The velvet curtains parted, and the blinding glow of the stage spotlights washed over me. The roar of applause inside the Jefferson Medical Hall was deafening—a thunderous wall of sound from three thousand audience members, top medical researchers, and world-renowned surgeons, all standing on their feet.

I walked out of the backstage area surrounded by three university security guards, heading toward the main exit. But Robert, Evelyn, and Madison were waiting in the lobby, leaning against a marble pillar, desperately scanning the crowd.

The moment Robert spotted me, his face lit up with desperation. He shoved past a group of professors and ran toward me, Evelyn and Madison trailing closely behind.

"Emily! Emily, wait!" Robert called out, panting as he stopped in front of me.

"Mr. Parker," the lead security guard warned, stepping forward.

"No, it's fine, officer," I said calmly, holding up a hand. I turned to my father. "What do you want, Dad?"

Robert took a deep breath, swallowing his pride. His posture was slouched, completely devoid of the arrogant, aggressive energy he had thrown at me in the rain just two hours ago.

"Emily... I want to apologize," he said, his voice trembling with manufactured emotion. "I made a terrible mistake outside. The rain, the stress of the traffic... I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't realize who you were today."

"You didn't realize who I was?" I repeated sharply. "So if I was just a nurse's assistant, it was completely acceptable for you to grab me, yell at me, and shove me into a storm?"

Robert winced. "No! Of course not! I was wrong! I’ve been a bad father, Emily, I admit it! But blood is thicker than water, right? We’re family!"

"Family?" I let out a harsh laugh. "Family doesn't leave their child outside in the cold while they take her hard-earned invite to take photos!"

"Emily, please!" Evelyn chimed in, stepping forward and attempting to grab my hand, though I immediately pulled back. "Think of your sister! Madison was so inspired by your speech! She wants to work with you! She can be your public relations manager for your new research project!"

Madison forced a tight, panicked nod, though her eyes still smoldered with resentment. "Yeah, Emily... I have fifty thousand followers on Instagram. I can make your research go viral! We can be a team!"

I looked at Madison, almost amazed by her delusional entitlement. "You want to manage my medical research? Madison, you dropped out of community college twice and spent the last three years living off my father’s money while criticizing me for working night shifts."

Madison’s face turned bright red. "I was just trying to help!"

"No, you were trying to leech off my success," I said coldly.

Robert stepped in front of them, his eyes wide with anxiety. He lowered his voice, looking around nervously before leaning in. "Emily... listen to me carefully. I just received a notification from the hospital board. The final decision on the $15 million logistics contract for Jefferson Hospital is being finalized today. The Board Chairman told me that the new Head of Research has full control over the contract."

He grabbed my shoulders—not with fatherly warmth, but with desperate greed.

"Emily, you're the Head of Research! You have to sign off on Parker Logistics! If I get this contract, our family will be set for life! I can buy you a new car! A condo near the hospital! Anything you want!"

I looked into my father's eyes and saw the truth. He didn't care that I was valedictorian. He didn't care about my hard work or the tears I had cried over the years. He only cared that my title was his key to a golden paycheck.

"You really think you can buy me off after how you treated me?" I asked quietly.

"It's not buying you off, it's supporting the family business!" Robert argued, his voice rising in panic. "If you don't approve my company, Parker Logistics will go bankrupt by next month! I leveraged everything to bid for this contract, Emily! Everything!"