A few days later, we were released. I was extremely anxious and rushed to Adrián's room at the first moment. The door was tightly locked. No matter how much we knocked, there was complete silence inside.
It was a month later that I saw him again. He had lost a lot of weight and was as pale as a sheet of paper. His right wrist was wrapped in thick bandages and hung limply by his side. I rushed over and wanted to hug him. "Second - brother! Your hand..."
But he turned his head away to avoid me, his lips tightly pressed together, and his eyes empty and lifeless. Finally, an old servant secretly told us the truth. She stammered, "The duke disliked that the second young master's hands always touched those useless old books and violins, so he had someone break the joints of his hand. The doctor said the wrist bone was cracked and the nerves were damaged. He probably won't be able to do delicate work anymore."
I felt cold all over, and my teeth chattered uncontrollably. Adrián walked up behind us at some point and gently touched my arm with his left hand. His voice was as soft as a sigh. "It's okay."
Looking at the bandaged wrist on his hand, my eyes welled up with tears. I asked, "Second - brother, what can I do?"
"Do you want to help me?" Adrián looked up, his eyes weak but extremely clear.
"Yes!" I replied firmly.
He nodded. "Then... make yourself strong and stand in front of us."
Adrian, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. His voice was full of determination. "Lillian, Duke Black has made his move. He has annexed all the trust funds left by our mother. Now he only trusts himself. If you don't want to be manipulated by him like a chess piece, you have to let him see your value."
I clenched my fists. "What should I do?"
...
From then on, Adrian and Adrián began to polish me in all aspects. They taught me how to survive, disguise myself, and even fight back under Duke Black's rules. Adrián pulled out a cold smile. "We just disdained to do these things before, not that we couldn't."
I fully utilized my strengths and avoided my weaknesses. I was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing all the knowledge they taught me. I had already mastered French proficiently and learned all the sharp words and disguise skills required for business negotiations.
After ranking first in grades by a wide margin for two consecutive years, my transformation finally caught Duke Black's attention. After graduation, he arranged for me to enter the core department of the Black - family enterprise.
I learned from Adrian's decisiveness and imitated Adrián's calmness and accuracy. I deeply engraved all of Duke Black's cold - blooded business methods in my mind.
Four years passed. In an overseas energy - bidding event that would determine the direction of the Black - family enterprise for the next decade, I defeated Duke Black's trusted subordinate, who he had cultivated for many years, with a ruthless and accurate strategy that exceeded everyone's expectations and won the bid.
After the dust settled, Duke Black summoned me to his top - floor office, which symbolized supreme power. He sat behind the huge desk, rhythmically tapping on the table with his fingertips. He sized me up with a scrutinizing gaze for the first time. "Lillian, you did a great job. You're even more outstanding than I thought."
He paused, and his tone was full of false emotion. "I wonder... if your mother ever mentioned me to you? If I hadn't chosen to marry someone else back then, maybe we would be an ordinary but happy family of three now."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, the meaning was obvious. An ordinary and happy family of three? What a ridiculous assumption! I would never forget my mother's unwillingness on her deathbed, the caution and trepidation when I first entered the Black family, and the bandage on Adrián's wrist and the palm print on Adrian's face. The tenderness he showed now was just an appraisal of a knife that had finally been sharpened.
"Thank you for your praise, father." I bowed slightly, with a respectful posture and a calm voice. "It's because of your good guidance. I'll definitely live up to your expectations."
He was obviously satisfied with my answer and said "good" several times. I turned around and left, with my back straight.