“Sarah,” he muttered, his voice weak. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Your mother is only trying to protect our family’s assets.”

“What assets, Dad?” Derek interrupted.

“You don’t own our minds.”

“And you don’t own the work we did with our own hands.”

Helen turned her gaze to Derek, her eyes hard and analytical.

“You are being incredibly foolish, Derek,” she said.

“You have an MBA from a top institution because we paid for it.”

“You have a future in corporate development because we built the bridge for you.”

“If you walk away with this… this vanity project, you will have nothing.”

“No references, no capital, no reputation.”

She tapped her fingers on the leather folder.

“We can tie you up in federal court for five years,” she said.

“By the time the judge rules in your favor, your technology will be obsolete.”

“You will be broke, and you will be forgotten.”

I looked at her hands, which were perfectly manicured, the large diamond ring on her finger catching the light.

She had spent her entire life using status as a shield and a weapon.