NOVPUBThe call came down just after sunset.
Matt, who had spent most of the day brooding by the pool, was summoned to the cabana. He barely acknowledged the others as he passed them—though he couldn't help shooting a glance toward Emma and Alicia, who now sat side by side on a swing bench, laughing quietly together.
Yuna watched him go with narrowed eyes. "Why him now?"
Darius, who was seated beside her, arms crossed, didn't look away. "Because they want conflict. They're hoping he'll say something explosive."
Avery muttered, "They want a fracture."
Inside the cabana, the air was colder. Deliberately so. The lighting overhead was harsher, more clinical. The chair across from Matt remained empty, the camera blinking alone.
Then the screen came to life.
"SESSION INITIATED. RESPONSE REQUIRED."
First question:
"Do you believe you've been treated unfairly in the villa dynamic?"
Matt scoffed. "Obviously. You shoved me to the side while letting Darius build a harem."
"Do you think Emma made the right choice returning to the group?"
He smirked. "She made the smart choice—going back to the guy who can give her screen time."
The panel watching flinched.
Cleo looked disgusted. "He's not even trying to hide it."
Another question flashed on screen:
"Would you sabotage Darius or the girls if it meant a guaranteed finale spot?"
Matt leaned forward, his tone cutting. "I already told the producers—I'm here to win. If that means calling out fake relationships and alliances? So be it."
The screen flickered red.
"You are being recorded for real-time review."
He smiled. "Good. Let them see who's actually being real."
Villa – Common Room
The others sat in a tense cluster around the main screen as the first real-time clip was pushed live to the villa.
A flashing banner above the footage read: LIVE CONFESSION FEED
Emma went pale.
Alicia stood up immediately. "They're broadcasting him? Without consent?"
"They want us angry," Darius said darkly. "They want drama. We don't give it to them on their terms."
But the room was already buzzing with discomfort. Even the neutral staff members nearby didn't meet their eyes.
On screen, Matt continued.
"Yuna's just pretending to be in charge. Avery hides behind notebooks. Alicia's desperate for validation. Emma? She's the most fake of them all."
Yuna stood. Slowly.
"Let me in there."
Darius caught her wrist. "Not yet."
Avery looked up from her notes, voice steady. "He thinks this is his moment. But he doesn't realize it's his end."
Observation Room – Panel Fracture
Cleo stood from her seat. "This is disgusting. You're using him as a weapon."
Lauren appeared at the edge of the room, hands behind her back, a faint smile on her face. "No. I'm revealing the cracks. You want to know what makes real people break? It's not pressure. It's betrayal."
"This isn't betrayal," Cleo snapped. "It's theater. And it's bad."
Lauren stepped closer. "We gave them a platform. What they do with it is up to them."
"You're orchestrating every line. Don't pretend it's organic."
Lauren turned to the assistant. "Pull the live feed. Now."
The screen went black.
The panel fell into silence.
Villa – Aftermath
The screen in the common room flickered off. No end message. No explanation.
Just silence.
A moment passed.
Then another.
Emma exhaled shakily.
Yuna walked to the center of the room, turned toward the main wall camera, and stared directly into the lens.
"We know what you're doing. And we're not breaking."
Alicia joined her. Then Avery. Then Emma. Finally, Darius.
He wrapped an arm around Emma and looked straight ahead.
"You want betrayal? You'll get loyalty instead. You want chaos? We'll give you unity."
The red light of the camera blinked.
Still watching.
Always watching.
Late Night – Courtyard Gathering
They gathered on the back patio, seated on large pillows under fairy lights. No producers. No handlers. Just the five of them, quiet and wound tight.
Darius broke the silence first. "They pushed Matt out in front like a blade."
Yuna nodded. "He doesn't even know he's already been used up."
Emma ran her fingers through her hair. "They wanted me to cry. To lash out. That's why they showed us the footage live."
Alicia took her hand. "You didn't. You didn't give them what they wanted."
"None of us did," Avery added, flipping through her notes. "That's the win."
Darius looked out toward the cabana, now dark and empty.
"They'll escalate. Next time, they'll try someone new. A new weakness."
"Then we stay ready," Alicia said. "For each other."
Yuna raised her glass of sparkling water. "To being unbreakable."
The rest followed.
"Unbreakable," they echoed.
Above them, the camera on the roof swiveled slightly.
The light stayed red.
***
It started just after dawn.
An alarm—not the soft musical chime they were used to, but a shrill, high-pitched buzz—ripped through the villa. The girls stirred in their beds, groggy and confused. Darius was already sitting up, jaw clenched, eyes alert.
A voice boomed through the villa speakers, harsher than Harry's usual tone.
"Effective immediately, all contestants will participate in the Transparency Challenge. Personal journals, private messages, and confessionals from the last 48 hours will be compiled and made available to the panel and viewers in full."
Silence.
Then chaos.
Emma sat up fast, heart racing. Alicia threw off her blanket. Yuna cursed under her breath. Avery was already pulling her notebook to her chest.
"They can't do that," Avery said, voice shaking.
"They can," Darius said grimly. "And they just did."
Main Room – Forty Minutes Later
The cast gathered in the common room. The producers had placed five tablets on the coffee table, each preloaded with confessionals, messages, and notes. All flagged. All timestamped.
A large screen lit up on the far wall. It showed a digital clock, counting down.
59:43
A female voice spoke over the screen.
"You have one hour to review the files before they are released to the audience and panel. If you wish to redact anything, you may do so—but you will have to explain why during your next confessional."
Avery opened her tablet.
Her breath caught.
Every note she'd written about the others. Every doubt. Every calculation.
Darius glanced at his. His personal strategies. Names. Feelings. Worries.
Yuna scrolled through her device slowly. There were voice clips. Ones she didn't remember recording.
Emma sat frozen. One of her messages to Alicia—a private one, where she expressed her fear of being replaced—was already queued to auto-share.
"This is a massacre," she whispered.
Darius stood. "No. This is a test. And we've passed worse."
He picked up his tablet. "We don't redact. We don't hide."
Yuna met his eyes. Then nodded. "Let them see it all."
Emma swallowed. "Even the messy stuff?"
"Especially the messy stuff," Alicia said. "It's real. That's what they can't fake."
One by one, they made their decision.
No redactions.
At 00:00, the files were pushed live.
