“I received them,” I said. “Along with the clause that triggers a default on our bridge loan if I reject your money.”

There was a brief, calculated pause on the other end.

“I don’t know anything about technical clauses, Sarah,” she said. “My financial manager handled the logistics.”

“You know exactly what you’re doing,” I said.

“I am trying to support your little project,” she said, her voice dropping into that familiar tone of patronizing patience. “It’s a very generous offer. Five hundred thousand dollars is more than enough to stabilize your cash flow.”

“You don’t care about our cash flow,” I said. “You care about the press release.”

“It is a family business, is it not?” she asked. “Your brother is there. It is only right that our family is represented publicly.”

I looked down at my shoes, dusty from the gravel path near the department buildings.

I remembered how she had looked at my lab coat during my first year of grad school, calling it an expensive apron.

“This isn’t a family business,” I said. “It’s a technology company.”