The ground floor housed retail. Floors 2 to 10 were office space. Floor 11 was a high-end event venue, and the rooftop on floor 12 was the most sought-after party space in the city, with panoramic views of the entire city skyline.

I’d kept the existing property management team, including Thomas, the building manager, who’d worked there for 12 years.

The revenue from leases alone was $780,000 annually, but the rooftop venue was the crown jewel, booking out months in advance for weddings, corporate events, and celebrations.

When Derek announced he was getting his master’s degree in business, paid for by our parents, naturally, I knew exactly what would happen.

My mother started researching venues immediately, complaining loudly at Sunday dinners about how impossible it was to find somewhere worthy of Derek’s achievement.

“The Skyline Tower rooftop would be absolutely perfect,” she sighed one evening. “But they’re booked for the next six months. I’ve called them 12 times.”

I’d smiled and said nothing.

The Skyline Tower rooftop wasn’t booked for June 8th. I deliberately kept it open.

I wanted to see exactly how my family would behave when they got what they wanted.

Three weeks later, my mother called me practically screaming with excitement.

“Elena, the most amazing thing happened. The Skyline Tower had a cancellation for June 8th. We got the rooftop for Derek’s graduation party.”

What she didn’t know was that I’d had Thomas call her back personally and offer the canceled date.

I’d also instructed him not to mention ownership, just to handle everything professionally and accept their deposit.

My parents had wired $127,000 total: $87,000 for the venue, premium catering, open bar, and entertainment, plus a $40,000 deposit for Derek’s future wedding reception they’d already started planning.

Derek’s actual graduation ceremony was on June 7th.

I attended, sitting in the back row while my parents sat front and center, filming everything like Derek was receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom instead of a master’s degree that thousands of people earn every year.

After the ceremony, my mother grabbed me.

“Elena, we need to talk about tomorrow.”

“The party?”

“Yes. Now, we’ve spent a considerable amount of money making this perfect for Derek. We need you to understand that this is his day, his achievement. We can’t have any complications.”

“Complications?” I repeated flatly.

My father joined us, his hand on Derek’s shoulder like he was guarding a priceless artifact.

“What your mother means is that Derek has worked incredibly hard for this. We want everything to be perfect. We need you to be supportive and not draw attention to yourself.”