Ava laughed aloud. "I know, right? Daniel would rather sit and watch the drama—even if it involved him—than lift a finger. Lazy idiot."
"Yes, and I also made sure those big-mouth families in our circle shut up," Ava continued. "Though I didn't make any more moves. The more you try to help, the more people assume we're covering something."
Daisy's reply came almost instantly: "So how are your parents?"
Ava's lips curved into a faint, amused smile. "Chill. They don't give a fuck about the news, you know how they are. Anyway, they want a break, so now it's just me and my brother fighting over control."
"Yeah, we both know you're the one Prim would never let sacrifice his quality sleep to manage the business," Daisy replied, making Ava chuckle.
She thought about it for a moment, letting herself smile. Her parents, ever pragmatic, had given her control over most of the family business tasks—but not all.
Some responsibilities were reserved for Prim. Some things, they handled themselves.
The unspoken law between Ava and Prim was clear: heavy responsibilities—the ones no one else wanted—fell to her. Why? Because she liked challenges, she liked being in charge, she liked bossing people around.
And Prim? He preferred to relax, occasionally listening to Ava complain about things she couldn't do while she forced him to figure out solutions. She could always rely on him to do his part… eventually.
After texting Daisy, Ava slipped her phone back into her bag. "Anything else?" she thought, scrolling briefly. Daisy had replied: "Nothing much, just that Aria is coming back with her boyfriend and her sister. Also, we're hosting a party—not for her, just a chill, class-type gathering. You coming?"
"Sure, why not. I'm not busy anyway. Bye," Ava typed back, her fingers moving lazily over the screen. She finished her meal, paid, and left. Her driver was already waiting outside.
The car purred smoothly along the streets, gliding past bustling pedestrians and morning traffic.
The next morning, Ava emerged in her school uniform a crisp white blouse tucked neatly into a high-waisted red pleated skirt that swayed with every step. Red-and-white polished loafers clicked against the floor, a thin red ribbon tied into a perfect bow at her collar, a silver bracelet catching the sunlight on her wrist, and small diamond studs glimmered subtly in her ears.
Her honey-blonde hair, silky and cascading in a smooth waterfall down her back, was swept into a loose, elegant half-up twist, soft strands framing her sharp, angelic features—simultaneously innocent and alluring.
Breakfast was already prepared pancakes stacked neatly, golden eggs, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice with silver-dusted strawberries on the side. Prim, as usual, was still asleep, snoring lightly like a baby. Ava ate calmly, savoring the quiet before the day's chaos.
After finishing, she strolled to the garage to the Rolls-Royce car
The car stopped smoothly at the school gates. Ava stepped out, her presence immediately turning heads. Students whispered and glanced, but she moved with practiced ease, ignoring the stares.
She entered the private class, a room designed like nothing most students had ever seen. Every inch screamed luxury:
Every eye turned to her as she entered, except for Asher, who was still slouched in his chair, asleep with his head on the table.
The private class was a world apart, a room designed for more than learning—it was an arena for excellence.
Floor-to-ceiling windows let in streams of sunlight, reflecting off polished hardwood floors that gleamed like glass.
Each workstation was a masterpiece of technology: leather chairs that could recline fully into beds, built-in tables with touch-sensitive controls, and personal screens displaying holographic simulations.
The walls were lined with shelves of books, reference materials, and compact equipment for hands-on practice, while holographic projectors floated silently in the corners, ready to display any scenario imaginable.
It was elegant, high-tech, and intimidating all at once—a space that reminded anyone who entered that this was where the serious players trained.
"Miss Emily," the teacher greeted, and Emily nodded politely before returning to her seat, calm and composed.
"Okay, so we are all here," the teacher announced, her voice filling the spacious, elegantly designed classroom.
"Tsk, tsk… why do we have to wait for her?" Mia muttered loudly, arms crossed as she leaned back in her chair.
"Because she is the school president—the face of the school, the leader, the one funding this competition. She's smarter than all of you and in charge of teaching the team. She's your team leader.
Do you want me to keep listing?" the teacher said, glancing pointedly at Mia, who glared back.
Mia huffed, folding her hands tightly. Fine, she can be here. But why is he even here? she asked, eyes narrowing. One thing is letting scholarship students into the school. Another is letting them join the competition. But allowing someone whose identity is unknown, poor, and—apparently—dumb, while all other members are already filled in? Ridiculous.
Her mind immediately flicked to Asher. And he… who does he think he is? Twice he embarrassed me already. I even asked him to help me destroy Ava, and he mocked me instead. Now he's here again? He shouldn't even be allowed to breathe the same air as me.
"Yes, ma'am, I agree with Mia," one of the students chimed in, leaning forward. "We've all worked hard for this, and he just joins for no reason. This is a nationwide competition, not a joke. And we don't even know his level—especially with rumors he cheated on an exam."
The rest of the eight students—excluding Mia, Ava, and Asher, who was still dozing in the back—murmured among themselves, exchanging skeptical glances and whispered speculation. The tension in the room thickened, almost tangible.
Mia folded her hands, a cold, calculating smile creeping onto her lips. He's not even serious, she thought, her eyes flicking to Asher, sprawled lazily in the back.
"He's never even been in a place this fancy she mocked
" Tsk. How did he even get the chance to participate? Did he… sleep with you, teacher?
The boy who said that smirked, the teacher's glare didn't do anything.
"Shut it," Ava said without looking up, her pencil moving across the paper as she solved a complex math problem. Her voice carried a quiet authority that made everyone stop talking mid-sentence. Even the murmuring students went silent, feeling the weight of her presence.
"I was the one who selected him to join, and I don't need your opinions," Ava continued, finally glancing up, her pale blue eyes sharp and piercing. "You all know how people join anyway—who paid, who used connections, who slept around, who took opportunities away from their owners.You're know better than me. Out of the eleven of us here, only five, including me, are the brains of this group. The rest? Mascots. And even if I wanted to add another mascot, you'd still have to stay quiet."
She leaned back slightly, smirking, her fox-like innocence making the threat even sharper. "But I'll give you a chance to doubt yourselves. If you think you're smarter than him, let's start a quiz. Everyone participates—including me. Only the top five will be selected. Do you want to do it?"
The classroom went completely quiet. Even the boy who had insulted the teacher clenched his fists but didn't dare say a word.
"You're supporting him… is he your boyfriend?" Mia hissed, eyes narrowing, her voice dripping with venom.
Ava didn't flinch. She stared at Mia with an intensity so cold and unyielding that every hair on Mia's arms and neck stood on end. The silence that followed wasn't just silence—it was a warning.
Everyone else in the class turned to look at Mia. No words were needed; their glances were filled with accusation and blame. If Mia caused trouble, they would make sure she felt the consequences if they were kicked out cause some of them did use another method to enter.
Mia's hands clenched into fists under her desk. This barbarian… how dare they glare at her? she thought, rage simmering.
Slowly, her gaze shifted back to Ava,
"It hasn't come to that yet," Mia said her voice low but cutting. "We're just questioning his worth. And anyway, we don't want to stress him too much. Why don't we let him take the quiz himself? If he passes the mark, then we'll apologize to him. How about that?"
Only then did Asher, who had been sleeping, open his eyes and stare at them. "What do I need your apology for?" he said, calm and steady. "If I pass with the highest score, I want to take one of your spots in the so-called elite group. What about that?"
The classroom fell completely silent. "Hell no!" a girl shouted.
Everyone understood what he meant. There were six important groups, and everyone wanted to be in the first the School Council, the number-one group in the school. Fifteen members, they had a say in all school matters and sat on the school committee everyone in the school including the school board and principal and chairman has to listen to.
Then there was the SKZ group—where old money, aristocrat or blue-bloods, highborns, prestigious families, hidden families, and secret organizations , real elite family held their power. This is not even school based this is this group are the cream topping in the world their family
These were the real seven powerful titles—not the upper class, not the Nobel families, not big or rich families, not political lineages. These seven titles meant real power, rulers whose families had been influencing politics, business, and society for hundreds of years.
Other students from outside the school could also join if they come from such family no one else can, so it wasn't just school-based. Within the SKZ group were seven subgroups, and everyone knew the seven best members—the ones whose families' every action could shake the economy they are called SKZ cause of them ava,
Asher,prim,Milo,Daisy, Michael, Daniel and others were giving the SKZ title.
Below them was the Moonlight Group, a ranking system for everyone else. Not just within the school—everyone had levels, and those beneath had to listen. Families were watched, measured, and ranked. Only those deemed worthy, whose families could shake the law though not as powerfully as the SKZ, could join though some . It was basically a pyramid, and in this hierarchy, the top always won.
And then there was the fourth group, the elite Group. Those in this group could eventually join the SKZ, but even if you weren't worthy enough for the elite group, being in Moonlight still meant privilege. Members were like stars—they had influence outside the school, connections that stretched beyond the campus, and status that could open doors anywhere.
The fifth group was for the newly rich—students from wealthy families or scholarship students who were just starting to rise. The school even paid some of them depending on their rank, giving them a chance to work toward joining the elite group.
The sixth group was the most ordinary—basically the popular kids, those with influence only in small circles, known for social standing rather than real power.
The elite group was the ultimate key. A few scholarship students who were popular enough could be allowed in, but status, respect, and fear determined how others treated you once inside. And now, here was this boy, daring to claim a spot in their sacred hierarchy.
"Fine," Mia said, her voice sharp.
"Are you crazy?" Cain, the boy who had insulted the teacher, shot back, glaring.
"We don't agree to this," another girl said, her voice trembling with anger and disbelief.
The fifth girl nodded her head in agreement, and whispers of tension rippled through the classroom.
"Shut up, all of you. And Cain, why are you afraid? Do you think he can even reach the highest score?" Mia snapped, folding her arms and glaring at everyone. "You heard him. If he can beat the top score—which is Ava's—then he can take one of us out of the elite group. And Cain," she pointed at him sharply, "you don't need the elite group. Neither does Ava, and I don't need it," she added, pointing to the two boys, J and V. "So why are you scared?"
Ava rolled her eyes, slipping her earpods in, and buried herself in her book, completely ignoring Mia. How dumb can anyone be? she thought. Five of them didn't need the group—they already had their influence elsewhere. The remaining five, though—the two scholarship boys, her friend Debby, the red-haired girl, and the purple-eyed girl from upper-class families—surely needed to be in the elite group. Not her problem. Not her business.
"Are you guys in or not?" Asher asked, his tone bored, as if the stakes didn't matter to him at all.
"Yes, we're in," Mia said, smiling like she had already won. She glanced at Ava, expecting fear or hesitation—but seeing none, her smirk faltered. Only Ava remained unreadable, focused, indifferent. The teacher ignored Mia's challenge and handed Asher the test.
"You have two hours to solve five hundred questions," the teacher said firmly. "I know the time is short, but this is training for the competition. The more time you waste, the more likely you are to fail." She returned to her desk, leaving the classroom in tense silence.
Everyone's eyes followed Asher, anticipation thick in the air. At first, they stared, trying to analyze his method, but as time passed, interest waned. It seemed like he was just writing randomly, guessing answers without a second thought.
An hour in, he raised his hand. "I'm done," he said calmly, shocking everyone.
"Tsk tsk… even if he's guessing, he can't be that fast unless he's some kind of genius… unless the questions blew his mind," Cain muttered, shaking his head, earning a few nervous laughs from the others.
Ava, however, didn't flinch. She wasn't paying attention to their chatter—her focus was entirely on the scores. She had followed the global competition app for years, watching the top students from all over the world. Many hid their identities, but she had always tracked the person at the first position. No matter how she tried, he had held the lead year after year—sometimes they tied, sometimes she lost by a single point—but when she finally beat him by fifty points, he returned stronger, hundreds of points above her score. Now she find out he was the person so now she is testing him she wondered.
The teacher started marking in front of them all, calling out the scores one by one. Ava's eyes narrowed.
She didn't care about anyone else—she only needed to confirm. And indeed… after the teacher announced Asher's score, her suspicion was confirmed.
The score wasn't just high. It was astronomical.
Asher's score flashed on the board: 601—one point higher than Ava.
The classroom froze. Silence fell like a heavy curtain. Ava took a deep breath, feeling that familiar rush in her chest. He's doing it again… one point, one point… she thought, then smiled faintly. It's okay. This score means nothing. On a normal day, I can beat him easily, she reminded herself, calm and collected.
"That's impossible!" Mia screamed, pointing at Ava. "You did this on purpose! You humiliated me to make him win! Is that why your score was low?" Her voice cracked as she stomped her foot, red with frustration.
"Shut up, Mia. Bring your brain back to earth," Ava said lazily but firmly, not even looking up from her book. "Yes, I scored lower this time. But don't forget—I scored three hundred points higher than everyone else. So shut it. And this is not the time to act like a spoiled brat. We are here to learn. Since Asher won the challenge, one of you will give up your spot for him to take. Let's continue the competition. If you want to argue, get lost."
Mia's glare sharpened, fists clenched. "Let me help everyone then! Make it easy!"
Asher yawned. "Mia, give me your spot! You said you don't need it that much!"
"So what if I don't need it? I'm only in the Moonlight Group, the elite group, and a new group like SKZ—but not as powerful. The Azra group doesn't mean leaving the elite group would be shameful!" Mia thought
" Choose another person"Mia said folding her arms and sitting down with a defiant scowl.
"Hell no. It's your cross to carry," Cain said.
"Right, Mia? You don't need it. Remember, J said yes. So why are we still talking?"
"Give him your damn phone, or I will do it myself!" V barked quickly, using the crowd to pressure Mia. Unlike her, he wasn't in the Azra group; he was just in the elite group and a low rank in Moonlight. Outside the school, that gave him nothing—but inside, it could be dangerous if mismanaged.
"Yes, yes—you agreed to his bet, so do it," the red-haired girl mumbled, her tone sharp.
"Be fast. We have to continue the class," the teacher added, her voice calm but firm.
Mia's face burned red, eyes glossy with frustration. She gritted her teeth, took out her phone, and handed it to Asher.
"Fine, fine!" she spat.
"Now let's focus on learning. And yes, Asher is now officially a member of the competition team."the teacher said