9
JAIME'S POV
"Three years of my life?" Georgia repeated, her voice barely a whisper as she stared at me in disbelief.
"Exactly. You'll serve me, and you'll make this right while I figure out how to restore the carving and reinstate the mystical protection it provided our line. Do you think this is a joke? Do you have any idea what our ancestors endured to mend this whenever it was damaged? I'll likely have to be away for ages just to oversee the restoration!" I barked.
"But Jaime, it was an accident," she stammered, but I shoved the ancient tome into her arms. She clutched it instinctively, her eyes scanning the archaic ink. She shook her head slowly, the reality of the situation failing to sink in.
"Read it. You'll be cursed. The Alpha spirits that have guarded our pack for generations will hunt you down. Go ahead, tell yourself it's just a myth and see what happens," I threatened. I could see the terror etched into every line of her face.
"But… wait, Jaime, I—" She started to protest, but I snatched the book back and flipped the parchment aggressively.
"You aren't walking away scot-free while I'm left to deal with the fallout of your incompetence," I snapped, thrusting the book toward her again.
According to the law, she had to pay whatever price the heir demanded. If she couldn't afford the restoration, she owed three years of labor. Her eyes went wide as I took the book back once more.
"The price I'm setting is one billion dollars. What's it going to be? And that doesn't even include the actual cost of the master sculptor," I stated. She was speechless.
Asking for a billion dollars was essentially a death sentence. She was doing well for herself, but she wasn't wealthy. In her current state, she could never dream of seeing that kind of money.
By her silence, she had effectively accepted the role of my servant. The fiery defiance she'd shown minutes ago had evaporated, replaced by a hollow, defeated gaze. Her fingers were twisting together nervously, betraying the sheer panic she was trying to mask.
Even though I was furious about the statue breaking on my watch, I loved seeing her like this. Helpless. Broken.
She was clearly regretting the way she'd screamed at me and the insults she'd hurled. How dare she? Just because I did what every man does, she thought she had the right to lecture me? I was an Alpha; she was just an Omega.
What galled me most was her suggestion that she'd find another man to sleep with right in front of me. The very memory of those words made my skin crawl. Did she think she belonged to herself? From the moment we started dating, I had marked her as mine. No one else was laying a finger on her.
"Well?" I asked impatiently. "What's your answer?"
"I… I don't have that kind of money," she managed to say, the words sounding like they were being torn out of her.
"Nikolaj, I'm sorry you're stuck witnessing this mess. It's a disaster. Please, sit," I said. When Georgia remained frozen, I turned back to her. "Don't push me any further tonight. Breaking that heirloom has already pushed me to the brink. Sit down while I'm still being patient."
She moved instantly, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Nikolaj. It was a stark change. Usually, Georgia was quick-witted and stubborn in an argument. Seeing her this docile was strange, but satisfying.
I sat next to Nikolaj but immediately stood back up. "What can I get you to drink, Nikolaj?"
"No, no… how could I drink at a time like this? Let's settle this first," he replied, and I sat back down.
"There isn't much to settle. For the next three years, Georgia, you're my maid," I declared. I stared at the floor, but I could feel her eyes snap toward me.
I knew I was being extreme, but I wasn't about to back down now. There was a part of me that didn't want to look at the betrayal in her eyes, so I kept my gaze averted.
"Jaime… that's a bit much, don't you think?" Nikolaj interjected.
"What else am I supposed to do? What use is three years of her life? I can't force her to marry me again. This is the only way—"
"She was your fiancée. You should show some mercy," he said. Despite us being close in age, he always sounded like the voice of reason.
It made sense; he was older. Nikolaj was the youngest child of the previous generation, born when his siblings were already grown. I had been born to the eldest brother just five years later. Because of that, we were closer than he was to his own brothers. We'd even planned to share a wing in the main family estate.
"Mercy?" I questioned.
"Take some time to clear your head before you decide her fate," Nikolaj advised. "You're angry because of the fight, but don't let that anger cloud your judgment."
That was exactly what I wanted to hear—someone acknowledging my anger while stroking my ego.
"Fine. You can go, Georgia. Come back tomorrow. I'll have a specific role for you once I've thought it through," I dismissed her.
She stood up without a word. She didn't even thank me. She just walked toward the door, her steps slow and shaky. Was she really that terrified? Three years seemed like nothing to me; I would have preferred seven.
"I've had a long journey. I'm going to shower," Nikolaj said, rising from his seat.
"I'll get us some dinner," I replied, heading for the kitchen while he went to his room.
I couldn't help the surge of triumph I felt. I'd finally clipped Georgia's wings. She deserved this humiliation for daring to call me a dog.
I was going to make sure she felt every bit of the shame she'd tried to put on me.