Chapter 277

Everyone stared at the giant wheel. It looked fun, but they had to hand it to Sebastian; he really knew how to keep things unpredictable.

Lexie grinned. “Wait, does this mean we’re getting a mystery guest for this episode?”

The others turned to Sebastian, curious. He had made it clear there wouldn’t be any more celebrity guests, so they wondered who had suddenly…

Sebastian smirked. “Yep, there is a guest joining, but even I don’t know who it’ll be. That’s why it’s a mystery.”

Lexie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Everyone exchanged confused looks. It was obvious Sebastian was trying to hype things up.

Finally, he explained. “The plan is for you to explore the city, and along the way, we’ll see if fate decides your next teammate. It’s meant to be someone who’s meant to be on the show. If they agree, they’ll join as the twelfth contestant.”

“Basically, we’re looking for a guest who’s…”

Apparently, this was an idea from the planning team, and even the higher-ups had pushed for it. Sebastian had a feeling they already had someone in mind, but they wanted to make it seem like a random, fate-driven decision. Just another way to keep things exciting. Since it was just a regular guest and the higher-ups were backing it, he had no reason to argue. Besides, with only eleven contestants, team formations had been a hassle. Adding one more would make things easier.

The group finally caught on. So, the production team was bringing in an amateur guest, probably to shake things up and keep the audience hooked.

Phoebe’s eyes narrowed slightly. A new guest? Is this why the person backing Sienna insisted on setting the location in Galuwa? Interesting.

She asked, “So how do we actually pick teams? Do we spin the wheel, and whoever it lands on gets grouped together?”

Sebastian shot Phoebe an approving look. “Spot on. That’s exactly how we’re doing it. With the new guest, there are twelve of you, so you’ll split into three groups of four.”

Maddox leaned forward. “Do we get to spin?”

Sebastian grinned. “The production team was supposed to handle it, but if you guys want to do it yourselves, that works too.”

Maddox didn’t even think twice. “Then we’re doing it ourselves.”

Sebastian nodded. “Alright, but to keep it fair, we’ll draw lots to decide the order. That way, no one could complain about who went first.” Nobody had any objections.

In front of the guests and the live audience, Sebastian’s assistant brought out a sealed box filled with numbered table tennis balls; one, and the rest were zeros. He gave it a shake before carrying it over for them to pick. Whoever got number one would spin first. Whoever the wheel landed on would spin next, and so on until a group was full. Then, the remaining players would do another round. The last four wouldn’t even need to spin; they would automatically be in the same group.

One by one, everyone reached in to grab a number. Maddox pulled out number one and smirked. “Guess I’m up first.” He wasn’t subtle about wanting to team up with Phoebe. Grinning, he said, “Alright, let’s get a good start. Come on, Pheebs.”

Phoebe gave him a thumbs-up. “You got this.” Mill, she had a gut feeling things wouldn’t go his way. Something told her the teams had already been decided behind the scenes.

Maddox reached out and gave the wheel a strong spin. The arrow slowed down, hovering over Phoebe’s name. His face lit up, only for the arrowhead to inch forward at the last second and land on the empty space between.

Maddox’s excitement vanished in an instant. “Are you kidding me?” he muttered under his breath. “Of all people, it has to be Sienna?”

When Sienna saw the result, she looked surprised for a second, but inside, she was thrilled.

Chapter 277

Maddox had always been her goal. And now, fate—or maybe someone behind the scenes—had put them in the same group. Does this mean I finally have a shot with him? Perfect, she thought.

Maddox, on the other hand, looked like he had just lost a bet. He clearly hated the outcome, but there was nothing he could do about it. Dragging his feet, he went over to Phoebe, looking for some sympathy. “Pheels, I guess I jinxed myself.”

Phoebe laughed, shaking her head. “Come on, it’s just a team. Just enjoy it.”

Maddox groaned. “Yeah, yeah. I just hope one of my teammates lands on your name next.”

Phoebe gave him a playful shrug: “We’ll see.”

With Maddox now in Sienna’s group, the crew tore off Sienna’s name from the board so no one else could pick her. If the wheel landed on her space again, the person would have to spin again.

Next up was Sienna. She spun and got Lexie. Lexie then got Cain. And just like that, their four-person team was locked in. Maddox and Lexie exchanged a look; neither of them was happy about the lineup.

The second group started with James, who spun and got Milton. Milton got Jimmy; Jimmy landed on Andrea. After each spin, the chosen name was removed from the board, making sure no one could redo their turn. It was all left to chance, or at least, that was how it was supposed to seem.

With these teams locked in, only four spots were left. That meant Phoebe, Jamar, and Reece would be in a group with the mystery guest.

Maddox looked like he wanted to throw the wheel across the room. Meanwhile, Reece and Jamar were grinning from ear to ear, clearly thrilled about how things turned out.

Phoebe, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised. If anything, this only confirmed what she already suspected; someone had rigged this. They hadn’t even let her spin. Whoever was pulling the strings knew she and Maddox wanted to be on the same team. So, they made sure he got stuck with Sienna and Cain, completely separating him from her.

And judging by the way Sienna was practically glowing, she had no plans to waste the opportunity. Sienna wanted Maddox under her control, like a fish trapped in her net. And with Cain around to back her up, she had everything she needed.

This grouping didn’t just work in Sienna’s favor; it also kept everyone Phoebe cared about away. Milton was… Phoebe brought him in, so they deliberately put him on another…

As for Andrea, they made sure to separate her too. Whoever was pulling the strings was sending a message loud and clear. And then there was Phoebe’s group: her ex-boyfriend, her ex-brother, and a mystery guest. A total nightmare.

It was too calculated to be random. Someone had carefully planned this setup, making sure Phoebe had no chance to maneuver. However, she wasn’t going to react. Not yet. She wanted to see how this played out, especially the mystery guest’s role in all of it.

When the teams were finalized, Sebastian looked slightly surprised, but even he had to admit, this lineup was going to… especially Phurler’s… to stir up some drama.

Even though everyone already knew their groups, he still announced it for the live-stream audience. “Alright, everyone, get into your teams.”

As soon as he finished, Maddox turned to Phoebe with a dramatic sigh. “Pheels, we’re not on the same team this time?”

Phoebe glanced at him and smirked. He looked like a sad puppy begging for treats. Reaching out, she ruffled his hair. “Relax. We’re in different teams, but if you need me, I’ve got your back.”

Heine, she reached out and patted his head gently. “It’s fine. We’re on different teams, but we can still look out for each other.”