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Once known as the naive and kind-hearted Ava Montague, she was betrayed, framed, and left to die by the very people she trusted most—her fiancé, best friend, and stepmother. But death did not claim her. Instead, a mysterious organization saved her and gave her a new identity: "The Vixen."
With a new face, a new name, and a burning desire for revenge, she returns as Celeste Vauxhall, a woman who plays by no rules but her own. She is no longer the weak, innocent girl she once was—she is now a master manipulator, using charm, intelligence, and deception to dismantle those who wronged her.
But revenge is a double-edged sword. As she gets closer to her targets, she finds herself entangled in a dangerous game of power, love, and deception. And when a mysterious billionaire with secrets of his own enters her life, the lines between vengeance and passion blur. Will she succeed in her mission, or will she lose herself in the very darkness she sought to control?

The Vixen

The first punch landed hard against my ribs, knocking the air from my lungs. I gasped, staggering back, but the man in front of me didn't stop. Another blow—this time to my jaw. My vision blurred, my knees buckled, and I barely caught myself before hitting the mat.

I spat blood onto the floor and looked up at the man towering over me. Kai Mercer. Ruthless. Precise. My new trainer and the closest thing to a devil in human form.

"This is pointless," I hissed. "I don't need to be a fighter. I just need to be smart."

Kai crouched in front of me, his expression unreadable. "Smart women still get killed, Celeste. You already know that."

I had been smart before. I had played by the rules. And where had that gotten me? Lying in a pool of my own blood while the people I loved laughed over my corpse.

With a growl, I pushed up from the floor and lunged.

Kai sidestepped easily, catching my wrist and twisting it behind my back in a painful hold. His breath was warm against my ear as he spoke.

"Use your rage. Control it. A wildfire burns everything, but a controlled flame? It destroys only what you want it to."

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe.

Kai released me, and this time, when I attacked, I was faster. Sharper. My movements were still sloppy, but I saw the faintest flicker of approval in his eyes before he knocked me flat on my back again.

"Better," he admitted. "But not good enough."

I wiped the blood from my lip and smirked. "Then we keep going."

Because I wasn't just training to fight.

Chapter 4: The Making of a Vixen