I turned to her in surprise. “You saw an article about Secure Pay?”
She nodded. “I follow tech news. When I saw your name and photo, I showed them immediately. Dad did not believe it was really you until he looked up the company website and saw you listed as founder and CEO.”
The pieces suddenly clicked into place. My parents had not had a change of heart about my graduation at all. They had discovered my success and immediately recognized the potential advantage of being associated with it.
The realization was both painful and oddly liberating.
“I appreciate you encouraging them to come, Cassandra,” I said sincerely.
My father, apparently unwilling to let the dinner idea go, tried again.
“We have a lot to discuss about your future, Harper. As your father, I can offer valuable insights about managing wealth and business growth. Perhaps we could join your celebration briefly and then have our family dinner afterward.”
I looked at him directly, seeing clearly for perhaps the first time the insecurity behind his controlling nature.
“Dad, I have been managing just fine without your insights for four years. My company has excellent financial advisers, a strong board, and dedicated team members. What I wanted today was simply for my family to be proud of me graduating from Harvard. Not for what I have built or how much money I have made, but just for completing this chapter of my education.”
My mother placed a restraining hand on my father’s arm as he began to respond.
“Of course we are proud of your graduation, Harper,” she said smoothly. “The business success is just an added bonus.”
“Is it?” I asked quietly. “Because when it was just Harvard graduation, you were planning to skip it entirely for a shopping trip to New York.”
