All Chapters of My Card, My Terms: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

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 las

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 whor

William choked on his words for a second, then recovered. "That's not how this works. You might have money, but ten million dollars is nothing compared to the power Crestborne Group holds."Do you even know that Preston is the son of Crestborne Group's CEO? And when it comes to legal expertise, you won't find anyone better than me."He said it with the kind of ironclad confidence that made it clear he fully expected me to put the bat down and negotiate after hearing him out.But all I said was, "Do you even know who I am?"William frowned. "It doesn't matter who you are. Nobody in Bayport outranks Crestborne Group. If you don't stop now, you're digging your own grave, and nobody alive will be able to save you."Regina pointed at me, her face contorted with venom. "If you don't stop right now, I'll have my husband chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"My voice was flat and emotionless. "Tell him to go ahead."A cool, commanding male voice drifted in from the doorway. "I hear som

The other victim's parents, who had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, walked over to me with tears streaming down their faces. They could barely get the words out through their tears."You're our savior! Without you, people like us would've had nowhere to turn!""We can finally see that monster get what he deserves. Thank goodness!"I took their hands and steadied them. "I'm in the same boat as you. And don't worry, the medical bills for all the children have already been taken care of, including their follow-up treatment. All that matters now is that the kids recover and stay healthy."With things wrapping up, my assistant asked what to do with the ten million. There was no way I was leaving it for Regina. Her son's life wasn't worth that much.I pulled a single stack of bills from one of the cases, maybe around ten thousand dollars, and walked over to where Preston lay crumpled on the floor. Regina was kneeling beside him, crying.I looked down at the two of the