Dikira Aku Miskin, Padahal Aku Sang Pewaris

When internship season arrived, our academic advisor asked everyone to fill out a family background form. Under "Parents' Occupations," I stared at the blank line for a long time before writing three words: seafood market vendors. Vanessa Whitmore, a senior Evan Clarke knew, glanced at my form and burst out laughing right there in the classroom. "Seafood market vendors?" she said, turning toward Evan with a mocking smile. "Your girlfriend's family guts fish at the public market?" I let out a quiet breath. "What's wrong with selling seafood?" The classroom erupted the moment I said it. "Everyone in Fairbridge University's Department of Business and Economics is headed into finance. How did some fish-market girl even get in here?" "No wonder she always smells a little fishy." "I heard her parents wake up at three in the morning to buy stock. Their hands are always cracked and bleeding, and they still barely scrape together her tuition. Why is she even studying business? She might as well go home and sell fish. Maybe she can help them upgrade to a bigger stall." Even the academic advisor Mark Ellis chuckled. "Alright, alright," he said, waving a hand as if he were being generous. "Nora, if you really can't find an internship, I can introduce you to the grocery store near my place. They're looking for a cashier." That same night, Evan, my boyfriend of two years, broke up with me. I could not understand why. His voice was calm, so calm it sent a chill through me. "Nora, we're not right for each other," he said. "Dating is one thing, but the future is different. Vanessa is right. You and I don't belong in the same world." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Her father is a vice president at Rivergate Capital Group. He can get me an employee referral directly. What can you give me? Another fish on my family's dinner table?" I held the phone in my hand and said nothing. To be honest, I did not know exactly how much money my family had. But I did know one thing. Half of the seafood wholesale business in the entire Eastshore region was supplied by my family. Even the seafood served in the Fairbridge University dining hall came from our so-called market stall.