Working as a driver was never part of my dream. I always pictured myself running my own construction company, building something from the ground up — something mine. But life has a way of laughing at our plans. And so, instead of being a business owner, I was driving people around for a living.
The only thing that made it bearable was that I got to work with my wife, Alice. We’d met years ago, long before either of us imagined we’d end up working for the same man — Mr. Taylor, the owner of a mid-sized security company. Alice had landed a job as his personal assistant, and not long after, she managed to get me in too.
“It’s going to be okay, Colin,” she told me one evening as we stirred a pot of pasta in our small kitchen. “He needs a driver, and you can do that. It’s not forever. The pay is decent, and until something better comes along, we’ll make do.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It’s just… this is so far from my dream. I feel like I’m going to get stuck here.” Then I looked her in the eye. “But I won’t get stuck if I don’t settle. And I’m not settling.”
Our boss, Mr. Taylor, looked like your typical self-made businessman — expensive suits, glued to his phone, always speaking like he had access to secrets the rest of us could never understand. But behind that polished exterior, he was a control freak. The tighter he held on to his company and his employees, the worse things got for everyone.
Alice had been dealing with his unpredictable moods for months, especially as he prepared for a huge investor meeting that could change everything. It was a make-or-break deal — and the pressure was crushing him.
“Your shoulders are like bricks,” I said one night after she came home exhausted.
“He’s under so much pressure,” she sighed. “Which means I’m under so much pressure.”
I hated seeing her like that — constantly double-checking every detail, terrified of making a mistake. And then… the worst happened.
A week before the big investor presentation, Mr. Taylor decided to trust Alice with something major. He’d been grooming her for more responsibility, and now he wanted her to lead the negotiations with new contractors.
“I’ve groomed you for this, Alice,” he boomed in his usual dramatic way. “Everything is in the presentation and the booklets. All you have to do is present, answer questions, smile — and get them to sign. Easy.”
Alice was thrilled. Finally, a chance to prove she was more than just an assistant. But when she came home that evening, her face was pale and her hands were shaking.
“The meeting didn’t go well,” she whispered. “They backed out. All of them.”
“What? Why?” I asked, my stomach dropping. I already knew Mr. Taylor was going to explode — and he’d probably blame Alice for it.
She explained everything over a cup of tea. “He added ridiculous terms to the contract. I tried to tell him they’d never agree, but he wouldn’t listen. One clause even said they’d have to pay fifteen million dollars if they backed out after signing!”
“And now he’s blaming you, isn’t he?”
Alice nodded miserably.
I squeezed her hand. “It’s not your fault, love. Mr. Taylor thinks he’s some business genius, but he’s just reckless. He should have known better.”
The next day, everything exploded.
I was heading to Mr. Taylor’s office to tell him I’d be taking the car in for a service when I heard him call a sudden company-wide meeting. Everyone was dragged into the open office area. I stayed at the back, unsure if I should leave — until I saw Alice, standing there with slumped shoulders and dark circles under her eyes.
“Everyone!” Mr. Taylor barked, and the chatter stopped instantly. “I want you all to look at Alice. Take a good, long look.”
Alice shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks burning red.
“This is what a failure looks like!” he shouted. “No wonder our potential partners backed out. Look at her — hunched over and pathetic. Like a scarecrow! Alice is the perfect example of a mistake hire!”
A few people laughed nervously. Most just stared at the floor. But I could feel my blood boiling. That was my wife he was humiliating — and I wasn’t going to stand there and watch.
“Hey!” I shouted, pushing my way to the front. “That’s enough!”
Mr. Taylor turned, smirking. “Oh, and here comes the knight in shining armor. Come to defend your damsel in distress?”
I stood tall and looked him straight in the eye. “You’re the failure here, Taylor. You don’t get to talk to Alice like that. The deal fell through because of your stupid terms, not because of her.”
“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.
The office fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.
“YOU’RE FIRED!” he roared. “Both of you! Get out!”
Alice gasped softly, but I took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
The heavy office doors slammed behind us.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as we walked to the car. “I didn’t want you to lose your job.”
“It’s not your fault,” I told her. “We’ll figure something out. We always do.”
But inside, something dark was building. I wasn’t just going to let this go.
That evening, Alice kept herself busy in the kitchen, making dumplings from scratch — something she only did when she was stressed.
“Colin,” she said quietly, “I tried so hard. And now we’re both unemployed because of me.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “It’s not over yet. I know where Taylor’s going to be tonight. He’s got one more meeting with those partners. It was on my schedule.”
“So… you’re going to crash his meeting?” she asked, wiping away tears.
“Trust me. This will be good.”
I drove to the hotel where Mr. Taylor usually met clients. My heart was pounding. When I arrived, I saw his luxury car in the parking lot. I almost turned back — but I couldn’t leave without doing something.
Inside, I walked toward the restaurant. And there he was — sitting at a secluded table. But he wasn’t meeting investors. He was with a woman.
They were sitting very close, his hand resting on her knee, laughing over glasses of wine. I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a few photos before slipping out quietly.
Then I drove straight to Mr. Taylor’s house. His wife deserved to know.
“Colin! What a surprise!” Mrs. Taylor said warmly when she opened the door.
“Hi, Mrs. Taylor,” I said, trying to steady my voice. “I need to show you something.”
I handed her my phone. She stared at the screen, her expression hardening.
“Is that… is that my husband?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I thought you should know. And you should also know how he treated Alice and me. We both lost our jobs because of him.”
Her eyes turned cold. “Send these to me. I’ll call the investors myself and end this farce. That company was my father’s. And there’s a clause in our marriage contract — if he’s unfaithful, the company goes to me alone.”
I blinked in shock.
“Give me a week, Colin,” she continued. “You and Alice will be reinstated — but you’ll be working for me. You’ll get compensation for everything he put you through. And when you return, there will be a raise.”
I drove home buzzing with adrenaline and disbelief. When I told Alice, she just stared at me, her mouth open.
“Are you serious?” she whispered.
“Completely,” I grinned. “The man who humiliated you is about to lose everything. And we’re getting our jobs back — with a raise.”
That night, we fell asleep with hope in our hearts. Mr. Taylor’s empire was about to crumble, and for the first time in a long while, the future didn’t feel so hopeless.
Maybe — just maybe — this was the break we needed. Maybe I could finally build that construction business after all.
Because sometimes, revenge isn’t about destroying someone. It’s about watching them destroy themselves — and rising from the ashes they leave behind.
The End.