Three days passed without another word from Caroline or Nathan.

I assumed they were engaged in a bitter, private war, and I was grateful for the silence.

But my family had never been capable of quiet reflection.

On Thursday afternoon, Lieutenant Vance stepped into my office, looking highly uncomfortable.

"Admiral, there is a civilian at the main security checkpoint requesting entry," Vance said.

"He claims to be your father. He says it is a family emergency."

I closed my laptop slowly, feeling a cold wave of irritation wash over me.

"Have security escort him to visitor room three," I instructed. "I will be down in ten minutes."

When I walked into the stark, gray visitor room, my father was pacing back and forth.

He was wearing an expensive tailored suit, looking wildly out of place in the sterile military environment.

When I entered, he stopped pacing, but he did not look at me with the disgust he usually wore.

Instead, he looked at me with a strange, calculating hunger.

"Evelyn," he said, forcing a broad, completely unnatural smile.

"Look at this place. I had no idea you were working at this level."

"What do you want, Dad?" I asked coldly, not offering him a seat.

He cleared his throat, adjusting his silk tie nervously.

"Well, your mother and I have been doing some research since the dinner."

"We looked up the pay scale for a Rear Admiral. And we saw the articles about your board positions on defense advisory committees."

"You have been holding out on us, Evelyn. You are quite wealthy."

I stared at him, the sheer audacity of his words stealing the breath from my lungs.

For years, they had mocked me for being poor.

Now that they realized I had power and financial stability, they were instantly trying to exploit it.

"Caroline is very upset," my father continued, completely ignoring my silence.

"Nathan has postponed the wedding planning. He is demanding Caroline apologize to you."

"Now, we all know you do not need an apology, you are a strong girl."

"But Caroline's dream wedding is falling apart, and the venue costs are piling up."

He took a step closer, adopting a paternal, authoritative tone he had absolutely no right to use.

"Since you are doing so well for yourself, and since you caused this little rift with Nathan..."

"Your mother and I think it is only fair that you pay for the wedding."

"It will show Nathan that there are no hard feelings, and it will keep the family together."

I looked at the man who had raised me, finally seeing him for exactly what he was.

He was not a father. He was a parasite.

"Let me make this perfectly clear, so you never have to guess my intentions again," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous, icy command tone.

"I will not give you a single dime."

"I will not pay for Caroline's wedding, I will not fund your country club lifestyle, and I will not buy your affection."

My father's fake smile vanished, instantly replaced by his familiar, venomous anger.

"You selfish, arrogant child," he hissed, stepping toward me aggressively.

"You owe this family!"

I stood my ground, my posture immovable.

"I owe this country," I corrected him sharply.

"I owe the men and women under my command."

"I owe you absolutely nothing."

I turned my back on him and walked toward the door.

"If you ever show up at my place of work again, I will have you arrested for trespassing on a federal installation."

I left him standing in the gray room, completely powerless for the first time in his life.