An elegant silver-haired woman slowly stood.
I recognized her immediately.
She was the founder of the Harper Foundation—the organization that funded scholarships for students who had grown up in foster care.
She walked onto the stage carrying a small envelope.
When she reached me, she smiled warmly at Noah before looking into my eyes.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time.”
“You… know who I am?”
She nodded.
“I’ve known about you for nearly two years.”
Confusion crossed my face.
She turned toward the audience.
“Miss Hayes never realized that every semester her volunteer supervisor submitted reports about her.”
I blinked.
“The legal-aid clinic?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Harper smiled.
“They wrote about the young woman who stayed after closing hours to help elderly clients complete housing applications.”
“The student who spent weekends advocating for children nobody else wanted to foster.”
