The Reclusive Top Star Has A Crush On Me

“Wow, this is delicious!”

“Who knew shrimp could be this tender and flavorful?”

“Oh my God, is that calamari? It’s so tender!”

Ivory Murphy was totally absorbed in her meal, savoring every bite like it was the best thing she’d ever tasted. To anyone watching, she looked like she was eating a five-star chef’s tasting menu—not Keith Morris’s home cooking. Keith didn’t exactly have a soft spot for Ivory, but hearing her rave about his food still puffed him up a little.

He glanced her way, a flicker of warmth softening his eyes.

[How does she make it look that good? Seriously unfair.]

[Watching her eat makes me want shrimp linguine, and I didn’t even think it looked that special before.]

[These almonds in my hand suddenly taste like cardboard. I want shrimp linguine too.]

[I almost ordered the same thing while watching the livestream—forgot this wasn’t a mukbang.]

[LOL, Ivory should just switch to mukbang hosting. I’m starving just watching her.]

Ellis Murphy, sitting closest to Ivory, had a front-row seat to her food euphoria. If he’d seen those comments, he would’ve agreed with every single one.

A few years back, when his career was just taking off, Ellis had been forced onto a strict diet for a role. It wrecked his stomach. Even after he recovered, his appetite stayed finicky, and he turned into a ridiculously picky eater.

Normally, whenever Keith or anyone else cooked, Ellis would take a polite bite or two—mostly because he knew his manager or assistant had already lined up food from his personal chef. But today hit different.

The food was as bland and ordinary as ever. But watching Ivory enjoy it made Ellis think it tasted better than it had any right to.

He only realized it when he looked down and saw he’d cleared half his plate—nearly double what he normally ate.

Ellis raised a brow and huffed a quiet laugh at himself.

[!!! Ellis ate more than half his plate today?]

[Yay! Ellis actually ate. Maybe he’ll finally put on some weight.]

[Is today’s food really that good? First Ivory, now Ellis... I’m drooling over here.]

[But the other guests are reacting like normal. So the food probably didn’t change. The only difference is...]

[Don’t tell me Ellis is eating more just because Ivory’s sitting across from him?]

[Okay, hesitant hand raise—I’m not Ivory’s biggest fan, but watching her eat definitely makes me hungry.]

[Same. I usually have zero appetite, but watching Ivory actually helped. My mom thought she was a mukbang host and started praising her—it was hilarious.]

Meanwhile, the chat was mostly lighthearted and friendly. Upstairs, though, Jaylani Cunningham was wide awake and green with envy.

The unfamiliar jacket draped across her bed caught her eye. She snapped, snatched it up, and threw it to the floor with a scream.

“Damn you, Ivory!” she spat. She couldn’t believe how sneaky Ivory had been—using a stupid jacket to humiliate her. The memory of fainting in front of everyone, with thousands of viewers watching, twisted her face with rage.

She’d spent days carefully crafting her image, building up her ‘academic influencer’ persona online since her rebirth, only to become a punchline.

Ivory. It was always Ivory.

Jaylani’s eyes burned with fury.

Then her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and smiled coldly—but when she answered, her voice dripped honey.

“Hello, Professor Stern? Did you reach out to Mr. Murphy about the project? Great! I’ll add him on WhatsApp right now!”

After hanging up, Jaylani’s hands trembled with excitement.

She opened the contact card her mentor had sent and quickly added ‘Huxley Murphy.’

Huxley Murphy was a top lawyer—brilliant, gorgeous, and followed by over ten million people online. His fans had dubbed him the internet’s ‘Dream Lawyer.’ Plenty of female celebrities had tried to ride his coattails, but Huxley always stayed cool and untouchable.

His social media almost never featured young women.

But soon, Jaylani’s name would have a place in his circle.

She didn’t even wait for Huxley to accept her friend request. She took a screenshot of his contact card and their empty WhatsApp chat, carefully blurred a few details, and posted it to Twitter.

Since her rebirth, Jaylani had been working her social media like a full-time job, prepping for the fame she knew would come after the dating show. It paid off. Between study-inspiration posts, motivational quotes, and her ‘academic achievements,’ she’d racked up nearly a million followers and a reputation as an academic influencer.

The second her post went live, the comments flooded in.

[OMG, y’all, I zoomed in and squinted—is that really my Dream Lawyer’s contact?]

[Aaaahhh, Huxley Murphy! There might be a million guys with that name, but this hot lawyer is the internet’s ultimate dream man!]

[Wait, Jaylani actually knows the superstar lawyer Huxley Murphy?]

[Wow. She’s connected to someone like Huxley? I’m floored.]

Everyone was so stunned by Jaylani’s reveal that no one brought up her fainting incident from earlier that day.

Reading the flood of admiration and envy, Jaylani let out a breath and felt a rush of triumphant pride.

This time, she would be the one soaking up the spotlight until the very end. Not even Ivory’s meddling could ruin that.

After lunch, the show rolled on schedule. No break—just tasks handed out to the participants.

Ivory rubbed her sleepy eyes.

“Ivory!” Mikaela Jackson’s voice snapped her out of it. Ivory’s eyes flew open.

She blinked around the room, looking like a drowsy kitten.

“What?”

She shot Mikaela an annoyed look.

Mikaela bristled at Ivory’s soft, innocent voice. To her, this girl’s act was even more annoying than her own. Surely the audience would drag Ivory in the comments, right?

The thought comforted her. Her tone softened.

“The director wants us out for our tasks. You looked like you were about to fall asleep, so I woke you,” she said with an innocent shrug.

Ivory looked out at the blazing sun. Her chest tightened.

They were really supposed to go out in this heat? For tasks?

Her silent protest went unheard. The director ruthlessly herded everyone outside.

Only once they were outside did Ivory finally glance at the task card.

The afternoon assignment was simple: each participant had to capture the island’s most beautiful scenery, then explain on camera why they found it so captivating—something that would reveal their personality and preferences.