Breaking the Plot

On a reality dating show, Brenna Morgan set me up to confess my feelings to Caiden Murray.

But they were already a couple.

She wanted to ruin me.

I turned the tables and chose the IT prodigy who had always had a crush on me.

Unbeknownst to most, he had another identity.

He was the CEO of a publicly traded gaming company.

Oh, help me!

Dating a powerful executive was thrillingly sweet and intense!

1

"Tell us who you like."

Brenna's eyes urged me to be bold, but I found her as irritating as a buzzing fly.

On the dating show, I lost a round of Truth or Dare.

Everyone waited for me to confess to my crush as my penalty.

But moments earlier, a mango fell from a tree and hit my head.

I woke up to reality.

I was the protagonist of this tragic story, and Brenna was the one pushing me to confess to Caiden.

She goaded me to declare my feelings for Caiden on camera that day.

But behind my back, she was already involved with him.

In the original story, I confessed to Caiden at her urging and got rejected on the spot.

Caiden then announced Brenna as his official girlfriend, telling me to stop bothering them.

What a vile pair.

What followed was my reputation as a homewrecker, doxxed by netizens, vilified online, and driven to depression and suicide.

After my death, Brenna inherited everything I had.

She was my half-sister.

Brenna, born out of wedlock, lost her mother young. My kind-hearted mother agreed to take her in, but my father never let her take our last name Jenkins.

To the world, she was an adopted daughter because he valued his upright image too much to admit the truth.

Despite this, our family treated her fairly. Whatever I had, she got too.

I never suspected she harbored such deep resentment, enough to destroy me.

Caiden's cold gaze showed no interest in my confession, only disgust.

The other contestants, eager for gossip, pressed to know who I would confess to.

I picked up my glass. "I choose Dare."

I downed the drink, crushing their expectations.

Caiden, surprised by my response, frowned and scrutinized me.

He probably thought I was acting out of character.

Brenna, frantic, grabbed my arm. "Kellan, what's wrong? You prepared for this moment for weeks. You're not shy, are you?"

"Why are you so eager?"

She schemed to orchestrate this drama, but I refused to play along.

She squirmed like a restless insect.

2

The game went on.

I spun the bottle on the table, and it stopped between Caiden and Frank Fowler.

Someone argued it didn't count, but I nudged the bottle to point at Frank.

Caiden's eyes burned with barely concealed rage.

Frank's body stiffened slightly, his gaze meeting mine through the glass as he quickly downed his drink.

On this show, Frank was an oddity.

He showed no interest in any of the female contestants, treating the show's arranged dates like a chore, silent and unresponsive no matter how they teased him.

Some women speculated about his orientation.

My eyes landed on Frank. "Drinking as a penalty is boring. That one doesn't count. Pick again."

Frank spoke up for the first time. "Truth."

The other contestants looked stunned.

It was the first time Frank engaged, and it was at my unreasonable demand.

"You joined this show because someone you like is here, someone I know too, right?"

Frank's eyes flickered with unease, as if I had uncovered a secret, and he panicked.

The group, emboldened by alcohol, clamored for Frank to name his crush.

"Kellan, since when did you and Frank get so close?"

I couldn't believe Caiden asked that.

Oddly, Caiden had always wanted me to stay far away from him before.

3

"I'm asking Frank, not you." I ignored Caiden.

Caiden's face darkened, as if ink might drip from it.

"Kellan, don't burn bridges with Frank. Remember, you still have to confess." Brenna leaned close, whispering.

"Don't touch me." I pulled my arm away, and Brenna stumbled to the ground.

Was she trying to play the victim?

Caiden helped her up, anxiously checking on her.

Brenna, who envied me for over a decade, finally found validation with Caiden.

No wonder she looked so smug now.

Caiden glared at me, as if he wanted to strangle me. "Kellan, get over here and apologize to Brenna!"

"Apologize for what?"

The voice wasn't mine-it came from Frank, standing behind me.

He stepped forward, his tall frame completely blocking Caiden from my view.

Frank probably wanted to spare me the sight of him.

I peeked around to catch Caiden's furious expression.

Caiden's eyes blazed with rage. "Kellan, stay away from him, or don't come crying to me later."

4

Caiden had the confidence to say that.

In the original story, I loved Caiden for years. Despite my own accomplishments, his claim that I wasn't good enough made me deliberately underperform on exams.

I even gave my favorite clothes to Brenna, dressing plainly myself.

All I got in return was his disdain and mockery.

But things were different now. I was awake.

I stepped out from behind Frank.

Thinking I would obey Caiden and apologize to Brenna, Frank tensed, the veins on his hand bulging.

In the original story, Frank was a doomed secondary character.

He had loved the protagonist since school, but she was blind to it, chasing Caiden instead.

He buried his feelings.

After the protagonist's confession led to her public shaming, Frank confronted Caiden, beating him within an inch of his life and exposing his scandals.

But Caiden, protected by his protagonist aura, always came out unscathed.

In the end, overwhelmed by longing for the protagonist, Frank took his own life.

The protagonist never knew how deeply he loved her.

Brenna, after calming Caiden, approached me. "Kellan, I'm sorry. It was my fault for being clumsy. Just a misunderstanding. I cleared it up. But did you notice?"

She lowered her voice. "Caiden likes you. Why else would he be jealous? Make sure to confess to him later. I already told the crew, and they'll edit it to focus on you and Caiden."

If I weren't so composed, I would have punched her.

She bribed the editors, but only to highlight my confession to Caiden and his humiliation of me for her sake.

Those edited clips spread online, drawing hordes of clueless netizens.

Their relentless attacks drove me into severe depression.

During that time, Brenna lived at Caiden's house.

When my mother learned Brenna was behind it, she got into a car accident on her way to Caiden's.

The hatred between me and Brenna was irreconcilable.

The only reason I hadn't hit her was years of education.

5

The other contestants played peacemakers, and we gathered around a table again.

Fuming, I downed two glasses of wine. As I reached for a third, Frank stopped me.

He held my wrist, concern in his voice. "Are you okay?"

Before I could answer, Brenna chimed in with a laugh. "She's fine! She's just psyching herself up for her confession!"

"Is that so? Who's Kellan confessing to?"

"Like it's even a question! Who's she been staring at all week?"

"Oh, go for it! I don't mind!"

With every word they spoke, Frank's grip tightened.

His veins stood out as he held my wrist.

The novel described him as striking, with a mole near his eye, almost otherworldly.

In the original story, while the protagonist confessed to Caiden, Frank drank alone, landing himself in the hospital with a bleeding stomach.

Brenna, thinking I was about to confess, grew excited. "Come on, Kellan! You told me you really like someone. Who is it?"

I smirked inwardly.

She knew I liked Caiden but pretended to be clueless.

When I confessed to Caiden, she would act shocked.

She would cry to the cameras, claiming I betrayed her sisterly bond by chasing her boyfriend.

Caiden would declare his heart belonged only to Brenna, unshaken by my pursuit.

What a performance.

A match made in heaven for that despicable pair.

As if picturing the same scene, Brenna grew more eager, worried I wouldn't confess. "Our Kellan's been losing sleep over this guy, saying she won't marry anyone else. I'm dying to know who's got that kind of charm!"

The other contestants, sensing drama, egged me on to confess.

6

The mood reached a fever pitch. I looked down at Frank's hand.

"Your hand is nice. I like you. Do you have someone you like, Frank?"

The room went silent, the air freezing.

My answer caught everyone off guard.

Brenna was the first to react. "Wait, Kellan, weren't you going to confess to Caiden? Don't you like Caiden? Why are you confessing to Frank?"