CHAPTER 52: PRS 52

"They want to target me for profit and to restore their reputation, huh?" Isabella said, starting to formulate a plan in her mind, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "Okay, let’s play along with them. I’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget."

Alesio Xander, hearing Isabella’s words, disagreed. His jaw clenched, and his hands clenched tightly on the table. He was afraid she would be captivated by Galih’s handsome looks, who was already well-known in this student city as a top-tier playboy who had won over many women.

"Why play along with them? We can deal with them head-on; that would be easier," Alesio Xander protested, his voice apprehensive. "I don’t like this idea, Isabella. It’s too risky. Galih is no ordinary man; he knows how to manipulate women."

"It’s precisely because he’s a playboy that I want to teach him a proper lesson," Isabella replied calmly, her eyes gleaming with calculation. "If we just fix it, it won’t be fun. Don’t they want to go viral? Let’s make that happen, but in our own way."

Isabella spoke, twiddling with a pen in her hand with a devilish smirk that made Alesio Xander shudder slightly. There was a different aura emanating from the 22-year-old, one that suggested she wasn’t messing around.

Siva, watching this, felt horrified, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Even though his boss was kind and cared deeply for his employees, if he displayed an expression like this, nothing good would come of his enemy. He felt sympathy for Galih, who was about to suffer the terrible fate that would soon befall him. In his heart, Siva whispered, "Poor them, they don’t know what they’re about to face."

After a meeting and dinner at a luxury restaurant in the student city with the workers to discuss the handling of foreman Dito and the customers who were still worried about being terrorized again, Isabella provided detailed instructions on how to handle the situation professionally and maintain the quality of the project.

"Make sure all customers receive weekly progress reports," Isabella instructed firmly. "We have to rebuild their trust. Transparency is key."

After dinner and ensuring that all her team members understood their respective tasks, Isabella took Alesio Xander to the luxurious three-story house in the city center that she had received from Phoenix Systems as a reward for a perfectly completed mission.

As soon as she entered the Ruby Land complex, a luxury housing complex built by Armada Group, the sole developer in the city, Isabella was greeted warmly by the security guard on duty with a respectful and slightly admiring smile.

Isabella got out of the car carrying a box of food from the restaurant where she had been meeting with her employees earlier. Her face was beaming despite the late hour.

"Here’s dinner for you gentlemen, along with snacks to keep you motivated," the beautiful girl said with a friendly smile, carefully handing over several boxes. "Oh, and here are some hot drinks. It’s quite cold tonight, so I thought you might like something warm."

The security guards on duty knew that Isabella was the new owner of Armada Group, and they couldn’t help but smile broadly. Besides demonstrating their good work, these broad smiles were also evident in the presence of several envelopes, corresponding to the number of security guards on duty, alongside the boxes of food and snacks Isabella had brought. They had never received such kind treatment from the previous owner.

"Thank you so much, Miss Isabella. This is a great help to those of us on night duty," said one of the security guards, moved. "You’re truly considerate. We will work even harder to maintain the security of this complex."

"If anything happens, Miss Isabella can call us via the intercom at any time," said another security guard with a broad, enthusiastic smile. "We’ll be there immediately, no matter what time."

"Yes, sir, thank you very much for your hard work," Isabella replied sincerely. "Then I’ll be back. Have a good day, and don’t forget to take turns taking breaks."

"Be careful, miss, and have a good rest," said the security guard, saluting and observing until the red sports car disappeared around the first corner, only 500 meters from the security post.

Isabella’s luxurious home was located on the first corner of the block, the largest and most spacious house in Ruby Land, with stunning modern architecture and a spacious, perfectly landscaped yard.

"I never thought the most luxurious house belonged to Isabella, a young entrepreneur from XX city," said Galih’s friend, Nino, as he gazed lustfully at the black luxury sports car parked in front of the house. "I thought the owner was an outsider, like most other uninhabited houses. Turns out she’s as rich as everyone says."

As Isabella gracefully exited the car and pressed the code to open the automatic gate, the two young men’s eyes widened, almost to the point of drooling uncontrollably.

"So beautiful and sexy," Galih muttered with a lecherous expression, his eyes following Isabella’s every move. "Her photos on social media are nothing compared to her real beauty."

"Right! Absolutely, bro," said Nino, now beginning to fantasize about the sight of Isabella walking with confident strides. "I can’t wait for tonight. A girl like her will definitely be an... amazing experience."

Despite their clothing, as experienced professional players with many women, both of them could certainly see the beautiful shape of Isabella’s body beneath the slightly loose black pants and long-sleeved navy blue blouse she was wearing today.

Under the dim streetlight, the subtle curves of her body only further aroused Nino and Galih’s uncontrollable male desires. They couldn’t wait to carry out their devious plan tonight, a plan they had carefully planned.

Meanwhile, Alesio Xander and the others, who had just entered after the gate was flung open, gazed at the luxurious three-story house with complex thoughts and a hint of awe.

While slightly taken aback by the mansion’s grandeur, they were already accustomed to the beautiful girl’s wealth scattered throughout. Every time Isabella surprised them with a new property, they could only shake their heads in amazement.

Discovering that Isabella owned 3,000 hectares of land near the main road, the price was certainly not cheap, even reaching hundreds of billions. Owning a luxurious home in the middle of a student city like this was certainly not unusual for those who had often witnessed their boss’s wealth.

Galih and Nino saw Alesio Xander enter with his assistant, and they suspected that the man and his assistant would be staying at the girl’s house. They felt uneasy. Jealousy began to gnaw at their minds.

"Damn it, why does that man have to stay there?" Galih hissed, his jaw clenched. "How close is their relationship really?"

Sensing someone watching her intently in the dark, Isabella turned her head for a moment, instinctively. Seeing two handsome young men staring at her intently from behind the bushes, Isabella gave a small, meaningful smile before turning and calmly entering the house.

"Wait! Did he smile at me?!" Although surprised, Galih was pleased to see Isabella smile softly at him. "Looks like he’s interested in me. This will be easier than I thought."

"She smiled at me, not at you, because I’m more handsome than you," Nino said, tossing his long, shoulder-length hair back in a slow-motion motion he’d learned from Korean dramas. The alluring move he usually used to lure the opposite sex, which always worked, never once, made Galih snicker in annoyance at his friend’s behavior.

"Don’t dream, Nino. He was clearly staring at me longer," Galih replied, not wanting to be outdone.

However, Galih’s annoyance was alleviated when he saw the tense expression on Alesio Xander’s face, staring intently at them through the car window, full of warning and vigilance. His gaze seemed to say, "Don’t you dare come any closer."

After Isabella and the other three entered the mansion and the gate closed tightly, Nino glanced at Galih curiously.

"What’s your next plan? With them staying overnight, our movements won’t be easy," Nino asked, lighting a cigarette. "We need a new strategy, bro. This is more complicated than we thought."

Hearing his friend’s words, Galih began to think about the backup plan he had been formulating since that afternoon, having anticipated this would happen. He wasn’t the type to arrive unprepared.

"Just relax and prepare your stamina well," Galih said with a sly smile, full of confidence. "I’ll make sure we have a good time tonight. I set a trap inside the house with the help of foreman Dito when I learned the two of them would be staying at Ruby Land. Everything was perfectly orchestrated."

"A trap? What do you mean?" Nino asked curiously, his eyes sparkling.

"You’ll find out later. The important thing is, get ready for a... fun night," Galih replied with a soft laugh.

***

Inside the house, Isabella, who was about to pick up a glass to drink, suddenly smelled a faint, but still perceptible, medicinal scent. She quickly stopped the others from using the glass.

"Stop! Don’t touch that glass," Isabella ordered firmly. "Just drink from the bottle, don’t use the cups or plates. Even though we don’t know what medicine was sprinkled, we should be careful. Something isn’t right here."

Alesio Xander immediately understood Isabella’s intentions. "They’ve already made their move?"

"I think so," Isabella replied, frowning. "Phoenix System, inspect this house. Is there anything dangerous?"

[Request being processed... Scanning area within a 100-meter radius...]

Three seconds later, the familiar voice of the Phoenix System echoed in Isabella’s head again in a serious tone.

[Everything in this room contains a high dose of the anesthetic rohypnol, especially the water in the storage tank. Danger level: Very High. It is recommended not to use anything outside the closet.]

Hearing Phoenix System’s explanation, Isabella felt furious. Her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Cleaning everything was clearly impossible in a short time; she could only change the bedsheets in the room so she could rest safely.

"How dare they," Isabella hissed, her anger suppressed. "Phoenix System, are the items inside the closet also contaminated with the drug?"

[No. All the items in the closet are safe from contamination. Only the items outside were systematically drugged. It seems the perpetrator was quite careful not to leave any traces inside the wardrobe.]

"Then, what about the bed and sofa?" Isabella asked, confirming everything in detail. "Can they be cleaned?"

[For the sofa and bed, you can use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to remove drug particles. Estimated cleaning time: 30 minutes per furniture unit.]

The more the Phoenix System spoke, the more Isabella became furious, her face red with anger.

"Damn it! You’ll see, I’ll give them what they deserve," she muttered angrily, gritting her teeth. "They’ll regret messing with me."

Alesio Xander, seeing Isabella lost in thought with a slightly frightening expression and a dark aura surrounding her, gently patted her shoulder.

"What’s wrong, Isabella?" he asked inquisitively, peering into her face with concern. "You look very angry. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Phew," Isabella took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Looks like we can’t get any rest tonight. Put these on and clean the room so you can get some rest soon."

Isabella spoke as she distributed medical masks from her bag to everyone present—Alesio Xander, Siva, and Alexo.

"Why do we have to wear masks?" Siva asked, confused.

"This house has been contaminated with drugs," Isabella answered briefly. "So we have to be careful and clean everything before bed."

Even though they were still a little confused by the situation that had suddenly become complicated, they still followed Isabella’s instructions obediently because they didn’t want to be scolded after seeing her face stiffen as if she was about to swallow whole anyone who disturbed her. They knew very well that when Isabella was in this kind of mode, it was better not to fight.