Chapter 1

A drunk rich kid speeds down a pedestrian walkway and hits my daughter, shattering her femur and breaking multiple ribs. She hasn't woken up since.

Now the boy's mother wants to settle. She sits across from me with her chin lifted and slides a settlement agreement across the table. "Ms. Carlisle, just sign it and don't hold up my son's future."

Rage burns through every last shred of my composure. I grab the document and hurl it in her face. "Not a chance!"

She doesn't even flinch. Her lips curl into a smirk, and she looks me up and down. "The law says you only have to pay about a million if you kill someone. Your daughter isn't even dead. I'm offering medical expenses plus two million dollars on top. How does that sound?"

She pulls out a black card and holds it up like a trophy. "You probably don't even know what this is. It's a globally limited black card."

My eyes land on it, and I recognize the pattern instantly because I had it custom-made as a birthday gift for my husband.

A metallic taste rises in the back of my throat, but I force the blood down, every ounce of rage coiling behind my eyes.

"How much is your son's life worth? Name the price. I'll buy it."

Chapter 1

When I got to the hospital, my legs nearly gave out beneath me. My daughter, Aubrey Carlisle, lay in the ICU wrapped head to toe in bandages, perfectly still and completely unconscious.

The traffic officer showed me photos from the scene. In every one, Aubrey and two other girls looked like broken dolls with their limbs bent at impossible angles, their white shirts soaked through with blood. The doctor said she'd come within inches of not making it.

After three days at her bedside, I got a call from the school. The driver's parents wanted to meet with me.

When I arrived, a woman dripping in jewelry sat on a couch scrolling through her phone. She glanced up with barely a flicker of interest. "You must be Ms. Carlisle. Sit."

She slid a settlement agreement toward me without missing a beat. "Let's not waste time. Just sign it and don't hold up my son's future."

She was that arrogant and entitled, acting as though this was all just a formality.

Rage threatened to incinerate every last shred of my sanity as the image of Aubrey soaked in blood flashed through my mind over and over again. I clenched my jaw so hard that my hands shook, then tore the so-called settlement agreement to pieces and hurled them in her face.

"Your son's crime is unforgivable. You must be out of your mind!"

I lunged at her before I could stop myself, wanting to tear her apart. Who was she to sit there acting so superior, so shamelessly arrogant?

But the school staff grabbed me just in time. They acted like they were completely blind to what was happening. "Ms. Carlisle, please calm down. Mrs. Whitley is here in good faith to seek your understanding."

The woman, Regina Whitley, brushed the scraps of paper from her face with a casual flick of her fingers, her eyes full of mocking contempt.

"I've already done my homework on you. Your daughter wears clothes that cost a few hundred dollars at best, nothing designer. I'm guessing your family is working class at most.

"The law says that if you kill someone, compensation caps out at about a million. Your daughter isn't even dead. I'm offering medical expenses plus two million dollars on top. How does that sound?

"Two million must be an astronomical number for a family like yours. If you saved 100 thousand a year, it'd take you 20 years to get there. One car accident, and you walk away with two million, just like that.

"Call it charity on my part and dumb luck on yours. What more could you possibly want? Don't be greedy."

I stared at her with nothing but raw hatred and the urge to kill, my whole body trembling as I screamed back, "Your son was drunk and speeding through the pedestrian walkway on campus! He put three people in critical condition and injured dozens more. He deserves to spend the rest of his life rotting in prison!"

Regina raised her eyebrows with exaggerated surprise, then let a sneer spread across her face.

"Ever heard the expression 'money talks'? Well, I've got power on top of that. Why do you think this whole thing hasn't made a single ripple in the news? Because I…"

She pressed her palm downward in a slow, deliberate gesture. "…had people bury it."

She flashed a black card as she spoke, her eyes bright with smugness and arrogance.

"Do you know what this is? It's a globally limited black card. You need assets worth over 100 billion to even qualify for one. That's a number your family couldn't even dream of in a lifetime."

My gaze fell on the card, and I recognized the familiar, distinctive pattern immediately. My heart, already in shreds, sank like a stone. That was the supplementary card I'd given my husband.

Now his mistress was using the card I gave him to try and buy my daughter's life.

The memories came rushing back.

A month ago, my husband, Dominic Sinks, who'd married into my family, had asked me for a birthday present. He wanted a luxury car, and I'd said yes. Now the make and model matched the one that had hit Aubrey.

Three days ago, the head of PR told me Dominic wanted to contain a story in the press. I'd been too consumed by Aubrey's injuries to think straight, so I waved it through.

Blood rose in my throat, but I forced it back down. My eyes held nothing but murder, and when I spoke, my voice came out ice-cold.

"Then how much is your son's life worth? Name your price. I'll buy it."

Chapter 2

Regina's expression flickered with surprise for a second before she laughed out loud.

"I know you're upset about your daughter getting hurt, but throwing a tantrum isn't going to solve your family's problems. Besides, how much money could you possibly have?"

I just stared at her, my eyes dark. "Name your number."

The surprise on her face deepened, then shifted to something like understanding. "Oh, so you think the offer's too low. Fine, three million. Any more than that and your daughter simply isn't worth it."

I repeated myself. "I said I want to buy your son's life. Name your price."

She looked me up and down, then doubled over laughing like I'd told the funniest joke she'd ever heard. "Ten million. If you can come up with ten million dollars, my son's life is yours. But people like you couldn't possibly scrape together that kind of money in this lifetime or the next."

I nodded. "Ten million is a bit steep for a worthless piece of trash like him, but I'll take it. His life is mine."

I pulled out my phone and texted my assistant.

Regina scoffed, and even the teachers started trying to talk me down.

"Ms. Carlisle, you need to think clearly. The Whitleys have the kind of connections you can't afford to cross. If you push this, you won't be able to cover your daughter's medical bills, and you could lose your job on top of it."

I'd always taught Aubrey to keep a low profile, and the staff at this private school were exactly the type to grovel at money and step on everyone else. Not a single person here knew that I was the real chairwoman behind Crestborne Group.

Dominic, with his title of CEO, was nothing more than a figurehead.

"I've recorded everything you just said," I told Regina. "And I'd like to ask the teachers here to serve as witnesses."

That pushed her over the edge.

"Fine. You won't sign no matter what anyone says, is that it? Then you're not getting a single cent. And let me tell you something, my husband has already sent Vincent Pryor, Crestborne Group's chief legal counsel, and that man has never lost a case."

I nodded again. "Perfect."

The teachers watching from the sidelines exchanged looks of utter bewilderment. "The poor woman's snapped from the shock of her daughter's coma. It's almost sad, really.

"But she's picked the wrong fight, going up against the wife of Crestborne Group's CEO. Everyone in Bayport knows Crestborne Group runs this city."

While Regina was still riding high on her smugness, another victim's parents arrived. She gave them the same speech, and the couple's faces twisted with anguish.

The mother broke down in tears. "We can't sign this. Our baby's injured from head to toe, and there's not a single part of her that isn't hurt. How can we just let him get away with it? I can't accept this!"

The father let out a heavy sigh. "But the treatment costs money, and what do we have to fight a family like theirs? If you don't sign, we might not get a single cent."

The mother only cried harder. "My baby… Why did this have to happen to you?"

They were on the verge of giving in when I stood up and stopped them. "Don't sign. She doesn't have the money to pay you. I'll cover your child's medical bills and all the follow-up treatment."

The couple stared at me in disbelief while Regina glared daggers at me.

"What the hell are you on about? With this black card, two million dollars is nothing. I could put down ten million without blinking."

Even one of the teachers grabbed my arm with a frown. "If you don't want the money, fine, but don't drag other people down with you. They're being a lot smarter about this than you are."

My gaze turned ice-cold, but a smile crept across my lips. "You're awfully confident."

I turned and took the couple's hands in mine. Looking at their grief-stricken faces, tears spilled down my own cheeks. We were all parents here.

"Make her swipe the card right now. If she can't, then she never had the money in the first place."

They squeezed my hands back, fighting through their grief, and nodded.

The school's accounting office quickly brought out a card reader. "Go ahead and swipe. The school will transfer the funds to the parents' accounts."

Regina lifted her chin and swiped the black card across the reader with a flourish.

"Your card has been declined."

Chapter 3

Regina swiped again. The machine's flat electronic voice repeated itself. "Your card has been declined."

"How is that possible?"

Regina's eyes went wide with shock. The couple glanced at me, grateful. "Thank you for stopping us. If it weren't for you, we would've gotten nothing and let that animal walk free."

Humiliated, Regina raked her fingers through her hair in frustration and called Dominic. A young man's voice came through from the other end.

"Mom, aren't you done yet? Dad and I are waiting for you so we can go to that new five-star restaurant, and you're taking forever. What, are those broke people trying to shake you down? God, they really jumped on the chance, didn't they?"

"Put your father on the phone."

Then I heard the voice I knew by heart, the same voice that had said good morning to me every day for the past 20 years.

My fists clenched so tightly that my nails bit into my palms, and something inside me shattered. I was going to drag that cheating bastard, his whore, and their worthless spawn straight to hell.

Regina hung up, and her arrogant expression settled right back into place. "The money will come through. It's just a little late. So go ahead and sign."

The couple shook their heads firmly. "We're not signing. We've made up our minds. That animal is going to pay for what he did."

The mother wiped her tears, her lips trembling with barely contained anguish.

"Why should my daughter be lying there between life and death while that little monster gets to sit around deciding which restaurant to eat at? My daughter is a living, breathing person! We're not rich, but our daughter is our whole world!"

Every word she said hit me right in the chest. I wanted to ask the same thing. Why?

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about the costs."

Regina let out a cold scoff. "Fine. You want to do this the hard way? My lawyer is on his way right now. When he gets here, you won't see a single cent. Your kids can rot."

Even the teachers chimed in to back her up. "Look, ordinary people don't pick fights with the powerful. Mrs. Whitley hasn't changed her mind yet, so take the money and sign while you still can.

"You're not seriously believing this woman's crazy talk, are you? When it's time to pay the medical bills and she can't back up a word she's said, it's your child's future that's really ruined."

The mother shook with rage. "I've never seen that much blood in my entire life, and it was pouring out of my daughter. I keep thinking, did she have any blood left in her at all? I want that animal to pay in blood for what he took."

As she spoke, the same scene played behind my own eyes. I forced back my tears, and it felt like swallowing broken glass.

Just then, a polished-looking man in glasses knocked on the door.

Regina's face lit up. "You must be Mr. Pryor, the chief legal counsel from Crestborne Group."

She threw a smug glance our way. "My lawyer's here. My son isn't going to face any consequences, and you're not getting a dime."

The couple clenched their fists and glared at the man with pure hatred.

I gave him a passing glance, then let a mocking smile pull at the corner of my mouth. "Is that so?"

By my count, my people were about to arrive too.

The man turned to Regina. "Mr. Sinks sent me, but I'm not Mr. Pryor. His reputation certainly precedes him, but from what I understand, he only takes orders directly from Crestborne Group's chairwoman.

"But don't worry, aside from Mr. Pryor, I'm confident I can handle anyone."

Regina considered this for a moment, then nodded and immediately made a call. "Cut off the medical funding for all three of those girls in critical condition."

Her eyes locked onto mine. "Now it's too late to sign even if you wanted to."

The couple's faces twisted between fury and fear.

"What if our baby really doesn't make it?" the mother whispered to her husband.

Regina laughed with wild satisfaction. "Scared now, are you?"

The teachers eager to suck up to Regina weren't holding back either. "Weren't you so tough a minute ago? Now that the lawyer's here and the medical funding's been cut off, suddenly you've got nothing to say."

"That's how it is with poor people. All talk, never knowing when to pick their battles. As if their pride is worth anything."

Regina turned to the lawyer. "Mr. Keating, right? I don't just want my son to come out of this untouched anymore. I want them to pay me. After all, that luxury car of mine cost tens of millions, and even a scratch in the paint costs at least 100 thousand to fix."

William Keating thought it over for a few seconds. "It's a stretch, but not impossible. I'll handle it, Mrs. Whitley."

The mother's tear-filled eyes went wide, and she doubled over in anguish, wailing. "God, are you even watching? Is there no justice left in this world?"

Regina pointed at me with a sneer. "You can blame her for all of this. And you're both idiots for listening to her. You deserve what you're getting."

Then she walked right up to me, her expression wild and shameless.

"Because of you, your daughter and those two other girls are all going to die. I hope in their next lives they end up with a family that isn't dirt poor and completely clueless. Now run along home and start planning the funeral."

I stared at her without flinching. "You should start planning your son's."

Regina laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face. "I think I've actually met a real lunatic today. Where do you even get this confidence? You're still standing here running your mouth!

"My husband told me on the phone that he's on his way, and he's probably bringing Mr. Pryor, Crestborne Group's top legal counsel, with him. Between him and Mr. Keating, my son won't just walk away clean. They'll sue you into the ground until you've got nothing left."

My gaze was cold enough to terrify. "Even better."

Right then, the sound of footsteps came echoing down the hallway in precise, measured unison. A moment later, dozens of men in black suits appeared, jogging in formation and carrying several large cases between them. They filed into the room, lined up in neat rows, and set the cases down.

Then they opened them all at once.

Stack after stack of crisp bills, packed tight and perfectly arranged, filled every case from edge to edge. Every last dollar of the ten million was right there in cash.