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

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. Liam's cigarette burned low, the ember flickering in the dim light of the car.

"You think I don't know Vale's game?" His voice was quiet, but sharp enough to cut. "He's been looking for an opening for months. And tonight, you gave him one."

I clenched my fists. "I didn't agree to anything."

I turned to him, anger rising in my chest. "So what, you don't trust me now?"

Liam finally looked at me. And I hated what I saw.

Just calculation.

"Trust isn't given, Celeste. It's earned." He took one last drag of his cigarette before flicking it out the window. "And right now? You're dangerously close to losing mine."

Because Liam Kingston didn't make idle threats.

"I didn't go to him for fun, Liam," I snapped. "I went because you sent me in blind. You didn't tell me what he had that you wanted. You didn't tell me what I was actually up against."

His jaw tightened, but he didn't deny it.

I scoffed. "So forgive me if I hesitated when someone finally treated me like more than just a damn pawn."

Liam's fingers drummed against his thigh. Then, just when I thought he might let it go, he leaned in.

"You don't get to hesitate, Celeste." His voice was a low growl. "Not in this game. Not when lives are on the line."

"Whose lives?" I shot back. "Yours? Mine? Or are we just collateral damage?"

He didn't answer. And that silence told me everything.

"What the hell have you gotten me into?" I whispered.

Liam exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. For the first time, he looked… tired.

"It's not that simple," he muttered.

"Nicholas Vale isn't just a threat. He's the key to everything. And if he turns you against me… I lose everything I've built."

The weight of his words settled over me like a noose.

Because this wasn't just about me.

This was about a war. And I was standing in the middle of it.

Chapter 38: The Devil’s Leash