Chapter 42

As soon as the intense backlash against Sophia began, many former collaborators quickly severed ties with her. Even her past romantic co-stars from promotional campaigns rushed to erase all connections. Hardly anyone expected that appearing on a variety show could result in such harsh criticism for a celebrity. Sophia was the first to experience this, making her case a warning to others.

Deep inside Group B's cave, Odalys worked near the fire, preparing pork for dinner. She had also gathered some wild greens earlier and placed them on a nearby stone.

“I’ll make some pork soup later, and maybe stir-fry these greens,” she said casually.

Stellan heard her and exchanged a glance with Freya.

“You two should check the traps we set yesterday and see if we caught anything,” Odalys said quietly.

“Got it,” Freya and Stellan replied in unison. They walked off quickly, as if they’d been waiting for an excuse to leave.

Standing nearby, Selah lifted her foot to follow, but Odalys stopped her. “Wait, Selah.”

Selah stopped, confused. She turned to Odalys and asked, “What is it, Odalys?”

“I’ll give you a divination,” Odalys said quietly.

Selah blinked in surprise. A divination? That wasn’t what she expected. Then she remembered last night—the strong winds, the paper charm Odalys had placed at the cave’s entrance, and how it had worked.

Excitement bubbled up, and she hurried back to Odalys.

“What do I need to do, Odalys?” Selah asked nervously.

Odalys studied her face before saying, “You’ve had a streak of bad luck recently, and it’s about to get worse.”

Selah blinked in shock. No one liked hearing about impending misfortune, and Selah was no exception. She stared anxiously at Odalys, twisting the hem of her shirt. “Is anything bad going to happen?” she asked in a hushed voice.

As Odalys continued washing vegetables, she said, “Yes, and it’s going to get serious. If things spiral, it could end your career in the entertainment industry.”

Selah stood frozen, her face pale. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“You’ve been harboring a crush on a guy. You’ve been flirting but haven’t made it official, right?” Odalys asked with a quiet laugh.

Selah’s expression changed dramatically. “How do you know that?” she blurted out, her eyes wide with shock.

“You should let go of that idea,” Odalys said calmly. “That guy’s just stringing you along, using you. He doesn’t actually want to be with you—he’ll just keep dropping hints, making you do things for him, and exploiting you.”

As Odalys finished speaking, Selah fell silent. Her mind raced, recalling past events. Everything Odalys said matched perfectly.

“If you hesitate any longer, you’ll ruin yourself. This man isn’t reliable, and I suggest you cut ties with him immediately. Otherwise, disaster will strike,” Odalys warned. With that, she picked up the washed vegetables and walked away.

Selah remained rooted to the spot, trembling. The sunlight poured down on her, highlighting her pale face. She stared at Odalys’s retreating figure, her fists clenching. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly rubbed them away. Then, without a word, Selah turned and headed in the direction Freya and Stellan had gone.

The cameraman, who had been filming the entire exchange, seemed stunned, forgetting to change angles.

[What? Is this for real! I want to know who Selah has a crush on!] [Same here. How disgusting for him to exploit a woman like that!] [Wait… why did Odalys suddenly bring this up? This is a live stream. Could she be trying to sabotage Selah by saying these things on camera?] [I think something’s fishy too. It feels like Odalys did this on purpose.] [My curiosity is about to explode. What’s going on here? Who exactly is Odalys talking about?]

Netizens were stunned. The gossip unfolding in the livestream was a bombshell after another, keeping them glued to their screens. This was way more exciting than watching boring soap operas; it was a real-time gossip extravaganza.

While viewers speculated about Selah’s crush, the livestream showed Stellan and Freya returning.

“Hey, Odalys,” Freya said, jogging over, holding a pheasant.

Odalys, stirring the soup, glanced up. She saw Freya spinning around with the pheasant, a triumphant grin on her face.

“Oh, come on. Look what I found! A pheasant!” Freya exclaimed, winking playfully at Odalys.

Odalys smiled. “You’re really something,” she said warmly.

“Look! We’ve also got a rabbit. It got trapped and was almost crushed to death,” Stellan chimed in, holding up an injured rabbit.

Despite last night’s storm, their spirits seemed untouched.

“How about we make some spicy rabbit later?” Odalys asked.

Stellan eagerly handed over the rabbit, and they quickly got to work. By the time everything was prepared, it was past eleven. Their originally planned breakfast had become lunch, and there were four dishes in total.

The dishes were visually appealing, fragrant, and flavorful. Even the cameramen were amazed at how Odalys had created such a delicious meal from simple, foraged ingredients.

“This is so good! I think I’m going to gain weight after this show!” Freya joked, patting her stomach.

Freya exchanged a glance with Selah, who got the hint and walked over to Odalys, gently pulling her toward a seat. “Odalys,…”