Nathan saw me the moment I entered the wake. His smile disappeared as his eyes moved from my ribbons to the insignia on my shoulders. Then he straightened so quickly he nearly dropped his glass.

“M-Ma’am,” he stammered. “I had no idea you commanded Task Force 132.”

The room fell silent.

Task Force 132 oversaw the security and ethics review connected to the defense contract Nathan’s firm desperately wanted. I had not attended the funeral to discuss business, but the updated file on my secure device contained evidence that his company had concealed conflicts of interest and submitted inflated subcontractor costs.

Serena laughed nervously and claimed Nathan was joking. He was not.

I explained that I could not discuss an active review, then asked him why his firm had used my father’s medical charity as a pass-through for consulting payments. Nathan turned pale. My hazard pay had covered Dad’s care while Nathan had quietly used the family’s name to disguise questionable transactions.

Federal investigators arrived before the wake ended. Nathan’s phone and company records were collected, and his contract bid was suspended pending investigation.

My mother finally asked why I had never told them how important my position was.

I looked at the message ordering me to remain quiet so I would not embarrass Serena.

“You never asked what I did,” I said. “You only asked what I could pay for.”

My father had always respected the uniform.

The rest of them finally understood why.