Devil's Bidding
He should have been satisfied.
Lucas had dismantled the Montage Empire, reduced its legacy to ash. Arabella Montage had nothing left: no power, no family, no future. Just her name and a heartbeat he hadn’t yet taken.
But when he saw her on that auction stage, trembling under harsh lights, something inside him shifted.
She was being sold like livestock. A girl once untouchable, now displayed for the highest bidder.
He was the architect of her ruin.
And still... he bought her.
She was the last remaining piece of the empire he had destroyed. And he needed to possess it. To possess her. To own the symbol of everything he had conquered. To fill the aching void that victory hadn't satisfied.
She used to be a free bird. Until he clipped her wings.
Now, he would remake her. Mold her. Give her purpose again, just so he could tear it all away.
Break her.
Destroy her, all over again.
He didn’t want her dead. Anything was acceptable, as long as her heart kept beating.
To her, he’s just another powerful man playing God.
But one thing becomes terrifyingly clear:
Lucas will keep her heart beating, just so he can be the one to crush it. Again and again