Jack, I'm scared.”

“Of what?”

“Losing control of my own life.”

Jack stepped closer.

“You won't.”

“You don't know that.”

“I know you.”

His voice was calm.

“You're stronger than you think.”

Jennifer looked down.

“What if this dinner changes everything?”

“Then we'll deal with it.”

She looked into his eyes.

“Promise me you won't disappear.”

“I won't.”

Neither of them noticed the dark SUV parked across the road.

Someone inside was watching them.

After several seconds, the vehicle slowly drove away.

Jennifer turned back toward Jack, unaware of what had just happened.

She had no idea who had been watching them.

She also didn't know that tomorrow's dinner would set off a chain of events that would challenge everything she believed about love, family, loyalty, and wealth.

For now, she only knew one thing:

She had agreed to meet another man.

And that decision might cost her far more than she imagined.