Rhea didn't overthink it.
That was the mistake. Or the courage.
She typed once. Deleted. Typed again.
> Rhea:
Mom's birthday tonight.
Only you're invited.
You can bring Rina if you want.
And I'm not coming to uni today.
The dots appeared almost instantly.
> Ling:
Only me?
Rhea rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling, Ling's black shirt riding up her waist.
> Rhea:
Don't make it dramatic.
Three seconds.
> Ling:
Too late.
Another message followed, slower. Deliberate.
> Ling:
I'll come.
Rhea's phone buzzed again before she could reply.
> Ling:
Also—
I'm not going to uni either.
Rhea frowned, thumbs hovering.
> Rhea:
You? Why?
> Ling:
I'm sleeping.
Pause.
> Ling:
So I can talk to you all night.
Rhea shut her eyes, jaw tightening.
Annoyed. Warm. Caught.
> Rhea:
Don't flirt. It's my mother's birthday.
> Ling:
I'm being respectful.
> Ling:
I'm even remembering your promise.
Rhea swallowed.
> Rhea:
Which one.
> Ling:
The bath.
Rhea sat up.
> Rhea:
You're impossible.
> Ling:
You invited me knowing that.
A beat.
> Ling:
Don't worry.
I'll behave.
Publicly.
Rhea stared at the word.
> Rhea:
And privately?
The reply came slower this time.
> Ling:
I'll follow your rules.
Rhea laughed under her breath, shaking her head.
> Rhea:
Rina might come.
> Ling:
Good.
She'll distract everyone.
Another pause.
> Ling:
Wear emerald tonight.
Rhea didn't answer immediately.
> Rhea:
You don't get to order me.
> Ling:
I know.
> Ling:
I just like when you do it anyway.
Rhea locked her phone, heart beating harder than it should've.
Outside her door, the mansion was already stirring for the evening.
Inside her room, the lie was preparing itself.
And somewhere else, Ling Kwong was smiling to herself, already planning how to walk into a house oblivious about danger like she owned it.
Rhea stood and went out of her room.
She closed the door behind her with her foot, phone still warm in her palm.
Shyra was at the mirror, fixing an earring, when Rhea spoke.
"She's coming."
Shyra's hand froze mid-air.
"…Who."
Rhea didn't need to say the name.
"Ling."
Shyra turned slowly.
"To this house?"
"Yes."
Shyra stared at her like she'd announced an earthquake schedule.
"Rhea," she said carefully, "her family knows Mom."
Rhea shrugged, forcing calm into her shoulders.
"I told her only she's allowed. No family. No elders."
"That doesn't erase faces," Shyra snapped. "Recognition doesn't wait for permission."
Rhea frowned.
"Who exactly knows about Mom on their side?"
Shyra exhaled and counted on her fingers, precise.
"Dadi."
"Eliza."
"Victor—her father, obviously."
Rhea's throat tightened.
"…Rina?"
Shyra shook her head.
"No. Rina doesn't know. No one else does."
A pause.
"And Ling's grandfather," Shyra added quietly.
"But he's not with them anymore."
The room went still.
Rhea looked down at her phone.
"So three people," she murmured. "Three risks."
Shyra stepped closer.
"And you're bringing their daughter into a house where Kane Nior is being celebrated."
Rhea lifted her chin.
"She won't be alone."
Shyra's eyes narrowed.
"You think that protects her?"
"No," Rhea said honestly. "I think it's worse if she isn't here."
Shyra studied her sister's face—the resolve, the fear stitched underneath.
"And when Mom looks at her?" Shyra asked.
"When revenge kicks in before control?"
Rhea's voice dropped.
"Then I'll control the room."
Shyra scoffed.
"You sound like her."
"I learned from her," Rhea shot back. "I just chose a different war."
Silence again.
Kwong - Mansion
The table was long. Polished. Quiet in the way power eats.
Victor set his fork down first.
"So," he said casually, eyes on Ling, "what are you doing tonight?"
Ling didn't look up from her plate.
"I'm going somewhere else."
Victor's brow lifted.
"I was thinking of taking you to the business party. Singapore delegation's in town."
Ling finally glanced up. Calm. Final.
"I won't be there."
Eliza's cutlery paused with a faint click.
"Where are you going," she asked, tone neutral but sharp underneath.
Before Ling could answer, Dadi leaned back in her chair, eyes bright with mischief.
"To her girlfriend's mother's birthday," she said lightly.
Ling didn't correct her.
Eliza's gaze snapped to Ling.
"…Rhea again?"
Ling nodded once. No explanation. No apology.
Rina's face lit up immediately.
"I'm coming too."
Ling turned to her cousin.
"I didn't say—"
Rina grinned.
"You don't have to. I already decided."
Victor watched the exchange with interest, then asked, almost too casually,
"What's her mother's name?"
The table went still.
Ling didn't hesitate.
"I'll introduce both families," she said evenly, "when we go for the marriage proposal."
The word landed like a blade on porcelain.
Eliza's eyes hardened.
"Ling."
Victor looked sharply at his daughter.
"You're serious."
Ling met his gaze without flinching.
"Yes."
Rina sucked in a breath, then burst into a grin.
"Wow. You said it out loud."
Dadi chuckled, thoroughly pleased.
"Took you long enough."
Eliza straightened slowly.
"You're too young to talk about marriage," she said. "And too careless with names and backgrounds."
Ling's jaw tightened—but her voice stayed cold.
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
Eliza studied her for a long moment, then asked,
"Who is her mother."
Ling's fork stopped.
"She'll tell you herself," Ling replied. "If and when she wants to."
Victor frowned.
"That's evasive."
"That's respectful," Ling corrected.
Rina leaned forward, eyes sparkling.
"So tonight is… official?"
Ling glanced away, just slightly.
"It's an invitation."
Dadi smiled like she'd already won something.
"Good," she said. "Eat properly. You don't meet dangerous women on an empty stomach."
Ling stood, chair scraping softly.
"I'll be late," she said. "Don't wait up."
As she walked out, Eliza's gaze followed her—calculating, sharp, unsettled.
And for the first time since the feud had died with silence, the past stirred.