My Hot Taxidriver Is a Tycoon In Disguise

~GRACE’S POV~ What am I? A fuckiing clown? No, seriously. A whole certified fool. Because what kind of woman picks up her husband’s ex-wife from the damn airport, smiles like an idiott, and hands her a bouquet of roses like she’s welcoming royalty? Hi Flora, welcome back to ruin my life. Want flowers with that? I should’ve driven the car straight into the ocean. She slid into the back seat like she owned it, tossed her designer bag beside her like it was trash, and immediately rolled down the window. “How graceful of you, Grace,” I muttered to myself as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, forcing a grin that was already starting to shake at the edges. “Or maybe just fuckiing stupid.” “Get out of the road, you little pauper!” Flora screamed out the window at a kid on a scooter. He couldn’t have been more than ten. The way his eyes widened in horror and his backpack bounced as he swerved off the sidewalk told me he’d never been yelled at like that before. I flinched. Then I looked at her in the rearview mirror. She was beautiful. Of course she was. Brown hair that looked like it belonged in a Pantene commercial. Perfect skin, smug, full lips and the typical sharp cheekbones. She kind of looked like me, if I’d been carved out of stone and taught to smirk for a living. She leaned back in the seat, adjusting her sunglasses like she hadn’t just verbally assaulted a child. “Zach said he’s busy but his wife would come pick me up, so you’re the one, huh?” she said casually, like we were two old friends catching up over brunch and not two women sharing a man. I didn’t answer. I just kept driving. Because if I spoke, I’d grab her fuckiing throat and hurl her back to wherever the hell she’s been for the past five years. She left Zach five years ago. One day she was there, and the next she was gone. Left him and their daughter, Rachael, without a backward glance. I found Zach crumpled, broken in more ways than one. I picked up the pieces, helped him heal and became Rachael’s everything. She called me “Mommy” after six months. I cried the first time she said it. Zach proposed three months later. Said I saved his life. I didn’t know if it was love or convenience. I still don’t. But I said yes. I was the wife, the mother and the co-owner of his life. And yet here I was, driving Flora back to him like an Uber driver from hell. “I hope she’s just here for Rachael,” I whispered to myself. She didn’t hear me. Or maybe she did and didn’t care. We pulled up to D Double Jewelry. A skyscraper made of glass, the company my mother built from scratch with sweat and tears. The only thing she left me when she died. I handed Zach the CEO title to help his pride, to stop the whispers that he was living off his wife. I made him look powerful. I just hoped I wouldn’t regret it one day. I stepped out and opened the door for Flora like some pathetic chauffeur. She didn’t bother saying thank you. We walked through the glass doors together, her heels clicking like gunshots against tile. She smiled at the receptionist like she already owned the place. Inside, the office buzzed with its usual Monday madness. Phones ringing, interns tripping over themselves, the scent of cappuccino in the air. I guided Flora to the top floor where Zach’s office was. The elevator slid open, and the first thing I saw was him—looking more polished than I had seen him in years. What the hell? What the hell? Zach turned the moment the elevator dinged, and the second he saw Flora, he lit up like a fuckiing Christmas tree. His mouth dropped open. And like some twisted rom-com reunion,he laughed, ran into her arms and then kissed her. In front of everyone. Interns stopped mid-staple. A secretary gasped. The new IT guy dropped his smoothie. I stood there, bouquet still clutched in my hand like the idiott I was. I told myself it was just a moment. Maybe it was shock. Maybe it was closure. Maybe it was just old emotions and he’d come back to his senses. But then they kept going. Hugging, touching, and laughing. I cleared my throat once. Nothing. Again, louder. Finally, the crowd scattered like I’d snapped reality back into place. Only Zach, Flora, and I remained. “I’m still here,” I said quietly, my voice dry. “Zach, please respect my presence.” Flora smirked, sliding her arm around his like this was her wedding day. “Oh, sweetie?” Flora turned to me with a smirk that could slice glass. “Someone thinks she’s queen of the empire.” I blinked, shocked. “News flash, b***h. I’m back,” she said, eyes flashing. “And I’m back for good. So don’t think because you’ve been warming Zach’s bed while I was away that you own him. I was his first. I’m his forever. I’m the mother of his child. You? You were just a temporary replacement.” “Excuse me?” I said, heart pounding. “What is going on here?” “Oh, please,” Flora rolled her eyes. “You left him!” I snapped, voice cracking. “You left both of them! When he needed someone the most, I was there. When Rachael cried herself to sleep every night. You weren’t there. I was. And now you show up from the pit of nowhere claiming wife? Aren’t you ashamed?” “Enough,” Zach finally said, stepping between us. “Don’t talk to the mother of my child like that.” I froze, my jaw hitting the floor. “What?” “You give her the respect she deserves.” Respect? He turned to his desk, opened a drawer, and tossed a stack of papers onto it like he’d been waiting for this moment. “Sign the divorce papers.” My mouth went dry. “What? Zach, what the hell are you talking about?” “My wife is back. I don’t need your services anymore.” “Services?” I repeated, stunned. “You think I married you out of love?” he laughed bitterly. “You were a good fill-in. A perfect nanny. A decent cook. Someone to play pretend family with until Flora came back.” The floor tilted under my feet. He looked me dead in the eye. “I never loved you, Grace. You had money, a name, and stability—and I needed that,” he said. “You were just a placeholder; Flora is the one I love.” Something inside me cracked open. “You used me,” I whispered. “You used me as your fuckiing backup plan.” He shrugged. “Call it what you want. But the game’s over. Now get the hell out of here.” I shook my head. “No. I won’t! This is my company, my mother’s company. You were just—” “Oh, Grace.” His laugh was cold. “You gave me power when you made me CEO. And I took it. Every document I signed, every board meeting I attended, I made sure this place became mine. It’s been mine for three months now.” “You stole it,” I choked. “You stole from me.” “No,” he said. “You handed it to me. Like a good little wife.” My vision blurred, and hot tears streamed down my cheeks like open taps. Flora stepped forward, shoved a pen into my hand, and hissed, “Sign the fuckiing papers and stop embarrassing yourself.” I didn’t remember signing. My hand moved on autopilot. “I loved you,” I said to Zach, voice shaking. “I gave you everything.” “And I never asked you to,” he replied, his face twisting into a wicked expression I had never seen before. “Security!” he yelled. Two uniformed men walked in. “Throw this nuisance out of here and make sure she never steps foot in here again.” “Yes, sir!” they chorused, stalking toward me. “No!” I gasped, stepping back. “This is my building!” They didn’t care. Their expressions remained cold as they grabbed my arms roughly. “Wait,” Zach said. A part of me felt a flicker of hope. Was he coming back to his senses? Had he realized I’m the one? I thought he was experiencing a change of heart until he grabbed my purse forcefully. He dug inside and pulled out my car keys. “You can walk,” he said, smiling. “The car’s mine now.” “It’s my car. My money paid for it.” “Everything’s mine now,” he said. “The company, the house, the bank accounts. You were naive enough to make me CEO, and I made sure every document gave me control. You’re not the boss anymore, Grace. You’re an employee. And now you’re fired.” “This is robbery,” I yelled. “You’re stealing my mother’s legacy.” “Oh, sweetheart,” Flora chuckled. “Maybe next time, don’t trust your dickk with your destiny.” “Throw her out,” Zach said. And they did. They grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the only thing I had left, out of the company I gave everything to. I kicked, screamed and begged. But no one cared. The gates slammed shut behind me. I stood there on the sidewalk, mascara bleeding down my face, hair a mess, heart shattered, while people passed by pretending I didn’t exist. My hands shook. My knees buckled. I raised my hand to knock, to bang, to beg someone to let me back in, but I didn’t. I turned. And I walked. Because if I stayed one second longer, I might lose my mind. And I can’t let that happen. Not when I haven’t recovered everything I lost. Not when I haven’t made them pay for what they did to me. A yellow taxi slowed beside me. I didn’t even look at the driver. I just yanked open the door and climbed in, still sobbing, but now softly. “Where to, ma’am?” the voice asked. It was warm, deep, and far too smooth compared to the usual shaky voices of grumpy taxi drivers I was used to. I didn’t look at him. I just stared straight ahead, then wiped my face with the back of my hand. “I don’t know,” I whispered, sniffling back tears. “Maybe somewhere I can fuckiing die.”