\n\n\n\nA smiling man dressed as a chauffer | Source: Midjourney
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The silver lining to being a driver was that I got to go to fancy places and I got to work alongside my wife, Alice. We\u2019d met years ago, long before either of us ended up working at the same place. But when Alice got the job as Mr. Taylor\u2019s personal assistant, she dropped him my resume.\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay, Colin,\u201d she told me one evening when we were making pasta for dinner.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe needs a personal driver, and you can do that. Neither of us have to stay there forever, but the pay is good enough for the moment. So, until something better comes along for us, we\u2019ll have to make do.\u201d\n\n\n\n
Advertisement\n\n\n\n A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney \u201cI know,\u201d I agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s just that this is so far from my dream that I feel as though I\u2019m going to get stuck in this. But it\u2019s okay, I\u2019ll only get stuck if I settle. And I\u2019m not doing that.\u201d\n\n\n\n Our boss, Mr. Taylor, was a piece of work. On the surface, he seemed like the typical entrepreneur. You know, the sharp suits, always attached to his phone, and he had a way of talking that made you think he knew something you didn\u2019t.\n\n\n\n A stern businessman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n But the truth was simple: Mr. Taylor was a man who thrived on control, and the tighter his grip on the company and all his employees, the worse things got for us all. Alice had been dealing with his moods for months. Recently he had been gearing up for a big business meeting that would invite new investors into the company, putting his security empire on the map.\n\n\n\n A businessman holding his head | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re stressed, Alice,\u201d I said simply when she told me how tight her shoulders felt.\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s under a lot of pressure, darling,\u201d she said. \u201cWhich means that I\u2019m under a lot of pressure.\u201d\n\n\n\n She tried to shrug it off, but I could see the toll it was taking on her. Alice was constantly on edge, always double-checking everything, afraid of making even the smallest mistake.\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n A stressed woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Then, last week happened.\n\n\n\n Over the years, Mr. Taylor had gotten close to Alice, and he trusted her deeply. So, when it came to negotiating a new contract with a few new contractors, he sent Alice in.\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve groomed you, Alice,\u201d his voice boomed. \u201cIt\u2019s straightforward, and everything is in the presentation and the booklets that we\u2019ve made for them. All you\u2019ve got to do is present and see if they have any questions. Then flash them a smile and make them sign. Easy.\u201d\n\n\n\n A businessman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n Alice beamed. I knew that she loved the extra responsibility and wanted to prove her worth to him. She was tired of being a personal assistant and wanted more.\n\n\n\n But when she came home that night, her face was pale.\n\n\n\n \u201cThe meeting didn\u2019t go well,\u201d she admitted quietly. \u201cThey backed out. All of them.\u201d\n\n\n\n A stressed woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? Why?\u201d I asked, feeling the pit in my stomach start to churn. I knew that there was going to be a fallout. Mr. Taylor was bound to let everyone know how disappointed he was in Alice.\n\n\n\n Putting the kettle on, I sat Alice down, encouraging her to tell me everything.\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n \u201cHe insisted on quite a few ridiculous terms,\u201d she explained. \u201cI tried to tell him that they wouldn\u2019t go for it, but he wouldn\u2019t listen. I mean, Colin, there were clauses for up to fifteen million dollars. As in, if anyone backed out, they had to pay him that amount of money, and it would have been viable once the contract was signed.\u201d\n\n\n\n A kettle on a counter | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd let me guess, he\u2019s blaming you?\u201d\n\n\n\n She nodded her head sadly.\n\n\n\n I took my wife\u2019s hand and squeezed tightly.\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault, love. Mr. Taylor tries to be a calculated man, but he always takes shortcuts. He should have known better.\u201d\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n People sitting in a boardroom | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n But the next day, as I walked up to the office to tell Mr. Taylor that I would be taking the car for a service, things escalated to a whole new level.\n\n\n\n Mr. Taylor called a meeting, dragging everyone from their desks into the open office area. I stood at the back, unsure of whether to stay or just leave with the car. But then I saw my wife, her eyes sunken and her shoulders slouched.\n\n\n\n \u201cEveryone!\u201d Mr. Taylor barked. Immediately, the chatter died down.\n\n\n\n An angry man in a suit | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n \u201cI want you all to look at Alice. Take a good, long look at her.\u201d\n\n\n\n Alice shifted uncomfortably, her face turning red.\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is what a failure looks like! No wonder our new potential partners backed out. She looks all hunched over and scary. Like a scarecrow! Alice is a prime example of what not to look like. Alice is the perfect example of a mistake hire!\u201d\n\n\n\n An upset woman with her eyes closed | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n A few nervous chuckles rippled through the crowd, but most people just looked away. I could feel the blood boiling under my skin. I\u2019d never seen him go this far.\n\n\n\n Before I could stop myself, I was moving forward, pushing my way through the crowd.\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, that\u2019s enough!\u201d I shouted.\n\n\n\n Mr. Taylor turned, his eyes narrowing.\n\n\n\n An angry man in a suit | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, and here comes the knight in shining armor,\u201d he sneered. \u201cCome to defend your damsel in distress?\u201d\n\n\n\n I squared my shoulders, meeting his gaze.\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re the failure here. You don\u2019t get to talk to Alice like that. It wasn\u2019t her fault that the deal fell through. You were the one who insisted on those terms!\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me?\u201d he barked. \u201cDo you think you know how to run a business better than I do? You\u2019re just a driver.\u201d\n\n\n\n An angry man | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, and you\u2019re just a bully,\u201d I shot back.\n\n\n\n The office was deathly quiet, everyone\u2019s eyes darting between the two of us.\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re fired!\u201d he spat, his face twisted in anger. \u201cBoth of you. Get out!\u201d\n\n\n\n Alice let out a small gasp, but I took her hand.\n\n\n\n A close up of an angry man | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n \u201cCome, let\u2019s go,\u201d I said.\n\n\n\n We left the office, the door closing behind us with a heavy thud.\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want you to lose your job.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault,\u201d I reassured her. \u201cWe\u2019ll figure something out. We always do.\u201d\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n An upset woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n But as we drove home, the weight of what had happened started to sink in. And I knew that I couldn\u2019t just let this go. Not this time.\n\n\n\n Later that evening, Alice was busy in the kitchen. She was making dumplings from scratch, something that she only did when she wanted to keep her mind and hands busy.\n\n\n\n \u201cColin, I tried so hard. And now\u2026 Now we\u2019re both out of a job because of me.\u201d\n\n\n\n A woman making dumplings | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n I moved closer to her, wrapping my arms around her.\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not over yet,\u201d I said. \u201cI know where he\u2019s going to be tonight. He as one more meeting with those partners. It was on my schedule this morning.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you\u2019re going to crash his meeting?\u201d she asked, wiping her eyes.\n\n\n\n \u201cTrust me, this will be good,\u201d I said, grabbing my keys.\n\n\n\n A person holding car keys | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n I drove to the hotel where Mr. Taylor\u2019s meeting was, and as I pulled up to the front, I spotted his luxury car parked in the lot. I started to get overwhelmed and wanted to turn away, but I couldn\u2019t leave without doing anything.\n\n\n\n Walking inside, I made my way to the restaurant area where he always had his meetings.\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n And then I saw him. Mr. Taylor, sitting at a secluded table in the back. But he wasn\u2019t with a business partner. No, he was with a woman.\n\n\n\n A hotel lobby | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n They were sitting too close together, his hand on her knee, with glasses of wine on the table in front of them. Before doing anything else, I fumbled for my phone, snapping a few quick photos before slipping back out into the lobby.\n\n\n\n Then I drove to Mr. Taylor\u2019s house; Mrs. Taylor was going to see this.\n\n\n\n \u201cColin! How lovely to see you!\u201d she said when she opened the door.\n\n\n\n \u201cHi, Mrs. Taylor,\u201d I said, trying to keep my voice steady. \u201cI need to show you something.\u201d\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n A woman standing in her foyer | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Her brow furrowed, but she nodded.\n\n\n\n I took out my phone and handed it to her.\n\n\n\n \u201cIs that\u2026 is that my husband?\u201d she said in disbelief.\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I thought you should know.\u201d\n\n\n\n Quickly, I told her what had happened at the office and how Alice and I had lost our jobs.\n\n\n\n A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry. Send these to me. I\u2019ll round up the investors and put an end to this entire thing. I\u2019d like to see what he does without any money. And anyway, this was my father\u2019s company; there\u2019s a clause in my marriage contract stating that if infidelity is proven, the company will fall to me solely.\u201d\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t believe what I was hearing.\n\n\n\n \u201cGive me a week, Colin,\u201d she said. \u201cYou and Alice will be reinstated in your roles. You will both work for me. Enjoy the week off, and I\u2019ll see you on the other side. There\u2019ll be compensation for the duress my husband put you under. And when you rejoin the company, a raise.\u201d\n\n\n\n A close up of a rich woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n I went home buzzing with the news. I couldn\u2019t wait to tell Alice that we were rid of the man who had treated us like garbage. And now, there were a whole new set of possibilities that lay ahead.\n\n\n\n Advertisement\n\n\n\n Who knows, I may even be able to leave my driving job and follow my passion again.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When Colin and his wife, Alice, end up working at the same company for business tyrant Mr. Taylor, they think that they\u2019ve gotten a sweet […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4865"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4866,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4865\/revisions\/4866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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