Pretend to be poor

Ethan had already made up his mind—he would pretend to be poor, just to test Grace. His sharp gaze shifted toward Noha, who was staring back at him with a confused expression. Ethan gave the slightest shake of his head, a silent signal only Noha could understand. He couldn’t reveal the truth to the girl.

Grace, however, caught none of this silent exchange. Her eyes remained fixed on Noha, filled with hope and desperation. “Mister, are you even listening to me?” she asked softly, her voice trembling. “Please forgive him… don’t punish him for my mistake.”

Noha hesitated, torn between his loyalty to his boss and the girl’s pleading eyes. He glanced at Ethan, seeking instructions.

Ethan cleared his throat, lowering his head as if ashamed. “The boss is furious,” he said, feigning helplessness. “He told me I’ll have to pay four thousand dollars for the damage I caused. I’ve begged him countless times, but… he won’t forgive me.”

Then he turned his eyes to Noha , pretending to be pitiful “Boss, please… give me one more chance. I swear it won’t happen again. My family survives only on my income. If I lose this job, how will I feed them?”

Grace’s heart clenched at his pitiful words. Her eyes grew teary, guilt surging through her chest. What have I done? she thought miserably.

She quickly faced Noha again. “Mister, if it’s about money, then I’ll pay instead. Please… just let him keep his job.”

Noha’s brows furrowed. “You’ll pay?”

“I don’t have that much right now,” Grace admitted, her voice firm despite her tears. “But I’ll pay you in installments. I promise. Just… please, don’t ruin his life because of me.”

Noha froze, stuck between his boss’s charade and the girl’s sincerity. He finally straightened his shoulders and said coldly, “I need to talk to my driver alone.” His eyes shifted toward Ethan. “Come with me.”

Ethan nodded obediently and followed. The moment they stepped outside the room, Noha rounded on him. “Boss, what was that?” he hissed, panic in his voice. “Why does she think you’re a poor driver?”

Ethan’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile. “She must be pretending. There’s no way she doesn’t know who I am.”

Noha blinked, nearly choking on his words. Boss, you barely attend parties or public events. How could you expect everyone to recognize you? But he dared not voice that thought. He valued his job far too much.

Instead, he asked cautiously, “So… you really want to keep pretending to be poor in front of her?”

Ethan’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Yes. I want to see what she’s planning… and how long she can keep up her act. She’s… interesting.”

Noha was stunned. In thirty-four years of his boss’s life, he had never seen him take interest in any woman. Ethan treated women like they were invisible, allergic to their presence. But this girl? She had managed to stir something in him.

Suppressing his surprise, Noha asked seriously, “What do you want me to do, boss?”

“Pretend to be my boss,” Ethan instructed smoothly. “Tell her I can keep my job if she pays for me. I want to see if she’ll actually go that far for a stranger.”

Noha gave a reluctant nod. “As you wish.”

They returned to the room, and Noha, now wearing a mask of authority, delivered the line. “I’ll allow him to keep his job. But the condition remains—you must pay the four thousand dollars. I’ll send you my bank details.”

Grace’s face lit with relief. She bowed her head gratefully. “Thank you, sir! I promise, I’ll pay every cent.”

Ethan said nothing further. Work was already piling up at his company, and now that Grace was awake and safe, he saw no reason to stay. “I’ll leave now. The doctor said you’ll be discharged in a few hours. After that, you should call your family—or head home yourself.”

Grace gave him a small nod. “Thank you again… for everything.”

With that, Ethan left the hospital, his tall figure fading into the distance. Grace remained behind, suddenly swallowed by silence. Loneliness crept into her chest like an old, familiar shadow. For some reason, when he was near, she had felt safe—secure, even cherished. Maybe because he was the first person who had ever helped her without asking for anything in return.

But now she was alone again. And she had no one to call. She knew her adoptive family wouldn’t care if she lived or died.

Still, she couldn’t keep being their puppet. She had made up her mind. From now on, she would live freely. She would find a job she liked, live as she pleased, and carve her own path. She was drunk and not in her right mind and attempted sucide. But now when she got another chance in her life she decides to cherish it. 

With determined steps, and new hope filled in her heart, Grace returned to the Wells family house, where she had lived until now. But the moment she entered, her resolve faltered.

Albert, her adoptive brother, sat on the living room sofa, his expression cold and unreadable.

When his gaze lifted to her, something flickered in his eyes—just for a second—as he noticed the bandage on her forehead.