The Last Resort

Scarlett's POV

The black SUV's air conditioning blasted my face as we drove through Malibu's winding roads. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, even when I pressed them flat against my jeans.

"First time on reality TV?" the driver asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

"First time being the villain," I said, then immediately regretted it. These people probably gossiped about contestants.

"Don't worry. Most of them are pretty fake anyway. You'll fit right in."

His words hit like a punch. Even the driver thought I belonged with the fake people.

The production office looked like a glass box dropped into the middle of paradise. Through floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see the ocean sparkling in the distance. Inside, everything was white and cold as a hospital.

A woman with a clipboard rushed toward me the moment I walked through the door.

"Scarlett Rose? I'm Jennifer, assistant to Jake Morrison. He's waiting for you in Conference Room A."

She led me down a hallway lined with posters from other reality shows. "Love Island Dreams" wasn't even the biggest one. Just another show designed to make people cry on camera.

Jake Morrison sat behind a glass desk that probably cost more than my rent. His smile was perfect and terrifying, like a shark's mouth full of white teeth.

"Scarlett! Welcome to your new life." He gestured to a leather chair across from him. "Coffee? Water? Champagne to celebrate?"

"I'm fine." The chair was so deep I felt like I was sinking into it.

"Nervous? That's natural. Most people are nervous when they're about to become famous."

"Famous for being hated."

Jake laughed like I'd told the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "Hate is just another form of attention. And attention pays very, very well."

He opened a thick folder and spread photos across the desk. Headshots of beautiful people with perfect smiles and empty eyes.

"Your co-stars," Jake said, tapping each photo. "Let me introduce you to the people whose lives you're going to destroy."

The first photo showed a girl who looked like she belonged on magazine covers. Blonde hair, blue eyes, skin that had never seen a pimple.

"Madison Brooks. Twenty-five years old, former beauty queen, currently has two million followers on social media. Sweet as pie and twice as naive."

Jake's finger traced Madison's face in the photo. Something about the gesture made my stomach turn.

"She believes in true love and happy endings. Perfect target for someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

"Bitter. Desperate. Willing to destroy other people's happiness for money."

The words hung in the air like poison gas. I wanted to argue, but wasn't he right? Here I sat, ready to tear apart a sweet girl's dreams for fifty thousand dollars.

Jake moved to the next photo. A muscular man with the kind of jawline that belonged in toothpaste commercials.

"Ryan Cross. Professional athlete, professional narcissist. He'll hit on anything that moves, including you. Use that."

"Use it how?"

"Flirt with him. Make Madison jealous. Plant the idea that he's not trustworthy." Jake's eyes lit up. "Better yet, catch him actually cheating. Get it on camera."

My throat felt dry. "You want me to seduce him?"

"I want you to do whatever it takes to create drama. Seduce him, reject him, play mind games with him. I don't care, as long as it makes good television."

He showed me more photos. Marcus, the accountant who looked kind and gentle. David, the artist with paint-stained fingers in his headshot. Each one came with detailed instructions on how to hurt them.

"Marcus has self-esteem issues. Tell him he's boring. David's an artist, so criticize his work. Make him doubt his talent."

"These seem like decent people."

"Decent people don't go on reality TV," Jake said flatly. "They're all here for the same reason you are. Fame, money, attention. The only difference is you're honest about it."

He pulled out a red binder thick as a phone book.

"Your villain handbook. Study it tonight. Memorize every technique."

I opened the binder and immediately wanted to throw it across the room. Chapter titles like "How to Plant Seeds of Doubt" and "Making People Cry on Camera" and "The Art of Emotional Manipulation."

"This is sick."

"This is television." Jake leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "And this is what you signed up for. Unless you'd prefer to pay us fifty thousand dollars instead of earning it?"

The contract. The penalty clause Luna had warned me about. I was trapped.

"There's just one more thing," Jake said, reaching for another folder. This one was black and much thinner. "We've added a special contestant. Someone who's going to make your job much more... personal."

My heart started racing. "What do you mean?"

"We did our homework on you, Scarlett. Your college years were very interesting. Particularly your relationship history."

Blood rushed to my ears. "You investigated my personal life?"

"Social media is amazing these days. Old photos, college newspaper articles, interviews from when you thought you had a future." Jake opened the black folder but held it so I couldn't see inside. "Very romantic stuff. Young love, shared dreams, all that sentimental garbage."

"Who is it?" My voice came out as a whisper.

"Someone who specifically requested to be on the show when he heard you'd be cast."

The room started spinning. There was only one person from my past who might want to see me again. Only one person I'd hurt badly enough to want revenge.

"Kai Sterling sends his regards," Jake said with that shark smile.

The name hit me like a physical blow. I gripped the arms of my chair to keep from falling over.

"That's impossible. Kai's successful now. He doesn't need reality TV."

"Everyone needs something, Scarlett. And what Kai needs is closure. Or maybe revenge. He wasn't very clear on the phone."

Jake pulled out a single photo and placed it face-down on the desk between us.

"He's arriving tomorrow morning. I thought you should have time to prepare."

"I want to see the photo."

"Not yet. I want your genuine reaction on camera. The shock, the recognition, maybe some tears if we're lucky."

I reached for the photo, but Jake snatched it away.

"Now, now. No spoilers. But I will say this - he's even more handsome than he was in college. Success looks good on him."

My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't control them. "Why would you do this?"

"Because it's going to be incredible television. The girl who broke his heart five years ago, now forced to watch him fall in love with someone else. While she plays the villain trying to destroy his happiness."

Jake stood up and walked around the desk. He perched on the edge, looking down at me like I was an interesting insect.

"You see, Scarlett, I don't just want you to be the villain. I want you to suffer while you do it. America loves watching people get what they deserve."

"What I deserve?"

"You destroyed that boy's heart. Disappeared without explanation. Left him wondering what he did wrong." Jake's voice was soft and cruel. "Now you get to watch him find the love you threw away."

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of this monster.

"Here's the beautiful part," Jake continued. "If you quit, you owe us fifty thousand dollars you don't have. If you stay, you have to watch the man you still love fall for someone else. Either way, you lose."

He walked back to his chair and sat down, that terrible smile never leaving his face.

"Your costume fitting is in ten minutes. Something red, I think. Red for danger, red for the villain, red for the blood in the water."

I stood on unsteady legs. "I hate you."

"Good. Channel that hate into your performance. Make Madison doubt every man she meets. Make the audience despise you. Give me ratings, Scarlett."

I walked toward the door on shaking legs.

"Oh, and Scarlett?" Jake's voice followed me. "When you see Kai tomorrow, try not to faint. We need you conscious for the cameras."

In the hallway, I leaned against the wall and tried to breathe. Five years. Five years since I'd walked away from the only man I'd ever loved. Five years of wondering if he was happy, if he'd found someone better, if he ever thought about me.

Now I was going to find out. On national television. While playing the role of the villain trying to destroy his chance at happiness.

Jennifer appeared beside me with her clipboard.

"Ready for costume fitting? The designer is very excited to meet you."

In the hallway, I leaned against the wall and tried to breathe. Five years. Five years since I'd walked away from the only man I'd ever loved. Five years of wondering if he was happy, if he'd found someone better, if he ever thought about me.

Now I was going to find out. On national television. While playing the role of the villain trying to destroy his chance at happiness.

I walked toward the exit on shaking legs, but Jake's voice stopped me at the door.

"Oh, and Scarlett?" His voice was smooth as poison. "There's one more contestant arriving tomorrow."

I turned around slowly, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Jake smiled that cruel smile and held up the black folder.

"Someone very special is joining us. Someone who's going to make your job much more... interesting."