Hayden Jenkins, the driver whom I've recruited, often brings his girlfriend, Casey Sloan, along whenever he drives me to the company.

Seeing as Casey's destination is just along the way, I don't bother commenting about it.

But one time, when I open the car door, I see a note being pasted to the back seat. It says, "Car moochers aren't allowed in this car."

I rip the note off the seat and ask Hayden, "What's the meaning of this?"

Casey glares at me from the front passenger seat. She snaps at me, "Don't you know how to read? Every day, you keep mooching off my boyfriend's car! Seriously, are you this shameless? If you can't afford a ride, then don't ever leave your house! I hate car moochers like you the most!"

I'm confused, to say the least. That's when Hayden jogs toward me and mumbles to me, "Ms. Gray, Casey doesn't know that I work as your driver. She's rather possessive, and she only sticks this note on the back seat out of her love toward me.

"By the way, Casey really doesn't like sharing the car with you. I'll drop her off first. After that, I'll come back for you."

After that, Hayden drives my car away.

I remain rooted to the same spot, though I'm quick to call the police.

"Hello. A man and a woman have stolen my car. Please dispatch an officer as soon as possible."

I never thought that as the CEO of a listed company, I'd ever be pointed at and called a car moocher.

The kicker? That was my car.

20 minutes after I called the cops, a cruiser pulled up.

But before the two officers could even ask me about the carjacking, my driver, Hayden Jenkins, tore down the street in my black Maybach.

He slammed on the brakes right in front of me and scrambled out of the driver's seat. With a pale face, he asked, "Ms. Gray, what's going on? Why did you call the police?"

I just looked at him, keeping my mouth shut.

The police officer sized him up. "Are you the guy Ms. Gray said took her car without permission?"

Hearing that, Hayden completely panicked. "No, no, officer, it's all a misunderstanding. I'm Ms. Gray's driver. I drive her every single day.

"I was just dropping someone off on the way. I only got held up for a few minutes. There was no carjacking or anything."

He pointed at my car, offering a placating smile. "See? I brought it right back the second I could, didn't I?"

The officer looked between the two of us, then asked, "Ms. Gray, do you still want to press charges?"

Just as I was about to speak, Hayden stepped close and lowered his voice, pleading desperately, "Ms. Gray, please, for the sake of all the years my dad drove for you, give me a break just this once.

"You know his health is failing. I finally found a girlfriend, and I'm just trying to fulfill my dad's wish. I only did what I did to save my relationship. I didn't have a choice."

Mentioning his dad, Arthur Jenkins, actually made me hesitate.

Arthur had been my driver for six years. He was honest, reliable, and never caused any trouble.

In those six years, he was never late, never got a ticket, and would always politely try to refuse the holiday bonuses I handed out.

But three months ago, he was diagnosed with a lung condition that required long-term rest, forcing him to retire.

On his last day, he stood in my office, rubbing his rough hands. After hesitating for a long time, he awkwardly told me that his son, Hayden, had just lost his job and asked if I could give him a chance.

Arthur had been an honest man his whole life and had never asked for a favor. That was his first.

Out of respect for him, I agreed.

Hayden did fine in his first two months.

He wasn't perfect, but he got the job done—he was on time and kept the car clean.

But last month, things changed.

When Hayden came to pick me up that morning, a heavily made-up woman was sitting in the passenger seat.

I frowned, and Hayden quickly explained in a hushed voice as he opened the door for me, "Ms. Gray, this is my girlfriend, Casey Sloan. Her office is on our way, so I'm just giving her a quick lift."

I nodded and let it go.

It was just a carpool—no big deal.

But gradually, things started getting weird.

That "quick lift" became a mandatory routine every single morning.

Hayden would pick up Casey first, and then come get me.

At first, Casey just liked taking photos and videos from the passenger seat, flexing on social media that she was riding in a Maybach.

I could overlook that. She was young; a little vanity was normal.

What I couldn't understand was why she always looked at me with such pure disgust.

It was as if I owed her millions of dollars.

A few times, she even sprayed perfume nonstop toward my seat after I got in the car and complained loudly, "Gosh, why does this expensive car always smell so trashy?"

I honestly thought Casey was actually smelling something bad, so I told Hayden to take the car in for a deep clean and detailing.

However, her behavior only got more ridiculous. She started wiping down my seat with disinfectant the second I got out or put down disposable seat covers before I even sat down.

When I confronted Hayden about it, he just offered a sheepish explanation in private. "Ms. Gray, Casey is just worried the car isn't clean enough and might ruin your clothes, so she's extra careful about hygiene."

I didn't think much of it at the time.

After all, I had too much on my plate. I was managing multimillion-dollar projects every day. I really didn't have the time or energy to sweat the small stuff with some young lady.

It wasn't until this morning, when I saw the note slapped onto my usual seat, that it finally clicked.

Casey thought I was the one hitching a free ride.

I had intended to teach Hayden and Casey a lesson.

But right now, Hayden was practically begging in front of me. "Ms. Gray, I swear, this will never happen again. I'll explain everything to Casey today. I won't be giving her rides anymore. Please, for the sake of my dad's health, forgive me just this once."

Thinking of Arthur, I sighed. "Fine. I won't press charges."

Once the police officers left, Hayden let out a massive sigh of relief. He thanked me profusely and acted incredibly humble.

I didn't say anything else. I just got into the back seat and told him to take me to the office.

After that day, Hayden actually behaved himself for a while.

Casey was nowhere to be seen in the passenger seat whenever he picked me up.

The car was spotless, and any trace of that note had been completely scrubbed away.

His driving remained smooth and solid.

The only issue was that he kept running late, and he always had an excuse ready.

"Ms. Gray, I'm so sorry. There was an accident on the road today, so I got stuck in traffic for a bit."

"Ms. Gray, I'm really sorry. My alarm didn't go off, and I overslept."

"Ms. Gray, a pipe burst at my place, and I had to sort things out with the downstairs neighbors, so I got held up."

While the excuses started sounding a bit flimsy, he was always apologetic, so I didn't push it.

I figured that was the end of it—until one weekend, when I spontaneously decided to spend a couple of days relaxing at my suburban villa.

I called Hayden. "Where are you now? I need to go somewhere. Come pick me up."

He stuttered and hesitated for a long time before finally saying cautiously, "Ms. Gray, I woke up this morning and found out the car had a flat tire. It's at the mechanic's right now. They said it won't be ready until tomorrow. Where are you heading? Should I call a cab for you?"

I frowned, too tired to deal with the hassle. "Never mind. I'll call one myself."

After hanging up, I took a ride to the villa.

But the moment I arrived at the front gate, I froze.

Because my Maybach was sitting right there in the driveway, with perfect tires.

I stared at the car for a solid few seconds. Once I was certain it was mine, I picked up my pace and walked toward the front door.

The door was slightly ajar.

I pushed it open, and the sight inside left me entirely speechless.

The living room was an absolute disaster zone.

The coffee table and floor were littered with empty alcohol bottles, fruit peels, pizza boxes, and cigarette butts.

My multimillion-dollar couch and rugs were covered in muddy footprints. There were even several black holes burned right into the fabric by cigarettes.

The moment I saw the mess, my hands balled into fists.

I had bought this villa as a quiet getaway, and I'd poured a massive amount of effort into the interior design and furniture.

I usually took pristine care of the place, and now these people were treating it like total garbage.

I scanned the room, and my eyes locked onto the couch facing the door. Casey was sitting right there.

Casey was surrounded by a crowd of people.

"Casey, you're seriously so lucky. Your boyfriend is loaded!"

"Right? Not only is he rich, but he spoils you rotten. You mentioned wanting fries, and he ran out to buy them instantly."

"Don't forget about us once you become a rich lady!"

Casey's smile reached her ears as she soaked in the compliments. But just as she was about to speak, her eyes darted to the doorway and locked onto me.

Her smile vanished. Striding over in her high heels, she stopped right in front of me.

Without a single word, she struck me hard across the face. "You bitch! You actually tracked my boyfriend all the way here?"

The sudden blow left me momentarily stunned.

Her friends gasped, eyes wide. "Casey, what's going on?"

Casey pointed at me with pure disdain. "This is that car moocher I was telling you about! Hitching rides in Hayden's car wasn't enough for her. Now she's trying to crash his house, too."

I stared at her, utterly incredulous. "Who told you this house belongs to Hayden?"

Casey scoffed. "He did, obviously. You bitch. You're only after Hayden because he's a CEO, so you've been trying every possible way to seduce him, haven't you?

"Freeloading in his car every day to get him alone wasn't enough, so now you show up at his villa trying to sell yourself?

"Let me tell you something. Hayden said the only reason he drives you to work is that you're an employee at his company and he's taking the high road. Don't push your luck!"

So that was the story Hayden told her?

No wonder Casey had treated me like garbage.

In her head, Hayden was a wealthy CEO who drove a luxury car and owned a villa. Meanwhile, I was just some low-level employee working under him.

So Casey had always thought I was constantly mooching rides in Hayden's luxury car and even trying to seduce him.

This was completely absurd.

Casey turned back to her friends, raising her voice. "Do you guys know how shameless this bitch actually is? She glues herself to Hayden's car every single day. You can't even kick her out!

"I literally left a note telling her to stay out of his car, and she threw such a tantrum that she called the cops, claiming Hayden was abusing his employees.

"He had to start driving me to work extra early every morning just to protect the company's reputation, then double back to pick her up separately. I have never seen such a shameless whore in my entire life!"

My eyes widened.

So that was why Hayden had been running late every single day lately.

He was sneaking around, driving Casey to work first before coming back for me.

Such dedication.

Since he wanted to play me for a fool, he couldn't blame me for being ruthless.

I pulled out my phone right then and there and dialed the legal department. "Get a team over to my villa at Utopia Estates right now—"

Before I could finish, Casey snatched the phone out of my hand and smashed it onto the ground. "You crazy bitch, stop faking it! Your villa? This is Hayden's fucking house!"

Casey's friends chimed in, throwing sneers and insults my way.

"Wow, she really is shameless. She hasn't even bagged Hayden yet, and she's already claiming his villa is hers?"

"Some women are just pathetic. The second they see a guy with money, they're ready to spread their legs and beg. It's disgusting."

"Casey, you're way too nice. If I encountered a bitch like this, I would've ripped her mouth apart by now!"

Fueled by her friends' backing, Casey grew even bolder. She grabbed me by the collar. "Hear that? Everyone's calling you a pathetic bitch."