Noah's mind whirred like an overclocked machine, working through possible solutions.
'Okay. So her ability isn't just luck—it's probability manipulation. But it's unpredictable. Which ans if we can find a way to stabilize it, maybe she can control the outcos better.'
The first thing that ca to mind was controlled environnts. If they could isolate variables, maybe they could determine what factors triggered favorable or unfavorable results.
'But no… that wouldn't work. Probability is affected by everything—weather, human choices, butterfly effects from a random person sneezing in a crowd. There's no way to isolate all variables.'
He shifted tactics.
'Maybe tracking patterns? If we analyze when her ability activates, we can create a predictive model and determine the conditions that increase success.'
But how would they asure sothing as intangible as luck? It wasn't like power levels they could quantify.
'We'd need historical data. But how? Her entire life's been dictated by this ability. There's no "before" and "after" to compare.'
Noah exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple.
'Okay. Think logically. If probability is the problem, what's the counter? Stability? Determinism? Is there a way to introduce constants that could force predictable outcos?'
But no. That wasn't how real-world probability worked. You couldn't force an outco without directly intervening in every step leading up to it. And Sophie didn't manipulate a single thread—she wove an entire web of shifting possibilities.
'Dammit. Every idea folds in on itself.'
Noah paced, muttering under his breath. He was his own stumbling block. Every solution he ca up with was impossible to execute because it required removing randomness from the universe itself.
And that was when it hit him.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
His brain was attacking the problem like a scientist. Like a formula to be solved. Like a fixed system that followed rules. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
But Sophie wasn't working with fixed systems. She was dealing with sothing that bent and twisted at will. A force of nature.
And that had to be exhausting.
Noah turned to look at her—really look at her.
The minister's daughter.
A girl born into expectations. Forced to be sothing more. Soone greater. And yet, with an ability that ensured she was never truly consistent.
Her entire life must have been an unstable balancing act. A never-ending cycle of cause and effect, never knowing if her next decision would tip the scales in her favor or set her up for failure.
The inconsistency.
No wonder she didn't want to enter the tournant.
How the hell did she even live like this?
And then, halfway through his thoughts—
His stomach twisted.
'Wait a second.'
His mind rewound like a tape, flickering through mories. And then it landed on one night.
The night he t her.
Rave.
Lucas had been the one to call her over, practically acting like a wingman. She'd walked toward him, her expression unreadable.
And then—
She had stared at him.
No words.
No introduction.
Just stared.
Noah's breath hitched as the realization slamd into him.
He smiled, but it wasn't one of amusent. It was one of quiet, slow-dawning disbelief.
"…You used your powers on ."
Noah's world tilted. His mind reeled, his breath shallow.
"You used your powers on ." His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it.
Sophie's lips parted slightly, her fingers tightening around his. "Noah—"
"No." He pulled his hand away, stepping back. He needed space, needed air. His heart pounded against his ribs like a war drum. "Tell the truth. That night at Rave… did you use your powers on ?"
Her expression wavered. Her eyes—those deep, expressive eyes that had always drawn him in—shimred with sothing he couldn't place. "I don't know."
Noah let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You don't know?" His fists clenched at his sides. "What the hell does that an, Sophie?"
She swallowed, stepping toward him, but he took another step back. That seed to hit her harder than his words.
"It ans…" She exhaled shakily. "It ans I don't control it the way you think. It's not like I can just—just point at soone and say, 'Oh, let's manipulate the odds in my favor.' It's always there, Noah. Always shifting, always altering things in ways I can't predict."
Noah's head shook, disbelief washing over him like a tidal wave. "That night… I was in a bad place, Sophie. You know that." His voice cracked, but he didn't care. "I never told you why. I never told you how I got suddenly famous in campus,, how everything turned upside down, how Albright's been breathing down my damn neck every second of the day." His chest rose and fell, his voice raw. "And yet, sohow, you had all the right words."
Sophie's hands trembled. "Noah—"
"All this ti," he went on, his voice hollow, "I thought I was the lucky one. Thought I found soone who just… got . That it was fate or so shit." His breath hitched, his gaze locking onto hers. "But it wasn't fate, was it? It was just you."
Her eyes welled with tears. "That's not fair."
Noah scoffed. "Fair?" He dragged a hand through his hair. "I don't even know if any of this is real. Our connection, our relationship—how much of it was you? How much of it was your damn luck?"
Sophie let out a shaky breath, wiping at her eyes. "I never ant to use it on you, Noah."
"But you did," he shot back, his voice sharp. "Intentional or not, you did."
Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn't look away. Her expression was raw, almost pleading.
"I care about you, Noah." Her voice was soft, desperate. "Luck or no luck—that doesn't change. You an everything to ."
Noah's jaw tightened. He wanted to believe her. He really did. But the doubt coiled around his chest, squeezing the air from his lungs.
"Sophie…" His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't know if I can believe that."
Sophie's breath hitched as she tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. She couldn't.
Tears spilled down her face in hot streams, her entire body shaking as a raw sob tore from her throat. "You—You think I planned this?! You think I wanted this?!"
Noah flinched at the sheer force of her voice, but he didn't move. He just watched.
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