"Sophie."
I heard my name through the fog of sleep. My body twisted under the duvet, a groggy yawn escaping my lips as the voice called again, sharper this time, echoing from downstairs.
I blinked against the heaviness in my eyes and turned to the nightstand. My headphones from last night's study marathon lay abandoned beside my alarm clock, the same clock I had violently smacked off at six in the morning before slipping back under the covers.
The red digits now glowed 9:00 a.m.
"Shit," I hissed, kicking off my blanket. My pulse spiked as reality hit me, today was the entrance exam for Dale's High, the most prestigious and expensive school in all of Asia.
Grabbing my phone, I scrolled through the endless flood of notifications. Dale's High was my one shot at a future I had no right to dream about. We had moved to Singapore only weeks ago because of my mother's textile job, and thanks to my uncle's connections at Red Dynasty, one of the most powerful companies in the world, I had this golden ticket.
Uncle Josiah had paid a sum I couldn't even wrap my head around just so I could sit for these exams. Missing them wasn't an option.
Back home in America, my best friends, Sandra, Mia, Tessa, and Joan, had practically screamed when I told them I was enrolling at Dale's. They'd hugged me breathless, squealing that I had to keep them updated on everything. Everyone in the world knew Dale's High; it was a dynasty in itself.
I had studied all night, barely realizing when 2 a.m. came and went, my notes glowing on my phone screen as I texted the girls. I stretched, feet sliding into my moccasins, when a voice boomed again from downstairs.
"I'm coming!" I shouted, fingers flying across the group chat instead of heading down.
Tessa's last text made me snort. Baby girl, wake up and pass your exams. We want to see you get a hot Asian boyfriend. I hear the Red Dynasty heirs attend Dale's High. Use your charm and make them fall for you. Joseph never deserved you!
Joseph.
The name made my stomach tighten. My fingers hovered, typing back, I don't think Asian boys would like an American and Joseph is… but I couldn't even finish it.
Joseph, my first love, my three-year boyfriend, my heartbreak.
We had started dating when I was fifteen, and by eighteen, he shattered me. His words still rang in my head: We're too different. My mom doesn't like that your mother is single. She thinks you weren't raised properly.
I had stood frozen, holding back the tears burning my throat. Then, days later, I saw him. His arm around another girl's waist. Not just any girl. Hailey, my rival, my enemy, the girl who had hated me without reason since middle school. She had smiled like she'd won, clinging to him in front of everyone.
"Maybe he was already cheating on you and just dumped you before he got caught," Tasha had whispered back then. I couldn't argue, the way he paraded Hailey proved her right.
Pathetic. He had been every girl's dream, blonde hair, golden height, sharp jawline, but in my eyes, Joseph became trash the moment he made me feel less than enough.
That breakup was one more reason I hadn't fought when Mom decided we were moving to Singapore. I needed a clean slate.
I sighed, shoving my phone into my pocket before heading into the bathroom. As I opened the door, Mom nearly bumped into me.
Her dark hair framed her tired but elegant face, her vanilla perfume wrapping around me. "You always sleep late, Sophie," she scolded. "I don't care on other days, but today is too important. We need to be on the road before noon. It's a three-hour drive."
"I know, Mum." I rubbed my temple, guilt prickling.
Then Bella appeared, my ten-year-old cousin who had lived with us ever since her mother, my aunt, got swallowed by her event-planning job. Bella's bright smile softened my mood.
"Sophie, your breakfast is on the dining table," she chirped, already in her school uniform.
"Come here, Bell." I kissed her cheek, and she giggled before darting away.
Mom's gaze pinned me again. "Thirty minutes. Get dressed and come down."
"Yes, ma'am."
When I shut my bathroom door, I looked into the mirror, my blonde hair messy around my face. I pointed at my reflection. "Dale's High, here I come."
⸻
An hour later, after too much dawdling and a rushed breakfast, we were finally on the road. Mom's white car hummed along the highway. Bella scrolled happily on her tablet in the back seat while I jammed to one of my favorite hip-hop songs—Sicko Mode by Travis Scott—singing every line like it was a prayer of victory.
My phone buzzed endlessly in my hands. My girls had drama hotter than Netflix.
"The math teacher proposed to Mr. Johnson, the ballerina tutor," Joan wrote.
My mouth fell open. "What?!" I yelled.
Mom swerved, startled. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" I laughed, eyes flying back to the screen.
Apparently, the math teacher's baby mama had stormed into the school, furious because he had slept with her days before proposing to a man. I was still laughing when another text popped up:
Joseph asked Hailey to be his girlfriend in front of the entire school! He shouted it in the crowd and she squealed a yes.
My chest squeezed. Of course Joseph had to make a spectacle out of it. Meanwhile, when he had asked me, it had been private, quiet, on the steps of my old house, where I had said yes with stars in my eyes.
"Good for him," I typed back coldly.
The girls weren't letting me wallow. Please, Sophie, find yourself a rich, handsome Asian guy at Dale's. Make Joseph regret everything. Take pictures, we'll do the bragging for you!
Despite myself, I smiled. I missed them so much.
⸻
"We're here," Mom's voice pulled me back as a soft Ed Sheeran song drifted through the car speakers (Perfect).
I lifted my gaze, and my jaw dropped.
The gates of Dale's High towered before us, black iron curled into elegant patterns, flanked by white marble pillars so tall they looked like they touched the sky. Beyond the gates stretched manicured gardens, fountains sparkling like diamonds under the sun, and buildings so massive they resembled royal palaces.
Ferraris, Bentleys, and Maseratis rolled through the entrance, their glossy paint glinting. Mom's modest car felt invisible among them.
"Wow," I whispered. No magazine, no blog had prepared me for this.
I swallowed hard. My palms grew slick with sweat.
Inside, the luxury only deepened. Crystal chandeliers lit up the hallways, reflecting over polished marble floors. The walls were adorned with massive oil paintings, portraits of Red Dynasty's founder, landscapes worth millions, art that seemed almost alive. The scent of expensive perfumes mingled in the air.
My chest tightened. I didn't belong here.
But I had no choice but to try.
A suited man welcomed us in perfect English, directing us to the exam hall. Mom kissed my cheek. "I know you'll kill it."
Heart hammering, I stepped inside.
The exam hall itself was a palace. Rows of sleek glass desks gleamed under the glow of chandeliers. Each seat came with its own high-tech computer, the screens already glowing with welcome messages. Flower vases stood elegantly at every corner, releasing the faint fragrance of lilies. The AC whispered through the vents, cooling the vast, spotless room.
Students sat in silence, each one dressed in designer clothes, their faces flawless and distant. No chatter, no friendliness, just icy composure. In America, people would have been whispering nervously by now.
We were only twenty-four in the room. I swallowed hard, reminding myself of everything I had studied.
Then, the door opened.
A tall man in an immaculate suit strode in. His very presence silenced the air further, his aura sharp and commanding. "Welcome to Dale's High," he announced. "For twenty-three years, this institution has stood at the peak of academics. Today, you will prove if you belong here. If you succeed, your admission letter will come by email. If not…" His smile was polite, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We still wish you luck elsewhere."
I gripped my mouse, inhaling sharply.
⸻
An hour later, I clicked submit, relief flooding me. My mother was waiting in the car, and as I slid in, she dropped the bomb.
"You have to get in. Josiah paid fifty thousand dollars for you to sit that exam."
"Fifty what?" My voice cracked.
"Fifty thousand. He said it's the least he could do."
I gaped. That was more than five years of tuition back in Queensland. For one exam.
We drove toward the exit, my gaze lingering on the sprawling gardens, the palace-like buildings. Then,
A sleek, black car slid into our path, making Mom slam the brakes. Its tinted windows gleamed under the sun, the kind of vehicle that radiated silent power.
"Who do they think they are?" Mom muttered, annoyed.
But every other car froze, waiting, as if bowing to its presence. Security waved it forward without hesitation.
I shivered. Whoever was inside didn't just own the road. They owned the world.
Perhaps the owner of the school.
Or… his sons.