THE RAIN
Alexander Venn was the kind of man people would stare at nonstop.
He was tall and easily over six feet, He had Broad shoulders and a Sharp jawline. He had the kind of face that looked like it belonged on a magazine cover, not in a boardroom whatsoever.
His dark hair was always neatly styled. And his calm grey eyes rarely showed emotion.
He dressed quite expensively, not dramatically. A dark tailored suit, Polished shoes, and a watch that costs more than most people's yearly salary.
At thirty, he was already one of the youngest billionaire CEOs in the country.
People called him powerful, disciplined, young, and mighty.
However, Rain caused him to tremble.
That evening, he stood alone in his glass office on the top floor of Venn Holdings, watching as dark clouds swallowed the sky wholly.
The city below buzzed with movement. The streetlights flickered on, Cars rushed home and the world carried on. The office lights were dim behind him. He preferred it that way. His assistant, Mark, stepped in carefully.
Mark, a loyal, efficient, and observant assistant who knew well enough when to speak and when to disappear, had been his assistant for four years.
"Sir, the board dinner starts in thirty minutes."
Alexander didn't turn around.
"Cancel it."
Mark hesitated. "Sir, investors flew in for this."
"Cancel it."
His voice was too calm.
Mark swallowed. "Yes, Mr. Venn." And left quietly.
Alexander stayed by the window.
When the first drop hit the glass, his jaw tightened.Then more drops followed and then it began to rain heavily.
His reflection stared back at him, composed, confident, intimidating. He closed his eyes.
Rain, Headlights and a horn.
He remembered when he was nine again. He was sitting in the passenger seat and nagging his mother for ice cream.
His Mother had soft brown eyes and a warm smile.
"Sit properly, Alexander. It's raining heavily."
He didn't listen but kept on talking.
Out of nowhere, a truck appeared, moving speedily. The accident was unavoidably fatal, metals were crushed, glasses shattered , His mother screamed, she was hit and died on the spot. He and his Father survived.
He opened his eyes sharply. With his chest feeling heavy and tight, he heard his Father's voice echo in the hospital from years ago..
"If you hadn't distracted her…" That sentence never needed finishing.
His phone buzzed. It was his Father calling, he ignored it.
A message came instead.
"Daniel handled today's investors well. I'm proud of him."
Alexander stared at the message for a second before locking his phone.
Daniel Venn.
His stepbrother.
The son his stepmother brought into the family barely a year after his mother's funeral. The so-called "better" son who never carried a blame.
Alexander grabbed his car keys.
"Sir, it's raining heavily," Mark reminded him downstairs.
"I know."
"You don't drive in the rain sir."
"I will tonight."
The valet rushed to bring his car around, a sleek black luxury sedan that purred even in the storm.
Alexander got into the driver's seat resting his hands on the steering wheel as he pulled onto the road.
On the other side of the city, Maya Bennett was racing against the storm. She was twenty-three. Not tall, but not small either. Her physique appeared slim due to constant movement and hard work.
Her skin glowed warmly even under dull streetlights. Her dark hair, usually tied back neatly, was now escaping from her ponytail because of the wind.
Her beauty wasn't dramatic, it was natural.
Her eyes were bright, her lips soft and full, and she had a smile that appeared effortlessly when circumstances permitted.
Tonight, she wasn't smiling though, Her delivery shift had ended late, and she was pedaling her old bicycle through the rain.
Her jacket was thin and her sneakers were soaked from the rain.
She worked in the mornings as a cleaner at Venn Holdings, in the Afternoons at a café, and in the evenings doing deliveries.
Just for a reason, College.
Maya wanted to study law. Her father had died fifteen years ago in what they called a truck accident.
But some accidents feel wrong and she had learned that early.
A flash of lightning brought her attention back to the road. Ahead of her, there was a sleek black car that appeared to be moving strangely.
It wasn't speeding, it wasn't steady either. It drifted slightly. Then slowed.
Then stopped completely in the middle of the road.
Amidst the heavy downpour, Maya slowed down. She told herself, she could ignore it, it wasn't her responsibility. However, something didn't feel right.
She parked her bicycle quickly under a weak streetlamp and ran towards the car despite the heavy rain which soaked her within seconds. She knocked on the window.
"Sir? Are you okay?" There was no response.
She moved closer and looked inside, The man behind the wheel looked frozen. His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly. His breathing was uneven.
Though he was in a destabilized state, she could see he was handsome with Sharp features, Clean-cut. Expensive suit.
But his eyes looked lost.
"Sir!" she knocked again. The window was slightly lowered.
Without thinking too much, she reached in and unlocked the door.
She opened it quickly.
"Hey. Look at me."
Alexander turned slowly. His eyes were struggling to focus.
"It's raining…" he whispered.
"Yes, I know," she replied firmly. "You can't sit here. Move over."
For a second, he just stared at her. A soaked stranger giving him orders.
Then, being swayed by her commanding tone, He slowly shifted to the passenger seat. His hands were trembling. Maya got into the driver's seat.
"Where do you live?" There was no answer.
She quickly checked the car's navigation system. The address that was displayed made her pause.
Venn Penthouse. Her heart skipped a beat.
Venn? She glanced at him again.
Alexander Venn.
The CEO of the company where she cleaned floors every morning.
Right now, he didn't look like a billionaire. He looked like someone who was lost and drowning. She started driving carefully.
After a few minutes, he spoke quietly.
"Why are you helping me?"
She kept her eyes on the road.
"Because you need help."
She said that simply with no fear, no admiration whatsoever. Just plain truth.
When they arrived at the tall luxury building of the Venn Penthouse, security rushed forward.
"Mr. Venn!"
That was all she needed to confirm it. The fact that he was Mr. Venn.
She parked the car and spoke with the assistant who ran out.
"He needs rest," she said. "And something warm."
The assistant nodded quickly.
Alexander looked at her.
Up close, he could see she was younger than he first thought. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her eyelashes were heavy with rain.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Maya."
She stepped back.
"I should go."
Before he could stop her, she walked away into the rain.
He noticed something on the seat beside him. There was a small cream-colored scarf.
He picked it up slowly. For the first time in years, he had sat in the rain…And survived it.
Because of a girl who didn't look at him like he was powerful. She looked at him like he was human.
And that unsettled him more than the storm ever could.