Misunderstanding

Grace felt terrible for the driver. Because of her recklessness, he was about to lose his job. The thought weighed heavily on her chest, and she decided she would apologize to him and do whatever she could to protect him from getting fired.

A few minutes earlier, before Grace had woken up, Ethan Marino was sitting quietly in the hospital room, waiting for her to regain consciousness. Just then, his phone rang. It was his assistant. He didn't want to disturb the unconscious girl,  so he stepped out of the room to take the call.

“Sir, I’m already outside the hospital,” his assistant said from the other side of the phone.“I brought a new set of clothes for you.”

“Good. Come up to the fifth floor,” Ethan replied in his cold, deep voice. “And what about the business trip I told you to cancel last night?”

“I informed them you won’t be attending the France meeting due to personal reasons.”

“Fine. Hurry up to the fifth floor. I’ve been stuck in these bloodstained clothes since last night. It’s uncomfortable.”

Ethan slipped off his ruined jacket and tugged off his tie. His white shirt, also was smeared with dried blood. Last night had been chaotic, and it was too late to call his assistant then.

After finishing the call, he returned to the room—only to find the girl already awake. For a moment, he paused at the door, surprised.

Grace’s eyes widened when she saw the man walk in. He was strikingly handsome—tall, broad-shouldered, and carrying himself with an air of quiet dominance. This man… he doesn’t look like a driver at all. He has the aura of someone powerful, she thought. But no… I shouldn’t judge someone’s profession by their appearance.

Her gaze fell on his shirt, still stained with her blood, and guilt churned in her stomach.

Ethan walked closer. His expression was unreadable as he asked, “How are you feeling now?”

Grace gave a faint nod. “I… I’m sorry. Because of me, you had to face trouble. I shouldn’t have run in front of your car like that.”

His cold eyes narrowed. “So you know it was your fault. I smelled alcohol on you last night—you were drunk, weren’t you? And yet you rushed into the road like you had no value for your life. Do you have any idea how reckless that was?”

Grace lowered her head, her voice trembling. “You’re right. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Anger tightened Ethan’s chest. He had been furious that this careless girl forced him to cancel his business trip. Yet when he saw the sadness in her eyes as she apologized, something inside him softened against his will. Looking away, he muttered indifferently, “Next time, be careful.”

Grace bit her lip. The guilt only deepened. Because of her, this man is going to lose his job. She looked up hesitantly. “I understand you’re angry. Your boss must be furious too… after all, you hit me with his expensive car. And now he wants to fire you, right?”

Ethan froze, staring at her. Job?

Grace nodded seriously. “You don’t need to hide it. The doctor already told me everything. But I promise, I’ll talk to your boss myself. I’ll tell him it wasn’t your fault—I was the one who came in front of the car. I’ll even pay for the damage to the car. Please don’t worry, I’ll help you keep your job.”

Ethan stared at her in disbelief. Did she really think he was a mere driver? And who exactly was this ‘boss’ she kept mentioning? He was the owner of the car himself.

Just as he opened his mouth to correct her, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Grace called softly.

Ethan’s assistant, Noah Wilson, stepped inside carrying a bag. He glanced at his boss but before he could speak, Grace turned to him with pleading eyes.

“You must be his boss,” she said politely. “Please, don’t be angry with him. It wasn’t his fault. I was drunk and… thinking of ending my life. I jumped in front of the car myself. Please don’t fire him—he’s a good man. Otherwise, who would bother taking a stranger to the hospital these days? I’ll pay for the damage to your car, but please, let him keep his job.”

Noah froze, utterly confused, and looked at Ethan.

Meanwhile, Ethan hadn’t taken his eyes off Grace once. This girl—was she truly this innocent and kind, or was she playing some sort of game? He had seen countless women try to impress him by pretending to be soft and harmless.

But this girl? She was defending him, believing him to be nothing more than a poor driver.

For the first time in a long while, Ethan Marino felt genuinely intrigued.

If she was pretending, he wanted to see how long she could keep the act up.

And if she was truly this naïve and kindhearted… then he wanted to know just how far she would go to help him.