All Chapters of The Chauffeur Who Could Hear Thoughts: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

The car fell silent.My name is Fred O'Donnell, and I was born with the ability to hear what other people are thinking.After graduation, that knack turned me into a top-rated chauffeur in just two years.My previous boss once claimed he didn't want a late-night snack, but in his head he was craving the clam chowder bread bowls from that little place on the south side of town. I blamed traffic, took a detour past the shop, and he got the very last bread bowl of the night. The next day, my pay doubled.When my boss had a client he didn't want to make small talk with, I drove as fast as I could and took the back streets. When it was the other way around, I made sure they had plenty of time to talk.My motto had always been: eyes on the road, mouth shut.This time, I'd jumped ship to the Schur family for three times the market rate.Trent Schur, the head of the family, was notorious as the devil incarnate. He was brilliant but ruthless, and so finicky that he was nearly impossible

"The health center only has a record of him checking in a little after four in the afternoon. Nobody remembers whether he was still there after seven."Trent glanced at the statement. The charge had gone through at 7:32 p.m.The light that had just returned to Luke's eyes dimmed again."I passed out that afternoon. Does it make sense that I'd leave the health center and go shopping?""You could have paid online," Victor said, as gentle as ever. "Luke, if you don't want to admit it, there's no need to shift the blame onto me."'The supplementary card is in his name. If I make the evidence look a little more real, Dad won't dig any further.'My fingertips went cold.No wonder Victor was so sure of himself. These records really couldn't fully clear Luke's name.Trent spoke in a low voice. "Take out your phone. Your shopping history, your messages, your payment apps. Open all of them."The last bit of color drained from Luke's face. "Whatever. Check all you want."He slammed the

Trent walked up to Victor. "Unlock your phone.""Dad, you don't believe me either?""The account is in Luke's name, the shipping address is your apartment, and the money went into your studio," Trent said in a low voice. "How am I supposed to believe you?"Victor went pale.'I can't pick up. If Natalie says the wrong thing, they'll dig up every account.'I deliberately walked over to the computer and asked the finance manager, "That fifty-thousand-dollar transfer made at the counter. What did the memo say?""Art show sponsorship."Trent's eyes darkened. "An art show?""It's a normal studio project," Victor tried to argue. "Luke was involved in it too.""I don't even know where your studio is."The finance manager went on. "Mr. Luke's account once had a request to change its authorization, and after the change, the account manager became Mr. Victor. But the signature on the authorization form is quite different from the signature Mr. Luke has on file."Victor scrambled to exp

A year later, Luke's project won first prize in the National Collegiate Startup Challenge.Trent wanted to fold the project straight into the company. Luke refused."I want to do it on my own.""All right." For once, Trent didn't shoot him down."Make me a list of whatever resources you need. But how you run the company and how you spend the money is your call."Luke was stunned. "You're not worried I'll lose it all?""If you lose it, we'll figure something else out," Trent said bluntly. "People matter more than money."Luke's eyes went a little red, and he turned his head to look out the window.I knew it wasn't because the words were so moving. It was because he'd finally become certain that, in this family, he was no longer a nuisance who could be cast aside at any moment.The day the company was founded, Luke came to me with a business plan. "Fred, come work with me."I was stunned. "Me?""Yeah. You're really good at reading people, and you know how to deal with them."