Chapter 4The designated driver

After delivering her keynote speech, Sarah stepped off the stage and began mingling with the crowd. She spotted me instantly and stopped.

Right in front of a circle of executives and colleagues, she spoke loudly and clearly:

"Well, well. So this is Liam's girlfriend? The Uber driver?"

She looked me up and down slowly, shaking her head.

Smiling, she turned to the VP of Sales standing next to her:

"Look at this. I guess Liam really does have terrible taste, bringing an Uber driver to a black-tie event."

"He's our top luxury auto salesman. Isn't this just humiliating himself? And to think, I actually believed he had some ambition."

The VP offered a sycophantic, awkward laugh, nodding in agreement.

Sarah turned back to me. She patted my shoulder. Her touch wasn't friendly; it was heavy, condescending, pressing down on me.

"Little girl, what kind of future do you think you have driving a cab?"

"Life is short. Don't drag Liam down with you. If he stays with you, he's going to be eating dirt for the rest of his life."

I didn't say a word. Liam kept his head down, staring at the floor. Not a single syllable escaped his lips.

Liam's younger sister, Emily, squeezed through the crowd holding a champagne flute.

She yelled out loudly: "Sister-in-law! Oh, wait, I guess we don't know if you'll actually make it that far yet!"

She looked around the room, making sure she had everyone's attention, then raised her glass with a mocking smile.

"Everyone, my brother is the top salesman in this entire company. Does anyone else think he's absolutely blind for dating an Uber driver?"

The crowd erupted in laughter. Someone murmured, "Yeah, he could definitely do better."

Others shook their heads or sipped their drinks, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

Emily turned to look at me. Her fake smile vanished, replaced by blunt, naked contempt.

"Look, lady, I'll just be honest. Are you worthy of him? In what universe do you deserve my brother?"

"What do you actually have? Do you have money? Do you have connections? All you have is a driver's license."

"Uber drivers are the absolute bottom-feeders of society. The kind of trash that will never, ever climb out of the gutter. Do you seriously lack that much self-awareness?"

Another wave of laughter rolled through the crowd.

This time, Liam finally spoke up. He muttered, "Emily, that's enough."

But his tone was as flat and unemotional as if he were commenting on a mild breeze.

Then, he raised his glass, turned his back to me, and went to clink glasses with a coworker.

He didn't look at me once.

I sat in my chair, my hands resting quietly on my knees. I didn't touch my drink.

I thought about the past three years. Every single time he told me, "Can you please show a little ambition?"

I thought about the smirk on his face when he sat in the backseat of my car and said, "Bottom-feeders belong at the bottom."

I thought about Sarah throwing crumpled dollar bills in my face.

I thought about that Audi parked under the streetlight for an hour, the engine idling.

I thought about the forensic accounting screenshot. Payee: Liam Sterling.

His mother, Mrs. Sterling, suddenly stood up from a nearby table. Her voice was shrill and grating, loud enough for the entire section to hear:

"What can a filthy Uber driver possibly offer my son?! Can she buy him a mansion?! Can she buy him a Porsche?!"

"Her entire monthly salary is less than the commission my son makes selling one car!"

Her finger was practically jabbing me in the eye. The people around us were laughing openly, pointing and sneering.

Right at that exact moment, Chloe slipped into the ballroom through a side door.

She didn't look at anyone. She walked smoothly and silently to the AV booth in the corner.

She bent down and plugged the HDMI cable directly into the main projector interface.

The massive LED screen behind the stage flared to life.

The first image: The official corporate business license for the National Luxury Auto Group.

Under the "Legal Representative / CEO" section, it read clearly: Evelyn Vance.

The second image: The corporate organizational chart. Sarah's name was listed under the "Regional General Manager" bracket.

My name was sitting directly at the very top. Above hers.

The entire ballroom went dead silent.

[The color drained from Sarah's face in less than a second.]