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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

I moved quickly, my heels clicking softly against the marble floors as I navigated the dimly lit hallway. The party noise faded behind me, replaced by the low hum of security systems running in the background.

Liam Kingston's penthouse was a fortress. Cameras, motion sensors, guards stationed at key entry points. But every security system had a flaw—and I knew exactly where to exploit it.

"You're almost at the vault," Kai's voice crackled through my earpiece. "Security's light in that corridor, but you've got two guards rotating every three minutes. Move fast."

I reached the heavy steel door and pulled out a small device, attaching it to the biometric scanner. The screen blinked red—unauthorized.

"Of course he has a damn fingerprint lock," I muttered under my breath.

"Told you this was a bad idea," Kai whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, be helpful or shut up."

I took out a thin film-like strip, carefully placing it over the scanner. It was a synthetic print, copied from a glass Liam had once used in my presence. I only had one shot at this.

The scanner blinked yellow. Processing.

A soft click sounded as the locking mechanism disengaged.

"Move fast, Celeste. You've got ninety seconds before the next guard rotation."

I stepped inside, shutting the vault door behind me. The room was dim, lined with shelves filled with neatly organized stacks of cash, documents, and locked boxes.

But my focus was on one thing—the file Adrian wanted.

It was sitting in a glass case in the center of the room. Almost too easy.

I approached it cautiously, scanning for any secondary security triggers. Sure enough, a thin laser grid surrounded the case—a trap for idiots who thought they could just grab and run.

"Kai, I need a way to kill the laser grid."

"There's no off switch, but there's a power supply panel on the wall to your right. If you cut the feed, you'll have exactly ten seconds before the backup system kicks in."

I moved to the panel, pulling out a small knife and wedging it under the cover. With a quick snap, I exposed the wires.

"Cut the blue one," Kai instructed.

An alarm started blaring.

"What the hell?!" I hissed.

"I don't know! That should've worked!" Kai snapped.

Damn it. Of course Liam had a backup plan.

I shoved the file into my dress, sprinting to the door.

Footsteps pounded outside. The guards were coming.

I yanked open the door and bolted—straight into Liam Kingston himself.

His dark eyes flickered with something unreadable as he took in my presence.

"Celeste," he murmured, almost amused.

I swallowed hard. Shit.

Chapter 26: The Vault