I found out my wife’s grandfather was in the ICU, fading fast, while I was on a road trip with her parents. To give them a chance to say one last goodbye, I drove for six hours straight through the night. I pulled into a service plaza halfway there, figuring the old couple could use a bite to eat. The lot was packed, so I took one of the exclusive reserved spots near the entrance. I made sure to leave my number on the dash with a note. We were halfway through our meal when I overheard the table next to us talking about some guy smashing up a car outside. I walked out to see the front end of my Lincoln crumpled like a tin can, the windshield a spiderweb of shattered glass on the pavement. A man was still there, swinging an axe, hacking at the car’s body with a wild frenzy. As I got closer, I realized the universe had a sick sense of humor. The man with the axe was Kevin Shaw, my wife’s personal assistant. 1 Seeing my car, a gift from my parents for my 25th birthday, completely mangled… it hurt. I never asked what it cost, only that it was a custom state-commissioned model, one of only a hundred in the world. I walked up to him. "Are you done?" He recognized me, a cold smirk spreading across his face. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Kane. What brings you out here? Enjoying the show?" I keep this car in a private garage. I rarely drive it, only bringing it out for this trip with my in-laws. Very few people would even know it was mine. I figured he must have seen the contact info I left on the dash. "Don't tell me this car is yours," Kevin sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "Nah, a man of your… status… wouldn't be caught dead in a domestic." As a junior assistant at the company, his arrogance was fueled entirely by my wife, Isabelle. No matter what mistake he made at the office, she was always there to cover for him. I managed a small smile. "Some domestic cars you can afford to smash. Others, not so much." Kevin just scoffed. "Is that a joke, Mr. Kane? I pull in over thirty grand a month, plus a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus last quarter. There isn't a domestic car on the planet I can't afford to wreck." Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Spoken like a small man who's never seen the real world. "I left my number on the dashboard. You didn't see it?" "Did you? Maybe you forgot." I knew this was personal. He was always pulling petty stunts at the office, spreading rumors that I was just a pretty-faced freeloader who’d married into the Ross family fortune without an ounce of talent to my name. "Does Isabelle know you act like this in public?" Kevin laughed. "What's Isabelle got to do with this? You're the one who parked in my spot." This service plaza, if I remembered correctly, was leased by the Ross family. They'd paid for a three-year contract and hired a private firm to manage it. At every plaza they controlled, there were two exclusive parking spots. One was for Isabelle. The other was always kept empty. The realization that the empty spot now belonged to Kevin Shaw confirmed a suspicion I'd had for a long time. Isabelle was cheating on me. Kevin’s grin widened. "Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know, would you, Mr. Kane? There are only two reserved spots here. I've earned Ms. Ross's high regard. Not like you, who married in three years ago and can't even get a parking spot to your name." He was right. It sounded pathetic. Three years of marriage, three years of bending to her every whim, and in the end, I was worth less than the dog at her heel. I was done talking. "I suggest you come up with a solution, right now. I'd rather not call the police." "A solution? You want me to pay for it?" He burst out laughing. "Fine. I'll wire you a hundred grand. Consider the car bought." Seeing his absolute confidence, I sighed. "It's 2025, man. What century are you living in?" "Then how much do you want?" "We can discuss compensation later," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "But if you make me late, you'll have to live with the consequences." Isabelle's grandfather was on his deathbed. My in-laws were desperate to see him one last time. If we were delayed because of this… well, I could only do so much. If a person was determined to stand in my way, what could I do? 2 Kevin still didn't grasp the gravity of the situation. He thought I was making empty threats. He just raised an eyebrow. "You take my spot, and now you're blaming me? Smashing your car was a warning. Next time, it won't be so simple." "Oh? You planning on smashing me next?" He shrugged. "Who knows? But you're definitely not leaving tonight." "You're mistaken. I'm just the driver." My father-in-law, wondering what was taking so long, came out to find me. He saw the wrecked car and froze. Kevin had never met Isabelle's father and assumed he was mine. He couldn't resist a parting shot. "Actions have consequences. Figure it out yourselves." As he turned to leave, I stepped in front of him. "That old couple is in a hurry to get home. You're playing with fire." Kevin shoved me aside without a second thought. "What the hell do I care where they're going?" My father-in-law was frantic. We were less than a hundred miles from home. If we left now, we could still make it. He came over to me, his voice trembling. "Alex, this young man is completely out of line. It was just a parking spot. Did he really have to destroy the car?" I threw my hands up. "Kids these days. Short fuses." "So what do we do? How do we get home?" Kevin chimed in, his voice dripping with schadenfreude. "Plenty of ways. You could walk. 'Course, at your age, you'd probably croak after a few steps." "How dare you speak like that?" my father-in-law sputtered. "Don't you have parents? Elders in your own family?" That struck a nerve. Kevin was the product of a messy divorce, raised by an aunt. The topic was a raw wound. "What did you say, you old fossil? What business is it of yours if I have family? Do I eat your food? Wear your clothes? Live in your house?" "We can compensate you! We'll pay you for the spot! Why did you have to smash the car?" my father-in-law pleaded. Honestly, this whole trip had been a nightmare. The old couple treated me less like a son-in-law and more like a servant. But the worst part was when someone would ask if I was their son or son-in-law, and they’d just mumble and evade the question before finally saying I was their "helper." It was laughable, but I was too tired to argue. My marriage to Isabelle was already a sham. "Smashing the car was me being nice," Kevin sneered. "The old me would've broken your legs." That terrified my father-in-law. He hid behind me. "Alex, maybe we should call the butler to come pick us up?" "Right now? I don't think he'll make it in time. That's hours of driving." I was just being honest, but my father-in-law was practically jumping out of his skin. He was ready to buy a car on the spot if he had to. A hundred grand to see his father one last time? To him, it was worth it. I didn't object. I turned to the small crowd that had gathered. "Anyone willing to sell their car? Two hundred thousand, cash transfer right now! As long as it can drive a hundred miles, I'll take it!" People looked at me like I was crazy. But one guy with a beat-up minivan tentatively raised his hand. "Uh... you'd buy my old Astro van?" "Absolutely. Drive it over here. We'll do the transfer." Seeing I was serious, a few other drivers rushed to get their vehicles. But before anyone could make a deal, Kevin reappeared with a bullhorn. "LISTEN UP!" he blared. "ANYONE WHO SELLS A CAR TO THIS GUY TONIGHT ISN'T LEAVING THIS PLAZA! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!" A couple of guys scoffed. Who would turn down 200k for an old junker? They were quickly proven wrong. A group of thuggish-looking security guards dragged them away. It was clear Kevin was in charge here. At this service plaza, he was king. 3 There was no police substation here. When someone tried to dial 911, Kevin had his goons surround them, ordering them to snatch the phone out of anyone's hand if they tried to make a call. It was late, the security guards looked menacing, and most people decided it was better to just mind their own business. I was amazed at Kevin's audacity. This wasn't a rest stop; it was a bandit's hideout. Of course, Kevin also promised everyone that if they waited thirty minutes, they could leave, and all their food and drinks would be on the house. "Free?" I challenged him. "Do you have any idea how much that will cost? Did you clear this with Isabelle? If this is your call, you won't be able to afford the losses." He just shrugged, completely unconcerned. His only goal was to screw me over. My father-in-law suddenly asked, "Isn't this the plaza Isabelle's company leased a while back?" When I nodded, he pulled out his phone to call his daughter. Before he could dial, Kevin slapped it out of his hand. "Are you deaf, old man? Didn't you hear what I said? Anyone makes a call here, they answer to me!" "This place belongs to my daughter!" he roared back. "I'm calling her to deal with this!" The clock was ticking. Every second we wasted felt like a lifetime. Kevin just laughed. "Getting bolder in your old age, aren't you?" "You dare insult me? My daughter is Isabelle Ross! You must know her!" Even hearing her name didn't faze Kevin. He was convinced the old couple were my parents. "You do this now," I warned him, "and you'll regret it when she gets here." "Ha! Don't try to use her to scare me!" he shot back. "Even if Ms. Ross shows up, you're the one in the wrong. What's it got to do with me?" Seeing his absolute lack of fear, I finally understood just how much power Isabelle had given him. Enough to let him run this place like his own personal fiefdom. "You sure about that?" I pulled out my own phone and dialed Isabelle. Kevin watched me, a defiant look in his eyes. She picked up almost immediately, her voice flat and cold. "I'm in a meeting. Make it quick." I told her my car had been smashed. "Okay," she replied without a moment's hesitation. "So it's smashed. We'll buy a new one when you get back." Before I could say another word, she hung up. 4 Isabelle's indifference was a cold slap in the face. Kevin roared with laughter. "That's it? She hung up? What'd she say? Let me guess: 'figure it out yourself'?" My father-in-law looked at me, his eyes wide. "Alex, is that really what she said?" I could see the anger starting to burn in his gaze, not for my sake, but at his own daughter's callousness. "Dad, Isabelle said she's in a meeting. She's busy." "That's no excuse!" he boomed. "She just can't be bothered with us!" "He's right. Ms. Ross doesn't want to be bothered with you," Kevin gloated. He then turned to me with a smug grin. "I bet you I can get her here with one phone call." "She's in a meeting," I repeated, realizing how naive I sounded even as the words left my mouth. "She won't come for anyone." Kevin was already dialing. He put the phone on speaker. It rang once before she picked up. "Kevinnnn," she cooed, her voice now a playful, sugary purr. "I'm in a meeting, you know." The same words, but a universe of difference in tone. The cold indifference was gone, replaced by a flirtatious warmth. "I know, Ms. Ross," Kevin chuckled. "I just missed you. Wanted to hear your voice." "Oh, stop it. Call me Isabelle. Don't be such a stranger." Hearing my wife's syrupy voice made me want to laugh. In all our years of marriage, I had never heard her speak like that, never once seen her act playful or coy. The Isabelle I knew was a powerhouse, a force of nature. Apparently, that was just for show. My father-in-law stared at the phone, his face a mask of disbelief, as if he couldn't process that the voice belonged to his daughter. Before he could speak, Kevin cut in. "Isabelle, I've run into a little trouble here. Can you come down?" "Of course," she said instantly. "Send me your location. I'm on my way." In a meeting? No time? I let out a bitter, silent laugh. I couldn't imagine a more humiliating moment. Whose wife was she, exactly? Kevin turned to me, his chest puffed out. "You hear that? Isabelle's on her way. Anything else you'd like to say?" He looked so triumphant. I had lost, completely and utterly. But I had been preparing myself for this. The disappointment was real, but now I was more curious to see the look on Isabelle's face when she saw her parents. Forty minutes later, a news alert popped up on my phone. Leo Ross, former chairman of Ross Industries, has passed away due to illness at the age of 89. My father-in-law saw the notification over my shoulder. His face went from confusion to rage, and finally, to utter despair. They knew. Even if we left now, it was too late. The chance to see his father one last time was gone. A wound that would never heal. Just then, a sleek sports car pulled up. Isabelle stepped out. So much for being "in a meeting"—she was perfectly made up, dressed not in her usual power suit, but in a sexy, form-fitting knit dress and stilettos that drew stares from everyone around. "Isabelle, over here!" Kevin waved her over. She saw him and broke into a smile I had never seen before—warm, tender, and undeniably intimate. The old me would have been consumed by jealousy. The new me felt nothing. When she finally saw me, the smile vanished. "Why did you park in Kevin's spot?" she demanded. "You deserved to have your car smashed." "There was a reason," I started. "I was with—" "I don't want to hear your excuses," she cut me off. "Fine. Then pretend I never said anything." "What's that supposed to mean? Are you blaming me?" Faced with her irrational anger, I simply turned away. She was about to erupt when my father-in-law emerged from the restroom. The first words out of his mouth when he saw her were, "You unfilial child! You finally decided to show up!"
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