When Colin and his wife Alice both worked for the tyrant Mr. Taylor at the same company, they thought they had a good deal while pursuing their passions. But after a mishap at work, Alice was ridiculed in front of everyone, prompting Colin to seek revenge. When the couple lost their jobs, Colin fought for revenge\u2026<\/p>\n
Working as a driver for the owner of a medium-sized business was never my dream, but it paid the bills. To be honest, I\u2019ve always wanted to own my own construction company, but life often takes strange paths.<\/p>\n
The good thing about working as a driver was that I could go to fancy places and work with my wife Alice. We had met years ago, long before we both worked at the same company. But when Alice got the job as Mr. Taylor\u2019s personal assistant, she gave him my resume.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything will be fine, Colin,\u201d she told me one evening as we made pasta for dinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs a personal driver, and you can do that. Neither of us has to stay there forever, but the pay is good enough for now. Until something better comes along, we\u2019ll have to make do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s just that this is so far from my dream that I feel like I\u2019m going to be stuck here. But that\u2019s okay, I\u2019m only stuck if I settle. And I won\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our boss, Mr. Taylor, was a tough nut to crack. At first glance, he seemed like the typical businessman. You know: fancy suits, always on the phone, and a way of talking that makes you think he knows something you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
But the truth was simple: Mr. Taylor was a man who thrived on control, and the tighter he held the company and its employees, the worse it got for us all.<\/p>\n
Alice had been struggling with his moods for months. Recently, he had been preparing for a big business meeting where new investors were to be invited to showcase his security empire.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re stressed, Alice,\u201d I simply said as she told me how tense her shoulders felt.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s under a lot of pressure, honey,\u201d she said. \u201cThat means I\u2019m under pressure too.\u201d<\/p>\n
She tried to shrug it off, but I could see how much it was weighing on her. Alice was constantly nervous, double-checking everything, and afraid to make even the smallest mistake.<\/p>\n
Then it happened last week.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Mr. Taylor had become friends with Alice and trusted her a lot. When it came to negotiating a new contract with a few new contractors, he sent Alice in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve prepared you, Alice,\u201d his voice boomed. \u201cIt\u2019s quite simple and everything is in the presentation and the brochures we\u2019ve made for them. All you have to do is present and see if they have any questions. Then you give them a smile and let them sign. Very simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alice beamed. I knew she loved the additional responsibility and wanted to prove her worth to him. She was tired of being a personal assistant and wanted more.<\/p>\n
But when she came home that evening, her face was pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe meeting didn\u2019t go well,\u201d she quietly admitted. \u201cThey backed out. All of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Why?\u201d I asked, feeling a knot in my stomach. I knew there would be a fallout. Mr. Taylor would surely tell everyone how disappointed he was with Alice.<\/p>\n
I put the tea kettle on and encouraged Alice to tell me everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe insisted on a few ridiculous conditions,\u201d she explained. \u201cI tried to tell him they wouldn\u2019t go for it, but he wouldn\u2019t listen. I mean, Colin, there were clauses for up to fifteen million dollars. That means if someone backed out, they\u2019d have to pay him that much money, and that would have been feasible once the contract was signed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd let me guess, he\u2019s blaming you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded sadly.<\/p>\n
I took my wife\u2019s hand and squeezed it tightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault, love. Mr. Taylor is trying to be calculating, but he always takes shortcuts. He should have known better.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I arrived at the office the next day to tell Mr. Taylor that I was taking the car in for inspection, things escalated to a whole new level.<\/p>\n
Mr. Taylor called a meeting and dragged everyone from their desks into the open office area. I stood at the back, not sure whether to stay or just go with the car. But then I saw my wife with downcast eyes and drooping shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone!\u201d Mr. Taylor barked. Immediately, the chatter ceased.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you all to look at Alice. Look at her closely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alice shifted uncomfortably and her face turned red.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what a failure looks like! No wonder our new potential partners pulled out. She looks all hunched and frightening. Like a scarecrow! Alice is a prime example of how not to look. Alice is the perfect example of a miscast!\u201d<\/p>\n
A few nervous laughs went through the crowd, but most people just looked away. I could feel the blood boiling under my skin. I had never seen him go this far before.<\/p>\n
Before I could hold myself back, I pushed through the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, that\u2019s enough now!\u201d I yelled.<\/p>\n
Mr. Taylor turned around and his eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and here comes the knight in shining armor,\u201d he taunted. \u201cHave you come to defend your damsel in distress?\u201d<\/p>\n
I squared my shoulders and met his gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the failure here. You have no right to talk to Alice like that. It wasn\u2019t her fault the deal fell through. You were the one who insisted on those terms!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d he barked. \u201cDo you think you know better how to run a business than me? You\u2019re just a driver.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, and you\u2019re just a tyrant,\u201d I shot back.<\/p>\n
The office was deathly quiet, and eyes shifted back and forth between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re fired!\u201d he spat, his face contorted with anger. \u201cBoth of you. Get out of here!\u201d<\/p>\n
Alice let out a small cry, but I took her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, let\u2019s go,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
We left the office and the door closed with a thud behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want you to lose your job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault,\u201d I assured her. \u201cWe\u2019ll figure something out. We always do.\u201d<\/p>\n
But as we drove home, it dawned on me what had happened. And I knew I couldn\u2019t just let it go. Not this time.<\/p>\n
Later in the evening, Alice was busy in the kitchen. She was making dumplings, something she only did when she needed to occupy her mind and hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cColin, I tried so hard. And now\u2026 Now we\u2019re both unemployed because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved closer to her and wrapped my arms around her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not over,\u201d I said. \u201cI know where he\u2019ll be tonight. He has another meeting with his partners. It was on my schedule this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re going to crash his meeting?\u201d she asked, wiping her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me, this will be good,\u201d I said, grabbing my keys.<\/p>\n
I drove to the hotel where Mr. Taylor\u2019s meeting was being held, and when I pulled up in front of the hotel, I saw his luxury car parked. I felt overwhelmed and wanted to turn away, but I couldn\u2019t leave without doing something.<\/p>\n
I walked in and made my way to the restaurant area where he always held his meetings.<\/p>\n
And then I saw him. Mr. Taylor, sitting at a secluded table in the back of the restaurant. But he wasn\u2019t with a business partner. No, he was with a woman.<\/p>\n
They sat too close together, his hand on her knee, and wine glasses stood on the table before them. Before I could do anything else, I reached for my phone and snapped a few quick photos before I snuck back into the lobby.<\/p>\n
Then I drove to Mr. Taylor\u2019s house; Mrs. Taylor needed to see this.<\/p>\n
\u201cColin! How nice to see you!\u201d she said as she opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mrs. Taylor,\u201d I said, trying to keep my voice calm. \u201cI need to show you something.\u201d<\/p>\n
She furrowed her brow, but she nodded.<\/p>\n
I took out my phone and handed it to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that\u2026 is that my husband?\u201d she asked incredulously.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I thought you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I quickly told her what had happened in the office and how Alice and I had lost our jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry. Send me that. I\u2019ll round up the investors and put an end to this whole thing. I\u2019d love to see what he does without money. Besides, it was my father\u2019s company; there\u2019s a clause in my prenup that says the company goes solely to me if proven unfaithful.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t believe what I was hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me a week, Colin,\u201d she said. \u201cYou and Alice will get your jobs back. You\u2019ll both be working for me. Enjoy the free week, and I\u2019ll see you on the other side. You\u2019ll be compensated for the pressure my husband put on you. And when you rejoin the company, you\u2019ll get a raise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went home thrilled by the news. I couldn\u2019t wait to tell Alice that we were rid of the man who had treated us like dirt. And now there were a whole new set of opportunities lying ahead of us.<\/p>\n
Who knows, maybe I can even give up my job as a driver and go back to pursuing my passion.<\/p>\n
What would you have done?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Colin and his wife Alice both worked for the tyrant Mr. Taylor at the same company, they thought they had a good deal while pursuing their passions. But after a mishap at work, Alice was ridiculed in front of everyone, prompting Colin to seek revenge. When the couple lost their jobs, Colin fought for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":886,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884\/revisions\/886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifevibesever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}