"Sophie."
I heard my name as I slept, muffled at first, like it was floating in my dreams. I rolled in my duvet, yawning, when my name rang again, this time louder, from downstairs.
Blinking sleep from my eyes, I glanced at the headphones I'd used all night while studying. They lay abandoned on the side of my bed. My gaze shifted to the alarm clock on my nightstand.
9:00 a.m.
"Shit," I muttered, kicking off the covers and bolting upright. I had set the alarm for 6:00 a.m., even dragged myself to the bathroom then, but stupidly slipped back into bed. Now time was running out.
I snatched my phone, scrolling through the notifications. Today wasn't just any day, it was my entrance exam for Dale's High School, the most prestigious and expensive school in all of Asia.
Singapore wasn't home. I'd moved here recently with my mother and little cousin Bella because of my mother's job in textiles. And thanks to my uncle, who worked at a Red Dynasty company and earned more money in a month than most people saw in a year, I had this golden chance. His support got me a seat for today's exams.
I couldn't afford to blow it.
Back in America, my friends, Sandra, Mia, Tessa, and Joan, had gone crazy when they heard I was enrolling at Dale's High. They had squealed, hugged me breathless, and swore I had to update them in our group chat the second I stepped into that legendary school. Everyone in the continent knew Dale's High.
No pressure.
I'd been up reading all night, phone screen burning into my eyes until 2 a.m. Between flipping through notes and laughing at the girls' messages, I'd finally passed out.
"Coming!" I shouted downstairs, slipping into my white joggers and moccasins while refreshing the group chat.
Floods of notifications poured in. My lips curled as I read Tessa's last text from hours ago:
Baby girl, wake up and pass your exams. We want to see you get a hot Asian boyfriend. I heard the Red Dynasty has sons who attend Dale's High. Use your charm and make them fall for you. Joseph never deserved you!
My chest tightened at the name. Joseph.
I typed quickly, I don't think Asian boys would like an American, and Joseph is…
My fingers froze. The name felt heavy. Memories crashed in. Joseph, my first love, my high school crush turned boyfriend. We'd dated from fifteen until eighteen. And then? He crushed me.
"I feel we aren't compatible anymore. We're too different. And my mom doesn't like that your mother is single. She thinks you weren't properly raised."
Those words had gutted me. I'd cried for weeks, my friends patching me together. And when I saw him, arms linked with Hailey, my rival, my enemy, parading her like some trophy, the betrayal hit deeper.
"Maybe he was already cheating," Tasha had said, blunt as always, "and broke up just to look clean. Guys like him don't change. He didn't deserve you anyway."
She was right. Joseph might have had the golden-boy looks, tall, broad-shouldered, blonde hair that made every girl swoon, but inside, he was a coward.
I sighed, pocketing my phone, and headed to the bathroom. The moment I opened the door, I nearly bumped into my mother.
"Mum." I brushed my hair back, guilt warming my face. "I know, I know. I slept late again—"
She cut me off with a sigh, her dark eyes sharp but loving. "Sophie, today is too important. It's a three-hour drive to Dale's. We need to be on the road before noon."
Already dressed in jeans and a crisp white blouse, she smelled faintly of her familiar vanilla perfume.
"I understand," I muttered.
Bella appeared next, bright-eyed in her school uniform, tablet in hand. At ten, she was already sunshine incarnate, living with us since her mom, my aunt, traveled constantly for work.
"Sophie, your breakfast is ready!" she chirped.
I kissed her cheek. "I'll be down soon, Bell."
My mother pointed a warning finger. "Thirty minutes. Don't take longer."
When they left, I caught my reflection in the mirror. "Dale's High," I whispered, pointing at myself. "Here I come."
An hour later, we were on the road in my mother's white car. I leaned forward, scrolling through playlists until a familiar beat thumped through the speakers, Drake's "God's Plan." The bass filled the air, making me sing along, half to distract my nerves.
Bella sat at the back, tapping on her tablet. My phone buzzed again.
'Sophie, the math teacher just proposed to Mr. Johnson, the ballet tutor!'
"What?!" I gasped, laughing so hard I nearly dropped my phone.
Mum glanced at me, alarmed. "What now?"
"Nothing, just… gossip."
Apparently, the teacher was bisexual, had a daughter, and had proposed to his boyfriend while his baby mama stormed the school calling him a liar. The group chat went insane.
I couldn't stop laughing.
But then another message came in, one that made my stomach drop.
'Joseph asked Hailey to be his girlfriend this morning. In front of everyone. Loud and proud. She squealed a yes.'
I rolled my eyes, typing back: Good for him.
It stung, but I refused to let him take up space in my heart anymore. Not today. Not when I was about to start over.
"Please, Sophie, find a rich Asian guy at Dale's," Tessa wrote. "We'll live through you. Get back at Joseph for us!"
Their chatter made me smile, even as I pressed my forehead to the window. America felt far away.
By the time we reached Dale's High, my jaw practically hit the floor.
The gates loomed like something out of a movie, ornate iron carved with dragons, gilded with gold, opening slowly as sleek black cars glided in. Beyond them stretched sprawling lawns, fountains spraying arcs of crystal water, and gardens manicured so perfectly they didn't look real.
The main building rose like a palace, white marble walls glittering in the sun. Chandeliers were visible even through the high windows. It wasn't a school. It was a dynasty.
"Wow," I whispered, stepping out of the car, my mother at my side. Even she looked impressed.
Inside, the corridors were lined with massive art pieces, the ceilings dripping with chandeliers. The faint smell of expensive perfume floated in the air. Students in tailored uniforms passed by, polished, silent, like royalty in training.
A suited man approached, bowing slightly. "Welcome to Dale's High. Please proceed to the examination hall. Good luck."
My mother kissed my cheek before leaving me at the door.
The exam hall was like no room I'd ever seen. Rows of state-of-the-art computers sat on glossy mahogany desks, each separated for privacy. The air conditioning whispered cool air, carrying the faint fragrance of lilies from vases placed around the room. Velvet curtains draped the tall windows, filtering sunlight into a soft glow. The marble floor gleamed, reflecting the chandeliers above.
It wasn't just an exam room, it was wealth, luxury, and power disguised as education.
I sat down nervously, hands clammy, watching the other twenty-something students around me. Everyone looked untouchable. No one spoke.
Then the door opened.
A tall, broad-shouldered man in an expensive tailored suit strode in, every eye flicking to him. His presence alone silenced the room further.
"Good day," he began, voice smooth, commanding. "Dale's High was founded twenty-three years ago with one mission: to raise the best of the best. Only those who prove themselves worthy remain. Do well, and you will receive your admission letter. Fail, and… well, you know the rest. Begin."
The exam began.
An hour later, I submitted my test, heart racing.
Outside, I slid into Mum's car, still shaky.
"How was it?" she asked, hope in her eyes.
I shrugged, clutching my phone. "I hope I get admitted."
"You must. Your uncle paid fifty thousand for you to sit this exam."
My jaw dropped. "Fifty… thousand? For one exam?!"
"Yes," Mum said simply. "That's how much it takes to stand a chance at Dale's."
As she started the car, we drove toward the gates. My eyes lingered on the towering buildings and manicured lawns. That's when a sleek black car rolled in, so large and imposing that every vehicle on the lane stopped for it.
Its windows were tinted pitch-black, but the aura it carried made my chest tighten.
Mum muttered, "Who do they think they are? The owner?"
Or his sons.
My pulse quickened. Whoever was inside that car wasn't ordinary. And something told me… our paths were about to cross.