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.

Ivory Murphy went looking for Ellis Murphy for one simple reason: she was starving, and lunch wasn’t getting served until Ellis got back.

Ellis was at his usual spot by the shoreline, supposedly fishing—though he always came back empty-handed. Most people assumed he was just bad at it and never asked about his catch, mostly to spare his feelings. The cameraman, however, knew the truth. Ellis was actually damn good at fishing. He just released every fish he caught, like he only did it for the thrill of it—or to kill time.

Today was no different. Since he’d gotten there, Ellis had reeled in nearly ten decent-sized fish. He let the first nine go, and he was about to release the last one when a bright voice cut through the quiet.

“Grill that one—don’t let it go!”

Ellis hesitated, fishhook still in hand, and glanced over. A girl stood there in a plain white T-shirt and green shorts. Her long, fair legs seemed to glow under the sun, all elegant lines and a subtle curve at the calves.

His gaze snagged on her legs before he caught himself. He smoothed his expression back into its usual calm and kept right on releasing the fish.

Ivory saw he hadn’t stopped. Panic flickered through her, and she scrambled across the uneven rocks toward him. In her rush, she missed a step and twisted her ankle.

“Ouch!” Her cry came out unexpectedly soft and sweet.

In one swift move—faster than he even registered—Ellis reached out and caught her before she fell.

“Careful.”

He glanced down at her legs to make sure she was okay, relieved when there wasn’t a scratch on her. The cameraman, watching, froze for a second, then kept filming on instinct. This was Ellis’s first moment of real physical closeness with a female guest. The livestream was off, but this footage? Perfect for the final edit.

Inside, the cameraman was buzzing. If they aired it, the scene would blow up.

Ivory, meanwhile, didn’t give a damn about the cameraman’s excitement. Her eyes tracked the fish Ellis had released as it slipped away with the current. She pouted, disappointment flickering across her face.

“A perfect fish for grilling, gone just like that…”

She’d never had grilled fish before. She’d heard it was delicious, though.

Ellis pulled his hand back, unfazed that Ivory’s attention was stuck on the fish and not on him. Everyone knew Ivory was into Braxton Reynolds. So even if her long legs happened to match Ellis’s secret type, he wouldn’t read into it. Maybe he’d just file her under “nice legs” and leave it at that.

“Thank you. If you hadn’t caught me, I probably would’ve bruised something,” Ivory said, her disappointment evaporating as fast as it had come. She flashed him a grateful smile.

Ellis packed up his fishing gear, his tone polite but distant. “Don’t mention it. Did you need something?”

Her enthusiasm came rushing back. Her eyes lit up. “Yes! I came to call you for lunch. We’re having shrimp linguine, braised calamari, garlic sautéed greens, and clam chowder!”

The excitement in her voice gave away exactly how ready she was for that menu. Ellis figured the meal was probably Braxton’s handiwork. Then, a second later, he heard Ivory murmur under her breath.

“I wonder if Keith can make fish. Fish for dinner would be perfect, too.”

So lunch was Keith’s doing? Ellis raised an eyebrow, curious but not about to pry. He and Ivory weren’t close—just a few words exchanged over the past few days. They weren’t exactly at the “ask personal questions” stage.

Ivory, however, clearly couldn’t let the fish go. Walking beside Ellis, she noticed just how tall he was. She barely reached his neck. His broad shoulders and strong arms had felt reassuringly solid when he’d caught her.

She turned her head and openly studied him. He really was the most handsome male guest in her eyes. Even from this angle—an angle that should’ve been unflattering—he looked perfect.

Having grown up in high society, subtlety wasn’t exactly Ivory’s strong suit. She stared so hard that Ellis couldn’t ignore it. He turned, brows furrowed, and met her eyes.

“Is there something on my face?”

Ivory shook her head.

Ellis raised an eyebrow, waiting. If there wasn’t, why was she staring?

Ivory answered like it was obvious. “I’m just admiring how handsome you are!”

Ellis fell silent.

Even his legendary composure slipped.

After a beat, he managed, “...Thank you.”

Ivory waved him off. “No thanks needed. It’s just the truth. Out of all the men I’ve seen, you’re the best-looking by far.”

“Not Braxton?” The question slipped out before Ellis could stop it.

Ivory wrinkled her nose like she’d smelled something bad. “Him? At best, he’s average.”

She couldn’t fathom what the previous Ivory had seen in him to fall head over heels. Honestly? Baffling.

Her reaction caught Ellis off guard. This conversation had already veered way past their usual small talk.

So they walked back to the villa in silence.

Keith’s lunch was ready, perfectly timed.

Seating wasn’t assigned, so everyone sat wherever they wanted. A long table fit four female guests on one side and four male guests on the other.

In the past, Ivory would make a beeline for the seat across from Braxton, hoping to get more face time with him during meals. Because of that, Braxton always wore a sour expression at lunch, never getting to enjoy a peaceful meal.

As lunch drew closer, the tension in the air felt thick enough to cut. At every meal before this, Ivory Murphy had made a beeline for the seat directly across from Braxton Reynolds—much to his irritation. Today, though, Braxton had decided he’d be the last one to sit down, or hell, he’d just stand and eat if it meant not facing Ivory again. He savored the thought of her reaction when she realized he was dodging their usual little arrangement on purpose.

But when Braxton looked over at Ivory, he was startled to find her already seated and completely lost in the spread on the table. Her eyes lit up like the food was the center of her universe. She didn’t seem to care where he sat. Hell, she didn’t even glance his way. That unexpected move caught him off guard—and left him weirdly annoyed, like all his plotting had been for nothing.

“Hmph.” He picked a seat as far from Ivory as possible—at the very end of the long dining table.

The other contestants watched it all unfold, thrown by the sudden shift in dynamics. Had Ivory actually changed?

The livestream chat exploded with confusion:

“Hey, where’s the usual pre-meal drama? Did they cut it from today’s episode?”

“Director! Director! Did we lose a scene?!”

Some viewers were disappointed—they’d tuned in specifically for the daily spectacle. Braxton’s fans, though, were relieved, hoping this meant he could finally eat in peace.

As everyone hesitated, unsure where to sit, Ivory’s patience wore thin. She’d been raised to wait until everyone was seated before eating, but even she had her limits. “The food’s going to get cold. Are you all going to sit down, or what?” she snapped.

The group snapped out of it and took their seats. Without Ivory’s usual chaos, the seating arrangement went smoothly; everyone settled wherever they wanted. Still, the chair directly across from Ivory sat conspicuously empty.

Braxton took the far right end of the table, putting as much distance between himself and Ivory as possible. Oscar Alvarez grabbed the next seat over, making sure he was the second farthest away. Keith Morris, after a beat of hesitation, took the chair beside Oscar, steering clear of the spot directly across from Ivory.

Finally, only one seat was left—directly facing Ivory. Jaylani Cunningham eyed it with a mix of envy and regret. She’d hoped to sit across from Ellis Murphy, like she usually did. But today, taking that seat would put her face-to-face with Ivory instead. No way in hell was she doing that.

Feigning a little chill, Jaylani said, “I’m feeling a bit cold. Would it be okay if I moved to the other side, where there’s more sun?”

She tacked on a couple of soft coughs, her pale face practically begging for sympathy. The men’s side of the table was by the window, and with the sunlight streaming in, it was definitely warmer. No one wanted to look unsympathetic on camera, so they quietly agreed.

Relieved, Jaylani started to move—until Ivory suddenly stood up, clearly fed up. She wasn’t about to wait for Jaylani to play musical chairs, and more than that, she wasn’t letting Jaylani ruin her meal by sitting across from her.

“Wait a second!” Ivory called, hurrying upstairs and leaving everyone bewildered.

“What’s her problem?” the livestream chat buzzed.

“Did Jaylani do something to her? Ivory’s reaction makes zero sense.”

“Honestly? Even if Jaylani didn’t provoke her, Ivory’s probably jealous because Braxton likes Jaylani,” someone else commented with a snicker.

Arguments broke out online, and viewers took Jaylani’s side, painting her as the victim.

Oscar rolled his eyes. “Is she seriously that unstable? I actually thought today’s lunch might be peaceful for once.”

Braxton stayed quiet, but a strange sense of relief settled over him—like his earlier doubts about Ivory had been misplaced. Her sudden outburst felt like the same old jealous fit over him. Clearly, she was still as smitten as ever.

“Let’s just eat,” Millie Reed suggested, breaking the awkward silence. Knowing Ivory, she’d probably be upstairs for a while.

Jaylani hesitated, then quietly offered, “Should I go check on her? She’s upset because of me. It’s my fault...”

Mikaela Jackson grabbed Jaylani’s hand, scowling. “What do you have to apologize for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Ivory’s antics had been a thorn in Mikaela’s side since day one on the show. Mikaela had planned to steal the spotlight with a dramatic persona, but Ivory’s unpredictable behavior kept overshadowing her.

As the group tried to move past the scene, Jaylani secretly fumed. Ivory’s stunt had thrown off her plans, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that her grip on the show was slipping.