Aurelia's POV
The rain fell like it had something to prove.
It wasn't the soft kind that whispered against windows or tapped gently on rooftops. No—this rain poured down in relentless sheets, soaking the streets, flooding the gutters, and turning the city into something colder, harsher.
And yet, she stood in it.
Aurelia didn't flinch.
Her thin hoodie clung to her skin, water dripping from the ends of her dark hair, sliding down her face like quiet tears she refused to acknowledge. People rushed past her, shielding themselves with umbrellas, coats, anything they could find—but not her.
She had nowhere to run to.
No one waiting.
No warm light glowing from a window that belonged to her.
So she stood there, in the middle of a city that had never once been kind to her, staring at the reflection of a life she didn't live.
Across the street stood Hale & Co. International, a towering glass building that pierced the sky, its lights glowing gold against the storm. Wealth lived there. Power lived there.
People like him lived there.
Aurelia's jaw tightened slightly as she watched the revolving doors spin open again.
Out stepped a group of men in tailored suits, their laughter low, controlled, confident. They moved like they owned the ground beneath them.
And in the center of them—
He walked like the storm belonged to him.
Ashton Hale.
Even from across the street, there was something about him that demanded attention without asking for it. Tall, composed, dressed in a dark coat that looked expensive even in the rain. His expression was unreadable, eyes forward, steps steady.
He didn't laugh like the others.
He didn't even seem to hear them.
He was there—but separate.
Aurelia didn't know why her gaze lingered on him longer than the rest.
Maybe it was the way he didn't fit in, even when he clearly did.
Maybe it was the quiet distance in his eyes.
Or maybe…
It was the strange, unexplainable feeling that, somehow, he understood something about being alone.
A car pulled up immediately, sleek and black. One of the men rushed forward to open the door for him.
Of course.
Someone like him would never stand in the rain.
Aurelia almost scoffed.
Different worlds.
That's all it was.
She turned away.
Ashton paused.
It was subtle—so subtle no one else noticed—but his steps slowed just slightly before he got into the car.
Something had caught his attention.
Or rather… someone.
He glanced across the street.
There she was.
A girl, standing in the rain like she didn't feel it. No umbrella. No movement. Just… watching.
Most people avoided eye contact with him.
Most people looked away.
But she hadn't.
Even now, as she turned and began to walk away, there was something about her that stayed with him longer than it should have.
It annoyed him.
He didn't like things that lingered.
He didn't like things he couldn't immediately understand.
And yet—
"Sir?"
The driver's voice pulled him back.
Ashton got into the car without another word.
The door shut.
And just like that, their worlds separated again.
Aurelia walked with purpose, even though she had none.
Her shoes squelched with every step, soaked through long ago, but she didn't slow down. If she stopped, she would think.
And thinking led to remembering.
And remembering led to feeling.
She didn't have time for that.
Not tonight.
Not when she still had to figure out where she was going to sleep.
The small diner she worked at had closed early because of the storm, meaning no extra hours, no leftover food, and definitely no tips.
Her stomach tightened at the thought.
It had been a while since she'd eaten properly.
But she would be fine.
She always was.
That's what she told herself.
That's what she had always told herself.
Aurelia turned a corner, stepping into a quieter street, the lights dimmer here, the buildings older, worn down. This was her world.
Not glass towers and black cars.
But cracked sidewalks and flickering street lamps.
Still… she didn't hate it.
Because at least here, people didn't pretend.
Ashton's POV
Back in the car, Ashton leaned his head slightly against the window, watching the rain race down the glass.
"Your mother called," the driver said carefully. "She asked if you'd be home for dinner."
"I will."
His voice was calm, low, controlled.
Always controlled.
"Your sisters are also back from school."
A pause.
"And your brother—"
"I know where my family is."
The driver immediately went quiet.
Ashton exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a brief second.
He didn't mean to snap.
But his mind wasn't where it usually was.
It kept drifting.
Back to the girl in the rain.
There had been something… off.
Not in a bad way.
Just—
Different.
He had seen countless people in worse conditions.
So why her?
Why did she stand out?
Why did it bother him that she had no umbrella?
Why did it feel like he had just walked away from something important without even realizing it?
Ashton opened his eyes again, his gaze sharpening slightly.
He didn't like unanswered questions.
And for the first time in a long time—
He had one.
That night, Aurelia found shelter under a narrow awning outside a closed shop.
It wasn't much.
But it kept most of the rain off.
She curled up slightly, arms wrapped around herself, trying to hold onto whatever warmth she had left.
Her body was tired.
But her mind…
Her mind refused to rest.
Because deep down, beneath all the strength she forced herself to carry—
She was just a girl who wanted someone to stay.
Her eyes fluttered shut slowly.
And for a brief moment, just before sleep took her—
She thought of the boy in the black coat.
The one who didn't look at the world the way everyone else did.
The one who, for a second, felt like—
Maybe he could see her.
Across the city, Ashton stood in front of the tall windows of his room, looking out at the same storm.
Warm.
Dry.
Safe.
Everything she wasn't.
He didn't know why his mind refused to let go of that moment.
It was insignificant.
Meaningless.
Just another stranger in a city full of them.
And yet—
He had the strange, unshakable feeling that this wasn't the last time he would see her.
And for once—
He was right.