"Derren McCoy," Naya said calmly.
Caleb didn't react at first. The na sounded oddly familiar, but for so reason, he couldn't place where he'd heard it before.
It only took a few monts for it to click.
'Fuck—the McCoy family?!' Caleb's eyes widened in realization.
"You an the royal family?" he asked in surprise.
"Indeed, but not all of them… I'm talking about Derren in particular."
Caleb was stunned.
Ever since he ca to this different tiline, he noticed sothing peculiar—everyone he t or interacted with usually looked the sa as before, had similar personalities, maybe with slight changes.
The real differences ca from their businesses, the lives they led, or the fact that they had beco cardholders sowhere along the way.
But this… this was different.
He was shocked because, in both his mories—his past life and this Cardholder tiline—Derren McCoy had kept the exact sa position.
Exactly the sa as before.
"If luck was a skill, that guy must've maxed it out…" Caleb muttered under his breath, still processing the thought.
"Huh?" Naya looked at him, surprised by the sudden, strange comnt.
'Fuck! I slipped,' Caleb panicked, realizing he'd spoken aloud.
Luckily, Naya didn't seem to have caught his words clearly. A wave of relief washed over him.
"No, I was just saying… people born with a golden spoon—must have incredible luck," Caleb replied smoothly, masking his slip.
But even as he said it, a troubling thought flickered in his mind.
'What would happen if any of the cardholders found out I'm from a different tiline?'
He pushed the thought aside, focusing back on Derren…
He had expected that even if Derren managed to maintain his wealth, at best, he would still be influential—but not royalty. Yet, that wasn't the case at all.
Naya's voice pulled him back to reality.
"I know… Sotis it feels like they're just born that way, in every world," she said softly. "And then it makes you wonder if these cards were truly blessings… Could we have attained this level of wealth without them? Or would we be stuck in the sa place?"
Her tone carried a quiet curiosity, as if Caleb's earlier question had unearthed sothing that had been buried deep within her thoughts.
Like everyone else, she had her doubts. What if? What if she had never accepted the card? Was it all a farce? Had she been deceived from the start? There was always the possibility that she might have beco rich without it. So what was the point of trading sothing so precious for it?
Caleb was silent for a mont, lost in thought. Then, almost without realizing, the words slipped out.
"Ti flows differently for everyone," he said quietly.
His own words struck sothing deep inside him. Ti flows differently for everyone…
Julia's face flashed in his mind, but before he could dwell on it, Naya's voice pulled him back.
"Well," she began, "Derren, as far as I know, has more influence than Diego when it cos to governnt-related issues. I believe they'll pay more respect to royalty than an entrepreneur. Besides, the McCoy family is incredibly powerful—they could be likened to the very founders of civilization in this country. They definitely have nurous family mbers holding key positions in governnt.
"I happened to get in contact with Derren in the past," she continued calmly. "I feel he could be of help."
Caleb thought for a mont, a glimr of hope igniting in his eyes.
"Can you contact him? I could arrange a proper eting with him. At least X has no idea what we're planning at the mont," he said steadily, his voice firm but laced with urgency.
"Yes, I can. But the issue is whether he'll be willing to help us," Naya replied, her voice calm but laced with caution. "I an, going up against Diego… It might not be much for soone like him, but he definitely won't do it just for the fun of it."
"Yeah, you're right…" Caleb said thoughtfully.
'I have only a few days left before the system's countdown hits zero… I have to get Eldora to complete our deal. Which ans I need to deal with Diego—fast. But will Derren be an easy guy?'
In the end, he knew how business worked—it all ca down to leverage. What could he offer Derren to get his support?
A man like Derren wouldn't move without sothing substantial on the table. He'd want profit. Influence. Sothing that gave him an edge.
And thinking about it now, Caleb couldn't find anything that would truly interest soone like him.
But he wasn't about to give up.
'Not yet… I'll figure out sothing,' Caleb told himself.
Turning to Naya, he spoke firmly. "Can you arrange a eting with him? Tomorrow. Noon. We'll go see him."
Naya folded her arms, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. "I've got his business card—and this is the first ti I'll ever use it. Hmph, you'd better make sothing out of this opportunity."
Caleb didn't flinch. He held her gaze and let a smirk curve his lips.
"If I can't… I'll just make sothing out of you then," he said, his tone dripping with playful seduction.
The effect wasn't what he expected. Yes, her face flushed a deep crimson, but—
"Pervert!" she snapped, her voice trembling slightly despite her cold tone. "If you waste my one shot with Derren, you'll have more than Diego to worry about!"
She huffed and spun on her heel, bolting out of the kitchen with quick, sharp steps.
Caleb chuckled under his breath, watching her retreat. "Yeah! And if I win, you'll really have to worry about !" he called after her, catching the red creeping all the way to her ears.
"Heh… still as cute as always," he murmured, his smirk softening briefly before his eyes shifted toward Helene's room.
"Now… ti to interrogate the quiet one," he muttered, his tone turning colder. "I can't live under the sa roof with my ex and suspect nothing. An ex in a different tiline… is still an ex."
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