Corporate Villainy: Trampling Protagonists as a Business Dad

Vincent was stunned. He had just come out for a romantic date and sat in a taxi for the first time in years, and he actually encountered a protagonist? What were the chances of that?

"Maybe it's because my luck value has increased," Vincent thought while his face became a mask of composure.

"It's not my fault beauty—there was a cat at the turn, and the car in front braked suddenly," the driver said with a shrug, smiling at Helena while ignoring Vincent completely.

What Jin said was indeed true. This was how things worked with protagonists—wherever they went, trouble would follow.

Vincent finally realized why this guy was acting so casual and arrogant. People would usually be able to tell at a glance that he was not someone they could afford to provoke, but a protagonist? Wasn't he, the villain, a perfect target for a protagonist?

As Jin started driving again, Vincent noticed the subtle glances in the rearview mirror—quick looks that lingered just a fraction too long on Helena. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

A few blocks later, Jin hit a small pothole, causing Helena to bounce slightly in her seat. "Sorry about that," Jin said, but his eyes were fixed on the mirror again, watching how Helena's dress shifted with the movement.

Vincent's hands slowly clenched into fists on his lap.

Then came the sudden swerve to avoid a pedestrian who genuinely appeared from behind a parked truck without warning, followed by an abrupt stop when a delivery van ran a red light and nearly T-boned them. A construction worker's dropped toolbox spilled into their lane moments later, forcing another sharp turn. Each genuine incident sent Helena sliding closer to Vincent, and each time, Jin's eyes found the rearview mirror, taking advantage of circumstances that seemed to align perfectly for his perverted glances.

"Is everything alright?" Helena asked, her voice carrying a note of concern as she steadied herself against Vincent's arm. She was beginning to notice the pattern—the way the driver's gaze kept finding her in the reflection.

Vincent felt his muscles coil with barely suppressed tension. His breathing became deliberately controlled, the kind of measured calm that preceded violence. If it were an ordinary guy, Vincent would have already dragged him from the driver's seat and ended his pathetic existence.

But Vincent wasn't stupid—he knew if he directly took action now, it would surely backfire on him. Instead, he made a calculated decision.

"Kyaaa!" Much to Helena and Jin's surprise, Vincent suddenly lifted Helena and settled her on his lap, his arms wrapping protectively around her waist.

She instinctively tried to pull away, startled by the sudden movement, but Vincent held her firmly yet gently.

"Ignore him," Vincent whispered in Helena's ear, his voice deliberately warm and intimate. "I'd rather hear what you were saying about those lilies in the maze." As he spoke, he could feel the rigid tension in his shoulders begin to ease—not from relaxation, but from the satisfaction of turning the tables.

"Th-This is a bit inappropriate," Helena stammered, her cheeks flushing red as she glanced nervously at the partition between them and the driver.

"Don't worry," Vincent said, gently cupping her cheek and turning her attention back to him. "Stop caring about what others might think." His strategy was working perfectly—protect Helena from unwanted attention while simultaneously frustrating his opponent.

Vincent began whispering sweet words in her ear, his lips close enough that his breath warmed her skin. Helena's initial embarrassment melted into soft laughter and genuine smiles. She gradually relaxed against him, her head finding its place on his shoulder as they exchanged tender words, completely absorbed in each other.

Jin was completely dumbfounded, his eyes darting between the road and the rearview mirror in confusion. Shouldn't you yell and show off your connections? Shouldn't you try to beat me up? Shouldn't you storm out of the car? Why are you becoming even more romantic now? This wasn't following the usual routine at all.

The small accidents mysteriously stopped happening. Without an audience for his provocations, Jin found himself with nothing but the road ahead and a small uncomfortable feeling that things were not supposed to go like that.

🔔 System Notification

▶Protagonist(Jin) feels depressed and misses his ex-girlfriend

▶ Jin LP: -50 ▶ Vincent LP: +50 ▶ VP: +150

In the end, Jin could only focus on driving, feeling like he'd been relegated to unwilling chauffeur in someone else's love story. Vincent, meanwhile, was practically purring with satisfaction—flirting with a beautiful woman AND gaining system points? This was multitasking at its finest.

*******************

Soon they arrived at their destination, "Grandview Shopping Center," and the car stopped. Vincent and Helena were still wrapped up in each other, whispering and giggling like teenagers at a school dance. Helena was so lost in Vincent's attention that she didn't even notice they'd stopped moving. Vincent absolutely noticed but chose to ignore it—why interrupt a good thing when there were more luck points to be harvested from this increasingly frustrated protagonist?

🔔 System Notification

▶ Protagonist(Jin) feels jealous and lonely

▶ Jin LP: -25 ▶ Vincent LP: +25 ▶ VP: +100

"Excuse me, lovebirds, but we've been parked for two minutes already. This isn't a hotel room," Jin finally snapped, his patience wearing thinner than his worn-out shirt.

Helena suddenly snapped back to reality, looking around like someone who'd just woken up from a particularly pleasant dream. Her face turned three shades of red when she realized they'd been putting on quite the show for their unwilling audience.

Vincent chuckled at her adorable embarrassment as they slowly extracted themselves from the taxi under Jin's burning glare.

"Well, I've never encountered such terrible driving in my life," Helena declared, pulling out her phone with the righteous indignation of a woman scorned by bad customer service. "One star review, here we come!"

Jin shot them a disdainful look, but Vincent caught the subtle smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. The bastard actually looked... pleased? Jin sauntered toward the road without so much as a backward glance, whistling like he'd just won the lottery instead of nearly killed two passengers.

Helena was about to tap "Submit Review" when Vincent suddenly caught her wrist. "Wait."

"What's wrong?" Helena looked up at him, confusion written all over her face. "Why are you stopping me? He deserves every bad review he gets!"

Vincent, who had been rapidly scrolling through messages on his phone, looked up with a carefully crafted expression of noble sympathy. "Let's just... forget it. He's probably just some poor guy trying to make ends meet."

Helena's jaw practically hit the pavement. "Since when do you have a soft spot for incompetent service workers? You gave me that terrifying lecture about punctuality when I was three minutes late to our coffee meeting!"

Vincent scrambled for an excuse. "I'm... turning over a new leaf? Personal growth and all that."

The truth was far more interesting. David's background check on Jin had just arrived, and it read like a fever dream written by someone who'd never heard of logical storytelling.

Jin Ashera: Orphaned at twelve when his parents died in a car accident. Debt collectors swooped in like vultures, leaving him with nothing but a cramped studio apartment and a mountain of resentment. Recently fired from his job at an electronics store when his manager falsely accused him of theft to cover for his own embezzlement—a classic start of protagonist getting screwed over by someone with money and connections.

But here's where reality took a hard left turn into fantasy land: Two days ago, this taxi-driving nobody had somehow acquired a villa on Sahara Road. Vincent owned property there too, and those houses didn't go for pocket change—they were reserved for people with serious wealth and connections.

The financial records were even more absurd. Jin's bank account had been flatlining at near-zero for months, but suddenly, money was appearing like magic. His current balance? A staggering 10 million Rubi (~₹10,00,00,000/ ~$1,170,000). He'd also mysteriously acquired 2 million shares in Desla Ltd. just this morning. Desla is a multinational mega corporation whose core businesses were designing, manufacturing, and selling electric vehicles.

And what was this financial wizard doing with his newfound wealth? Driving a beat-up taxi in beggar like clothes and apparently getting his kicks from making passengers uncomfortable.

Vincent's eye twitched as the pieces fell into place. This wasn't just any protagonist—this was one of those ridiculous "Taxi System" protagonists. The kind that belonged in novels so bad they made readers question their life choices.

It didn't take long for Vincent to connect the dots. Jin's perverted behavior during the ride, that satisfied smirk when Helena threatened a bad review, the mysterious wealth that appeared out of nowhere—and most tellingly, the fact that he was still driving a taxi despite being worth millions. Why would someone with that kind of money choose to keep doing a job that should be beneath them? Unless the job itself was the source of the money.

The pattern was clear: Jin wasn't trying to provide good service—he was actively sabotaging it. Every uncomfortable moment, every inappropriate glance, every "accident" that made passengers want to complain was deliberate. He wasn't failing at being a taxi driver; he was succeeding at being the worst taxi driver possible.

"This bastard earns rewards from bad reviews," Vincent muttered, his expression shifting from analysis to disgust.

Vincent muttered, his expression barely concealed disgust. "Of all the protagonist systems in all the world, I had to encounter the one that rewards being a creep."

He'd seen this type of story in his previous life—the kind that made him wonder if the author had ever actually met a human being or just learned about them from poorly translated instruction manuals. Even fake taxi was more real than that broken system. Women would throw themselves at the protagonist for random reasons and the society only consisted of villains, passengers and bystanders.

Vincent quickly typed a message to David: Keep tabs on the taxi pervert. Find out more about him.

"Come on," he said to Helena, sliding his hand around her waist with renewed determination. "Let's go shopping. I'm buying you an entire new wardrobe today."

Helena gave him a suspicious look. "You know I don't like spending ridiculous amounts on designer labels. I'm perfectly happy with normal clothes that don't cost more than some people's cars."

Vincent stopped walking and turned to face her with sudden seriousness. "Helena, in the world I live in—the world you're entering—appearance isn't vanity, it's strategy. Walk into a boardroom wearing confidence and designer fabric, and people assume you belong there. Walk in wearing 'perfectly reasonable' clothes, and you'll spend the first hour convincing them you're not lost."

Helena blinked, caught off guard by his intensity.

Vincent's expression softened as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Think of luxury as armor, not decoration. I don't want anyone else writing your story but me." His woman wasn't the kind of protagonist who'd show up to a meeting or party in cheap clothes just to be laughed at.

Helena's eyes lit up with mischief and determination. "In that case, I'm going to shop so hard that you'll be begging me to stop. I'm talking buy-everything-in-three-stores level of shopping. Your credit card is about to file for emotional distress."

Vincent laughed, genuinely delighted by her playful threat. "Challenge accepted. Let's start with that boutique over there." He knew she was teasing him, but part of him hoped she'd actually follow through—watching Helena discover her power would be entertainment worth any price tag.