Every moment is a lesson.
Richard makes sure of that.
"You need to control your emotions," he says as I punch the training bag in his private gym. "Right now, you’re still weak. Driven by pain and rage. That won’t win you battles—it’ll make you reckless."
I grit my teeth, throwing another punch. "What do you want me to do? Smile and pretend I’m fine?"
He tilts his head. "No. I want you to channel it. Use it to your advantage. Make it your weapon, not your weakness."
I exhale sharply, stepping back, sweat dripping down my face.
"I want to hurt him," I admit. "I want him to feel everything I felt."
Richard watches me for a long moment.
"Then become someone he’ll never be able to ignore," he says. "You want revenge? Then rise so high that he has no choice but to look up at you."
And so I push myself harder.
Every day. Every night.
Until the weak, broken woman I used to be disappears—replaced by someone stronger.
One evening, as I sit in the lounge, flipping through magazines, Richard enters with someone new.
A tall man.
Dressed in a sharp black suit, his presence demands attention the moment he steps into the room.
His eyes—piercing and observant—lock onto me.