The silence between Isabella and Mirabella felt heavier than the crowd surrounding them.

Students stood frozen near the university entrance, whispering among themselves while phones remained raised in the air.

Nobody had ever seen anything like this before.

Two girls.

One face.

Mirabella stared at Isabella as though she were something offensive standing directly in front of her.

Something that should not exist.

Her eyes slowly traveled across Isabella's clothes, her cheap bag, her nervous posture.

Then her lips curled slightly.

Not into a smile.

Into disgust.

"Why do you look like me?" she asked quietly.

The words were soft.

But sharp enough to cut.

Isabella opened her mouth, but no sound came out immediately.

Because she did not know the answer either.

Mirabella's gaze hardened when Isabella remained silent.

"You are seriously not going to say anything?"

"I..." Isabella swallowed carefully. "I do not know."

Mirabella laughed once under her breath, though there was no humor in it.

"Convenient."

One of the girls standing behind Mirabella folded her arms. "This is honestly creepy."

"Maybe she is obsessed with you," another suggested.

Mirabella continued staring at Isabella without blinking.

The resemblance unsettled her.

That was obvious now.

But instead of fear, Mirabella covered it with arrogance.

With cruelty.

Isabella noticed.

And somehow that hurt more.

Students nearby kept whispering loudly.

"Are they twins?"

"They have the same eyes."

"This is insane."

Mirabella suddenly looked away first, clearly irritated by the attention around them.

"Come on," she muttered to her friends before brushing past Isabella's shoulder.

The movement was deliberate.

Cold.

Isabella lost her balance slightly from the impact but quickly steadied herself.

As Mirabella walked away, a group of students immediately followed behind her.

"That is Jackson's daughter."

"The Jackson family?"

"Of course. Who else drives a Rolls-Royce to campus every morning?"

"She is literally business royalty."

Isabella quietly stood there, listening.

Jackson.

The powerful tycoon.

Even she had heard the name before.

Her eyes slowly followed Mirabella disappearing into the crowd.

Rich.

Powerful.

Admired.

And somehow carrying the exact same face as her.

The thought made Isabella's chest tighten strangely.

A few minutes later, Isabella finally found her classroom after getting lost twice inside the massive university building.

The lecture hall was already half full when she stepped inside.

Conversations filled the room, but several students turned the moment they noticed her.

Then the whispering started again.

Isabella pretended not to hear it.

She walked quietly toward the front row and sat near the window, placing her notebook carefully on the desk while avoiding eye contact with everyone around her.

She hated attention.

Back home, attention usually brought problems.

A few students continued staring openly at her.

Others secretly took pictures.

Isabella noticed.

She simply chose not to react.

A few minutes later, loud laughter echoed from outside the classroom.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Students straightened in their seats almost automatically.

Then Mirabella walked in with three girls following closely behind her.

Confidence radiated from her naturally.

She did not even glance around the room at first, because she already expected everyone to notice her.

And they did.

The moment students saw her, several immediately stood up.

"You can sit here, Mirabella."

"No, take mine."

"There is space over here."

Mirabella barely acknowledged them.

One of her friends smirked. "Move."

The students obeyed immediately.

But instead of taking the offered seats near the center, Mirabella walked toward the back row casually.

Her eyes briefly landed on Isabella sitting alone in front.

The resemblance hit her again instantly.

Mirabella looked away almost immediately afterward.

As though looking too long made her uncomfortable.

She sat at the back beside the window while her friends continued whispering around her.

"Why is she sitting here?"

"She really thinks she belongs."

Mirabella leaned back in her chair quietly, though her gaze kept drifting toward Isabella despite herself.

It irritated her.

Everything about this situation irritated her.

Especially the fact that she could not stop looking.

Suddenly the classroom door opened again.

A tall man wearing glasses entered with several books in his hands.

The room quickly fell silent.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, sir," the students responded together.

The lecturer placed his books on the desk before adjusting his glasses slightly.

"My name is Professor Carter, and I will be teaching Business Management this semester."

He smiled briefly.

"I hope at least some of you are here because you actually care about business and not because your parents forced you."

A few students laughed.

Mirabella did not.

Professor Carter began the lecture immediately afterward, speaking confidently while writing key points across the board.

For the first thirty minutes, Isabella focused carefully on her notes.

She genuinely wanted to succeed here.

This university meant everything to her future.

But concentration became difficult whenever she felt eyes on her.

Every single time she looked back -

Mirabella was staring.

Not openly.

Not enough for anyone else to notice.

But enough for Isabella to feel it.

At one point their eyes accidentally met.

Mirabella looked away first.

Her jaw tightened slightly afterward.

Almost annoyed with herself.

The lecture continued for nearly two hours.

By the end, students already looked exhausted.

The moment Professor Carter dismissed the class, conversations exploded throughout the room again.

Chairs scraped loudly against the floor while students packed their bags.

Isabella remained seated for a moment longer, organizing her notes carefully before standing.

As she walked toward the exit, she overheard two girls whispering nearby.

"They seriously look like copies."

"No, it is actually terrifying."

"I heard Mirabella is furious."

"Obviously. Imagine someone suddenly stealing your face."

The words stung more than Isabella expected.

She lowered her head slightly and continued walking.

The cafeteria was crowded by lunchtime.

Students filled nearly every table while the smell of coffee and fried food lingered heavily in the air.

Isabella stood quietly in line near the drinks section, staring at the menu overhead while trying to decide what she could actually afford.

Eventually, she settled for tea and bread.

Simple.

Cheap.

Safe.

The line moved slowly.

People chatted around her while soft music played overhead.

Then suddenly

The entire atmosphere changed.

Students began moving aside almost immediately.

Some left the line completely.

Others straightened awkwardly while whispering.

Isabella frowned slightly in confusion.

"What is happening?"

The girl in front of her leaned closer. "Mirabella is here."

As though that explained everything.

A few seconds later, Mirabella entered the cafeteria with her usual group surrounding her.

Her heels clicked sharply against the floor while conversations lowered around her.

Nobody told Isabella the unspoken rules.

Nobody warned her.

So she remained exactly where she was.

Still holding her tray.

Still waiting for her tea.

Mirabella noticed instantly.

Her steps slowed slightly.

One of her friends scoffed loudly. "Seriously?"

Another crossed her arms. "She is either brave or stupid."

Isabella finally collected her tea and bread before turning carefully -

And suddenly something caught her ankle.

Her body jerked forward violently.

The tray slipped from her hands.

Hot tea spilled across the floor.

The cup shattered loudly.

Gasps echoed around the cafeteria as Isabella hit the ground hard.

Pain shot through her palms instantly.

For half a second, complete silence filled the room.

Then quiet laughter followed.

One of Mirabella's friends slowly pulled back her leg with an innocent expression.

"Oh my God," she said mockingly. "I did not even see her there."

More laughter spread.

Isabella's cheeks burned with humiliation.

She immediately began gathering the broken pieces while kneeling on the floor.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

Not from pain.

From embarrassment.

Then expensive heels stopped directly in front of her.

Mirabella.

She slowly crouched down, picking up the fallen teacup lid between two fingers before staring at Isabella silently.

The cafeteria watched closely.

Waiting.

Mirabella tilted her head slightly. "You should probably learn how things work around here."

Her voice remained calm.

Too calm.

Isabella slowly stood up, breathing carefully.

Tea stains covered part of her sleeve now.

Mirabella's eyes briefly flickered toward it.

Then toward Isabella's face again.

That face.

That identical face.

It irritated her more every time she saw it.

Without warning, Mirabella reached up and grabbed Isabella's chin roughly.

The cafeteria went silent again.

"Maybe if you stopped following me around "

Isabella immediately pulled her hand away.

Not aggressively.

But firmly.

The movement surprised everyone.

Including Mirabella.

For the first time since arriving at the university, Isabella looked directly into Mirabella's eyes without fear.

"I do not know who you are," she said quietly.

The cafeteria remained completely still.

"And I have never offended you."

Mirabella's expression hardened slightly.

Isabella continued, though her voice trembled just a little.

"So I think you should stop picking on me."

No yelling.

No drama.

Just honesty.

That somehow made the moment heavier.

Mirabella stared at her silently.

Almost shocked.

Nobody spoke to Mirabella that way.

Nobody.

Especially not calmly.

One of her friends immediately stepped forward. "Watch your tone."

But Isabella had already picked up her bag.

She looked exhausted now, more than angry.

"I just came here to study," she said softly before turning away.

Then she walked out of the cafeteria without looking back.

The silence she left behind felt strange.

Uncomfortable.

Mirabella remained standing there, motionless.

Her jaw clenched tightly.

Not because Isabella had insulted her.

But because something about those words lingered unpleasantly in her chest.

For a brief second

she almost felt guilty.

And she hated that feeling immediately.

"Mirabella?" one of her friends called carefully.

Mirabella snapped out of her thoughts. "What?"

"You okay?"

"I am fine."

But she did not sound fine.

Not even close.

Near the far corner of the cafeteria, someone quietly watched everything unfold.

Floyd.

He leaned casually against the wall with one hand in his pocket, slowly sipping black coffee.

His sharp eyes followed Isabella disappearing through the cafeteria doors.

Interesting.

Most people would have cried.

Or screamed.

Or tried desperately to defend themselves.

But Isabella did none of those things.

She stayed polite even while being humiliated.

That kind of restraint usually came from pain.

Real pain.

Floyd glanced toward Mirabella again.

She looked angry on the surface.

But underneath that anger

confusion.

Fear.

And something else he could not fully read yet.

He lowered his coffee cup slowly.

Then his phone vibrated in his pocket.

A message from Clara.

Watch them carefully. Especially Isabella.

Floyd stared at the text briefly before typing back.

You already know something, don't you?

Three dots appeared immediately.

Then disappeared.

Finally another message arrived.

And the moment Floyd read it

his expression completely changed.

If Isabella remembers the fire, everything will collapse.