Wasn't she feeling the heat?

Oh, absolutely.

Inside the villa, the AC kept things cool, but the second you stepped outside, the sun beat down without mercy, and the humidity wrapped around you like a wet blanket. Even the short walk from the villa to the beach—barely a hundred feet—left a thin sheen of sweat on Jaylani's nose.

Jaylani sweated easily. Any longer under that sun, and her back would be soaked through, clearly visible beneath her Victorian-inspired dress. She only wore the long dress because Braxton admired the simplicity and purity of white dresses. Even if it was miserable, she'd endure it for him in this scorching heat.

Now that Ivory had called attention to it, Jaylani's face burned, as if Ivory had exposed her little act.

“I've always wondered—isn't Jaylani hot in that long dress?” one viewer commented.

“Angels don't feel heat! Jaylani looks perfect without breaking a sweat, unlike Ivory, who's trying so hard to show off in that skimpy outfit. Ugh!” another replied.

“Well, looks like the ‘angel’ is sweating after all,” someone else shot back, watching their star's nose glisten in HD and undercutting the fan's claim.

“This is gold. Honestly, Ivory's being practical. I couldn't wear that many layers in this heat without passing out.”

“Why's that funny? Jaylani is dressed appropriately and respects the occasion, unlike the other one. Even if Ivory were naked in front of Braxton, he wouldn't give her a second look, haha.”

Braxton, standing nearby, noticed Jaylani's discomfort and turned to address Ivory on her behalf. But when his gaze landed on Ivory, he was momentarily thrown.

He couldn't deny the brief flicker of appreciation—surprise, too. Ivory's outfit was definitely striking, but he quickly snapped his focus back to that familiar, irritating expression and regained his composure.

“Ivory, does your tone have to be so sarcastic? Not everyone wants to dress as inappropriately as you do,” he rebuked. “Jaylani puts up with the heat out of consideration for everyone else's sensibilities. You could learn a thing or two from her self-control and courtesy.”

Tsk, tsk. If he'd been wearing anything other than a loose tee and beach shorts, his little lecture might've actually landed.

Ivory found it hilarious and barely hid her laugh.

“What's so funny?” Braxton demanded, brows knitting together.

Ivory caught her breath and replied pleasantly, “I just thought your beach shorts look comfortable. It's nice that you're dressed practically.”

Braxton swallowed a retort.

Was she mocking him? Was it hypocritical to preach modesty while wearing beach shorts himself?

No. That couldn't be it. Ivory was captivated by him; surely she wouldn't dare mock him.

He chose to believe she was admiring his trendy outfit, even if the compliment left a bitter taste.

Either way, Braxton had no intention of dragging this out. Interacting with Ivory had already worn his patience thin. So, despite the irritation simmering under his skin, he decided to end the exchange.

Without hesitation, Braxton took Jaylani's hand and said curtly, “Let's go. We've delivered the director's message. No need to concern ourselves with her.”

Seeing Braxton treat her so gently, Jaylani felt reassured and feigned reluctance. “Shouldn't we wait for Ivory?”

“No need,” Braxton said coolly. “She has plenty of followers eager to indulge her.”

His words carried a trace of disdain, implying Ivory was flirtatious. Jaylani lowered her gaze, a slight smile tugging at her lips. Hand in hand, they walked off together, their retreating figures like something out of a picture-perfect couple.

Watching the live stream, fans shared mixed feelings:

“Even though I know it's just a show, seeing him holding another girl's hand makes me so jealous!”

“Don't worry! He promised us no dating until he steps out of the limelight. His focus is on his career—trust him!”

“Absolutely, Braxton wouldn't deceive us.”

Ivory waited a while longer before the cameraman returned with the sandals. She blushed as she thanked him.

“Oh, it's really nothing,” he stammered.

Although he'd never interacted with Ivory up close before, his initial impression matched the online narrative. Now, seeing her in person, she seemed pretty polite—and it reshaped his view.

Inside the villa, a man with glasses and a crisp white shirt was busy at the kitchen counter, preparing ingredients for a spiced honey cake. When he saw only Braxton and Jaylani come in, he asked, “Isn't she coming in?”

It was clear who he meant.

Jaylani started to explain, but Braxton cut her off. “She's busy flirting on the beach!”

The bespectacled man, Keith, an up-and-coming tech executive, hesitated. Was there a hint of frustration—or jealousy—in Braxton's tone?

Picking up on Braxton's disapproval, Jaylani quickly added, “Ivory left her sandals in the villa, so she asked the cameraman to fetch them. The sand was scorching, and it hurt to walk.”

“Honestly, such a drama queen,” muttered Oscar, a young actor glued to his gaming console. “Does she think her feet are made of porcelain? I thought her skin was as tough as her attitude.”

Oscar, a child star turned accomplished actor, was known for his talent as much as his bluntness. His fans liked to praise his straightforwardness as candid honesty, though it often landed him in hot water.

Keith, though silent in agreement, kept shooting glances toward the door, his furrowed brows signaling his own impatience.

With all three men seemingly on the same page about Ivory, Jaylani felt assured.

She lowered her head, trying to hide the grin threatening to break free. Thinking back on her past life—and her time with Ivory Murphy on the show—dragged up the old sting of how differently their stories had played out.

Back then, Ivory’s entrance had been a spectacle. Her striking looks had every male guest sitting up and every viewer eating out of the palm of her hand. Jaylani, meanwhile, had believed she had better conversation skills and a winning personality. But on the show, she couldn’t gain traction, not with looks that didn’t exactly stop traffic.

Frustrated, she’d cooked up all sorts of schemes to connect with the male guests—including slipping a crew member cash to steer them her way. But during one desperate play, Ivory exposed the whole thing on a livestream, and Jaylani’s plans unraveled right in front of everyone.

From that day on, she was branded conniving. The audience—joined by legions of online commentators—buried her under a mountain of criticism. The producers, citing the backlash, kicked her off the show without so much as a goodbye.

Life after the show was brutal. Friends and colleagues iced her out, judging her every move, and she spiraled into a depression that stained the rest of her days and ended in bitterness.

All of it traced back to Ivory! If Ivory hadn’t streamed her downfall, would she have fallen so far? Ivory—the real puppet master—was the true architect of Jaylani’s ruin!

In her final moments, Jaylani swore that if she ever got another chance, she’d give Ivory a taste of her own medicine and expose her for the world to see.

Astonishingly, fate smiled on her. She got a second chance at life. Armed with memories of her past, Jaylani deftly manipulated events until Ivory became the audience’s least favored contestant.

By the time they wrapped up shooting the first episode, Ivory’s reputation had already taken a nosedive. Jaylani was sure Ivory wouldn’t escape her ill fate this time. Ivory, in this lifetime, your downfall is inevitable!

After they finished dissecting Ivory, the group silently agreed to drop the subject. The other two female guests were upstairs cleaning up—earlier, while helping with meal prep, an unruly octopus had splattered ink all over them, forcing a wardrobe change.

When Jaylani and Braxton Reynolds stepped into the room, the two women came downstairs. Millie Reed—the investment banker with a chic bob—and Mikaela Jackson—the aspiring pop singer with playful space buns—joined the gathering.

“Where’s Ellis?” Mikaela asked, scanning the room.

Jaylani stifled a laugh. “Ellis Murphy’s off fishing, I imagine.”

[Amusement rippled through the online chat.]

[Fishing during a dating show? Only Ellis would pull a retirement move.]

[Why can’t we switch to his stream? I’m desperate over here.]

Every contestant on the dating show Love Matters had their own camera crew and personal livestream channel. The main channel—capturing common areas like the villa’s living room—ran around the clock. Contestants only had to meet the minimum streaming requirements; after that, they could continue or pause whenever they liked.

Ellis seemed the least interested in broadcasting. Once he hit his streaming quota, he’d shut down his channel and move around like he didn’t have a care in the world. As a result, his fans had to catch glimpses of him through the main feed or the background of someone else’s stream—usually just snagging his shadow.

Even so, Ellis’s fanbase ballooned. He’d entered the entertainment industry at eighteen and, over a decade, evolved into a triple-threat star, racking up accolades with zero scandal. His genuine talent and sterling reputation had fans crowning him a “legend,” a title that carried far more weight than the usual fan-given nicknames.

In today’s entertainment scene, Ellis was a rarity. Though he’d begun focusing behind the camera, his appearance on this dating show as a favor to the director had boosted the ratings by seventy percent. What happened with the show after that was none of his concern.

Meanwhile, viewers were plenty amused by the competitive jabs flying among the other guests.

Inside the villa, the chatter turned lively at the mention of Ellis. They were so engrossed that nobody noticed Ivory sneak back in, change clothes, and slip into the room—until her laid-back voice broke the conversation.

“I think he’s pretty charming,” Ivory remarked, thoughtfully touching her chin as she recalled his silhouette from afar. Of all the male guests, he was the only one who genuinely intrigued her. As for the others—the sharp dresser, the fresh-faced heartthrob, and the stylish pop star—they struck her as painfully ordinary.

The group turned, surprised to see Ivory settled on the couch behind them, clearly having tuned in to their talk. Oscar Alvarez was the first to respond.

“Were you eavesdropping? Ivory, don’t you have anything better to do?”

Ivory glanced at him, seemingly bemused, then paused as if giving it real thought. “If by eavesdropping you mean overhearing every word upstairs thanks to your booming voice, then I suppose I was.”

Was she critiquing his volume? Oscar’s mood darkened. “What are you implying? Are you saying I’m too loud?”

Ivory looked innocently at him. “I didn’t mean that. Being loud isn’t a bad thing, right? With that kind of lung capacity, you’d really shine in the music scene.”

Oscar, caught off guard, couldn’t rebuke her. Instead, he found himself pondering her intent. “Do you really think I’d make a good singer?”

Ivory nodded sincerely, mentally picturing him performing with no need for a microphone.

“Well, that’s a perspective I didn’t expect. I’ll let it slide this time.” Buoyed by her unexpected compliment, Oscar let the matter drop.

Save for his manager, nobody knew Oscar’s secret dream was singing. Even after achieving some fame, he had begged his manager to let him try it, only for the studio session to end in disaster.

Afterward, his manager banned him from singing publicly, warning that his fanbase couldn’t handle the surprise. So Oscar’s fantasy of fame through music lingered as a dream.

Whether Ivory truly flattered him or not, her remarks had won him over enough to forgive and forget.

In contrast, Jaylani hadn’t counted on Oscar’s quick, civil reconciliation with Ivory. She’d expected Ivory to leave, ashamed and tearful. Jaylani forced a grin and sought to stoke the flames.

“Actually, Oscar’s voice wasn’t as loud as mine just now. If I upset you, Ivory, I apologize. We were discussing Ellis, and you’re welcome to join instead of keeping to yourself. We’d love your company...”

Jaylani’s remark was a subtle little nudge—just enough to remind Oscar Alvarez of Ivory Murphy’s earlier accusation about him being too loud. The implication? Ivory had probably been eavesdropping, not joining in. Millie Reed, the sharp-eyed investment banker, cut Jaylani a look that was impossible to read. After weeks of filming, Millie had seen through Jaylani’s sweet-girl act. That outward kindness hid a calculating streak. Every time Ivory got scolded on camera, Jaylani’s fingerprints were usually somewhere on it. This was no exception.

One casual comment from Jaylani was all it took to light Oscar’s fuse again. Odds were, he’d go off on Ivory. And when he did, Ivory—no match for him in a war of words—would end up running off in tears. The internet would eat it up, calling her a drama queen or plain rude for listening in.

Millie, though, had no interest in playing referee. She wasn’t close to Ivory or Jaylani, and she treated the show like a paid vacation. To everyone’s surprise, Oscar didn’t blow up. Instead of escalating, he just shrugged.

“I guess being loud is my superpower,” Oscar mused. “Never knew I had such great lung capacity—might be a hidden talent…” He rambled on until he lost the room.

Jaylani blinked, thrown. Ivory had caught the jab, but she didn’t take the bait. With someone like Jaylani—who lived for attention—the best move was to starve her of it. Besides, Ivory had bigger things to worry about.

Her stomach growled, loud enough to remind her it was lunchtime. “What’s on the menu today?” she wondered, peeking toward the kitchen with real interest.

In Ivory’s time, tech and society had advanced, but the environment had paid the price. Food wasn’t what it used to be. Pasta, fresh greens—forget about seafood and meat—were relics of the past. Now everything came in supplement form. Ivory was desperate for a break from the same old bland routine.

In this world, routine could be a drag, but the food? That was one hell of a perk.

Keith Morris, the bespectacled tech exec, had been put on lunch duty. He adjusted his glasses and announced, “For lunch, we’ve got shrimp linguine with braised calamari, garlic sautéed greens, and clam chowder.”

Pretty simple, especially for a coastal show built around seafood, but for Ivory, it might as well have been a luxury feast. She gulped audibly. The room turned to look.

Unbothered, Ivory beamed at Keith, eyes sparkling. “When’s the food ready?” she asked, sounding like a kid waiting for the lunch bell.

Her excitement was cute—so cute it caught Keith off guard. But then his thoughts drifted to how she used to fixate on Braxton. That felt more like her usual M.O. This innocent, eager version didn’t quite match the intense girl he remembered.

“The calamari’s almost done, and I’m starting the linguine,” Keith said, moving to the stove.

Food was on the way. One thing was still missing, though—Ellis Murphy.

Everyone knew where Ellis was. No one dared go get him. They didn’t know him well enough. He shared meals and quarters with them, but he kept his distance. Even when he was calm, something about him discouraged casual chit-chat.

Still, an encounter with Ellis could mean more screen time—a tempting prospect. Jaylani’s heart raced as she thought about being the one to fetch him. She was starting fresh, and she’d already decided to lock in one of the four male guests as a steady partner. Deep down, Ellis was the one she wanted most. Tall, handsome, famous, rich—he was the total package.

But he was also the hardest to pin down. With so few chances to win him over, Jaylani kept Braxton as her backup. Even if she couldn’t pair with Ellis, sharing a frame with him was still a win.

Just as she was about to volunteer, Ivory beat her to it. “Is he out fishing? I’ll go find him!” She took off, sneakers tapping against the floor.

The group sat there, stunned.

Oscar looked at Braxton, confused. “What’s gotten into her today? Isn’t she usually glued to your side? Why’s she running off to find someone else?”

Braxton’s face darkened. “How should I know? And stop pairing me with her—there’s nothing between us. She’s not even my type.”

Oscar chuckled awkwardly, scratching his nose. “Yeah, yeah, we all know you prefer someone like Jaylani. Don’t worry—tonight’s vote, I promise I won’t compete with you.”

Only then did Braxton relax a little. He glanced at Jaylani, expecting her usual worshipful gaze, but she was still staring at the door. Was that regret in her eyes?

“Jaylani?” Braxton prompted.

She snapped out of it and quickly put on her gentle smile again. “What’s up?” she replied softly.

Relieved to see her back to normal, Braxton relaxed. Maybe he’d imagined her earlier distraction.

“It’s nothing. Didn’t you say you wanted to talk about signing with my company? My manager’s free now. What should I ask them?” he offered.

“Really?” Jaylani’s eyes lit up. From the moment she got a second chance at life, she’d vowed to leave her boring job behind and use the reality show to break into entertainment. Her interest in Braxton had a second motive—his agency, Apex Talent, was the biggest and most reputable. Joining Apex would cement her career.

“Great, let’s start now!” she exclaimed, eager to become an Apex artist.