Chapter 13 - THE WOMAN WHO SAID NO TO FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS
Adrian tried to give Emma money.
A lot of it.
She pushed the document back.
“No.”
“It isn’t charity.”
“It looks extremely charitable.”
“It’s compensation.”
“For?”
“For what happened in my house.”
“Vanessa did it.”
“I failed to prevent it.”
“Then change your systems.”
“I did.”
“Good.”
“Take the money.”
“No.”
Adrian stared.
People rarely refused money from him.
They negotiated.
Pretended.
Accepted.
Emma simply said no.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want the worst thing that happened to me becoming the most profitable.”
The sentence silenced him.
Emma continued.
“Matthew’s compensation is different.”
“That money was owed.”
“This isn’t.”
Adrian nodded.
“What do you want?”
She thought.
“A recommendation.”
“For what?”
“Graduate school.”
He blinked.
“I want to study digital forensics.”
The investigation had changed her.
Not because she suddenly loved technology.
Because she understood how data could destroy someone when interpreted lazily.
Matthew’s career had ended because people trusted logs without context.
Emma nearly lost hers because Vanessa believed status could outweigh evidence.
“What school?”
“UCLA.”
Adrian smiled.
“They’ll take you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I could call—”
“No.”
“Of course.”
She pointed at him.
“No calls.”
“Fine.”
“No donations.”
“Emma.”
“No buildings named after me.”
“I wasn’t going to—”
“You were thinking.”
He smiled.
“I might write an excellent recommendation.”
“That you may do.”
She stood.
At the doorway, Adrian asked:
“What happens if you get in?”
“I leave.”
He had expected that.
It still hurt.
“Lily will hate me.”
“Probably.”
“You’re very calm about it.”
“I won’t be the one explaining.”
He laughed.
Then realized she was right.
For the first time since Caroline died, Adrian had relied on someone else to hold too much of Lily’s emotional world.
Emma leaving would hurt.
May you like
But Lily needed to learn that love did not require possession.
Apparently Adrian did too.
