The Vale house pulsed with the sound of laughter, clinking glasses, and voices brimming with victory. Julian stood at the center of it all, the documents clasped proudly in his hand as if they were trophies from a hard-won war.

He had done it.

At last.

He could barely contain his excitement as he walked into the grand living room where his parents sat. His mother looked up from the couch, and his father, Richard Vale, folded his newspaper, startled by Julian’s sudden grin.

“Father… ...