All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE BENEATH THE RAIN : Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

The article went live on a Tuesday morning.I was the first to see it. The headline wasn’t loud or cruel this time; it simply read:“Rand Calloway Rebuilds From the Ground Up: The Man Behind Rebuild & Rise.”She read it twice before waking him.“Rand,” she said softly, touching his shoulder. “It’s out.”He blinked awake, groggy, then reached for her phone. For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the refrigerator and his quiet breathing as he scrolled through the piece.Clara had written it honestly—no drama, no pity. She talked about how he’d walked away from everything after the collapse, about the months of silence, the people he now worked with, the goal of giving jobs to those starting over. There was even a line about the artist who helped him see life differently.“That’s you,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.“I figured,” she said.“It’s… good,” he added, almost surprised. “It feels real.”She nodded. “It is real.”By noon, their phones wouldn’t stop buzzin

It had been nine days since the night at the gallery.Nine days since we decided to take a step back — not because we wanted distance, but because we needed it. The quiet wasn’t cruel; it was just strange. The kind of silence that sits in the corners of your apartment and reminds you that someone used to fill it.I started painting again. Not to escape — but to listen. Each brushstroke felt like a conversation I wasn’t ready to have aloud. The canvas showed a city skyline under dim light, not broken, just unfinished. That’s what I told myself we were — unfinished, not broken.I heard about Rebuild & Rise through Clara and the news. It was growing faster than even Rand expected. Volunteers were joining, investors were calling, and for the first time, he was building something that didn’t have his family’s name attached. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if he ever looked at his phone the way I did — thumb hovering over a name I couldn’t quite bring myself to call.It was a Thursday when

The weekend came faster than I expected.By Saturday morning, the article had already circulated widely. People shared it online, twisted a few lines, and turned it into something uglier. I wasn’t even part of that world, but somehow, it found its way to me.When I stopped by Rebuild & Rise that afternoon, I could feel the tension before I even saw him. The staff moved quietly, their voices low. I walked past the office glass wall and saw Rand standing near the desk, talking to someone on the phone. His tone was calm, but his shoulders looked heavy.I didn’t interrupt. I just waited.When he hung up, he finally noticed me. “Hey,” he said, like he was trying to sound casual but couldn’t quite pull it off.“Hey yourself,” I said, stepping closer. “Rough day?”He gave a tired smile. “You could say that. Half the investors want reassurance, the other half want explanations. I spent two hours telling people I’m not having a breakdown.”I frowned. “They actually said that?”“Not directly,”

When I heard Rand was going back to the company, I didn’t need to read the news to believe it.I just knew.By the time I opened my phone, the headlines were everywhere.“Calloway Returns to Lead.”“Redemption or PR Move?”They always had to make it dramatic.I scrolled for maybe a minute before locking the screen. I didn’t need to read what strangers thought they knew about him.A few hours later, he texted me:> Don’t read the headlines. They’ll say anything.I smiled a little. Too late.> I already did. I’m fine. You okay?There was a long pause before he answered.> Trying to be.That was all. But it said enough.He called that night. His voice sounded like someone who’d been holding his breath all day.“They had a board meeting,” he said. “Same faces. Same fake smiles. My brother didn’t even look at me for half of it.”“What did you tell them?” I asked.“That I’m not coming back for control. I told them I just want to do something that matters.”I laughed softly. “Bet they loved