The hallway was dim.
One lamp burned on a side table near the stairs. The rest of the house was shadows. Kai's footsteps echoed off the marble floor as he walked deeper inside.
He knew where to go.
The living room.
His father was always in the living room.
Kai turned the corner and stopped.
Mr. Voss sat in his leather armchair. A glass of whiskey in his hand. Ice melting. His dark eyes fixed on the doorway like he had been waiting for this moment for weeks.
He didn't stand up. Didn't smile. Didn't do anything except take a slow sip from his glass.
"Well, well. Look who finally decided to come home."
His voice was low. Cold. The kind of quiet that was worse than shouting.
Kai stood in the middle of the room. His mother and Mia had followed behind him but stayed near the doorway. Nobody moved.
"The prodigal son returns," Mr. Voss continued. He set his glass down on the side table. The click was sharp. "Except the prodigal son in the Bible wasted money. You? You wasted the family name."
Kai's jaw tightened. "Dad ...."
"Don't." Mr. Voss stood up. His suit was dark gray. Perfectly pressed. He walked toward Kai slowly, each step landing like a hammer. "Do you have any idea what you've done? My only son. My heir. Caught with his pants down with his teacher."
"It wasn't —"
"Wasn't what?" His father's voice rose. "Wasn't true? Wasn't your fault? Which lie are you going to tell me first?"
Kai's hands curled into fists. "She came on to me. She started everything. I didn't ask for it."
Mr. Voss laughed. It was bitter. Hollow. "Didn't ask for it. That's your defense? An eighteen years old boy banged a thirty-four-year-old woman, his teacher. International news air it. Do you know how much I paid to cover your face and name??"
Kai's grey eyes burned. His chest rose and fell fast.
"I'm telling the truth," he said. "Please believe me."
Mr. Voss stared at him for a long moment. Then he shook his head.
The room felt smaller.
Mia had gone quiet behind them, shifting from foot to foot. Their mother stood near the doorway, hands clasped tight in front of her.
Mr. Voss walked closer until he was only a few feet away. His eyes were hard.
"How is that truth supposed to save this situation?" His voice rose. "How will that truth save the family name when business competitors get hold of what you've done? The heir to the Voss business empire caught banging his teacher and expelled. How does that sound in your ear, Kai?"
Each word hit Kai like a rock to the face. He stood motionless. Everyone had already judged him. Passed their sentence. Left no room for him to defend himself.
"Truth or not," his father continued. "The damage is done. You will finish your studies right here in Singapore. In this house. Under my watch. No more freedom. No more trips overseas. Not until you prove you can be useful to this family instead of a walking embarrassment."
Kai stared at his father. Chest rising and falling. The words hung heavy between them.
His father's voice dropped lower. "You start at your new school on Monday. Elite. Strict. The kind of place where mistakes are not tolerated. And let me make this very clear — one more scandal, one more stupid decision, and I will cut you off completely. No money. No car. Nothing. Do you understand me?"
Kai didn't answer right away. His grey eyes burned. They were teary, but he kept his mouth shut.
His mother finally spoke, soft and nervous. "Let's not do this today, dear. He just got home. He needs rest."
Mr. Voss picked up his glass again and took a slow sip. "Rest? He can rest after he learns some discipline." He looked straight at Kai. "Welcome home, son. Try not to destroy everything this time."
The silence that followed felt loud.
Kai stood there, hands still clenched. The weight of his father's words pressed down on him like the humid Singapore air outside.
Outside the window, the sun continued to shine brightly on the perfect lawn. But inside the beautiful house, the temperature had dropped several degrees.
Kai turned and walked toward the stairs without another word. Behind him, he could hear his mother trying to calm his father. Mia whispering something.
He didn't look back.
This was his new reality now. Singapore. His father's rules. A fresh start that already felt like a cage.
---
Across the city, in a wealthy neighborhood not far from the Voss mansion, another car pulled through a set of golden gates.
The Chen residence was even bigger than the Voss house. White columns stood at the entrance like guards. A circular driveway wrapped around a fountain with a single stone horse rising from the water. Flowers lined every walkway — red and pink and white, all blooming at once.
The black Rolls-Royce stopped at the front steps.
Lila Chen stepped out.
She didn't wait for the driver. She grabbed her bags herself and walked up the stairs. Her heels clicked against the marble. The front door opened before she reached it — a maid in a gray uniform pulling it wide.
"Welcome home, Miss Lila."
Lila nodded but didn't speak. She walked straight into the house, down the long hallway, and up the curved staircase to her room.
Her bedroom was huge. A king-sized bed with white silk sheets sat against the far wall. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city skyline. A walk-in closet the size of most apartments stood to her left. Everything was clean. Everything was expensive.
She dropped her designer bag on the bed and stood there for a moment. Just breathing.
Then her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out of her pocket. The screen showed a photo of her best friend — Sienna — making a funny face.
Sienna: You back? Please tell me you're back. I'm outside your gate.
Lila typed back quickly: I'm back. Come in.
Few minutes later, footsteps pounded up the stairs. The door burst open without a knock.
Sienna stood there in ripped jeans and an oversized hoodie. Her hair was dyed pink at the tips. Big hoop earrings swung from her ears. She grinned the moment she saw Lila.
"Bitch, you're really here!" Sienna ran across the room and grabbed Lila's arms. "I thought you were lying. I thought you'd change your mind and stay in California with your perfect life and forget about me."
Lila smiled. It was small, but real. "I missed you too."
Sienna pulled back and looked her up and down. "You look different. Thinner. Your cheekbones are popping. California starving you or something?"
"Something like that."
Sienna's smile faded. She knew Lila too well. She walked over to the bed and flopped down on the silk sheets, patting the spot next to her.
"Sit. Talk. What happened?"
Lila sat down slowly. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"Start with the cheating asshole." Sienna's voice was flat. "Did Derek really do it? Tell me everything."
Lila stared at the wall for a moment. Then she started talking.
"I went to his place. It was a Tuesday. He told me he had basketball practice until late, so I shouldn't come over. But something felt off. He had been acting weird for weeks. Distant. You know?"
Sienna nodded. "I know."
"So I went anyway. I used my key. The door was unlocked." Lila's voice dropped. "I walked in and heard noises from his bedroom."
She stopped.
Sienna reached over and grabbed her hand. Squeezed.
Lila took a breath. "He was in bed with Jasmine. You know Jasmine? The girl who always posted those thirsty comments on his Instagram?"
"The one with the fake lashes and the annoying laugh?"
"That's her." Lila let out a bitter laugh. "They didn't even hear me come in. I stood in the doorway for a full minute before Derek looked up and saw me."
Sienna's jaw tightened. "What did he do?"
"He jumped up. Started stammering. Said it wasn't what it looked like." Lila shook her head. "His dick was literally inside her, Sienna. But sure. Not what it looked like."
"Please tell me you slapped him."
"I didn't. I just turned around and walked out. He ran after me with his pants half undone, begging me to stop. I got in my car and drove away."
Sienna was quiet for a second. Then she said, "I would have burned his house down."
Lila laughed.
"He's been calling me every day," Lila continued. "Texting. Showing up at my school. Sending flowers to my dorm. He even got his friends to message me, telling me to give him another chance."
"And?"
"And nothing. I blocked him on everything. But he kept showing up. He showed up every day. I had to get school security involved."
Sienna's eyes went wide. "No way."
"Yes way. That's when I called my father. I told him I wanted to come home. That I needed to finish my studies in Singapore." Lila paused. "He didn't even ask why. He just said yes."
"Your dad is scary but I love him for that."
Lila finally let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Me too."
Sienna sat up and crossed her legs. "Okay, so Derek is trash. We knew that. How was your flight?""
Lila's face changed.
Sienna noticed immediately. "What? What's that face?"
"There was this guy," Lila said slowly. "On the plane. He sat behind me in first class."
"Was he hot?"
Lila hesitated. "Yes. Unfortunately."
"Unfortunately? Why unfortunately?"
Lila's jaw tightened. "Because he was the biggest asshole I've ever met. And I just spent months dealing with Derek."