Chapter 9

As darkness settled over the remote island, dazzling lights illuminated the beach.

The crew had thrown together a simple stage and kicked off a late, night talent livestream, broadcasting to the entire internet. Whoever got the most votes would score first dibs on the next season's show.

[Talent show's here. Can't wait to see what crazy stuff Scarlett West is gonna do.]

[Vivian's definitely gonna sing. I'm so pumped.]

[Scarlett West isn't just gonna act crazy again, right? Hope she's not all hype and no skills.]

The crew announced the lineup. Scarlett was last, while Vivian was second. Vivian glanced at the list and smirked. She talked the director into swapping spots with Scarlett, stealing her coveted closing slot.

"Director, I want to go earlier so everyone can see my performance sooner," Vivian said, batting her lashes in a sugary voice. The director, knowing her connections, nodded in agreement.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow at the new lineup but said nothing. She just leaned back in her chair, scrolling through her phone, looking totally unfazed.

[Why isn't Scarlett mad? Her big finale slot just got snatched and she's not even reacting?]

[She probably doesn't have any real talent and was too scared to go last anyway. Perfect excuse to bail.]

[Vivian is so clever. Performing early means she'll scoop up all the fans right away.]

The talent show kicked off. Michael Chancellor put on a martial arts routine that had the crowd cheering.

Zoey and Summer sang a pop duet, nothing special but solid. Ethan belted out an idol hit, and his fans flooded the chat with support.

When it was Vivian's turn, she walked onto the stage in a flowing white dress, holding the mic.

Her eyes were red with emotion as she sang a heartbreak ballad, and she kept casting sorrowful looks at Ethan, milking the heartbreak for sympathy.

"I gave it everything I had, but I still couldn't hold onto you…" Her voice was gentle and plaintive, and the random viewers in the livestream totally bought it, voting for her like crazy.

[Vivian sang so emotionally. She's so pitiful.]

[Vote for Vivian. She has to win.]

When Vivian finished, she bowed to the camera, tears slipping down her cheeks.

She said, "This song is for someone I care about. I hope things work out for us." Ethan immediately stepped forward and handed her a tissue, and their sweet moment had the shippers swooning.

Vivian shot Scarlett a smug, provocative look, she was certain Scarlett couldn't come up with anything that would win over the fans more than her own performance.

Finally, it was Scarlett's turn.

She set her phone aside, stood up, and strode to the center of the stage. No flashy outfit, no heavy makeup, just simple cargo pants and a hoodie.

Grabbing the mic, she said in a laid, back tone, "Switching things up last minute. Here's an original, Mad Muse."

As soon as she spoke, a hitting electronic track dropped, instantly amping up the vibe. Scarlett moved with the beat, her moves slick and bold. The moment she started singing, the crowd went wild.

She sang, "Don't act all pure and innocent with me, don't play games. My life, my rules, who cares if I go wild.

"I don't need a man or luck from above. I'm taking over the world on my own. Let the haters come for me online, doesn't matter, I'm still at the top.""

The lyrics were bold and full of mad energy, the beat was insanely catchy.

Scarlett's singing and dancing were pro, level, her moves were explosive, her breath steady, and every glance screamed badass boss vibes. The whole beach went wild instantly.

Lucas sat in the audience, his eyes glued to Scarlett on stage, utterly mesmerized by her performance.

The livestream chat went wild, with comments flying so fast you couldn't even see the screen anymore.

[Scarlett can actually sing and dance? And it's an original? She blew the roof off.]

[Those lyrics are so savage. She's totally shading Vivian.]

[This is the Mad Muse anthem. I'm putting it on repeat. Where can I get the audio?]

[Vote. Blow up the votes for Scarlett. Wipe the floor with Vivian.]

When Scarlett finished her performance, the applause was thunderous. Zoey and Summer jumped up, screaming their heads off, and even Michael couldn't help but clap and cheer.

Backstage stats showed Scarlett's votes instantly blew past ten million, leaving Vivian in the dust and taking the number one.

At the same time, fans were already uploading clips of her original song, Mad Muse. And within just ten minutes, it was trending on every major music platform, everyone online was desperate for the audio drop.

[Scarlett totally slayed it. Her original song is legendary.]

[Vivian got obliterated, there's nothing left. This is so satisfying.]

[Let's hype [Scarlett Mad Muse Original] up. She's the real deal.]

Vivian stood offstage, her face as white as a sheet. She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, jealousy and frustration threatening to spill over.

Ethan watched Scarlett lighting up the stage, his heart clenching hard. For the first time, he realized he might've let something incredible slip right through his fingers.

Scarlett strutted to the edge of the stage, mic in hand, shot the camera a cocky eyebrow. "So, how was it? My Mad Muse, still got you hooked?"

The chat exploded with "Love it." "Obsessed." "Legend.", Scarlett's followers blasted past fifty million, flipping her from total nobody to the next big thing in the blink of an eye.

Lucas walked up to the stage, handed Scarlett a bottle of water, and said quietly, "That was awesome. This song is going to go viral everywhere."

Scarlett took a sip, flashed a confident smile, and said, "Obviously. What did you expect? It's mine."

The sea breeze swept by, and Scarlett's smile lit up the night. After this talent show, everyone would remember her as the Mad Muse with real skills.