Chapter 13
Three months later, the judgment came down.
Mrs. Watson was found fully liable.
Including vehicle repairs, depreciation, and related damages, she owed Victor Vega ninety-five thousand dollars.
Her condo was auctioned off.
Bobby never resurfaced.
Rumor said he had fled south to hide from debt collectors and had completely abandoned his mother.
One day, as I drove out of the building, I saw her beside the garbage bins near the entrance.
She was wearing a dirty old winter coat. Her hair had gone almost completely white. She was digging through bottles and cans with trembling hands, muttering to herself.
“My son is coming for me,” she kept saying. “He’s a big boss now. He drives a luxury car.”
Maybe she had gone insane.
Or maybe it was simply another form of escape.
At that moment, Victor’s Rolls-Royce pulled out beside me.
It had already been fully repaired, polished back to perfection.
He lowered the window, gave me a brief nod, and handed me a card.
“Miss Lin, I was rough with you before. No hard feelings. This is a lifetime VIP card for my car service center. Washes, detailing, maintenance, all on me.”
I took the card and smiled faintly.
“Thanks, Mr. Vega.”
He was a smart man.
After everything that had happened, he understood I was not someone easy to push around, and I understood that for all his rough edges, he was still someone who respected rules when they were laid out clearly.
That kind of distance, built on mutual understanding, was just about perfect.
I stepped on the gas and eased out onto the main road.
In my rearview mirror, Mrs. Watson’s figure grew smaller and smaller until she became nothing but a dark speck swallowed by the noise of the city.