Luna's POV
"Time for the first challenge!" Amanda Rivers announced with her fake TV smile.
My stomach twisted into knots. After seeing Dominic with that key card, I'd barely slept. Every shadow in the mansion felt dangerous. Every person felt like a threat.
But I had to act normal. I had to play the game.
"Today's challenge is called 'Steal My Man,'" Amanda continued. "Ladies, you'll compete to win dates with our gorgeous bachelors!"
The other girls cheered and clapped. I forced myself to smile, but inside I was screaming. This was it. Time to be the villain everyone expected me to be.
The challenge was simple. Each girl had to convince a guy to leave his current partner and go on a date with her instead. The girl who stole the most men would win a special prize.
Perfect. I was supposed to break up couples anyway.
I looked around at the other contestants. Sweet Jessica was paired with a nice guy named Ryan. They'd been talking all morning and seemed to really like each other.
My job was to destroy that.
"I'll start with Ryan," I announced loudly, making sure the cameras caught everything.
Jessica's face fell. "But Luna, we were just getting to know each other..."
"Sorry, honey," I said with a smile that felt like poison on my lips. "It's just a game, right?"
I walked over to Ryan and put my hand on his arm. "Want to go somewhere more private?" I asked, batting my eyelashes like a cartoon character.
Ryan looked confused and uncomfortable. "Actually, Jessica and I were having a really good conversation..."
"Are you sure?" I moved closer, playing up the drama for the cameras. "I promise I'm more interesting than her."
Jessica started crying. Actually crying.
The cameras zoomed in on her tears like vultures. The other contestants stared at me with disgust. Even the crew members looked uncomfortable.
But I kept going because that's what Marcus had told me to do. That's what would pay my rent.
"Come on, Ryan," I said louder. "Don't you want to get to know the real Luna Blake?"
"No," Ryan said firmly. "I really don't."
He walked back to Jessica and put his arm around her. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.
I stood there alone while Jessica cried and everyone glared at me. I'd done exactly what the producers wanted, but I felt sick to my stomach.
Across the room, I saw Dominic watching me. His green eyes were impossible to read. Was he judging me for being cruel? Or was he impressed that I was playing my role so well?
The challenge continued, and I kept being awful. I flirted with taken men. I made snide comments about other girls. I started arguments over stupid things.
By the end of the day, I'd successfully stolen three dates and made at least five people cry.
I was the perfect villain.
"Luna wins the challenge!" Amanda announced. "Your prize is a romantic dinner with the bachelor of your choice!"
Everyone groaned. I was supposed to pick someone, but all I wanted to do was disappear.
"I choose..." I looked around the room. Every man looked terrified that I might pick him. "Dominic."
Gasps and whispers filled the room. Brittany looked like she wanted to murder me.
Dominic's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. Surprise? Annoyance? I couldn't tell.
"Excellent choice!" Amanda said. "Your date is tonight!"
As the cameras stopped rolling and everyone scattered, I felt completely alone. The other contestants wouldn't even look at me. I'd done such a good job being hateful that now I had no friends at all.
Except maybe Jade, who gave me a small, sad smile as she walked past.
That evening, I sat across from Dominic at a table set up by the pool. Candles flickered between us, and soft music played in the background. It should have been romantic, but the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
"So," Dominic said carefully, "interesting challenge strategy today."
I picked at my food, unable to meet his eyes. "Just playing the game."
"Is that what you call it?"
Something in his voice made me look up. He was studying me again with that intense stare.
"What else would you call it?" I asked.
"I'd call it acting," he said quietly. "And not very good acting."
My heart started beating faster. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Dominic leaned forward, lowering his voice, "that was the most uncomfortable performance I've ever seen. You looked like you were going to throw up the entire time."
I stared at him in shock. He'd seen through my act completely.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.
"Luna." He said my name like he was trying to solve a puzzle. "Why are you really here?"
The question hung in the air between us. I wanted to tell him the truth - that I was broke, desperate, and possibly in danger. But I couldn't trust him. Not after seeing him with that key card.
"Same reason as everyone else," I said. "Looking for love."
Dominic smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. "Right. And I'm here because I believe in fairy tales."
What did that mean? Why was he really here?
Before I could ask, Amanda appeared with her camera crew. "How's the date going, lovebirds?"
"Perfect," I lied, putting on my fake smile.
"Wonderful," Dominic agreed, his movie-star charm snapping back into place.
The rest of the date was awkward small talk for the cameras. But I couldn't stop thinking about what Dominic had said. He'd seen right through me. Which meant he was either very smart or very dangerous.
Maybe both.
Later that night, after the cameras stopped rolling, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Jessica crying when I'd stolen her date. About the hurt in Ryan's eyes. About all the cruel things I'd said to win a stupid challenge.
I slipped out of my room and walked through the quiet mansion. Most people were asleep, and the hallways felt empty and cold.
I found Jessica sitting alone by the pool, staring at the water.
"Hey," I said softly.
She looked up at me with red, puffy eyes. "Come to make me cry some more?"
"No." I sat down beside her, even though she clearly didn't want me there. "I came to apologize."
Jessica looked surprised. "Apologize?"
"What I did today was terrible. You and Ryan were happy, and I ruined it for no good reason." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
For a moment, Jessica just stared at me. Then her expression softened a little.
"Why did you do it then?" she asked.
"Because..." I struggled to find the right words. "Because sometimes we do things we hate because we think we don't have any other choice."
Jessica nodded slowly. "I get that. I really do."
"You do?"
"My family thinks I'm stupid for being on this show. They think I'm embarrassing myself on national television." She wiped her eyes. "But I needed to prove I could be brave. That I could put myself out there."
I felt a stab of guilt. "I'm really sorry, Jessica. You seem like a genuinely good person."
"So do you," she said quietly. "When you're not playing the villain."
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both staring at the pool.
Then I heard footsteps behind us.
"I knew it."
I spun around to see Dominic standing in the shadows. How long had he been watching us?
"Knew what?" I asked, my heart racing.
He stepped closer, his green eyes intense in the moonlight. "I knew you were nothing like them."
"Like who?"
"Like the other people who come on these shows. The ones who actually enjoy hurting people." He looked at Jessica, then back at me. "You hate every second of being cruel. It's written all over your face."
Jessica looked between us, confused. "I should go," she said, standing up. "Thanks for the apology, Luna. It means a lot."
After she left, Dominic and I were alone by the pool. The mansion felt huge and empty around us.
"Why are you watching me?" I asked.
"Because you're interesting," he said simply.
"I'm the villain. I'm supposed to be horrible."
"But you're not horrible. You're pretending to be horrible, and you're terrible at it." He smiled. "Which makes me wonder what else you're pretending about."
My mouth went dry. He was getting too close to the truth.
"I don't know what you mean," I said.
"Don't you?" Dominic stepped closer. "Tell me, Luna - what do you know about this show? About Vincent Torrino?"
The question hit me like lightning. Why was he asking about Vincent? Was this a test? Was he trying to figure out how much I knew?
"Nothing," I lied. "Just that he's the producer."
Dominic studied my face for a long moment. Then he did something that made my blood run cold.
He smiled. But it wasn't his charming movie-star smile. It was something darker. More dangerous.
"Interesting," he said quietly. "Because Vincent Torrino is a very dangerous man, Luna. And people who ask too many questions about him tend to... disappear."
The threat was clear. But was he warning me or threatening me?
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
"I'm saying," Dominic moved even closer, "that you should be very careful who you trust in this place. Because some of us aren't who we pretend to be."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving me alone by the pool with my heart pounding and my mind racing.
Was Dominic trying to protect me from Vincent? Or was he working for Vincent and warning me to keep quiet?
Either way, one thing was clear: I was in more danger than I'd ever imagined.
And the most dangerous person might be the one I was starting to trust.