Chapter 8: DNA Test*
903 Words
The black G-Wagon didn’t feel like a car. It felt like a prison with leather seats.
Ada sat by the window, arms crossed, staring at Lagos traffic but seeing nothing. Daniel drove in silence. His jaw ticked. His hands gripped the steering wheel like he was strangling it.
She had expected shouting. Threats. “You’ll marry me.” That was what billionaires did in novels.
Instead, Daniel said nothing for 20 minutes. Then he turned into a private hospital in Ikoyi and parked.
“Get out,” he said. Voice flat. Cold.
Ada didn’t move. “Why are we here?”
Daniel cut the engine. Turned to her fully for the first time since the office. His dark eyes weren’t angry. They were worse. They were certain.
“Because I don’t believe in coincidences, Miss Okafor. You show up desperate for a job 5 weeks after a night I barely remember. Then my doctor says you’re pregnant with twins. The timing is… interesting.”
Ada’s stomach dropped. “So what? You think I planned this?”
“I think,” Daniel leaned closer, close enough she could smell his cologne, “that I don’t raise another man’s child. And I don’t let my name get dragged through paternity drama when I turn 35. So we’re doing a DNA test. Today. Now.”
Ada laughed. It came out broken. “You can’t force me to—”
“I can,” Daniel interrupted. “You work for me. You signed an NDA and a morality clause. Section 4.2. ‘Employee shall submit to any medical test required by company if it affects company reputation.’ I’m making this affect company reputation.”
That was a lie and they both knew it. But Daniel Okafor didn’t lie. He bent truth until it broke.
Inside the hospital, a nurse led Ada to a private room. White walls. Cold chair. Cotton swab. Daniel waited outside, arms crossed, looking like a judge.
“Open your mouth, Miss,” the nurse said gently.
Ada wanted to refuse. Wanted to run again like yesterday. But where would she run? Her mother’s hospital bills were 2.4 million naira overdue. Daniel paid her salary. Daniel paid the hospital directly now. She was trapped by her own desperation.
She opened her mouth. The swab touched her cheek.
`That’s it. Now he’ll know.`
But know what? That the babies were his? Or not his?
The nurse sealed the sample. “Results in 48 hours, Sir.”
“Expedite it,” Daniel said without looking at her. “I want results in 12 hours. Money is not an issue.”
Money was never an issue for Daniel Okafor.
On the drive back to the office, Ada finally spoke. “What happens if it’s not yours?”
Daniel didn’t look at her. “Then you’re fired. And you pay back every naira I spent on your mother’s treatment.”
Ada’s blood went cold. “You said you’d help her—”
“I help people who are useful to me,” Daniel said. “If you’re carrying some stranger’s twins, you’re not useful. You’re a liability.”
The word hit harder than any slap. Liability.
Not a woman. Not a mother. A liability.
Ada turned to the window and cried silently. No sound. Just tears. Because Daniel Okafor didn’t comfort crying women. He fired them.
At 8pm, her phone buzzed. Unknown number. Text message:
`Ada, it’s David. I saw you running yesterday. Are you okay? Daniel can be… intense. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here. -D`
Ada stared at the message. David. The man from the hotel. The real father, if Daniel’s test came back negative.
Her finger hovered over reply. What could she say? `Yes I’m pregnant with your twins but your brother thinks they’re his and if DNA says no I lose everything`?
She deleted the message instead.
12 hours later, Daniel called her into his office at 6am. He never slept. He never waited.
He held a brown envelope. Hospital logo. Sealed.
“Open it,” he said, sliding it across the desk.
Ada’s hands shook. She broke the seal. Pulled out the paper.
`PATERNITY DNA TEST RESULTS`
Her eyes scanned for one word: `MATCH` or `NO MATCH`.
Daniel watched her face like a hawk watches prey.
Ada found the line. Her vision blurred.
`Probability of Paternity: 99.99%`
`CONCLUSION: Mr. Daniel Okafor cannot be excluded as the biological father.`
The paper slipped from her fingers.
Daniel picked it up. Read it once. Then again. Something flickered in his eyes. Not joy. Not softness. Possession.
He stood, walked around the desk, and stopped in front of her chair. He lifted her chin with one finger.
“Good,” he said quietly. “Now we both know the truth, Ada. Those children are mine. My blood. My name. My responsibility.”
He paused. His thumb brushed her cheek, wiping a tear she didn’t know fell.
“And my woman. Whether you like it or not.”
Ada closed her eyes. Trapped. Again.
But outside the office door, David was walking past with coffee. He paused when he heard Daniel’s voice.
`My woman. My children.`
David frowned. Something about that didn’t feel right. Something about Ada’s eyes yesterday didn’t feel right either.
He didn’t know why. But he was going to find out.
`David Remembers` - He finds the hotel receipt with Ada’s name.
- Writer
