The little monster

Chapter 4

POV: Seraphina

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 Kingston Estate. Up close, it was even more intimidating. It was not 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 gripped the straps, before stepping out into the morning air.

Damian did not wait for me. He 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," Damian 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.

Damian 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 have told you to leave me alone!" a high-pitched, furious voice screamed from inside. "I am not eating it! I will bite you!"

Damian did not flinch, his broad shoulders barely even tensing. He simply turned to me, his icy gray eyes completely devoid of warmth.

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

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

"He is nine years old," Damian 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 pushing everyone in this estate to the brink of madness."

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 child have to do with me? I am not a nanny."

"You are a top-tier child psychology student," Damian 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 I know you specialise in behavioural rehabilitation. You should know how to handle a situation like this."

He even knew about 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, Seraphina," Damian stated, his tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. "You will live in this house for three months. You will tutor Theo every single day. You will ensure he passes his private school entrance exams, and you will teach him to master 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 becomes 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 shrink back. I forced myself to stand tall, locking my green eyes with his storm-gray ones. "If I actually tame him?"

Damian'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 Isabelle Kingston. I would have to see her perfect face every day and likely watch her parade Trent around the estate. The very thought made my stomach churn with fresh anger.

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

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

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

If I stayed here, I would not just be paying off a debt. I would be on the inside. Damian had chosen me over his own daughter, in front of everybody, only the night before. Maybe he had a thing for me. If so, it should not be too hard to make it happen 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 finish Trent's career completely. I could strip them of everything they loved, exactly as they had done to me.

A dangerous, wicked thrill sparked in my chest.

I dropped my bag onto the floor and stared at Damian, 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 own way. No interference from you, and absolutely none from your spoiled daughter."

Damian'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 did not hesitate. I reached out, turned the handle, and pushed the doors open.