#Chapter 169: Liar

DEREK I didn’t move. Didn’t nod. Didn’t speak. I just stood there, letting her see it in my face. Because yeah—it was me. Every call, every closed-door meeting, every favor I cashed in to fast-track the permits they needed before anyone could find a reason to stall or block it. I’d done all of it. Quietly. Without asking for credit. Because it wasn’t about that. It was about her. And what she was building. “I didn’t want credit,” I said. “I don’t need it.” Jacob looked at me, dumbfounded. Finally, he shook his head, scoffed. “Take the credit, man,” he said. “Take the win.” I shook my head, a small, bitter smile tugging at my mouth. "It wasn’t about taking credit. I just… I didn’t want to make it about me. This place, this foundation, it was Elena’s dream. Not mine." Jacob rolled his eyes and let out a low whistle. "Man. The two of you… you really are just alike." That made me blink. "What do you mean?" Jacob gave Elena a look—one I couldn’t quite decipher,