acm0219

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 room felt smaller. Tighter. Like Nicholas Vale's question had wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to remind me I couldn't escape it.

"Why are you working for Liam Kingston?"

But men like Vale had a way of sniffing out deception like blood in the water.

I leaned back in my seat, keeping my expression unreadable. "Because I didn't have a choice."

His smirk didn't waver, but there was something sharp in his gaze now. "That's not an answer. That's an excuse."

I clenched my jaw. "It's all you're getting."

Vale tilted his head, watching me like I was a puzzle missing just one crucial piece. "Interesting. You don't strike me as the type to be forced into anything, Celeste. So if you had no choice, then that means… someone's pulling your strings."

My stomach twisted, but I gave him nothing. No flicker of emotion, no reaction.

"Liam, maybe?" Vale mused, swirling the ice in his glass. "Or is there someone else? Someone even he doesn't know about?"

I forced a slow breath, keeping my voice steady. "Are we done playing twenty questions? Or are you actually going to tell me what Liam wants from you?"

A pause. Then, just when I thought he might press further, Vale let out a quiet laugh.

"Fine. Since you held up your end of the deal, I'll hold up mine."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Liam wants access to my private ledger."

The ledger. The one rumored to hold records of every dirty deal, every bribe, every name tied to the underworld. If Liam wanted it, that meant he was either planning to blackmail someone—or burn the whole system down.

Either way, it meant trouble.

Vale's smirk returned. "And I don't intend to give it to him. But I might be willing to make a different deal… with you."

"Because you, Celeste, are much more interesting than Liam Kingston."

A slow chill crawled down my spine.

I'd just stepped into a game I wasn't sure I could win.

Chapter 35: The Truth I Can’t Say