“I am your mother,” she said, her voice tightening.

“You cannot buy your way into something you tried to kill,” I said.

“If you do this, Sarah, you will lose everything you worked for,” she said. “The bank will take the patents.”

“Then they’ll take them,” I said. “But they won’t have your name on them.”

I moved the cursor over the gray button.

My hand was shaking slightly, but my finger was firm on the trackpad.

“Sarah, don’t be foolish,” she said.

“Goodbye, Mom,” I said.

I clicked the button.

A dialogue box popped up: *Are you sure you want to reject this investment? This action cannot be undone.*

I clicked *Yes*.

The screen loaded for a second, a small circle spinning in the center.

Then the status changed to *Rejected*.

I disconnected the call with my mother.

I took a deep breath, the cold air filling my lungs, smelling of dry pine and asphalt.

I switched back to Marcus and Derek.

“It’s done,” I said.

There was silence on the line for several seconds.