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.

As long as the show’s ratings kept climbing, PR would find a way to spin public opinion and clear her name. Once that happened, she could turn her haters into fans and rise through the ranks. But she hadn’t counted on all the attention shifting to Ivory Murphy, who had everyone eating out of the palm of her hand with her antics. Ivory’s on-screen persona was eerily close to the one she’d planned for herself, so her manager told her to scrap her original strategy. Instead, she pivoted to the sweet, bubbly girl-next-door, relying on charm to win viewers over. Her fans ate it up, but the buzz stayed lukewarm.

Mikaela Jackson was not having it.

“Jaylani, you’re too soft. People walk all over you, and you still apologize for it. I can’t take it anymore—watch me set them straight for you!” she declared with the fierce conviction of a loyal friend.

Viewers loved how fiercely Mikaela had Jaylani’s back, comparing her to a protective little sister:

“Mikaela is just too cute; she’s like the little sister next door.”

“Exactly—nobody else has that kind of fierce loyalty!”

“I used to think she was too naïve and childish, but now I see she stands up for what’s right and isn’t afraid to love or hate. I’m a fan now!”

“Jaylani and Mikaela are such a great pair—one’s the gentle big sister, the other’s the sweet little sister.”

Mikaela couldn’t see the live comments, but across the room, her manager—standing beside the director—gave her a pleased nod. Mikaela’s heart leapt. She knew that look: the internet was eating it up.

Mikaela felt she’d finally found the right path to fame—step over Ivory and climb higher. Just as she turned to put her plan into motion, Ivory came down the stairs with a light jacket in hand.

Mikaela froze mid-step, ready to put on a show, but Ivory walked right past her and headed straight for Jaylani. In front of everyone, she casually draped the jacket over Jaylani’s shoulders.

Jaylani stared at the jacket, speechless.

The others looked equally baffled.

The livestream filled with question marks.

Ivory dusted off her hands, took her seat, and let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, her face practically screaming, Finally, problem solved—can we eat now? It was a familiar expression.

“Is she secretly a foodie?” one viewer joked.

“Watching Ivory finally get to eat is literally me after solving one work problem.”

“So when Ivory said ‘wait,’ she literally just went to get Jaylani a jacket?”

“Is this Ivory being nice? Her longtime rival gets a jacket? What’s her angle?”

“Okay, but some of Jaylani’s fans were way too harsh. Turns out Ivory wasn’t threatening Jaylani—she was getting her a jacket. Maybe she’s not so bad after all.”

Critics who’d just been dragging Ivory were suddenly speechless, like her unexpected kindness had stolen the words right out of their mouths. What could they even say? Nobody saw that move coming.

Even Jaylani was thrown. Why was Ivory being so nice? Her earlier attempt to paint Ivory as the villain was backfiring hard—now people were calling for her to apologize.

“Okay, this time I’m on Ivory’s side. Sure, she’s been annoying before, but she meant no harm today. Shouldn’t Jaylani apologize?”

“This is hilarious—Jaylani’s still against Ivory even when Ivory’s sticking up for her. Farmer and the snake much?”

“People make mistakes. An apology isn’t the end of the world.”

“And Mikaela, weren’t you about to stand up for Jaylani? This twist is too ironic.”

Jaylani and Mikaela’s faces soured, while Ivory just looked at them, innocent and confused.

“Why aren’t you sitting?” she asked Jaylani. “You’re not still cold, are you? Should I get you another jacket?”

Her fair face held a flicker of annoyance, as if to say, This is such a hassle, but if they don’t sit down, I can’t eat. Somehow, it made her even more endearing to viewers.

Some viewers even gushed about how cute Ivory was, though those comments were quickly buried by the rest.

Jaylani stood frozen, the jacket warming her shoulders—and stoking the rage inside her. Ivory had outplayed her.

Then a deep, melodic voice cut through the tension.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ellis Murphy said, completely misreading the room. He assumed they’d been waiting on him after he’d stayed in the bathroom answering work emails.

He hurried to the last open seat on the men’s side—directly across from Ivory. The second Jaylani saw Ellis sitting opposite Ivory, frustration surged through her. Every attempt to keep them apart had backfired, and now her reputation was in tatters.

The room spun. Jaylani felt a dizzy spell hit—and then she fainted.

“Jaylani!” Braxton Reynolds was the first to move, rushing to her side.

The other guests sprang into action—one shouted for a medic, another dialed 911.

Ivory, who had just picked up her fork, paused, at a loss for words.

Ellis looked mildly baffled by the sudden drama.

Luckily, the show’s medical team checked Jaylani right away.

“Nothing serious. She’s just overheated,” the doctor concluded.

The guests’ expressions turned awkward as they realized her layers—including the jacket Ivory had fetched—had probably caused her to faint from the heat.

So was she really cold earlier, or was it just an excuse?

Despite the false alarm, the mood around the table turned weirdly tense. Even Braxton, worried about Jaylani, couldn’t figure out how someone who claimed to be cold could end up with heatstroke.

The only one who seemed completely unfazed—and was still enjoying the meal—was Ivory, savoring every bite of her spiced honey cake.