Chapter 1

Chloe Morrison's expression darkened further, and she looked like she wanted to say more.

I put on my headphones and closed my eyes to rest. Only then did Chloe reluctantly shut her mouth and focus on driving. I was already exhausted from working overtime, and dealing with this only made things worse.

Chloe used to be my mother's driver, and Mom had given her glowing reviews. She drove smoothly enough that even someone like me, who got carsick easily, felt comfortable during the car ride.

That was why I asked for her to be reassigned to me after I started taking over the company and needed to travel more frequently.

When the car pulled up to my house, I got out. She suddenly grabbed my wrist. "When did you buy that watch?"

Her interrogating tone annoyed me. I pulled my hand away. "It's none of your business!"

I ignored her completely and walked straight into the house, which meant I did not catch whatever else she muttered under her breath after that.

I had just finished eating dinner in my office and was working when my phone kept vibrating. I opened it to find that Chloe had already sent me numerous messages.

I frowned and tapped on the conversation. There were countless voice messages.

"I saw a video online. That watch of yours costs over 200,000 dollars? That's more than my entire annual salary."

"Phones can tell time too. Why buy such an expensive watch? It's completely impractical and flashy."

"You're so wasteful. How are you going to support a wife after you get married..."

Every single sentence she sent left me stunned by how absurd it was.

At that moment, I reached my limit. I typed out a furious response.

[Chloe Morrison! My family pays you to be my driver, not my mother! Know your place! I'm spending my own money. Even if I did buy a watch worth several million dollars, it has absolutely nothing to do with you! Stop being so possessive over other people's money.]

My anger built with every word.

[Setting aside the fact that I'm a CEO who can support anyone without difficulty, even if I do get married, it'll be to someone from a family of equal standing—not someone who has opinions about me buying a watch!]

This was the first time I had spoken so sharply to Chloe. She opened with an apology, then continued lecturing me as if she had every right.

"My tone was a bit harsh, I admit. But you shouldn't get upset and say ridiculous things about marrying someone from an equal family just to spite me. Besides, even if you're a CEO, you still have to listen to your wife at home. Once you're married, you should be spending your money on your wife!"

"I'm saying all this because I'm thinking about your future. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother."

I laughed in disbelief, wondering if something was genuinely wrong with her. What absolute nonsense.

I was about to block her and fire her on the spot when my assistant sent over tomorrow's schedule confirmation.

I noticed there was an important partnership I needed to negotiate. This deal was something I absolutely had to close, and it required an hour-long drive. If I replaced my driver on short notice, I was not sure if motion sickness would keep me from performing at my best.

I closed my eyes. In the end, I did not block her. I decided to wait until after tomorrow's negotiation to find a replacement driver.

I gave Mom a heads-up about the situation and asked if she had any other skilled drivers on hand.