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HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Author: Raven Moon

You have to get married

Author: Raven Moon
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-24 09:53:36

"You have to get married."

Abigail Salvador’s heart stopped mid-beat. She blinked, certain she had misheard her father’s words. “What?”

Lucas Elijahsat in his worn-out leather chair, his frail hands gripping the edges of his desk. His tired eyes, once filled with warmth, now carried a heaviness that sent a shiver down her spine. “You’re getting married, Abigail. It’s the only way.”

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, you’re not doing this to me.”

Her mother, seated beside him, reached for her hand. “Abi, listen...”

“Listen?” Her voice cracked as she yanked her hand away. “You want me to listen while you sell me off like some commodity?”

Lucas sighed, his face pale. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?” Abigail snapped, her pulse hammering in her ears. “Because to me, it sounds like you’re handing me over to the highest bidder.”

“Edward Dante isn’t just any man.”

She laughed bitterly. “You mean the ruthless billionaire? The one who destroys people without blinking?”

“He’s willing to help us.” Her father’s voice wavered, but his gaze remained firm. “His offer is clear. He’ll settle our debts, keep the business afloat, and ensure we don’t lose everything.”

“At what cost?” she whispered.

A deafening silence followed.

Abigail turned to her mother, pleading. “Mom… please. Tell me you don’t agree with this.”

Tears brimmed in Mariana Salvador’s eyes. “I don’t want this for you, mi amor. But we have no choice.”

Abigail’s stomach churned. “There’s always a choice.”

“No, there isn’t,” her father cut in, his voice laced with frustration. “The creditors are closing in. The hospital bills are piling up. Do you think I want this? Do you think I enjoy seeing my daughter forced into something like this?” He coughed violently, his body trembling from the strain.

Abigail rushed to his side instinctively, her hands resting on his shoulders. “Dad...”

He grabbed her hands, his grip weak but desperate. “I won’t be here much longer, Abi.” His voice softened. “And when I’m gone, who will protect you? Who will protect Sophia?”

She flinched at the mention of her younger sister.

Lucas sighed. “Edward can. He will.”

Abigail bit her lip, her mind racing. “Why me? Why not some business merger? Why a marriage?”

Her father exhaled sharply. “Because Edward demanded it.”

A chill ran down her spine. “He demanded it?”

“He wants a wife,” Lucas continued. “One who won’t ask questions. One who will stand beside him and keep the press from digging too deep into his affairs.”

“An obedient little trophy,” Abigail spat.

Mariana reached for her again, her hands trembling. “He’s not asking you to love him, Abi. Just to be his wife… for a year.”

A year.

Abigail swallowed hard. “And then what? What happens after a year?”

Lucas hesitated before speaking. “Then the contract ends, and you’ll be free.”

She laughed dryly. “Free? Do you really believe that? No one walks away from Edward Dante unscathed.”

“Please,” Mariana whispered. “Don’t make this harder.”

Abigail looked between her parents...the mother who had spent years sacrificing everything for her daughters, the father who had once stood as a pillar of strength but was now withering before her eyes.

She clenched her fists. “If I say no?”

Lucas lowered his gaze. “Then we lose everything.”

Abigail felt the walls closing in. Her chest tightened as panic clawed at her ribs. She wanted to scream, to run, to escape this nightmare.

Instead, she forced herself to breathe.

“I need time.”

Lucas nodded. “You have until tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. As if twenty-four hours could change the inevitable.

She turned on her heel, ignoring the tears burning her eyes. “I need air.”

She stormed out of the room, barely registering her mother’s voice calling after her.

Abigail barely noticed the autumn breeze as she walked aimlessly through the neighborhood, her thoughts a tangled mess of fear and fury.

Marriage. To Edward Dante.

The man whose name sent shivers down people’s spines.

She had seen his face before...in news articles, business magazines, whispered conversations at high-end social events. He was as powerful as he was untouchable. A man who built his empire on ruthless ambition and merciless deals.

And now, he wanted her.

Her stomach twisted at the thought.

A sleek black car pulled up beside her, its tinted window rolling down. A familiar voice cut through the night.

“You’re making this difficult, Abigail.”

Her breath hitched.

Edward Dante.

She turned slowly, her eyes meeting his piercing blue gaze. Even in the dim streetlight, his presence was overwhelming. Broad shoulders, sharp jawline, an aura of control that suffocated everything in its path.

Abigail’s heart pounded. “What do you want?”

Edward smirked. “You already know the answer.”

She folded her arms. “You think you can buy me?”

His expression remained unreadable. “No, Abigail. I think I already have.”

She bristled. “I haven’t agreed to anything.”

“You will.” He leaned back against the seat, watching her. “Because you don’t have a choice.”

Her nails dug into her palms. “I have plenty of choices.”

His smirk deepened. “Then why are you out here, pacing like a caged animal?”

Abigail clenched her jaw. “I came to clear my head.”

Edward tilted his head slightly, studying her. “And? Is it clear now?”

“No.”

“Then let me help.”

She scoffed. “Help? You’re the reason I’m stuck in this mess.”

His gaze darkened. “No, Abigail. Your father is.”

Her stomach dropped.

Edward continued, his voice calm but cold. “Lucas Elijahmade a deal. He gambled. He lost. And now, you’re the collateral.”

Rage surged through her veins. “You talk about me like I’m a damn property.”

“Would you rather I lie?” He leaned forward, his voice lower, sharper. “Would you rather I pretend that this is some fairytale romance? That I’m swept off my feet by your beauty and charm?”

Abigail’s breath hitched.

Edward smirked. “No, sweetheart. That’s not how this works.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “And what do I get out of this? What’s in it for me?”

His expression softened, just a fraction. “Your family survives.”

She hated how her body reacted to his words’ to the finality of them.

Edward exhaled, glancing at his watch. “You have until tomorrow. But let’s be honest…” His gaze met hers, unwavering. “You already know what your answer will be.”

The window rolled up, and the car drove off, leaving Abigail standing there, breathless and shaken.

Tomorrow.

She had until tomorrow to decide the course of her life.

But deep down, she already knew, Edward was right.

She had no choice at all.

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  • HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL   “Of course he wants me to clean his wing. Probably wants me to vacuum his ego while I’m at it.”

    “Stand up.”Abigail blinked in shock. She had dozed against the wall in the kitchen, the anguish of the tears having evaporated in her eyelashes.She could not believe she was now a maid? The golden almighty daughter of the Elijah was now a toilet cleaner!Maria loomed above her like a prison warden. Arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Her tone is even more vengeful than normal."You slept enough already. Master Edward's wing needs to get cleaned."Abigail sat up, body aching. "His wing?"Maria's lip curled in distaste. "Yes, the master's personal chambers. Which you, blessed servant girl, will sweep top to bottom."Abigail stood up straight. "Why me?"She cocked her forehead slightly. "He asked for you."The words hurt. They were meant to hurt.Spinning on one heel, Maria said, "Go, and don't touch anything you don't want to risk breaking. That includes everything."Abigail followed behind, her heart racing with every step deeper into Dante's territory.The west wing: the side of the hou

  • HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL    “From high society to scrubbing toilets what a graceful fall.”

    "Up!" Maria barked, slamming the servant's wing door open wide as though it was owing her rent.Abigail sat up in the top flat bed, stunned and aching in places she had no idea a body could ever hurt in. Her maid dress clung to her in a second skin of shame.Edward's, or, more specifically, Edward Dante's, head maid, Maria, stood in the doorway, a clipboard clutched in one hand and judgment in both eyes. Tall and wiry, a saltandpepper bun so pulled-back it might have straightened her spine, she radiated militarized discipline in every line of herself."Didn't you think that you could sleep in, new maid?"Miss new maid. Dear God, it sounds so bizarre even now. The title rubbed against Abigail's skin like grit. She had no memory of having agreed to it, but Edward Dante had given it to her as he gave degradation, easily and in thorough control.Maria wrinkled up her nose when she approached the bed. "You smell terrible."Abigail stiffened"Cleaning cages did not humble you?" Maria sniffe

  • HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL   “If I bark, just put me out of my misery.”

    He came back carrying the most amazing thing in his hand and simply said, "I'm going to take you for a walk."“You're joking.”Edward remained silent."You're joking… right? Right?" Abigail stared at the leather collar in his palm as if she were holding poison. "That's not for me. That's for a… dog. A big, misunderstood dog."“It's yours.”“Mine?" she whispered, her words cracking. "That's not what I want to hear from a man who's carrying one of those."Edward's was a blank, impassive face. Cold"You can't be serious," she exclaimed, retreating in the too-big maid's outfit. "Is this punishment? You've humiliated me already. You've caged me, fed me out of dog bowls, and slept in metal bars. And now, you're taking me for a walk?"He kneeled slowly in front of her, collar still held in his hand. "At last, you have obeyed. But obedience must be tested. Enforced."“I am not an animal!”Edward's piercing blue eyes held hers fast. "Stop behaving like one, then."“I hate you.”"I expect nothi

  • HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL   My Body

    “I accept that since you're an emotionally repressed male child who has issues controlling himself.” She retorted.The maid came back again carrying her meal again, two boiled eggs, toast, and water… in identical stainless steel bowls. She let out an audible groan.She did not know whether to bark or moo, she said to herself.“Eat, you have a big day ahead of you.”“Other than you slipping off a yacht out in the Pacific, nothing interests me.”But her belly had other ideas. It rumbled so loudly, resounding.She scowled at the bowl as if it had personally offended her ancestors. She waited. Ten seconds. Thirty. A whole minute."Gross!" She doubled over theatrically and scooped up the toast in two fingers as if it were poison. "If I get dog germs and die, you're getting haunted. Every evening you'll have me clinking your wine bottles."Edward said nothing.She gave him one of her between-the-bites stares. "What? No quip? No mischievous grin? Anything at all?"He returned to his book."D

  • HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL   Bon appetit princess

    “I'm not even going to touch this.”Another growl.Again, she gazed at the water bowl.NopeHer throat felt like sandpaper."You're not a dog, Abigail," she whispered. "You're an adult. A human. A queen."Yet another belly rumble, louder still.She moved forward, just a little. Just to peek.The water sparkled mockingly."Oh my God!" she moaned. "I'm gonna die. He's gonna unlock this cage and see me in this state of dehydration grabbing for a dog bowl."She stared at it.She burst out laughing, dry and bitter and maybe even maniacal. "This is it. This is rock bottom."She casually looked about. Nobody was watching.Bent over, she sniffed at the water.It's clean, she grumbled. "I hope so. ProbablyAnother belly groan from her."Oh, to heck with it."Dropping her head, she slurped at a sip like she was the most refined dog to ever sully womanhood.“'I hate my life'” she said, in mid-sip.The doorway creaked.She froze.Edward stood in the doorway.Cold eyes.An eyebrow arched.And she.

  • HIS TO RUIN: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL   The Cage

    "No, Edward," she said.Edward's expression grew stern. "Then you can sleep outdoors.""Might as well not," Abigail's chin firmed, her eyes sparking. "I have not arrived as your future wife to be your housekeeper."Edward inched closer, held back, dangerous, serene. "You signed the contract, Abigail."She signed it against her will."And yet, you signed. I imposed terms." He fished out and snapped the maid's outfit in her face. "Get dressed. Now."She would rather dieHe stared at her for one long, breathless moment.YesShe blinked. "What…""If you'd rather act like an animal," said Edward in a whispered tone, his honey-smooth voice over metal, "then you'll be treated as one.""What are you.""Come along." His decree brooked no argument.She stood firm.Edward gazed at her. "Or I'll carry you."Abigail gritted her teeth and followed him out of the big room, down a corridor she hadn't known existed, dark and cold, with shadows and concrete lining its walls.Where are we headed? she de

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