“The press is trying to figure out who you were talking about,” she said.

She sat down in the chair opposite me.

“They are looking into your background.”

She handed me her tablet.

An article from a prominent Bay Area business blog was on the screen.

The headline read: *Solar Reach Founder’s Graduation Speech Hints at Dark Family Secrets.*

The writer had done their research.

They listed my parents’ names, Helen and Arthur Mitchell.

They mentioned Derek’s recent MBA graduation.

They even mentioned the local real estate development company my mother ran back home.

“People are commenting on your mother’s business page,” Priya said softly.

“They are asking if she is the one who wanted you to sell your soul.”

I rubbed my temples.

The coffee beside me went cold, a thin skin forming on the surface.

My phone rang.

The screen showed my mother’s name.

I did not answer it.

It rang three more times over the next hour.

Then a text message arrived from her.

*You have embarrassed this family on a national stage,* it read.

*Your father is sick over this. You need to issue a retraction immediately.*