The single word was quiet, but it carried clearly across the silent courtyard.

My mother’s brow furrowed, a tiny crack appearing in her perfect, frozen expression.

“What did you say?” she asked.

“I said no, Mother,” Derek said, his voice gaining strength. “Keep the money.”

A soft murmur rose from the row of board members sitting behind us.

I saw Dr. Aris Thorne, our lead investor, lean forward in his chair.

“Derek, please,” our father muttered, finally looking up. “Don’t do this here.”

“No, Dad,” Derek said, turning his head slightly. “It has to be here.”

He walked away from the prototype and stopped right in front of our mother.

“For my entire life, you’ve used that money like a leash,” Derek said.

“You told me what to study, who to associate with, and how to think.”

“And you told me that Sarah was wasting her life on a fantasy.”

He looked over at me, and his eyes were brighter than I had seen them in years.

“But I’ve spent the last three hours looking at her data,” Derek said, gesturing to the screens.