The Small Devil

Chapter 4

POV: Odette

The black Maybach glided to a halt at the base of a sweeping, double-winged stone staircase.

I sat frozen in the seat for a long second, staring up at the Valmont Estate. Up close, it was even more intimidating. It wasn't just a mansion; it was a fortress of black marble, towering glass windows, and imposing Gothic architecture. It practically radiated old-money wealth and cold, untouchable power.

One of the bodyguards opened my door and I grabbed my bag, my knuckles turning white from how tightly I was gripping the straps, before stepping out into the morning air.

Nikolai didn't wait for me and had already climbed the stone steps, walking through the massive front doors.

I hurried after him, my cheap sneakers squeaking slightly against the polished floor of the grand foyer. The interior of the house was breathtaking, but it felt entirely devoid of life. There were no family photos, no warmth. Just towering portraits of stern, unsmiling ancestors staring down at me in judgment.

"Follow me," Nikolai ordered without looking back, his long strides eating up the distance.

We climbed a curved staircase to the second floor and walked down a long, dimly lit hallway. The further we went, the more the pristine illusion of the house began to crack. There was a shattered vase swept into a corner. A beautiful oil painting hung crookedly, its canvas slightly torn.

Nikolai finally stopped in front of a set of wooden double doors. Unlike the rest of the house, these doors were covered in deep, ugly gouges, as if a wild animal had been frantically clawing at the wood.

Before I could even ask what was inside, a loud, violent crash echoed from behind the doors. Something heavy shattered against the wood, making me flinch backward.

"I told you to leave me alone!" a high-pitched, furious voice screamed from inside. "I'm not eating it! I'll bite you!"

Nikolai didn't flinch, his broad shoulders barely even tensed. He just turned to me, his icy gray eyes completely devoid of warmth.

"That is my son, Cai," he introduced, his voice emotionless .

I blinked, momentarily stunned. "You have a son?"

"He is nine years old," Nikolai continued, ignoring my surprise. "He has driven away twenty private tutors in the last thirty days, bites the household staff and throws furniture. He also refuses to study, is terrified of his own inner wolf, and his uncontrollable shifts are driving everyone in this estate to the brink of insanity."

I stared at the scratched wood, listening to the heavy panting coming from the other side of the door.

"Okay," I nodded slowly, turning my gaze back to the towering billionaire. "But what does your out-of-control kid have to do with me? I'm not a nanny."

"You are a top-tier child psychology student," Nikolai corrected smoothly, his sharp eyes pinning me in place. "I ran a full background check on you this morning while you were sleeping off your hangover. I know your grades and that you specialize in behavioral rehabilitation. You should know how to handle such situations."

He even knew of my hangover?

He took a slow step closer, using his size and Alpha aura to force me to look up at him.

"This is your debt, Odette," Nikolai stated, his tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. "You will live in this house for three months. You will tutor Cai every single day. You will ensure he passes his private school entrance exams, and you will teach him to control his anger."

I gripped my duffel bag tighter, my heart beginning to race. "And what happens if I say no?"

"If you refuse, I ruin you," he said simply, without a trace of malice or hesitation. "If he drives you away like the others, you fail. If you decide to quit because it gets too hard, you fail. And if you fail, I promise you, I will make you regret the day you ever touched me in that ballroom."

"And if I succeed?" I challenged, refusing to cower. I forced myself to stand tall, locking my green eyes with his storm-gray ones. "If I actually tame him?"

Nikolai’s gaze dropped to my lips for a second. A raw, dark tension flared between us before his expression hardened again. "If you succeed, your debt is paid in full. You walk away a free woman."

I looked away from him, my mind spinning at a thousand miles an hour.

I was officially trapped under the same roof as Clara Valmont. I would have to see her perfect face everyday and likely watch her parade Beckett around the estate. The very thought made my stomach churn with fresh anger.

But as I looked back up at Nikolai, an entirely different thought crashed into my brain.

Nikolai owned the Valmont Corporation, the exact hockey team that had just given Beckett a multi-million-dollar contract. He held the power to make or break Beckett’s entire existence with a single snap of his fingers.

Clara had tried to destroy my life to prove a point. Beckett had thrown away five years of my sacrifice for a paycheck.

If I stayed here, I wouldn't just be paying off a debt. I would be on the inside. Nikolai chose me over his daughter recently. Maybe he had a thing for me. If so, it shouldn't be a problem to do it again. If I could get through to this little monster behind the door, I would prove my worth to him. And if I could tempt him, make this cold, untouchable billionaire crave me, I could use his absolute power to annihilate Beckett's career. I could strip them of everything they loved, just like they did to me.

A dangerous, wicked thrill sparked in my chest.

I dropped my bag onto the floor and stared at Nikolai, tilting my chin up defiantly.

"Three months. I live here, I tutor your son, and I get him to pass his exams. But I do it my way. No interference from you, and absolutely no interference from your spoiled daughter."

Nikolai’s eyes darkened, a flash of genuine surprise crossing his features before it shifted into something that looked dangerously close to respect.

"Deal."

He stepped aside, gesturing toward the deeply scarred wooden doors.

I didn't hesitate and reached out, turning the handle, and pushing the doors open.

I couldn't believe me eyes.