The sun was merciless.
It burned straight through my skull as I leaned against the hood of my car, arms crossed, patience hanging by a thread. My temples throbbed. My stomach was hollow from missing meals since yesterday, and the pounding behind my eyes promised a headache that would ruin the rest of the day.
All because of my father.
He had dragged me out of bed at dawn to pick him and his old friend up from the airport, barking orders like I was still a teenager living under his roof instead of a man running a billion-dollar company.
And then—without warning—he gave me another command.
Pick up William's daughter.
No warning. No explanation. Just a name thrown at me like another responsibility I had no interest in carrying.
Apparently she had been studying in L City for three years.
I had lived here for five.
Yet somehow we had never crossed paths.
That alone told me everything I needed to know.
Our families had stopped speaking years ago. Whatever reconciliation had happened between the old men recently was news to me.
Now I was standing outside a university campus like an idiot, searching for a girl I had never met.
According to her father's description, she was fat, arrogant, and rude.
So that narrowed things down, didn't it?
Behind me, a group of college girls giggled and whispered loudly enough for me to hear. A few even waved, clearly trying to catch my attention.
I ignored them.
Attention had followed me my entire life. Money, power, looks—it attracted people the way blood attracted sharks.
None of it interested me.
I was searching the crowd instead, scanning faces impatiently.
A lanky student suddenly appeared beside me, grinning like we were old friends.
"Hey, buddy. Looking for your girlfriend?"
I gave him a short nod. It was easier than explaining.
He laughed sympathetically.
"Looks like she stood you up."
Before I could respond, he shoved a marker and a sheet of paper into my hands.
"Write her name. Trust me—once she sees that, she'll run over."
Not the worst idea.
Except for one small problem.
I stared at the blank paper.
Her name.
I had absolutely no idea what it was.
For a moment I considered calling my father just to irritate him, but then I remembered someone else who might know.
My sister.
She answered on the second ring.
"What do you want?" she said flatly.
Straight to the point, as always.
"What's Uncle William's daughter's name?"
Silence.
Then—
"Raven Rain."
A toddler started screaming somewhere in the background.
"Why are you asking?" she added suspiciously.
"I'll explain later."
I hung up before she could interrogate me further.
With a sigh, I uncapped the marker and wrote the name in bold letters across the paper.
RAVEN RAIN
As I held the sign up, strange memories surfaced—voices echoing from somewhere deep in my mind.
I don't drink tea.
Will you teach me how to drive?
The more I speak, the more they hate me.
A good cup of tea for the mister here.
I'm afraid of horror movies.
You'll watch it with me? Promise?
The voice was vivid.
Low.
Hoarse.
Not sweet.
But oddly calming.
I couldn't remember the face attached to it.
Only the voice.
I blinked, pulling myself back to reality.
That was when I heard it.
"You're looking for Raven Rain?"
The voice was right beside me.
I turned.
A strange girl stood there.
She was short, wearing a plain blue dress and a scarf wrapped loosely around her neck despite the heat. Thick black glasses covered half her face, and her shoes looked like they had survived several wars.
Her tote bag was so heavy it looked ready to rip apart.
She looked more like a struggling student than the daughter of one of the wealthiest investors in the country.
I frowned.
"Hmph."
I nodded without really looking at her, expecting the real Raven Rain to appear any second.
"What's your relationship with her?" the girl asked, folding her arms.
Before I could answer, the idiot student from earlier shouted from a nearby store.
"He's her boyfriend!"
Laughter erupted from the group behind him.
The girl's eyes widened.
"Boyfriend?"
Annoyed, I replied coldly, "I'm her husband. Why do you care?"
She stared at me like I had just committed a crime.
Before she could respond, someone from a nearby table shouted—
"Master! Hurry up! Class is starting!"
The girl shot me a look of pure disgust before walking away toward a group of students gathered around a table.
Master?
I watched as she started handing out papers.
"You guys have potential," she said, sliding files toward two students. "I edited your script. The professor will accept it this time."
Then she turned to another girl.
"This essay is a disaster. Were you asleep when you wrote it?"
The girl laughed awkwardly.
"You know I'm bad at writing."
"Fifty dollars."
She held out her hand.
The girl placed the cash in it immediately.
The short girl stuffed the money into her bag and moved on.
I stared.
What kind of wealthy investor's daughter took cash from students like a street editor?
Another girl ran up to her.
"Rav! What did you write in that story? Professor Sara cried!"
The girl—Rav—froze for a moment before replying calmly.
"Read it yourself."
Her smile had vanished.
Interesting.
A boy approached her next, holding a document.
"What do you think of my first chapter?"
She skimmed it quickly.
"Masterpiece. Keep writing like this and you'll get there."
Confidence. Authority.
Everyone listened to her.
Then a blonde girl teased, "Don't you know? Raven is Richard's melting point. He'd publish anything she asks."
Raven.
The name hit me like a sudden realization.
I flipped the paper in my hand and stared at the bold letters.
RAVEN RAIN
Slowly, I walked toward her.
She was still discussing something with a student when I stopped behind her.
I cleared my throat.
"Raven Rain."
Without even turning, she said—
"Wait a minute."
My jaw tightened.
I had been standing under the sun for hours waiting for her.
And she was telling me to wait?
After finishing her conversation, she finally turned.
"I'm busy this weekend. Is it an essay—"
Her words stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes met mine.
For a moment, something flashed across her face.
Shock.
Recognition.
She quickly dismissed her friends.
"You guys go ahead."
The blonde girl hesitated.
"Do you know this guy? Should I call Richard?"
"Selena."
Raven's voice turned sharp.
"Leave."
Reluctantly, they walked away.
Silence fell between us.
She looked up at me calmly.
"What's your problem?"
My patience snapped.
"Is your college illiterate?" I snapped. "I've been standing here for hours holding your name."
She glanced at the sign.
Then looked back at me.
"You wrote it in Mandarin."
My brain froze.
I looked down.
She was right.
Somehow, without realizing it, I had written her name in Mandarin.
How the hell had I done that?
"I… thought…"
No explanation came.
So I did the only thing left.
"Your father is in the city. He asked me to pick you up."
Her expression softened slightly.
"You could have said that first."
Then—without another word—she walked past me and got into the passenger seat of my car.
I remained standing there for a moment.
Something felt… wrong.
William's daughter was supposed to be spoiled.
Arrogant.
A rich girl who grew up drowning in luxury.
But the girl sitting in my car wore worn-out shoes and carried a bag filled with student papers and loose dollar bills.
And yet—
For reasons I couldn't explain—
The moment she spoke my name earlier…
That hoarse voice had sounded painfully familiar.
I got into the driver's seat slowly.
Something about Raven Rain unsettled me.
And I had the strange, dangerous feeling that meeting her today…
was going to ruin my life.