Chapter 2: The $96,800 Notification
Derrick didn't move.
His phone vibrated once more against his palm, but he barely seemed to notice.
The bright afternoon sun illuminated his face as he read the notification again.
*PAYMENT COMPLETED: $96,800*
*PRESTIGE LUXURY MOTORS*
Below the amount sat a transaction reference and the final digits of an account he recognized immediately.
His personal account.
The account he used for his business income, emergency savings, and the money he had been setting aside for his daughter's future.
Derrick raised his eyes.
Monica stood beside the front entrance, her coffee mug forgotten on the ledge.
Kayla was no longer smiling.
Nia watched her father, tears clinging to her lower lashes.
Derrick spoke slowly.
“Ninety-six thousand, eight hundred dollars?””
Nobody answered.
He turned the screen toward Monica.
“Why was this charged to my account?””
Monica opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
For the first time since Nia had stepped into the driveway, her stepmother looked genuinely frightened.
“Derrick, please,” Monica began.
“Let's not do this out here.””
“Do what?””
“Turn a misunderstanding into a family crisis.””
Derrick looked at the SUV.
Then at the phone.
Then back at his wife.
“A misunderstanding costs ninety-six thousand dollars?””
Kayla stepped away from the vehicle.
“Dad, I didn't know anything about the payment.””
Derrick turned toward her.
“Did you know this vehicle cost nearly a hundred thousand dollars?””
Kayla swallowed.
“Mom said everything was handled.””
“Everything was handled?”” Derrick repeated.
“With whose money?””
Monica reached for his arm.
“Baby, I can explain.””
He stepped away before she could touch him.
“No. You're going to answer a question first.””
His voice remained controlled, but Nia had heard that tone before. It was the voice her father used when a contractor failed to account for missing materials or when someone at work tried to conceal a serious mistake.
It meant he had stopped accepting excuses.
Derrick held up the phone.
“Did you authorize this payment?””
Monica glanced at Nia.
That single glance made Derrick's expression harder.
“Look at me, Monica.””
She obeyed.
“Did you authorize this payment?””
“I was trying to help Kayla.””
“That wasn't my question.””
Monica's fingers curled around the edge of her blouse.
“I thought we could afford it.””
“You thought?””
Derrick shook his head.
“You don't spend almost a hundred thousand dollars from my account because you think we can afford it.””
Kayla's cheeks reddened.
“Dad, I really didn't know it was your account.””
Derrick looked at her for a long moment.
“Then tell me what you were told.””
Kayla hesitated.
Monica immediately interrupted.
“She's nineteen. She doesn't need to be dragged into this.””
“She's standing next to a car that cost more than some people's houses,” Derrick replied.
“And my account paid for it. She's already involved.””
Nia wiped her cheeks.
“Dad, she sold my car too.””
Derrick turned toward his daughter.
“I know. I'm listening.””
“No, you don't understand.”” Nia's voice cracked.
“I bought that sedan with my own savings. I worked weekends and took extra shifts. Monica told me she sold it because Kayla needed something better.””
Derrick's eyes narrowed.
“You sold Nia's car?””
Monica lifted her chin.
“It wasn't being used enough.””
“She uses it every day.””
“She can take the bus.””
Derrick stared at her as if he had never heard her speak before.
“You took away our daughter's transportation without asking her?””
“I was making a decision for the household.””
“You are not the owner of her car!””
Monica flinched.
Kayla folded her arms.
“Why is everybody acting like I'm the villain? I didn't ask for Nia's car.””
Nia looked at her.
“You didn't ask because you already got what you wanted.””
“That's not fair.””
“You're standing beside a brand-new SUV while I'm trying to figure out how I'm getting to work tomorrow!””
Kayla's lips tightened.
“Then maybe Dad can buy you another one.””
Derrick turned sharply.
“Kayla.””
“What? He obviously has money.””
“That is enough.””
The command silenced her.
For a few seconds, the only sound was the breeze moving through the hedges.
Derrick looked down at the payment notification again. His thumb hovered over the transaction details.
The dealership's name appeared beneath the amount.
Prestige Luxury Motors.
He knew the business. It was a legitimate dealership on the other side of town, one he had passed dozens of times while driving to client meetings.
But the notification wasn't the only thing bothering him.
The transaction had gone through without the confirmation he expected for a purchase of that size.
He tapped the details.
Monica moved forward.
“Derrick, don't start digging through everything right now.””
He looked up.
“Why not?””
“Because you're upset.””
“I'm upset because somebody spent my money without permission.””
“You're making assumptions.””
“Then help me understand.””
Monica glanced at Kayla again.
“Can we talk inside?””
Derrick shook his head.
“No. You can talk right here.””
Her face tightened.
“People can see us.””
“Then perhaps you should have thought about that before making this decision.””
Nia stared at her father.
He had always protected her. But after marrying Monica six years earlier, he had often asked Nia to be patient, to compromise, to give the new family time to adjust.
Nia had tried.
She had swallowed countless small disappointments because she believed her father loved Monica and wanted the marriage to work.
Now, for the first time in years, she watched him refuse to look away.
Derrick tapped the transaction reference.
“I'm calling the bank.””
Monica's face went pale.
“There's no need for that.””
He stopped moving.
“What did you just say?””
“I mean, the payment has already gone through. Calling them won't change anything.””
“That is exactly why I'm calling.””
He selected the number for his bank and put the phone to his ear.
Monica took a step toward him.
“Derrick, please. Give me five minutes.””
He raised one hand, asking her to stop.
A representative answered.
“Thank you for calling. How may I help you today?””
“This is Derrick Carter. I need to verify a transaction on my personal account.””
“Of course, Mr. Carter. Can you provide the amount?””
“Ninety-six thousand, eight hundred dollars. Prestige Luxury Motors.””
There was a brief pause as the representative checked the record.
Then came a question that made Derrick's shoulders stiffen.
“Mr. Carter, are you referring to the payment submitted under the additional authorization attached to your account?””
Derrick looked directly at Monica.
“Additional authorization?””
“Yes, sir. Our system shows that the transaction was processed using an authorized purchasing profile.””
His wife's lips parted.
Nia stepped closer to her father.
Derrick's voice dropped.
“I never created a purchasing profile.””
The representative paused again.
“I'm sorry, sir. The profile has been active for several months.””
Derrick went completely still.
Several months.
He looked at Monica, whose hands were now trembling.
“Who created it?”” he asked.
The representative began checking the record.
Then she said, “Mr. Carter, the profile was registered under the name of—”
The call suddenly disconnected.
Derrick lowered the phone.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then his screen lit up with an incoming message from an unfamiliar number.
He opened it.
May you like
A single line appeared.
*Derrick, if Monica tells you she acted alone, don't believe her.*
