A bitter taste flooded my mouth.
Nepotism? Fine.
If he wanted to avoid conflicts of interest, then when I audited his company's taxes at year-end, I'd ensure there was absolutely no bias.
Not a shred of mercy.
——
Silence fell over the table like a shroud.
David seemed to realize he'd said too much. He waved dismissively. "I'm talking nonsense. Ignore me, Serena. Don't take it to heart."
I shoved his hand away and fixed my eyes on the man at the head of the table.
"So the clause added last year—you wrote it specifically to block me?"
Richard said nothing.
My mother tugged at my sleeve. "Serena, don't argue with your father."
I wrenched my arm free.
"Why? I scored 699, so you set the bar at 700. You didn't just want to avoid nepotism. You wanted to keep me out."
"I told you! You're my biological daughter!" Richard snapped. "If I hired you, what would people think?"
I stared at him, disbelief warring with rage.
"Dad, avoiding nepotism means not using your power to give unfair advantages! If I wasn't qualified, fine. But I ranked first in the written test and the interview! What suspicion were you avoiding?"