Ling's car stopped exactly where it always did.
Center. Dominant. Unavoidable.
Rina was already grinning before the engine even went quiet. Ahead, Ling's squad waited—Jian and Rowen standing loose but alert, Mira beside them, arms crossed, face carefully neutral.
Rina leaned closer. "Some fun?"
Ling didn't look at her. "Fine."
She stepped out, climbed onto the hood of the Rolls-Royce with practiced ease, boots resting against polished metal like she owned the ground itself—which she did.
"Line," Ling ordered.
No shouting. No theatrics.
Just one word.
Everyone obeyed.
Students rushed into position, shoulders stiff, eyes down. Some had arrived early just to avoid this moment—anything to not be noticed by Lingling Kwong.
Ling scanned them, bored.
Then—
Rhea Nior walked in.
Not early.
Not late.
On time in a way that felt deliberate.
She didn't hurry. Didn't glance at the line. Black trousers, fitted jacket, hair loose, posture calm—as if rules were suggestions meant for other people.
She stopped near the steps.
Didn't join the line.
The air shifted instantly.
Whispers. Glances. Anticipation.
Ling felt it before she admitted it—the tightening in her chest, the heat behind her eyes.
Not now.
Rina glanced at her, amused. Mira stiffened.
Ling's jaw set.
"Miss Attitude," Ling called sharply. "Line."
Rhea looked up slowly.
Her gaze met Ling's.
Unflinching.
"I don't see my name written on the ground," Rhea said coolly.
A ripple went through the crowd.
Ling stood.
Anger flared—not loud, not explosive—but dangerous because it was personal.
She jumped down from the hood and crossed the distance fast.
Too fast.
Before anyone could react, Ling grabbed Rhea's arm and yanked her forward, grip tight, controlled—but charged.
Gasps echoed.
"Don't test me," Ling snapped low, eyes burning. "You don't get special treatment."
For a split second—just one—Rhea's breath caught.
Fear flickered.
Gone just as quickly.
She lifted her chin, voice steady. "You're the one losing composure."
That did it.
Ling tightened her grip just enough for the message to land.
The crowd felt it.
So did Ling.
She was aware—too aware—of Rhea's pulse beneath her fingers, of the warmth, of the fact that everyone was watching and noticing.
And that terrified her.
"Line," Ling repeated, louder now. Sharper. "Now."
Rhea held her gaze for a heartbeat longer—long enough to make Ling's control tremble—
Silence.
Rina exhaled slowly. Jian and Rowen exchanged looks. Mira's nails dug into her palms.
Ling turned back to the crowd, mask locking into place with brutal precision.
"Anyone else feeling special today?" she asked coldly.
No one answered.
But everyone had seen it.
Lingling Kwong wasn't just angry.
She was rattled.
Rhea stepped half a pace forward.
"You don't own time," she said calmly. "You just frighten people into wasting it for you."
A murmur rippled through the line.
Ling's smile was thin. Lethal.
"And you," Ling replied, "mistake defiance for dignity."
Rhea's eyes sharpened. "Coming from someone who needs an audience to feel tall?"
Rina whistled low. "Wohhh—cute fight." She leaned against the car, grinning. "Future couple vibes."
Ling and Rhea turned at the exact same moment.
"Never," they said—together in unison.
The word cracked through the air like glass.
Rina laughed harder. "Oh, that was synchronized."
Ling moved before thought could interfere.
She seized Rhea by collar. Gasps cut the silence. Rhea's breath hitched, surprise flashing—then control snapped back into place.
"You're way more egoistic than you pretend," Ling said low, furious. "You walk in late, you refuse the line, and you look at me like I'm the one begging."
Rhea met her gaze, unflinching despite the grip at her throat.
"Let go," Rhea said evenly. "Or admit you need this."
For a heartbeat, Ling didn't move.
Then she released her—abrupt, sharp—like dropping something dangerous.
Ling turned to the crowd, voice cold and final.
"Enough for today."
Relief flooded the line. Students scattered instantly, grateful for the reprieve.
Rhea adjusted her shirt slowly, eyes never leaving Ling.
Ling climbed back onto the hood, posture locked, mask flawless again.
Rina watched both of them, grin softening into something knowing.
Because everyone felt it.
That wasn't authority clashing with arrogance.
That was two egos colliding—and neither of them walked away untouched.