Chapter4:The Umbrella
1190 Words
The umbrella cost more than Aria’s monthly rent.
She realized that the moment she stepped into her apartment and placed it carefully against the peeling kitchen counter beneath the flickering yellow light.
Everything about it screamed wealth.
The smooth black fabric.
The polished silver handle.
The embroidered Verrano Group insignia stitched near the edge like quiet arrogance.
Even the umbrella looked expensive.
Aria stared at it while kicking off her soaked sneakers near the door.
Her apartment was tiny.
One bedroom.
Old pipes.
Thin walls.
A heater that worked only when it felt emotionally available.
But tonight, exhaustion wrapped around the space heavier than usual.
Rain hammered softly against the windows while distant sirens echoed through Manhattan below.
Aria dropped her backpack onto the couch before rubbing both hands over her face slowly.
What a disaster.
She still could not believe she had body-slammed Kael Verrano in public.
The Kael Verrano.
Every finance magazine in America treated him like some untouchable corporate king.
Meanwhile she had practically tackled him like a football player.
Fantastic.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number.
Aria groaned immediately.
“Please leave me alone for one night,” she muttered before tossing the phone onto the couch without answering.
Silence settled around the apartment.
Then—
A soft cough echoed from the bedroom.
Aria’s expression changed instantly.
“Grandma?”
She hurried toward the small room quickly.
Her grandmother sat propped against pillows beneath dim lamplight, silver hair loose around her shoulders.
“You’re home late,” the older woman murmured gently.
Aria forced a smile immediately.
“Long shift.”
A lie.
Half-lie.
At this point even Aria no longer knew the difference.
Her grandmother’s tired eyes moved over her carefully.
“You’re hurt.”
Aria glanced down at the bandage wrapped around her elbow.
Oh.
Right.
“I slipped at work.”
Another lie.
Her grandmother sighed softly.
“You got that stubbornness from your mother.”
The mention of her mother always hurt quietly.
Like touching an old bruise that never fully healed.
Aria sat beside the bed carefully.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m eighty.”
“You are eighty.”
“Disrespectful child.”
Aria laughed softly.
For a moment, warmth filled the room again.
Small moments like these kept her alive.
Because outside this apartment existed debt collectors, hospital bills, exhaustion, and fear.
But here…
Here she was still somebody’s granddaughter.
Her grandmother’s gaze suddenly lowered toward the umbrella resting in the other room.
“That’s not yours.”
Aria blinked.
Of course she noticed immediately.
Nothing escaped older women.
“It belongs to someone from the hotel.”
“Someone important?”
“Unfortunately.”
Her grandmother smiled faintly.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You met someone.”
Aria nearly choked.
“What?”
“You have your thinking face.”
“I always have my thinking face.”
“No,” her grandmother replied calmly. “This is your confused face.”
Aria opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because somehow…
She was confused.
The entire encounter with Kael Verrano replayed inside her head far too clearly.
The way he looked at her.
The way he knew her name.
The way he stared at her locket.
Like he remembered something she didn’t.
Her grandmother noticed the silence immediately.
“Who is he?”
Aria sighed dramatically before falling backward onto the bed.
“An arrogant billionaire with emotional issues.”
“…That specific?”
“He accused me of lying.”
“You usually are lying.”
“Grandma!”
The older woman laughed softly before coughing again.
Aria sat upright immediately.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
That phrase again.
Funny how everyone lied the same way.
After making sure her grandmother took her evening medication, Aria finally returned to the living room.
The umbrella still rested against the counter like a silent reminder of tonight.
She picked it up carefully.
The silver insignia glinted beneath the kitchen light.
Verrano Group.
One of the most powerful corporations in the country.
Hotels.
Technology.
Pharmaceuticals.
Finance.
The empire practically owned half of Manhattan.
And Kael Verrano ruled it like a man born for power.
Aria frowned slightly.
No…
Not born for it.
Built for it.
There was a difference.
Even from one meeting, she could tell he was not soft enough to survive on inheritance alone.
People like Kael became dangerous because life taught them how.
Her fingers brushed lightly against the umbrella handle.
Then suddenly—
A strange sharp warmth pulsed against her chest.
Aria froze.
The silver locket resting beneath her shirt had become hot.
Not warm.
Hot.
“What the—”
She pulled it out immediately.
The old silver surface glimmered faintly beneath the apartment light.
Then—
For one terrifying second—
A strange symbol appeared across the metal.
Gold lines.
Ancient-looking.
Moving.
Aria’s breath caught.
The symbol vanished instantly.
The locket turned cold again.
Silence.
Aria stared at it in complete shock.
“…Nope.”
Absolutely not.
Exhaustion.
Hallucination.
Sleep deprivation.
That was the explanation.
Had to be.
Because lockets did not randomly glow in tiny apartments at one in the morning.
She inhaled slowly.
Then carefully tucked the necklace back beneath her shirt.
Not thinking about that.
Definitely not thinking about that.
Instead, she grabbed her laptop from the couch and opened it quickly.
Search engine.
Her fingers hovered briefly above the keyboard.
Then typed:
Kael Verrano.
Immediately, dozens of articles flooded the screen.
“The Young Billionaire Who Saved Verrano Group.”
“Forbes’ Most Influential CEOs Under 30.”
“The Ice King of Manhattan.”
Aria snorted.
Ice King?
Seriously?
But as she scrolled through article after article, a pattern became obvious.
Brilliant.
Untouchable.
Ruthless.
No scandals.
No relationships.
No weaknesses.
Almost inhuman.
Yet tonight beneath the rain…
He had looked at her like he knew exactly what drowning felt like.
A soft notification appeared suddenly on her screen.
UNKNOWN EMAIL RECEIVED.
Aria frowned.
Slowly, she clicked it open.
No subject line.
Only one sentence appeared against the white screen.
RETURN THE UMBRELLA TOMORROW.
— K.V.
Aria stared at the email.
Then at the umbrella.
Then back at the screen again.
No greeting.
No, thank you.
No explanation.
Just a demand.
Her eyes narrowed immediately.
“Wow,” she muttered. “He really is arrogant.”
But despite herself…
A tiny smile appeared on her face.
And somewhere across Manhattan—
Inside the top floor office of Verrano Group—
Kael Verrano stood silently before the city windows while another file containing Aria Betty Taylor’s information rested open across his desk.
Or rather…
The lack of information.
Which bothered him more than it should have.
His assistant shifted nervously nearby.
“Sir… should we continue investigating her?”
Kael’s dark eyes lowered toward the photo paper clipped inside the file.
Aria.
Exhausted eyes.
Messy ponytail.
Silver locket resting against her throat.
Alive.
After all these years…
Alive.
His expression hardened slightly.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
Then after a pause—
“Find out why someone erased her family records.”
- Writer
