CHAPTER 61: HOW TO HIDE FROM X

This was a different timeline.

She looked slightly different.

But that didn’t change the truth—it was her. In the flesh.

Caleb felt his entire body begin to boil.

Anger surged through him, the sting of betrayal rising once again from the depths of his memory.

And to make it worse... that same woman.

She was a Cardholder.

{Ding!}

{Cardholder detected}

Caleb didn’t know how to feel. Was the system mocking him? Or was it handing him an opportunity?

He wasn’t the kind of person to view things from only one angle—this could very well be a gift in disguise.

A chance from the system.

One he intended to seize completely.

Slowly, Caleb’s frown twisted into a smile.

A smile so convincing, so practiced, it looked as if he’d spent a lifetime preparing it for this exact moment.

Sophia’s presence was magnetic—commanding attention from anyone within sight. Heads turned twice to admire her striking beauty.

She was a vision of allure and danger, with soft pink hair cascading over her shoulders and piercing blue eyes that seemed to strip away one’s defenses.

Her sheer black dress clung to her curves with daring elegance, split high at the thigh, adorned with delicate bows and dark lace trim.

A choker hugged her neck like a silent warning—elegant, dominant, and unmistakably untouchable.

Yet, even standing next to Naya, her radiance dimmed.

They were both stunning women, no doubt—but between them, there was a clear winner. And for a fleeting moment, that truth alone gave Caleb a quiet, satisfying sense of victory.

He pulled Naya closer, his arm tightening gently around her waist, a confident calm radiating from his posture.

’Why does it feel like I’ve met him before?’ Sophia thought, narrowing her eyes as she neared Caleb. ’I know I have... but this feeling—it’s different.’

It wasn’t just that—Sophia felt a slight ripple of fear course through her body.

She had seen Caleb in her vision before... but now, looking at him in person, he felt even more oddly familiar.

Still, she quickly shook off the unsettling feeling, unwilling to let it linger.

’But he is handsome... even more so than his brother,’ she thought, stealing a quick glance at Caleb before flicking her eyes over to Nate—as if silently comparing their looks.

As she had expected, Caleb stood out in more ways than one.

Her tongue briefly swept across her lips in a seductive motion as her eyes lingered on him.

But then, her gaze shifted to Naya—and for a brief moment, something flashed in her eyes.

Was it jealousy? Envy?

Whatever it was, it disappeared too quickly for even Naya to fully read it.

Immediately, Sophia plastered a warm smile across her face.

’What was that just now?’ Naya wondered. Still, she returned the smile without hesitation, though the thought lingered.

Then, breaking the silence that had settled awkwardly over the group, Caleb spoke up.

"So... big brother, what brings you to me?"

He hadn’t expected Nate to approach him—ever.

’Could it be about the Mega Hall? Does he want to use it?’ Caleb speculated.

Nate’s expression was unreadable—strangely blank.

To most, it would’ve seemed normal.

But Caleb noticed it instantly.

He knew the usual look of disdain Nate wore when facing his siblings.

Among them, Nate had always clung to that mission as if it were his sole purpose—his lifeline.

He lived for it, obsessed with fulfilling their father’s ambitions.

He believed, as the firstborn son, that everything rightfully belonged to him.

And now, for reasons beyond him, their father was trying to take it all away.

That alone... cut him deeper than anyone could see.

Everything Nate did was always for one thing—his father’s attention and praise. But of course, Jin never gave him any.

It pushed Nate to the edge of frustration.

Over time, he stopped seeing his siblings as family. No... he saw them as competition.

People to suppress.

People he needed to break, to prove to their father just how worthy he was.

Because of his inflated sense of superiority, Nate never once regarded any of his siblings as equals.

He looked down on them with cold contempt and silent resentment.

But today—

That look was gone.

It was like Nate was present... and yet, not.

It didn’t take Caleb long to realize what was going on.

’He’s staying with a Cardholder... that might explain this behavior. Could be her ability,’ Caleb thought, though he kept his expression calm, patiently waiting for Nate’s reply.

"Well," Nate began, gesturing toward the woman beside him, "this is a very close friend of Julia’s before she passed. She said she wanted to meet you both."

He turned slightly and continued with a warm tone, almost like a boy desperate to make his father proud. "This is Sophia Gracia."

"And Sophia, this is my youngest brother—the one you asked to meet—Caleb."

’Did she use some kind of charm on him?’ Caleb thought, his eyes narrowing slightly at Sophia, unable to hide the flicker of disdain that surfaced.

’I guess she’s still a bitch in this world.’ He sighed inwardly, then extended his hand for a shake, keeping his composure.

’Let’s see if you’re a good boy,’ Sophia mused, stepping forward gracefully to meet the gesture.

Her fingers wrapped around his with deliberate slowness. Her soft skin trailed against his palm like silk.

But as her eyes locked with Caleb’s... there was nothing.

No blush. No flicker of interest. No warmth.

Just cold, detached eyes.

The lack of reaction sent a subtle chill down Sophia’s spine. For a moment, she faltered.

But then, she smiled to herself and slowly withdrew her hand.

’Tch. A stubborn one... They make the best dogs in the end,’ she thought as she stepped back.

Naya, who had witnessed the entire exchange, clenched her fist slightly. The way Sophia shamelessly reached out to Caleb had stirred something in her.

But when she looked at Caleb—unfazed, unaffected—she couldn’t help but smile in quiet satisfaction.

Sophia turned her sharp gaze toward Naya and extended a hand.

Naya accepted the handshake, but the moment their hands touched, something changed.

For a brief second, the world around them distorted—reflections of alternate scenes flashed like shattered mirrors surrounding them—and just as quickly, everything snapped back to normal as their hands separated.

Naya’s gaze darkened immediately. She knew what that meant.

Sophia, on the other hand, showed no visible reaction. She had expected this.

And after confirming it through that momentary shift, a smile crept onto her lips.

"Babe, Nate, can you give us a moment?" she asked sweetly, her tone coated in fake charm.

’She didn’t even have to ask. Whether she begs or not, he has no control over himself anymore,’ Caleb thought, watching Nate walk away without hesitation or protest.

Sophia turned her full attention back to Naya.

"I know you’re a Cardholder. I’m sure Julia must’ve told you about me..." she said, her smile widening. "I’ll be teaching you how to hide from X."