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.