Amid Naro’s unease, the ringtone signaling an incoming call suddenly sounded. His dad, Edwin Adiputra, was calling him. Naro quickly tapped the green button with the phone icon to answer.
“Yes, Dad?” he greeted him as he got out of the car and headed toward the emergency department.
“Wow, you’re amazing. You managed to make Dad the talk of the town in no time because my son just hit someone with his car. Where were your eyes? You didn’t even see the traffic signal, huh? Why weren’t you more careful?” Edwin fired off without holding back.
Naro stopped in his tracks. He closed his eyes for a moment, then shaped his mouth as though exhaling before continuing toward the emergency department.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I really didn’t see her. I’ve already brought her to the hospital, and I’ll take responsibility for this,” he replied without trying to defend himself.
“Of course you have to take responsibility. But what about the news that had already spread? Do you know what this could do to my political career and our company, right? Luckily, our team moved quickly and took the story down. Damn! Five hundred million was spent in the blink of an eye on something completely useless!” Edwin grumbled angrily before ending the call.
Naro knew how furious Edwin was. That was why he kept quiet, so the problem wouldn’t grow any bigger. No matter what, this was his fault.
When he arrived in front of the ER, the nurse who had carried Sofia inside earlier emerged from behind the doors.
“Have you contacted her family, sir? The victim has severe injuries to both legs. The doctor has no choice but to perform surgery so her condition doesn’t worsen and her legs can still be saved. For that, we need the victim’s family’s consent,” the woman explained in detail.
“Yes, Nurse. I’ve contacted her family. They’re on their way here. Hopefully, they’ll arrive any minute n—”
“I’m here! I’m her mother.”
Sarah, Sofia’s mother, suddenly appeared from the front entrance. Dressed like a socialite mother, she hurried over and stopped in front of Naro and the nurse, breathing heavily.
“How’s my daughter, Nurse? She’s okay, right? Nothing serious happened to her, right?” she pressed on, panic written across her face.
“Ma’am, please calm down first. Come with me inside. The doctor will explain everything,” the woman in the white uniform replied calmly. She then led Sarah inside to meet the doctor in person.
“You! We’re not finished here! Wait right here, and don’t even think about running away. You’d better watch yourself!” Sarah snapped at Naro before disappearing into the room.
Naro didn’t say a word. He simply looked at Sarah calmly, even though he was beginning to worry about facing both Sofia’s mother and his own father. He knew the man would be arriving at the hospital soon too.
Naro had been at the hospital for nearly five hours. Night had fallen, and he had been forced to cancel his date with Naiva, his sweetheart. He told her that an unexpected job had come up and he couldn’t leave it. He knew Naiva wouldn’t simply believe that excuse. But because he didn’t want to argue any further, Naro turned off his phone altogether.
Meanwhile, Sofia had successfully undergone surgery. The girl, still unconscious from the anesthesia, had been moved from the operating room to an inpatient room. Naro had deliberately chosen an enormous VVIP room as a gesture of concern for Sofia, his victim.
Edwin Adiputra and his wife had also arrived at the hospital a few minutes earlier. Accompanied by two bodyguards on either side, the married couple could be seen warmly greeting the people around them. They made sure to display warm smiles and caring looks for everyone to see. As the leading candidate with a strong chance of securing an important government position, Edwin couldn’t afford to miss an opportunity to manage his public image—even amid news of his son’s accident.
As soon as they reached the door of Sofia’s room, they hurried inside, leaving the two bodyguards standing side by side in front of the closed door.
Naro introduced his parents to Sarah. She was sitting beside Sofia’s bed with puffy eyes. When she saw Naro’s parents, Sofia’s stepmother immediately stood and greeted them. Her eyes narrowed slyly as she turned around, pretending to check on Sofia, who still had her eyes closed.
“Just look at my daughter, Mr. Edwin. She’s a good girl and always obeys me. And now she’s lying there helpless like this. Oh, God. I don’t know what to do. My poor Sofia. What a miserable fate she has.”
The crocodile tears began to flow again. Inwardly, she was cheering with delight. Sarah had already devised a malicious plan in her head—one that would benefit her enormously.
“I understand how you feel, Sarah. I would be devastated if something like this happened to our child too. Please forgive him, ma’am,” said Meira, Edwin’s wife and Naro’s mother.
“Yes, ma’am. Our son will take responsibility and make sure your daughter gets better,” Edwin added.
Naro stepped forward and stood between the parents.
“Please accept my apology, ma’am. I truly regret not being careful. I’ll replace the vehicle and make sure your daughter receives the best possible care until she recovers and can return to her normal activities,” Naro said remorsefully. As the son of a highly capable businessman who had made major contributions to the country’s economic growth, he had been raised to take responsibility and have the courage to face risks.
“What? That’s all you’re offering after making my beloved daughter suffer like this? Just look at her! Her legs are injured, and she could be crippled for life. She’s the breadwinner of our family. My husband is already sickly, and her younger siblings are still little. Who’s going to support us while she’s lying there unable to work?” Sarah rattled off, glaring angrily at Naro.
“All right. In that case, I’ll also provide compensation to replace Sofia’s income until she can work again,” Naro responded. He genuinely wanted to make amends for his mistake and resolve the matter peacefully.
“That won’t do! It still doesn’t come close to what Sofia has had to endure. You have to do more than that. Who can guarantee that you won’t shirk your responsibility halfway through?” Sarah insisted. “The son of a successful businessman who’s about to take an important government position hits a girl and refuses to take responsibility. Hah! That sounds like it would make big news. Especially when the one speaking out is the victim’s mother.” Sarah began issuing threats.
Naro let out a long breath. He was growing impatient with the woman beside him.
“Okay, fine. What do you want from me?”
Sarah turned to the side and looked straight into Naro’s eyes. Then she uttered a sentence that left the young man stunned.
“What?! That’s crazy, ma’am. How can you ask me to do that?” Naro flatly refused.