My daughter was hit by an entitled rich kid speeding on a pedestrian walkway. He was drunk. Multiple rib fractures, and her thigh bone was shattered. She’s still in a coma. His parents want to settle. He was arrogant, utterly self-righteous: “Sign this legal waiver. Don’t ruin my son’s future.” Rage burned away my sanity. I grabbed the waiver and slapped it across his face. “You wish!” Mr. Sterling smirked, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe. “The law says compensation for a fatality is barely a million. And your daughter isn’t even dead. How about two million, plus medical expenses?” As he spoke, he pulled out a bank card, a smug look on his face. “Don’t recognize it, do you? This is an exclusive global black card.” My eyes landed on the card. It had the unique pattern I knew so well. It was the birthday gift I’d given my wife. In that instant, my eyes turned blood red with fury, a gaze that could kill. “How much is your son’s life worth? Name your price. I’ll buy it.”
When I rushed to the hospital, my legs were so weak I could barely stand. My daughter,Belle, was covered in bandages, lying silently and unmoving in the ICU. The traffic police showed me photos from the scene. Chloe and two other girls looked like broken dolls, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles, white shirts soaked crimson. The doctor said she’d had a brush with hell, just barely made it. After three days of keeping vigil byBelle’s side, I received a call from her school. The driver’s parents wanted to meet. I arrived at the school to find a man in an expensive suit scrolling on his phone on the sofa. He barely lifted an eyelid, saying casually, “You must beBelle’s dad. Have a seat.” As he spoke, Mr. Sterling handed me a legal waiver. “Don’t waste time. Just sign it. Don’t mess with my son’s future.” He was so arrogant, so entitled. Overwhelming rage threatened to consume what little sanity I had left. The image ofBelle, drenched in blood, kept flashing in my mind. I clenched my jaw, my hands trembling violently. I tore the so-called waiver into pieces and threw them at his face. “Your son is unforgivable. Dream on!” I instinctively lunged at him, throwing a punch, wanting to smash this man in front of me to pieces too! How dare the perpetrator act so high and mighty, so rude! But the school teachers quickly held me back, acting as if they were blind. “Mr. David, please calm down. Blake’s parents are sincerely here to seek your understanding.” Mr. Sterling gently brushed the paper scraps from his face, his eyes full of arrogant mockery. “I’ve looked into it. Your daughter only wears clothes that cost a few hundred bucks to school, no brands. I guess your family is just working-class.” “The law says compensation for a fatality is barely a million. And your daughter isn’t even dead. How about two million, plus medical expenses?” “Two million for a family like yours must be a fortune. Saving a hundred thousand a year would take twenty years. Getting two million from one car accident is both my goodwill and your family’s luck. What more could you possibly want? Don’t be so greedy.” I stared at him with boundless hatred and murderous intent, my whole body trembling as I yelled: “Your son was drunk driving and speeding on a pedestrian street, causing three serious injuries and dozens of minor ones! He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison!” Mr. Sterling feigned a raised eyebrow, then curved his lips into a sneer. “Ever heard the saying, money can solve everything? Besides, I have power backing me. Otherwise, why isn’t there a single ripple about this incident online? Because I…” He raised his hand and made a downward pressing motion. “Paid people to suppress it.” As he spoke, he flashed an exclusive black card again, his pride and arrogance fully on display. “Know what this is? A top-tier global black card. Only those with assets in the hundreds of billions qualify. It’s a number you’ll never even imagine in your lifetime.” Seeing the familiar, unique pattern on the black card, my already shattered heart plummeted. That was the supplementary card I’d given my wife, Valerie! Now, Valerie’s lover wants to use the card I gave him to buy off my daughter’s life! Memories flooded back clearly: A month ago, Valerie had asked for a birthday gift, wanting an expensive car. I agreed. The model matched the one that hit my daughter. Three days ago, the head of PR said Valerie, Ms. Valerie, needed help controlling public opinion. WithBelle injured, I was too distraught to care and silently agreed. In that instant, a metallic taste filled my throat, but I swallowed it back. My eyes were murderous, my voice chilling. “Then how much is your son’s life worth? Name your price. I’ll buy it.”
Mr. Sterling’s face showed a flicker of surprise, then he “hehe-ed” with a laugh. “I know you’re upset your daughter is hurt, but being hotheaded won’t solve your family’s problems. Besides, how much money could you possibly have?” I just stared at him, my gaze grim. “Name your price.” Mr. Sterling looked even more surprised, then seemed to understand. “You think our compensation is too little, huh? How about three million? Any more than that, and your daughter just isn’t worth it.” I repeated myself. “I said, I want to buy your son’s life. Name your price.” He looked me up and down, then burst into laughter, as if joking. “Ten million. If you can afford ten million, you can have my son’s life. Haha, too bad people like you couldn’t save up that much money in this lifetime, let alone the next.” I nodded. “Ten million. It’s a bit expensive for someone like him, but I’ll buy his life.” With that, I sent a message to my assistant. Mr. Sterling scoffed, and even the teachers tried to dissuade me. “Mr. David, snap out of it. Blake’s family isn’t someone you can afford to offend. You might not even be able to pay for your daughter’s medical bills, and you’ll lose your job.” I usually taughtBelle to be modest, but I never expected the teachers at this elite private school to be so disgusting. No one knew I was the chairman behind Veritas Group. Valerie, as CEO, was just a figurehead. “I’ve recorded everything you just said. And I’d like the teachers to be witnesses.” Mr. Sterling was thoroughly annoyed. “Fine, so you refuse to sign no matter what, huh? Then you won’t get a single penny. I’m telling you, my wife has already dispatched Mr. Hayes, Veritas Group’s Chief Legal Expert, he’s never lost a case.” I nodded again. “Perfect.” The surrounding teachers looked at me with extremely strange expressions. “This guy must have gone crazy from his daughter being hit, how pathetic. What a shame, he’s up against the husband of Veritas Group’s CEO. Everyone in New York knows Veritas Group.” As Mr. Sterling grew more triumphant, the parents of another victim arrived. Mr. Sterling repeated the same demands to them. The child’s parents looked torn. The child’s mother cried, “We can’t sign it! Our child is injured all over, how can we just let the perpetrator off? I can’t accept it!” The father sighed, “But treatment costs money. And how can we fight against a wealthy family like theirs? If we don’t sign, we might not get a single cent!” The mother cried even harder. “My poor child, why are you so unlucky?” Just as they hesitated, about to sign, I stood up and stopped them. “Don’t sign. He doesn’t have the money to compensate you. And I’ll cover your children’s medical expenses and all future treatment.” The parents looked at me in surprise. Mr. Sterling glared at me, annoyed and mocking. “What are you talking about? With this black card, two million, even ten million, is a matter of minutes.” Even a teacher grabbed my arm, frowning. “If you don’t take the money, don’t stop others. They’re much wiser than you.” My gaze was ice-cold, but a smile played on my lips. “So confident, huh?” I turned and gripped the father’s hand, looking at their sorrowful faces. Tears streamed down my face. We were all parents. “Have Mr. Sterling swipe the card right now. Otherwise, he doesn’t have the money.” The father squeezed my hand back, nodding through his grief. The elite private school’s finance department quickly brought a POS machine. “Swipe the card first. The school will transfer it to the parents’ accounts.” Mr. Sterling arrogantly raised his hand and swiped the black card on the POS machine. “Your bank card has been frozen.”
He swiped it again, but the mechanical female voice just kept repeating, “Your bank card has been frozen.” “How is this possible?” Mr. Sterling’s eyes widened in shock. The other parents looked at me, grateful. “Thank you for the warning, otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten the money and that jerk would have walked free!” Mr. Sterling, humiliated, irritably ran his fingers through his hair, then dialed Valerie’s number. A young man’s voice answered. “Dad, aren’t you done yet? Mom and I are waiting for you to come back and eat at the new five-star hotel. Are those poor people asking for too much money? Damn it, they’re really trying to take advantage!” “Get your mom on the phone, fast.” Then I heard a familiar voice, a voice that for the past twenty years had said good morning to me every single day. I clenched my fists, my heart bleeding. I swore to send this and their Asshole child to hell! Mr. Sterling hung up, his expression still arrogant. “You’ll definitely get the money, just a bit later. Hurry up and sign.” The parents shook their heads firmly. “We won’t sign. We’ve decided, we want that jerk to pay for what he did!” The mother wiped her tears, her lips trembling with indignation. “How can my daughter’s life hang in the balance while that jerk casually talks about which hotel to eat at? My daughter is a living, breathing person! Our family isn’t rich, but our daughter is our life!” Every word from the mother struck a chord in my heart. I wanted to ask the same thing: How can this be? I patted the father’s shoulder, stating confidently, “Don’t worry about the costs.” Mr. Sterling scoffed. “I’m telling you, my lawyer will be here any minute. By then, you won’t get a single cent. Your children can just wait to die.” Even the teachers tried to help him. “I say, don’t fight with rich people. While Mr. Sterling hasn’t changed his mind, quickly take the money and sign. Do you really believe this man’s crazy talk? If there’s truly no money for treatment, what good are his words? The child’s future will truly be ruined.” The mother trembled with anger. “I’ve never seen so much blood in my life. I keep wondering if all the blood in her body has drained out. I want that jerk to pay blood for blood!” As she spoke, I saw the same horrifying scene in my mind. I swallowed my tears, each one like a knife. Just then, a well-dressed, bespectacled man knocked on the door. Mr. Sterling’s face lit up. “You must be Mr. Hayes, the Chief Legal Expert of the group.” Mr. Sterling was beaming with pride, glancing at us. “My lawyer is here. My son won’t suffer any consequences, and you won’t get a single cent.” The parents clenched their fists, glaring at the newcomer with resentment. I glanced over, a sarcastic curl on my lips. “Oh really?” My people should be arriving soon too.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “343220”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #擦边Steamy #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply