I Owe the Tyrant Four Little Heirs novel Chapter 133

She had no choice.

Niamh got up and, for the third time that night, knocked on Jareth’s door.

Jareth was in his room, nursing a glass of whiskey. He had a drink or two every night before bed. This was his third.

Hearing the knock, he set down his glass and went to the door. When he saw Niamh standing there again, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

“Ms. Lynn, what is it now?” he asked coldly, blocking the doorway.

“I… I need to get something,” Niamh said, embarrassed. Even as an adult, talking to a man about feminine hygiene products was mortifying.

“What is it?” he pressed.

Niamh bit her lip. “I forgot my pads.”

Her face turned bright red as she said it.

Jareth finally stepped aside, letting her in. But as soon as she was inside, he shut the door and grabbed her wrist, pulling her against his chest.

“Mr. Bragg, what are you doing?” Niamh stammered, her heart pounding as the smell of whiskey hit her.

“Ms. Lynn, you keep knocking on my door, dressed like that… Are you trying to seduce your boss?” he murmured, his eyes dark.

Seduce him? Dressed like what? She wasn’t trying to seduce anyone. This was what she wore at home—a simple, comfortable cotton sundress.

“Mr. Bragg, I think you’re mistaken,” Niamh said, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Ms. Lynn, do you have any idea how many women would kill for the chance to be this close to me? You not only reject me, you dare to hit me?” he roared.

He grabbed her chin again, his voice dangerously low. “Ms. Lynn, you need money, don’t you? To raise your kids? Sleep with me for one night, and I’ll give you a million.”

She had the audacity to tell him to pretend his kiss meant nothing. The thought was a constant, grating insult. In his entire life, he was the one who did the rejecting. No woman had ever been so defiant.

“You think you’re so high and mighty?” he thought. “A million for one night. Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.”

But Niamh just laughed, a bitter, angry sound. Then she said through clenched teeth, “Mr. Bragg, I may need money, but I will never sell my dignity to get it.”

Years ago, when she was at her lowest, a neighbor had tried to convince her to go into prostitution. She had refused.