The System's Game: A Tale of Power and Redemption

7. Mark and Sandrina Reunion

"Mark, wait!" Lisa shouted without feeling embarrassed in front of the people present. She was more embarrassed at the thought of going back to Jake. Lisa realized that there was something she didn't know about Mark after Wildan said that all of Mark's original clothes cost up to four billion.

"Damn it, Lisa!" Jake, who was very angry at that moment, also chased after Lisa. The others were curious about what would happen. They left the building and saw Mark getting into a luxurious car, a sports car that cost billions. Even among them, only Arsen could afford such a car because Arsen had come from a conglomerate family since he was a child.

Jake was stunned, and Lisa, who had been left behind, was upset because Mark had taken Sandrina with him.

"Is that really Mark's car?" Gilang exclaimed, appearing incredulous.

"Yes, if he's getting in, it means it's his car," Wildan said in amazement.

"It seems like he's trying to compete with Arsen," Roy commented from behind them.

"Lisa," Jake called, pulling Lisa's arm.

"What, Jake!" Lisa looked annoyed because she couldn't get Mark, and she deeply regretted leaving Mark.

"Now, what do you want? Do you want to stay with me or choose to chase after someone who clearly rejected you?" Jake, who was already frustrated, asked Lisa. He was truly embarrassed by the way he was being treated in front of his friends, especially when Jake had intended to showcase his wealth since his parents' second business had been booming. He even intended to become the primary heir to his family because he was an only child. But it seemed that his enemy, Mark, had secrets he didn't know.

Lisa was unsure about what to do. If she broke up with Jake now, she was afraid that Mark would never want her again. As a result, Lisa decided to maintain her relationship with Jake. She apologized for being blinded by Mark's changes.

"I've already instructed my people to find out about him," Jake said, looking at Arsen.

"Since when did he appear to have everything? You said he had just broken up with Lisa and was still working as a courier, right? Something's not right with that guy; we need to investigate," Arsen said, looking at Jake and the others.

"All right, let's go back inside, then. Let's just enjoy the party for now. Don't let his presence ruin the party you've organized," Arsen's girlfriend, who had been walking by his side and following him, said.

"Okay, everyone, let's go back in!" Arsen immediately led them all inside. He was having a great time with his old friends, as they rarely gathered like this. Secretly, Arsen looked at his chat with Sandrina. He had deliberately invited Sandrina, thinking she wouldn't come because her message hadn't been read up to this point, or perhaps Sandrina had intentionally turned off her read receipts so he wouldn't know. He had never invited Mark; who had told Mark about the reunion party?

"Jake, did you invite Mark?" Arsen asked Jake, who was standing beside him.

"No, I thought you invited him because you wanted to embarrass him like we used to," Jake replied.

"I didn't invite him, so who invited him?" Arsen was puzzled, but neither of them could find an answer.

***

Mark, who had taken Sandrina away from the reunion party, honestly hadn't planned it. He just wanted to avoid Lisa. But at that moment, he had the thought of approaching Sandrina when he saw her there alone.

"Sorry, I suddenly took you away. But, by the way, why did you accept my invitation?" Mark finally spoke after a few moments of silence, and his car had left the reunion venue quite far.

"I came to the reunion to meet someone, and that someone is you," Sandrina said with a broad smile, facing Mark after saying this.

Mark, who was focused on driving, glanced at Sandrina for a moment, raising an eyebrow in surprise. He knew who Sandrina was. She was the school's prima donna during their high school days. Back then, Mark had admired Sandrina as well. She was kind, never looked down on others, never got involved in other people's wrongdoing, and when Arsen once teased her in front of Sandrina, Arsen had received a scolding and punishment from his friends because it turned out Sandrina had reported it to the teacher. Unfortunately, he couldn't be friends with or approach Sandrina at the time because Arsen liked Sandrina very much, and he had seen them looking close. But Mark didn't know that they were only friends. Mark only knew that Sandrina had probably been Arsen's because he was capable of getting whatever he wanted.

"Me? Why me? Not Arsen?" Mark eventually asked. "Hmm, where should we go?"

Sandrina then gave her opinion because Mark was confused. "I asked you to come to the reunion so that we could meet, Mark." Sandrina answered in her soft voice. "How about we go to the beach? I heard there's a restaurant there, and we can talk while enjoying the beach atmosphere."

Mark immediately agreed, relieved that Sandrina didn't say "whatever you like," as he would have been very confused.

"Oh, so that mysterious account was yours?" Mark asked.

Sandrina nodded slightly, smiling sweetly. Then, they both fell silent because Mark increased his speed to reach their destination quickly.

"How did you know my account? Why did you want to meet me? Were you following my activities, hm?" Mark asked, raising and lowering his eyebrows.

Sandrina suddenly laughed softly upon hearing Mark's question. "I'll tell you when we get to the beach. There are many things you don't know that they do, perhaps you forgot that you once supported me when others were wondering why my parents were cheating."

"Ah," Mark muttered as he nodded. "I didn't want to see you fall apart or, worse, commit suicide. Because you know that at the time, there was a surge in suicide cases. Many people felt their problems were very heavy."

"Yes, you're right. I felt a renewed sense of life when you sent that message to my original I*******m account. But I'm sorry; I couldn't reply. I didn't know what to say because I was embarrassed at the time. And all I could think of was hiding. I tried not to be sad and heal myself. I even lied to my friends about my education in Germany. I didn't do anything," Sandrina said, briefly lowering her head before looking out the window.

"Thank you, San. Thank you for persevering. It must not have been easy for you to hold on this far. Especially since you disappeared for quite a while after that incident went viral on social media."

Sandrina nodded briefly, and she smiled broadly. "I held on for over four years, Mark. I focused on healing my mental state, which was already damaged. Even though we're almost twenty-five years old now, I don't think I have a chance to get married or be successful. Because my career has been destroyed, and I haven't done anything except return to Germany and isolate myself at home."

"Calm down, high school kids these days rarely get married. Arsen and his gang are busy changing partners," Mark said, laughing cheerfully to lighten the mood among them.

"Yes, you're right." Consequently, they both laughed together. Mark couldn't wait to arrive at the beach as they could share stories. When they finally arrived, Mark quickly opened the door for Sandrina, and they walked towards the reception to reserve a table near the beach.

While Sandrina was choosing dishes from the menu, Mark suddenly received a message.

[Ding! Next mission, finding true love. Being strong and protecting true love.]

After reading the message from the system, Mark muttered quietly and grumbled to himself, "What's with this system? Why give me a mission while I'm on a date?"

Sandrina, who overheard Mark's muttering, turned to him and asked, "What's wrong, Mark?"