Lines We Cross

Chapter 1

Being a Sterling meant living under expectations. It wasn't something YN had chosen, but it was something she wore well, like a perfectly tailored coat. Her father, Alexander Sterling, was a titan in the finance world, a name spoken with respect in business circles from New York to Hong Kong. Her mother, Claudia, was a legal powerhouse in Manhattan, known for never losing a case. Together, they cast a long shadow—one YN was expected to step into.

Attending Yale wasn't just a choice; it was a legacy, a family tradition dating back generations. YN wasn't simply a student—she was expected to excel, to lead, to be at the top of her class. Anything less was unthinkable. And she managed it, effortlessly balancing academic demands with a social life that kept the campus buzzing. Somehow, she was always at the center of attention without ever needing to ask for it.

It was the way she carried herself—calm, unbothered, a quiet confidence that spoke louder than any flashy display of wealth. Her friends liked to joke that she could walk into a room and everyone would notice, even if they couldn't quite say why. They called it "The Sterling Effect."

"So, are we going tonight or what?" Maya's voice broke the quiet rhythm of their walk across the quad, pulling YN's thoughts back from the edges of her family's expectations.

YN barely glanced at her friend, her tone lazy but amused. "I don't know, should I?"

Maya scoffed. "Please, like you're going to miss it. Everyone's waiting to see if 'The Sterling Effect' will make an appearance."

"The Sterling Effect," YN repeated with a faint, ironic smile. "Sounds like a weather pattern."

Nina, walking on YN's other side, chuckled. "More like a natural disaster. People get a little... chaotic when you're around."

YN's lips curved at the corners, but she said nothing. It wasn't that she minded the attention—it just didn't impress her. The nights spent in crowded rooms, the whispers that followed her wherever she went—it was all familiar, expected, even. It didn't matter much. What mattered was staying sharp, staying ahead, doing what needed to be done to live up to the Sterling name.

Today, however, she was more interested in getting to class. There was a lecture she didn't want to miss.

Inside the lecture hall, YN slipped into a seat near the back, the better to watch without being watched. As the room filled, she let her gaze drift to the front, where Professor Elizabeth Olsen was setting up for the day's lesson. Her movements were quick and efficient, her presence somehow both commanding and effortless.

It wasn't that YN had a habit of getting distracted in class—at least, not until this semester. There was just something about the professor that held her attention in a way that little else did. The way she spoke, the sharpness in her eyes—it all felt like a challenge, one that YN wasn't sure she knew how to meet.

She pulled out her notebook, though the first page remained blank as Elizabeth began to speak. For a moment, YN allowed herself to watch openly, curious as to whether the professor would even notice.

———

Elizabeth's POV

Elizabeth Olsen entered the lecture hall with the same poised confidence she brought to every class. She'd been teaching at Yale for a few years now, and her reputation as a strict but brilliant professor had earned her a high level of respect. Her students knew she wasn't the type to tolerate nonsense; they came prepared, or they didn't come at all.

As she glanced around the room, her gaze inevitably found its way to the back, where YN Sterling had just settled into her seat. The Sterling name was one that Elizabeth had been vaguely familiar with even before coming to Yale—everyone in New York knew the Sterlings. And on campus, YN's reputation preceded her.

Elizabeth was aware of the whispers, the rumors that swirled around the young woman like an invisible cloud. "The Sterling Effect," they called it, a mix of fascination and envy. There was talk about her effortlessly balancing top grades with a social life that seemed to operate on a different level from most of her peers. People were drawn to her, even if they couldn't quite explain why.

Elizabeth wasn't immune to noticing it herself. There was a certain allure about YN—the quiet kind that didn't need to make a show of itself. But what caught her attention more than anything was the way YN watched her, that unflinching gaze that seemed to follow her every movement, like she was studying something that no one else could see.

As she began setting up for the day's lesson, Elizabeth felt the weight of that gaze. She glanced in YN's direction, her expression as composed as ever, though a flicker of curiosity stirred within her. She wondered if YN knew just how transparent she could be sometimes. There was something in those looks, something that seemed to dance on the line between curiosity and... something else. But Elizabeth wasn't one to indulge in speculation—not without more to go on.

Still, there was no denying that YN's presence had a way of standing out, even in a crowded lecture hall. It wasn't just the Sterling name, or the rumors about her social life; it was the way she carried herself, the quiet kind of confidence that came from always being in control. Elizabeth found it... interesting, though she'd never let that show. Not to her students, and certainly not to YN.

With a final glance in YN's direction, she turned back to the board and began writing out the day's key concepts. "Good morning, everyone. Let's begin."

She spoke with the same crisp authority she always did, but as she launched into the lecture, she was more aware than usual of the girl in the back row—the one who seemed to be listening just a little too closely.

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