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She signed her freedom away to save her brother-only to discover her worst enemy was the one holding the pen. Ava Hart has spent her life trying to outrun the shadows of her past. But when her younger brother is framed for a crime he didn't commit, she's given a choice: sacrifice her pride... or watch him rot in prison. Enter Sebastian Black-infamous billionaire, ruthless strategist, and the same man who once shattered her family. He offers a deal: marry him, and he'll make the charges disappear. But Ava knows better than to trust the man whose smile is colder than steel. What she doesn't know is that Sebastian isn't after a wife. He's after revenge-and she's the final piece of his game. But lines blur fast in the heat of war. As sparks ignite and secrets unravel, Ava finds herself caught in a maze of lies, desire, and dangerous attraction. What began as a contract may just become the most twisted love story either of them ever told. Because when enemies fall in love, someone always pays the price. And the deeper Ava falls... the more she wonders: Was the contract a trap-or her only shot at freedom?
Chapter 1 The Price of Freedom
POV: Ava
The rain hadn't stopped in hours.
It tapped on the car window like a countdown - steady, cold, and relentless - as if mocking the silence trapped inside with her. Ava sat rigid in the back seat, eyes fixed on the monolithic glass tower ahead: BlackCorp Headquarters. Her stomach churned.
Her fingers clenched tighter around the damp envelope in her lap. Inside it, the arrest report. Her younger brother's face stared back at her in black and white - a mugshot that didn't match the boy she'd raised. He was nineteen. Sweet. Naïve. Barely able to fry an egg. And now? Facing embezzlement charges for stealing over half a million from the one man you never crossed.
Sebastian Black.
"Ma'am?" the driver asked gently. "We're here."
Ava didn't respond at first. Her legs refused to move. It took effort - deliberate courage - to push open the door and step into the downpour. The wind slapped her cheeks. Her heels struck the marble with hollow clicks, each one sounding like a countdown to her own sentencing.
The lobby inside was colder than the rain.
Steel. Glass. Ego.
The receptionist didn't speak - just gestured toward the private elevator like she'd seen lambs walk to slaughter before. And at the far end of the room, standing like a shadow carved from stone, was Sebastian Black.
He didn't smile.
He didn't need to.
He watched her approach with those storm-colored eyes - sharp, unreadable, and utterly indifferent.
"You're late," he said.
Ava lifted her chin. "Your assistant said noon. It's 11:59."
A corner of his mouth twitched - not quite amusement. "Then I stand corrected."
He turned without another word. Expected her to follow. Of course he did.
The elevator doors hissed shut behind them like sealing fate in a tomb. Brushed chrome. Soft music. The scent of obscenely expensive cologne.
He didn't speak until they were alone in his office - floor 42, naturally.
"I assume you've read the charges," he said, unlocking his door with a thumbprint.
"I did." Ava stepped inside. "He's just a kid. He made a stupid mistake-"
"He stole from me," Sebastian cut in, his tone like ice across skin.
"Then press charges. Do it properly."
He faced her fully then, leaning against the edge of his desk, arms folded. "I will. But I'm offering you an alternative first."
Her brows drew together. "What kind of alternative?"
Sebastian reached for a leather folder on the desk and slid it toward her.
"A contract," he said flatly. "Marry me. For one year. In exchange, I drop all charges. Your brother walks free."
Ava stared at him. Did he just say-
"You become mine," he finished.
The words punched the air from her lungs.
Her pulse thundered. "Is this a joke?"
"I don't joke."
She took a half step back, blinking like it might erase him from view. "Why me?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he studied her - like someone examining a chessboard just before a winning move.
"Because you're the only woman who ever told me no... and meant it."
Her breath caught.
Three years ago. A chance meeting. A rejected offer. He hadn't forgotten. Not even for a second.
Her voice came out tight. "You're doing this to punish me?"
"No," he said. "I'm doing this because I always collect my debts."
Ava's gaze dropped to the folder. She reached for it slowly, the edge of the leather cool beneath her fingertips. Her hand trembled.
Sebastian's voice lowered, silk over steel. "Think about it, Ava. One year of playing house - or a lifetime of watching your brother rot."
She opened the folder.
At the bottom of the page, a single line was bolded in red:
> This contract is binding. No exit. No divorce. No mercy.
Ava's fingers twitched.
She looked up, met his gaze. That same cold calm. That same ruthless fire behind his control.
"I need time to think."
He leaned in just slightly. Enough to unnerve her. "You have twenty-four hours."
A beat of silence.
"Or what?" she whispered.
Sebastian smiled - slow and merciless.
"Or I ruin him. And then I ruin you."
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