Chapter 6

Night fell, and the chilly sea breeze swept across the deserted island. Inside Scarlett's makeshift shelter, the emergency light from the crew flickered dimly. She tore into her bread and drank bottled water, looking utterly content.

Outside, Ethan and Vivian huddled in their barely assembled tent, stomachs rumbling. Every time Scarlett's chewing echoed over, they felt a surge of frustration and annoyance.

Zoey and Summer crouched on the sand, sighing at the waves, while Michael leaned against a tree with his eyes shut.

Just then, the distant roar of a helicopter cut through the night, its lights slicing through the darkness as it headed straight for the beach.

All the guests looked up, and the livestream chat instantly exploded with excitement.

[What's going on? A helicopter? Is the crew pulling a surprise stunt?]

[Is it a new guest? That's way too much hype for just one person.]

The helicopter touched down, and the cabin door swung open. Out stepped a man dressed in black casual clothes, tall and icy, with a naturally distant look in his eyes.

It was Best Actor Lucas Reed, the superstar who ruled the entertainment world.

The whole place went dead silent. The crew hurried over, bowing and greeting him with reverence.

Vivian quickly smoothed her hair and hurried over, her voice so gentle it could melt anyone. "Mr. Reed, what brings you here? I'm Vivian Lynn, and I'm a huge fan of your movies."

Ethan's usual scowl vanished as he stepped forward, greeting Lucas with an unusually respectful tone.

Zoey and Summer were so excited they whipped out their phones, recording nonstop. The livestream viewership shot up to five million in an instant.

[OMG. Best Actor Reed made a surprise entrance.]

[The production team is epic, this is the ultimate surprise.]

[Vivian the Diva is so slick, first to greet him, instant fan favorite.]

[Best Actor Reed is insanely handsome. I could fangirl over that face forever.]

Lucas gave a casual nod, scanning the area until his eyes locked onto Scarlett's shelter. Then, without a second thought, he walked right over to her.

Vivian's smile froze on her face, and inside, she was seething with jealousy. 'Seriously? Lucas isn't even looking at me, he's heading straight for that crazy wildcard Scarlett?'

Scarlett heard the noise outside, pulled back the curtain, and stepped out with half a piece of bread dangling from her mouth.

When she saw Lucas, she didn't even bat an eye, just turned around to head back in.

Lucas called out, his voice deep and magnetic, with that signature superstar aura. "Scarlett."

Scarlett paused, gave him a quick look, and said around a mouthful of bread, "What do you want? If you've got nothing to say, don't block the way, I'm trying to sleep."

[Is Scarlett nuts?. How can she talk to Best Actor Reed like that?.]

[She's doomed, Scarlett's definitely getting blacklisted. Who even dares to roast the biggest star? She's got a death wish.]

[Best Actor Reed has to be pissed. Waiting for Scarlett to get wrecked.]

Vivian rushed over, trying to play peacemaker. "Mr. Reed, Scarlett's exhausted today, her mood's a bit off. Don't mind her."

But Scarlett cut her off before she could finish. "What's my mood got to do with you? Quit acting like you care."

Scarlett turned to Lucas, swallowed her bread, and with that crazy bluntness said, "Best Actor Reed, huh? Don't try to buddy up to me.

"I'm here for the show, not to kiss up to anyone. If you so much as touch my food, I'll fight you for it."

The whole place went dead silent. The crew was so freaked out they barely dared to breathe.

Ethan looked like he'd swallowed a lemon, he thought Scarlett was totally nuts. Vivian was secretly gloating, waiting for Lucas to lose it and tear Scarlett apart.

But then, an unexpected twist hit.

Lucas didn't get angry at all. Instead, his lips curved into a subtle smile, and there was a barely noticeable glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "I'm not here for your food. Just wanted to say hi, looks like we're partners now."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Partner? You're actually joining this crappy show too?"

"That's right, special guest," Lucas replied, his eyes settling on her with clear amusement. "You handled today's survival task impressively."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Who else could pull that off?"

With that, she turned and strode back into her shelter, slamming the door behind her with a bang, leaving Lucas standing there and everyone else gaping in disbelief.

The livestream chat blew up.

[What a twist. Best Actor Reed didn't even get mad, he actually praised Scarlett.]

[Scarlett is so bold. She roasted the top idol and still got complimented. I can't figure out this wild vibe.]

[Best Actor Reed's gaze at Scarlett is totally off, this is so shippable.]

[[Lucas Scarlett] I'm locking in this ship.]

[Lucas Reed Joins Scarlett Show] and [Scarlett West Roasts Best Actor Reed] shot straight to the top of the trending list, crushing every previous trend.

Vivian stood frozen, her nails digging painfully into her palms as she seethed with jealousy. 'Why? Why does Scarlett get special treatment from Lucas? What makes her so lucky?'

Ethan stared at Scarlett's shelter, his mind reeling. 'Scarlett really has changed, she's nothing like the girl I used to know.'

Lucas stared at the closed door of Scarlett's shelter, the smile on his lips growing even wider. He turned to his assistant and said, "Put my luggage right next to hers. This is where I'll be living from now on."

The assistant blinked in surprise. "Mr. Reed, that spot's empty. Are you sure?"

"Positive," Lucas replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. His eyes stayed fixed on Scarlett's shelter. "I want to see just how many surprises this crazy wildcard has in store for me."

Inside her shelter, Scarlett leaned against the wall and curled her lip. 'Best Actor Reed? As long as he doesn't mess with my hustle, I couldn't care less.'

For Scarlett, she didn't care about some supers, targetting rich and going viral was the only thing that mattered, nobody was gonna throw off her rhythm.