It was the moment everything would come apart.
—
That evening, the terrace glowed under soft lights. The city stretched beneath us.
I stood there, calm in a way I hadn’t expected.
My parents arrived first—uneasy, out of place. Megan followed, pale. Brian came last, trying to look relaxed.
When they saw me, they froze.
Adrian raised his glass.
“Tonight, we celebrate Lily Carter joining our company—and the acquisition of an exceptional platform.”
Applause filled the space.
Then his tone shifted.
“We also want to acknowledge the integrity of its creator… in defending her work from attempted theft.”
Brian’s face went white.
Folders were passed around.
My dad flipped through the pages, his hands shaking. My mom covered her mouth. Megan read faster, then turned to Brian.
“Tell me this isn’t true.”
He stumbled over his words, trying to explain, to twist it.
“I was just trying to help… I thought she wouldn’t know what to do with it…”
Each word made it worse.
“You used me?” Megan asked quietly. “You mocked her… while trying to steal from her?”
He didn’t answer.
And that silence said everything.
My dad slammed the folder down.
“You went into her room and took her work?!”
The anger in his voice came too late.