Lena Voss had everything respect, a thriving PR career, and a future with the man she loved until one night shattered it all. Publicly humiliated when her fiancé ended their engagement before a room full of elites, she woke the next day fired over a scandal she didn’t cause. Overnight, her name became toxic, her career destroyed, and her savings gone. She lost her job, her dignity, and her future.

But someone was watching.

Nathaniel Cross, billionaire CEO of Cross Enterprises feared in boardrooms and untouchable by society was present the night she fell. A man of ice, power, and precise control, Nathaniel doesn’t believe in coincidence. He sees opportunity. And when Lena, desperate and furious, storms into his office begging for a chance to salvage her career, he makes an offer that changes everything.

Not employment.
A contract.
A proposal.

He wants her as his fiancée.

It’s not love. It’s strategy. Nathaniel is negotiating a billion-dollar merger and needs the perfect woman by his side to silence rumors, soothe shareholders, and present the image of a settled, committed man. A flawless public act. And the woman he chooses is the one already ruined Lena Voss, who has nothing left to lose.

Outraged yet cornered, Lena faces an impossible choice: reject him and watch her world collapse completely, or sign away her freedom for survival. She signs. And the game begins.

Thrown into a ruthless world of galas, flashing cameras, and whispered judgment, Lena is scrutinized at every turn. Every smile must be perfect. Every word must be calculated. One misstep could destroy them both. But the real threat isn’t the press it’s Nathaniel himself. Impossibly controlled, dangerously magnetic, he blurs the line between performance and something far darker. Every staged touch ignites a spark. Every choreographed kiss threatens the boundaries of their deal.

Yet Nathaniel Cross has enemies.

Chief among them is Isabella Rhodes, a socialite from his past who refuses to be forgotten. Poised, venomous, and armed with secrets, Isabella views Lena as nothing more than a placeholder a disposable pawn occupying the throne she still believes is hers. And Isabella will scorch the world to see Lena fall again.

But Lena is no longer the broken woman from her engagement night. This time, she fights back. She learns to navigate power, to stand in rooms meant to shame her, to meet every insult with a colder smile. She becomes exactly what Nathaniel wanted a flawless partner. But in becoming it, she becomes something he never anticipated… irreplaceable.

What Lena doesn’t know is that the true danger lies in the contract itself. Nathaniel’s calculated world was built on betrayal, and his rules are clear: never trust, never love, never succumb. She was supposed to be a pawn. Instead, she becomes his weakness an obsession he cannot control.

And obsession is deadly.

As alliances shift and secrets surface, Lena discovers that in Nathaniel’s empire, power comes with a cost. Every victory extracts a sacrifice. Every touch hides a truth. The higher they climb, the more fragile their bond becomes.

Because when the final betrayal comes and it will it won’t come from their enemies.

It will come from each other.

“Seduction by Contract” is a battle of hearts disguised as a business deal a collision of pride, desire, and power set against billion-dollar stakes and unforgiving social wars. It is the story of a woman who signed her name to save her future… and a man who believed he could control the fire he lit.

She thought she was surrendering.
He thought he was in control.
Neither was prepared for the price of pretending.

In a game built on lies, what happens when the passion becomes real?

The war room hummed like a dying machine, every screen trembling on the edge of collapse. Ethan's knuckles were white against the keyboard, his breath shallow.


On the monitor, Isabella leaned into the studio microphone, her voice seconds from going live. The chyron scrolled bold and damning: "The Betrayal of Lena Voss ; Exclusive."


Nathaniel's fists clenched at his sides. "Ethan"


The hijack bar pulsed at 99%, refusing to budge. The hacker's code slammed against them like a wave, eating lines faster than Ethan could replace them.


"Eight… seven…" Ethan's voice shook now.


Lena leaned closer, her hand steady on his shoulder. "Don't count down. Count up. One move at a time. One strike. One victory."


Something in her tone steadied him. His fingers blurred again, striking a final sequence an override that piggybacked on the hacker's own intrusion.


The chyron flickered. Isabella's lips moved, but no sound carried.


The room went dark, the storm outside swallowing the city in shadow. For a moment, silence. Then, the war room screens rebooted.


Ethan fell back in his chair, gasping like he'd just run a marathon. "We did it… Holy hell, we actually did it."


Nathaniel's eyes cut to Lena. "You bought yourself time. That's all. Adrian won't let this slide."


Lena didn't look away from the blank monitors. The victory felt hollow, heavy. If Adrian had a hacker strong enough to play with them like this, then he had more cards up his sleeve.


Her phone buzzed again. A new message from Adrian.


"Cute trick. Now the real game begins."


Lena's stomach turned cold. He hadn't just lost. He wanted her to know he'd let her win this time.


Nathaniel read over her shoulder, his jaw tightening. "He's daring you."


"No," Lena whispered, the weight settling in her chest. "He's hunting me."


The storm rattled the windows again, lightning flashing across the city skyline like a warning.


The broadcast was dead. But Adrian's war had only just started.


Chapter 19 - Blackout