“I’m so happy you finally decided to sell, Helen,” Derek said, also raising his glass. “Now you can enjoy life. Travel, rest. You’ve worked far too much.”

I nodded, though something in his tone bothered me. It was as if he were more relieved than happy for me, as if the sale represented something entirely different to him than it did to me. “I have plans,” I replied simply. “The Robert Foundation is just the beginning.”

I saw a flicker of something—irritation? worry?—cross Rachel’s face. It was so fast I couldn’t be certain. “A foundation?” she asked, her voice suddenly tense.

“Yes. I’m creating a foundation in your father’s name to help orphaned children. A significant part of the sale will go to funding it.”

Derek coughed, nearly choking on his champagne. “How… wonderful,” he managed, but his voice betrayed an emotion closer to shock. “And how much? How much exactly are you planning to donate?”

Before I could answer, my cell phone rang. It was Nora, my lawyer and my closest friend for decades, a woman who knew my family’s history as well as I did. “I have to take this,” I said, getting up. “It’s about the final details of the sale.”

I stepped into the restaurant lobby where the reception was stronger. My call with Nora was short—a quick rundown of the final steps before signing the transfer papers the next morning. But when I returned to the table, something felt off. Rachel and Derek were locked in an urgent whispering exchange, stopping abruptly the moment they saw me approach.

“Everything alright?” I asked as I sat back down.

“Of course, Mom,” Rachel said with a smile—one so stiff and artificial it never reached her eyes. “I was just telling Derek how proud I am of you.”

I nodded and lifted my cranberry juice. I was about to drink when I noticed it: a faint, cloudy film settled at the bottom of the glass, like something had been hurriedly mixed into the red liquid. A chill tightened in my chest. I set the glass down untouched.

“Who’s in the mood for dessert?” I asked lightly, masking the panic flaring in my mind.

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