The Reclusive Top Star Has A Crush On Me

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.