Kyla Zhao > Quotes

“Then again, what was the point of showing Anya the article anyway when she had already seen Burnt Ends’ crisp white tablecloths and monochrome paintings in person? The other woman could simply waltz into one of Singapore’s top restaurants for a casual Thursday dinner.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“don’t even know why you have such a chip on your shoulder when it comes to your family. You only got your column in the first place because of your parents’ friend. On your own, you are nothing.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“But why would you want to sabotage your mom’s friend? You heard Cassandra—if she’s elected to the board, she might be able to make your mom a committee member.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Oh, Timothy . . . your father always says you’re a Kingston man through and through, but deep down, I think you take after me more. All he cares about is business and data and analytics, but you and I—we both love the arts and are able to appreciate the softer beauty in our world.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Because I thought I would be helping low-income women or spousal abuse victims achieve emancipation! Instead, I’m working with some rich woman whose biggest priority in life is selling her rare Rothko painting so that her husband can’t get it.” Samantha couldn’t help”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Koons seems to care more about monetizing art by producing stuff that’s trendy and kitsch. But when something becomes so commonplace, I just don’t think it’s that valuable anymore,”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“To think she assumed reading magazines and having a six-month editorial internship would teach her everything she needed to know about high society. In hindsight, her display of bravado at Enzo seemed downright laughable.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“You used me and you humiliated me. You think you’re so much better than your parents, but you’re just like them—so comfortable in your ivory tower you think the world is yours for the taking and everyone else only matters in terms of what they can do for you. All you ever thought about was yourself.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“It warms my heart that you think so highly of me but not enough to tell me you’re the infamous Argus,” she said, her voice ice-cold. “So Lucia’s an important enough girlfriend for you to confide your Argus identity to but I’m not?”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“What I want most is exactly what I don’t have. I was the one who gave you the clothes and accessories and advice. But suddenly, it was you being invited to exclusive parties like Daisy’s and getting featured by the magazines I’ve always wanted to be in. And Tim was my best friend, one of the only people who stuck by me. But once you two got together, he barely had any time for me.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“When was the last time you and I have had a proper conversation? And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you and Raina haven’t been hanging out lately. And what about meeting boys and going on dates?”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Very true. Aspirational content is exactly the whole premise of S. But in times like this, showing too much of that can come across as tone-deaf. We want to produce content more attuned to the current climate without compromising on the luxury and glamour we’re known for.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Randall said he wanted to introduce me to some folks—I guess being well-connected is part and parcel of being such a big player in Asia’s financial scene! See you all around.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Hailing from a working-class background, Melody was a clean slab of clay that could be transformed into a true “society star,” or whatever the established standards for one were—precisely the standards I aim to dispel.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“I feel like a fucking idiot now. I can’t believe I wanted to drive you home and even called you to check on your mom and ask if I should send my family doctor over. I can’t believe I cared so much when you were just stringing me along. You were probably laughing at my naivety the whole time.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“But even the smooth gel polish and sparkly rhinestones could not distract from the angry red calluses on Ma’s palms or the tremor of her hand whenever her carpal tunnel acted up.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“The work was demanding and her pay was paltry, but it was still an income their family couldn’t afford to give up, not with debt hanging over their heads like a guillotine blade.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“If you're going to ruin my life, at least have the decency to not gaslight me.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad

“To wear something skintight and pure white to a food party—how could a woman be so unabashedly confident?”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“The socialites here look down on me just because Indonesia’s less developed than Singapore. They don’t want to befriend someone who comes from the same country as their maids.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“However, it’s still not too late for you—you can still meet a better man than I did, a man who can provide for you all the things you never had while growing up.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Atlas’s dress code or your dress code featuring designer brands with unpronounceable Italian names?”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“It becomes an entrenched system of more privileges for the privileged, thus marking clearer distinctions between ourselves and everyone else.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Nothing. It’s just . . . funny hearing you say stuff like ‘bloke’ and ‘mate.’ We get it—you’re half-British,” she said, then grinned to show she was joking.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Heads turned as Anya strutted the short distance from her desk to Samantha’s like it was her personal catwalk, wearing a denim minidress belted with a brightly patterned Dior scarf that violated Arrow Public Relations’ corporate dress code in half a dozen ways”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Just be careful, yeah? If your little Fraud Squad gets exposed, Timothy and Anya have their family wealth as a safety net, but you’re on your own.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Her mouth tasted like acid. All she could think of was the two childhood lovers meeting up behind her back, trading stories of her working-class background and laughing at her naivety.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Are you seriously so desperate to get Tim that you’re resorting to cheap tricks like this?” Lucia spat out, her voice so low only Samantha could hear. Her upper lip curled. “Have some pride.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Somehow, the word “dirty” sounded oddly seductive when curled up in Timothy’s faint British accent.”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!

“Why didn’t Timothy tell her his girlfriend was the Lucia Yen? And why didn’t he warn her she would be here tonight?”
― Kyla Zhao, The Fraud Squad: The most dazzling and glamorous debut of 2023!