Vortex of Vengeance follows Athena Williams, a young woman whose life is torn apart by violence before she is given the chance to grieve. She witnesses her father’s brutal murder, loses her mother to disappearance, and is left with the haunting uncertainty of her brother’s fate. In a single moment, Athena is stripped not only of her family, but of safety, innocence, and the luxury of mourning in peace.

Taken in by the powerful Williams family, Athena is surrounded by wealth, order, and control—yet none of it soothes her grief. She learns quickly that sorrow is tolerated only when it is quiet, that pain must be contained, and that anger has no place in polite halls. Athena adapts. She becomes composed, observant, and unreadable. But her silence is not healing—it is pressure building beneath the surface.

While others expect time to dull her wounds, Athena’s pain sharpens instead. Every reminder of her father’s broken promises, every night haunted by the image of his body, fuels a growing resolve: those responsible will not escape consequence. Vengeance becomes her way of breathing. It is not born from cruelty, but from the need to make meaning of loss—of proving that her family’s suffering was not insignificant, not forgotten.

As Athena navigates school, family politics, and fragile relationships, she learns how power truly operates—through influence, fear, reputation, and secrets. Each humiliation she endures, each betrayal she witnesses, strips away another layer of restraint. Her grief evolves into calculation. Her sorrow into discipline. Athena does not lash out blindly; she waits, studies, and prepares.

The girl who once cried in silence begins to harden. Yet beneath her growing coldness lies a dangerous contradiction: she still loves deeply, and that love threatens to destroy her just as much as her rage empowers her. As vengeance draws closer, Athena is forced to confront a harrowing question—how much of herself can she sacrifice before she becomes indistinguishable from those she despises?

Vortex of Vengeance is a story of suppressed grief, moral corrosion, and the slow, terrifying transformation of a wounded soul. It explores how pain, when denied release, can reshape a person into something formidable—and how vengeance, while intoxicating, demands a price no one escapes unchanged.

The room was narrow and warm, washed in amber light. Spices burned softly in the air, rich and comforting, the kind of place people came to forget things.


Madeline pushed the door open first. Athena followed.


Stephan was already there, seated in the corner, elbows on the table, fingers wrapped around a glass of water like he'd been waiting longer than he wanted to admit.


He looked up and smiled. "Hey. You made it."


"Hey," Madeline said, sliding into the seat across from him.


Athena hesitated, then sat beside her. "Hi."


She glanced around once, uneasy. "How did you know we'd be here?"


Stephan tilted his head toward Madeline. "She texted me. Told me to wait."


Madeline didn't look away from Athena. "I called him because…" She paused, searching Athena's face. "We're friends. Right?"


Madeline studied her a second longer. Then, gently—but not letting it slide—


"Athena, talk to us. You've been carrying something since school."


Athena's shoulders stiffened. "I'm fine."


Stephan leaned forward slightly. "You don't look fine. And you don't have to pretend with us."


Athena's jaw tightened. She looked down at the table, then back up. When she spoke, the words came fast, sharp, like they'd been cutting her from the inside.


"How do you expect me to be fine?" she said. "Today I met the heiress of the BT Group."


Madeline's expression hardened instantly. "Scarlett Black."


"Yes," Athena said. "BT Group is just a mask. Underneath it is Blackthorn. The people who destroyed my family." Her voice shook, but she didn't stop. "They took everything from me—and they walk around like nothing ever happened."


"I don't even know if my mother is alive. Or my brother. And I'm supposed to smile? Go to school? Pretend?"


Madeline leaned in, her eyes burning—not with pity, but with resolve.


"If they hurt you," Madeline continued, steady and unflinching, "then make them answer for it. But hear me clearly—whatever path you choose, you won't walk it alone."


Stephan nodded without hesitation. "We're with you. All the way."


Athena swallowed. For a moment, she looked like she might break. Then something steadied inside her.


Madeline exhaled. "So. What's the first move?"


"My mother learned from someone. A mentor. If I find him—if I understand what she knew—I'll understand the world she was dragged into."


Stephan didn't even blink. "Then we find him."


"No conditions," Madeline added. "No backing out."


Athena met their eyes, one after the other. Something unspoken passed between them—a promise forming, binding.


"This isn't just anger," Athena said softly. "It's a vow."


Madeline nodded. "Good. Just don't die of hunger before revenge."


Athena let out a small, real smile. "Okay. I'll eat."


As he walked away, the restaurant's noise crept back in—laughter, steam, clinking plates.


Athena pulled her sleeve down, reached for her food, and took a bite.


Chapter 25 - The first vow