Chapter 58
I Won't Let Myself Be Fooled Again
I sat across from my father at the small kitchen table. He had just come home, his shirt still smelling faintly of dust and sun.
Between us lay the professional certificate, its crisp edges catching the overhead light like a quiet declaration.
Carrefully, he picked it up, his rough fingers brushing the embossed seal with a reverence that startled me.
A slow smile unfurled across his face. It was real, proud, and a little disbelieving.
He then looked up, his eyes shone with a pride I had long waited to see. "At least you have this now. No company can shut the door in your face. You have a key. A real key."
"Yes, Father."
"Don't expect a high position immediately. Those go to people with… different backgrounds." His jaw tightened briefly before softening again.
