Isabella Clark walked through the BLUE campus in City XX with nostalgia.
Being young again at 22 felt like an extraordinary gift.
This time, she was determined to make up for the youth she'd lost to the hustle and bustle of life and pressure.
She took each step slowly, as if the footprints she left behind would be the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
The campus seemed deserted. The long holiday had made the atmosphere much calmer.
Only a few senior students, working on their theses or active in organizations, could be seen milling about the corridors.
As soon as she arrived at the registration office, Isabella quickly filled out the paperwork presented by the officer.
She had already made the administrative payment via online transfer to Bank N,
so all she had to do was submit the proof and complete the necessary information.
"We've received your documents. Now, you just have to wait for news from the campus,"
the registration officer said kindly, arranging the folder containing Isabella's documents.
"The administration team will contact you regarding the next steps."
"Okay, thank you very much, sis. I'll wait to hear from you,"
Isabella replied with a broad smile. Her tone was calm, but her eyes glinted with enthusiasm.
After receiving the registration slip that would be used for re-registration,
Isabella walked out of the room casually.
Several pairs of eyes silently followed her, captivated by the young woman's charm.
"A prospective master's student, huh? Wow, that's impressive. At 22, you've already graduated with a bachelor's degree,"
one young man muttered after glancing at the application form he had read.
The whispers piqued the others' curiosity.
Some of the young men even exchanged glances and saved the phone numbers listed on the form.
"It would be nice if we could get to know each other," they whispered, smiling with anticipation.
Although Isabella could have registered online,
she deliberately came in person.
She wanted to relive the campus atmosphere and see for herself the place that would be her home for the next two years.
After her fill of wandering around, Isabella decided to stop by a large coffee shop in front of the campus. She sat in a corner, ordered dessert and a cup of cappuccino,
then began observing every detail of the interior—from the color of the walls, the layout of the tables,
to the barista's way of preparing the coffee.
She carefully observed everything as a reference for her future coffee shop.
A young man who had been watching Isabella finally couldn't resist and approached her.
"Good afternoon, sir. Is there anything else we can help you with?"
he greeted politely with a smile.
Isabella flinched slightly, caught off guard by her scrutiny of every corner of the cafe.
But she quickly composed herself and waved.
"Sir, do you know who owns this cafe?" she asked cautiously.
The young man's expression, named Jery, changed slightly.
He had assumed Isabella was just another girl wanting to meet the owner—
usually she herself was the one often mistaken for the owner because she often helped the manager.
"If I may ask, what business do you have looking for the owner?"
he asked inquisitively.
Isabella looked left and right, making sure no one was eavesdropping.
"Look, I have a shophouse on Jalan Pahlawan.
I plan to use it to open a coffee shop.
I heard the Jalani Hidup cafe chain has a franchise system.
I wanted to inquire about the possibility of collaborating directly with the owner."
Jery paused for a moment, then looked at Isabella in disbelief.
"Finding a shophouse on Jalan Pahlawan is very difficult," he muttered softly.
"I've been trying for two years, and I still haven't found one.
If you already have a shophouse… wow, that's amazing."
Isabella just smiled.
Luck was indeed on her side.
Yesterday, she found the shophouse by chance,
right after Shopia, a property marketer, put up a FOR SALE banner.
As soon as she saw it, Isabella called without delay,
not giving anyone else a chance to get ahead.
Seeing Jery's hesitant expression,
Isabella wrote down her phone number on a piece of paper.
"Here's my name and number.
If the owner of this coffee shop is interested in opening a branch on Jalan Pahlawan, commercial shophouse number 10,
please contact me," she said, handing him the note.
Jery accepted the note with some awkwardness.
He was still trying to comprehend that this young woman was truly serious about business.
Shortly afterward, Isabella ordered an online taxi.
Once the cake on her plate was finished, she stood up, grabbed her half-eaten cup of coffee, and walked away.
Jery could only stare at her retreating back, clutching the piece of paper with the phone number on it.
While Isabella was going about her day with enthusiasm,
Mahendra's family was in turmoil.
****************
That same afternoon, Marrie emerged from Bank N with a grim expression.
She still couldn't believe it when the bank clerk informed her that Arlina, Mahendra's recently divorced young mistress,
had written a power of attorney to block all cards after the family's account balance reached zero.
As soon as Joseph Mahendra heard this news,
his anger exploded.
He glared at his eldest son, Revan, clenching his fists.
"Find Arlina now!
Bring her home or we'll be poor!"
Revan, standing beside his father, could only swallow hard.
"Dad, I... I'll look for her," he replied quietly, though his heart was in turmoil.
In the corner of the room, Scarlet and Margaret—Revan's sister-in-law and mother-in-law—
looked at each other regretfully.
Scarlet bit her lip, her voice trembling.
"If only we had restrained ourselves yesterday and hadn't thrown Arlina out so easily,
maybe she wouldn't have gone this far."
Margaret took a deep breath.
"We were so reckless.
I didn't even give Arlina a chance to pack.
Now look at the consequences—all our accounts are blocked, we have no access to a single penny."
In the guest room, Olivia—who had previously insisted on returning to Revan for a comfortable life—was quietly seething.
She sat on the edge of the bed, biting her nails,
her eyes filled with anxiety.
"No… I can't stay in this house,"
she muttered quietly but with tension.
"They've all become poor.
I have to get out before I form any ties with Revan.
I have to find another, wealthier target."
Olivia began packing her things.
She waited for a moment when the house was a little quieter so she could leave unnoticed.
Inwardly, she continued to curse her decision to return to Revan's embrace—
a decision that now felt like a fatal mistake.
The Mahendra family was truly reaping the consequences of their own actions.
What we sow, so shall we reap in the future.
And that day, the law of sowing and reaping began to work in a way they could not avoid.