I never told my parents I was the one who invested $500 million to save

I said, my voice amplified by the now silent room, all eyes on me. “Very well, but you might want to reconsider who truly saved you tonight.”

The spotlight shifted, bathing me in its harsh glow, as the emcee’s voice boomed through the speaker system. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our chairman—Isabella Rossi.”

A collective gasp swept through the ballroom. The facade of the evening shattered as my parents and Vanessa looked at me with wide eyes, their smug expressions dissolving into disbelief and horror.