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.

A week of bruises has reshaped Athena. Sweat streaks her temples as she drives a heavy punch into Harvey's guard. He stumbles back a step—then laughs, genuinely impressed.


"It took your mother two weeks to hit me like that."


Athena exhales sharply, rolls her shoulders, and reaches for her water bottle. She drinks deeply, eyes never leaving him.


"As her daughter," she says evenly, "I don't have the luxury of matching her. I have to surpass her."


Harvey studies her for a moment—this girl with fire in her bones—then nods.


"Your disguise work is improving," he says. "So tell me. What's your plan for retaliation?"


Athena doesn't hesitate. "Blackthorn. I'll start from the design department. Low visibility. High access. I need to understand their internal flow before I strike."


Harvey chuckles, straightening his gloves. "Then you're lucky."


She looks up, startled. "You'll help me?"


"You're my disciple," he says simply. "If I don't help you, I'd be unworthy of the title."


Her lips curve into a rare grin. "You should still charge me."


"Pain," she replies. "No pain, no gain."


Harvey's expression hardens—not amused now, but serious. "Then repay me by staying alive."


The smile fades. Athena nods once. "I will."


She hesitates, then adds, "While I'm at BT Group, I might miss classes."


"No need," she says quietly. "Just informing you."


He studies her again, then gestures toward the ring. "Back to drills. Bottle down."


They resume. Minutes pass in silence broken only by breath and impact—until Harvey slows, removing his gloves.


"One more thing," he says. "Edward asked me to extend an invitation. His grandson is celebrating his birthday in two days."


"He's curious," Harvey replies. "He'll be leaving the country soon for treatment and study. This isn't much of a celebration—more of an introduction."


"Amnesia," Harvey says. "He only remembers his name."


The name lands wrong. Too heavy. Too sharp.


For the briefest second, something fractures in Athena's eyes—shock, recognition, something dangerously close to pain. Then it's gone, buried beneath control.


"End training," she says, already reaching for her bag. "I need to go."


"Aren't you going to change first?" Harvey calls after her.


He watches her disappear down the corridor, unease settling in his chest.


(soft, to himself) "That name did something to her."


Chapter 29 - Reopened wounds