Working as a personal driver for the owner of a mid-sized company was never what I had dreamed of. But it paid the bills — and in life, sometimes that’s enough.
If I were being honest, my real dream was to run my own construction company. That was the plan once upon a time. But life loves throwing curveballs, and this was one of them.
The only thing that made the job bearable was that I got to work alongside my wife, Alice. We’d met years ago — long before either of us landed at this company.
She had started working as Mr. Taylor’s personal assistant, and once she was settled in, she convinced him to look at my résumé.
“It’s going to be okay, Colin,” she told me one night as we cooked pasta in our small kitchen. “He needs a driver, and you can do that. We don’t have to stay there forever. The pay is decent for now. Until something better comes along, we’ll make it work.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It’s just so far from what I want. I feel like if I stay too long, I’ll get stuck here forever.” Then I looked at her and smiled. “But I’ll only get stuck if I settle. And I’m not doing that.”
The Tyrant in the Suit
Our boss, Mr. Taylor, was the kind of man who looked like he had everything under control — expensive suits, glued to his phone, and a way of talking that made you feel like he always knew more than you.
But underneath the charm was a different man entirely: a control-obsessed tyrant who squeezed the life out of his company and his employees. And the tighter he gripped, the more miserable everyone became.
Alice bore the brunt of it. She was under constant pressure, especially now — a massive business meeting was coming up, one that could attract new investors and push Taylor’s security company onto the global map.
“You’re stressed,” I told her one evening as she rubbed her stiff shoulders.
“He’s under a lot of pressure,” she sighed. “Which means I’m under a lot of pressure.”
She tried to shrug it off, but I could see the toll. She was constantly anxious, checking and rechecking her work, terrified of making even the tiniest mistake.
The Mistake That Changed Everything
Then came the week that changed everything.
Mr. Taylor had grown to trust Alice over the years. So much so that he handed her a big responsibility: leading a meeting to finalize contracts with new partners.
“I’ve groomed you for this, Alice,” he boomed confidently. “It’s straightforward — the presentation is ready, and the booklets are done. Just present, answer their questions, and flash them a smile. Then get them to sign. Easy.”
Alice was thrilled. She wanted to prove herself, to show she could do more than fetch coffee and organize schedules.
But that night, she walked through the door pale and shaken.
“The meeting didn’t go well,” she whispered. “They all backed out.”
“What? Why?” My stomach twisted — I knew there would be consequences.
She sat down as I made tea and told me everything.
“He insisted on ridiculous terms,” she said. “I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen. Colin, he put in a clause saying if they backed out after signing, they’d owe him fifteen million dollars. Of course they walked away!”
“And now he’s blaming you?” I asked.
She nodded miserably.
I took her hand. “It’s not your fault. He pretends to be smart, but he cuts corners and makes bad calls. He should have seen this coming.”
Humiliation in Public
The next day, I went to the office to tell Mr. Taylor I was taking the car for a service. But before I could, he called an emergency meeting — dragging everyone out into the open office.
I stood in the back, torn between leaving and staying. Then I saw Alice. She looked exhausted, her shoulders slumped, her eyes dull.
“Everyone!” Mr. Taylor barked. The chatter stopped instantly.
“I want you all to look at Alice. Take a good, long look.”
Alice’s face turned crimson.
“This,” he shouted, pointing at her, “is what failure looks like! No wonder our partners walked away. Look at her — all hunched and gloomy, like a scarecrow! Alice is the perfect example of a mistake hire!”
Nervous chuckles rippled through the crowd. Most people just stared at their shoes.
I felt my blood boil. Before I knew it, I was shoving my way forward.
“Hey! That’s enough!” I yelled.
Mr. Taylor turned, sneering. “Oh, look. The knight in shining armor. Come to save his damsel?”
I stood my ground. “You’re the failure here. You don’t get to talk to Alice like that. It’s not her fault the deal fell apart — you insisted on those ridiculous terms!”
“Excuse me?” he barked. “You think you know how to run a business? You’re just a driver.”
“And you’re just a bully,” I shot back.
Silence. Every eye in the room darted between us.
“You’re fired!” he roared. “Both of you. Get out!”
Alice gasped, but I took her hand. “Come on. We’re done here.”
We walked out, the door slamming shut behind us.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t want you to lose your job.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
A Plan for Payback
That night, Alice made dumplings from scratch — something she only did when she needed to keep her hands busy.
“I tried so hard,” she said, eyes filling with tears. “And now we’re both unemployed because of me.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “It’s not over yet. I know where he’s going tonight — he’s got another meeting with those partners. I saw it on the schedule.”
“So you’re going to crash it?” she asked.
“Trust me,” I said with a grin. “This will be worth it.”
I drove to the hotel where the meeting was supposed to be. Mr. Taylor’s expensive car was already parked outside.
Inside, I found him in the restaurant — but he wasn’t meeting any partners. He was with a woman. They were sitting close, his hand resting casually on her knee, wine glasses on the table.
I pulled out my phone, snapped a few photos, and slipped out without being seen.
The Tables Turn
Next, I drove straight to Mr. Taylor’s house.
“Colin! What a surprise!” Mrs. Taylor greeted me warmly when she opened the door.
“Hi, Mrs. Taylor,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “There’s something you need to see.”
I handed her my phone. Her face drained of color as she scrolled through the pictures.
“Is that… my husband?” she asked, trembling.
“I’m sorry,” I said gently. “I thought you should know. He humiliated Alice in front of everyone, fired us both, and now this.”
She looked up, fury burning in her eyes. “Send these to me. I’ll handle the rest. My father built this company, and our marriage contract says that if he’s unfaithful, the company becomes mine — completely.”
I stared at her, shocked.
“Give me a week,” she said firmly. “You and Alice will be reinstated. You’ll both work for me. You’ll receive compensation for what he did, and when you come back, there will be a raise waiting for you.”
I walked out of her house in disbelief, my heart racing.
A New Beginning
When I got home, I could barely contain my excitement as I told Alice everything.
We weren’t just getting our jobs back — we were getting justice. Mr. Taylor’s cruelty had finally caught up to him, and the company would soon be in better hands.
And maybe, just maybe, this was the chance I’d been waiting for — a chance to finally leave the driver’s seat and build the construction company I’d always dreamed of.
For the first time in a long time, the future felt wide open.
