The Reclusive Top Star Has A Crush On Me

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...”