Love Elimination (23 page)

‘You’re right that I’m not a normal contestant.’ The truth spilled out. One word became a sentence, and she spoke until all her secrets had been revealed. The other woman’s eyes grew wide as Anna told her about being roped into the show, how her sister is a producer, and how Luke had found out.

‘But you’re still here,’ Hadie stated as Anna finished.

‘Only because there were people Luke wanted to get rid of quickly. And then, apparently, I became popular on the outside. So they cut me out of the group and single dates, hoping the viewers would forget about me.’

‘So the show
is
rigged?’

‘Some of it,’ Luke jumped in. ‘Not entirely. I have to keep some of the women here for the ratings, but the winner will be someone I choose. And I get to keep my favourites, obviously.’

‘Do you choose your own dates?’ Hadie asked.

‘Most of the time. But I often get a shortlist from the producers and I’ll choose from that,’ he replied evenly. ‘Are you okay, Hadie?’

He reached over and rubbed her back. It was the polite, friendly thing to do. It’s what Anna would’ve done. But Anna’s heart tightened, reacting before she could tell it that she didn’t care. It pained her to watch Luke touching another woman.

‘Should I leave you two alone? You wanted to talk to Anna about something, right?’

‘Yeah. Thanks,’ she mumbled. Luke nodded and swiftly left the room.

The moment the door clicked closed, Hadie spoke. ‘Luke picked you for the first date,’ she said in a flat voice. It was so unlike her that Anna moved to where Luke had been sitting and squeezed the other woman’s hand.

‘Yeah, because he wasn’t sure who he liked best yet. So he went with the one person he knew wouldn’t get attached or draw meaning from being the first one invited on a single date. Me.’

The look of uncertainty hadn’t shifted from Hadie’s face. If anything, the crinkles of her frown deepened.

‘He went to so much effort to help you meet your favourite chef. He was trying to woo you.’

‘No. I just really wanted to go home and work on my café renovations—instead of wasting my time on a dating show when I wasn’t interested in love. But they wouldn’t let me be evicted, so Luke took pity on me and tried to make it up to me with that date.’

A thick silence fell between them. Hadie’s thoughts and emotions ran across her face.

‘I’ll be going home this week,’ Anna reassured her, not expecting the pang in her stomach. She told herself that it was Hadie and the adventurous dates that she’d miss. And her friendship with Luke. A small part of her hoped they’d stay in contact after he fell in love and married one of the other contestants, making little humans of his own to join him in the snow.

‘But you’ve fallen in love with him. Haven’t you?’ Hadie set her unwavering gaze on Anna.

‘What?’ Anna stared. ‘No. Of course not.’

‘Yes, you have!’

‘No way. I’m not looking for a husband, or even a casual hook-up. And even if I was, Luke and I are so different.’

‘Don’t lie to me,’ Hadie said in a bossy-mum kind of way. It was the first time Anna had heard that voice from her usually gentle and excitable friend. ‘And no, you’re not. You have different careers, sure. But you have tons of the same interests. You seem to look at the world the same way. And you fit together. That’s probably why you’re the favourite to win—and why the producers won’t let you go home.’

Anna squirmed in the seat, resisting the urge to pull at the threaded edges of the cushions.

‘In fact, your sister probably arranged this whole show to set you up.’

‘Hadie—’

‘She chose well. You two are great together. It’s pretty much the ultimate blind date.’

‘That’s ridiculous! It was a last-minute accident. I am not in love with Luke Westwood. Trust me, I will be going home at the next opportunity,’ she said. ‘Don’t give up on this. You’re the best person left on this show. Luke had better pick you. He’d be lucky to have you.’

‘He’s not interested in any of us, Anna. He only spends time with us when forced,’ she replied. ‘Whenever we’re on group dates, you’re the one he looks for.’

‘That’s totally wrong.’

‘No, it’s not. I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Pretty much all the others talk behind your back. Especially when you were out on that second single date before most of us had had our first.’

‘Coincidence. And there’s nothing better to do in the villa than gossip, speculate and over-analyse.’

‘If it’s so ridiculous, then why was he in your hotel room tonight?’

There was no easy answer to that. The truth was, Anna didn’t know. What had Luke wanted from her? Was he just after a quick lay? As angry as she had been that morning, learning about his promiscuous kissing, she didn’t think he was the playboy athlete she first assumed him to be. So maybe he really liked her? A flicker of something warm lit inside of her. She extinguished it as quickly as it appeared. They wouldn’t work. They couldn’t. Even if her ego needed almost as much convincing as Hadie did.

When Anna didn’t answer, Hadie threw her a guarded look. ‘Maybe you need to do a little more analysing yourself? Figure out what you’re feeling, before it’s too late.’

A small crowd lined the stage behind the cameras facing the women. They were back in Australia and halfway through the second month of filming. Doing this for the billionth time did nothing to improve Anna’s mood—nor that of any of the other women. Hadie bit her lip. Liu Kun looked like she wanted to faint. Jessica tapped her hands against her sides.

Anna wasn’t any better. She couldn’t keep herself from glancing at the screens behind her. Would they play the sound from her kiss with Luke even if they had no footage of it? Would she be facing questions about it? Her hands shook as she wiped them on her dress.

‘Take a seat, ladies.’

The audience cheered, calling out their names, some with greater frequency than others. Anna cringed each time she heard hers, but Hadie’s name was being yelled louder than ever before. As was Yvette’s. As a chant in Yvette’s favour started, Anna looked across and shared a grimace with Jessica, sitting next to her.

The lights dimmed. ‘Attention!’ a voice boomed. ‘We start filming in three, two, one …’

Four assistants held up placards and the audience went wild with applause and wolf whistles. The screen lit up with images of their host, Mason Lockier, and the star of the show, Luke Westwood. Both waved to the live audience and the cameras before Luke descended the steps and took the lone swivel chair opposite the women. He looked across and met Anna’s eye, offering a raised eyebrow and a smile that provoked a heat inside her stomach and lower. A chasm lay between them.

‘Welcome. Tonight we have a treat for you: another interview and episode screening with our five remaining contestants! See their reactions as they watch last night’s episode play out on the screens behind me.’

The crowd yelled and applauded once more, even if they heard the same spiel every week.

‘Now, shall we get started?’

The screens burst into life and the
Love Elimination
theme song blasted from every speaker. They watched credits: the eliminated and current contestants, interwoven with shots of Luke. Shirtless. Running. Snowboarding. Posing. Laughing. Grinning. The images took Anna’s breath away. She only remembered to inhale as the title appeared.

From there, it only got worse. On the screen, Luke flirted with every single woman. Yvette sank her hands into his arm and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Jessica and Luke stood a mere centimetre apart at the top of a slope. Liu Kun fell into the snow and a laughing Luke helped her to her feet. Then there was Hadie: sharing a slice of cake, learning how to ski, accepting a high five. They were adorable together. Anna was shown disappearing down the off-limits slope with Luke. If she still held it, the position as most popular contestant fell out from under her as she watched. It was written all over the faces of the audience.

Anna had become the resident bad guy.

Then they showed footage from the hotel and Anna’s heart jumped into her throat. The screen showed Hadie sneaking into the pool room. She had the prohibited mobile phone with her. Anna gritted her teeth. Why would Hadie do that? Why wouldn’t she just take the call in her room—in the bathroom if she was worried about cameras? They heard Hadie talking to her mother, then her son. Music swelled as Hadie broke into tears. Her every sob was synchronised with the melancholy backing track. A timer appeared in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. It jumped forwards by three minutes, ten, fifteen—showing exactly how long Hadie sat there crying after she hung up. How long it took her to recover from hearing her son’s voice.

Pain bit in Anna’s chest. They watched Hadie leave the pool room and Anna knew where she was going next. To Anna’s room—to her closest friend on the set. The person who had lent her the phone.

The episode ended. The lights returned to full brightness. Anna couldn’t help but glance at Hadie. Her face was hard, eyes staring straight ahead and lips pressed into a thin line. A few rogue tears escaped down her cheeks.

Mason clucked his tongue. ‘It seems we have a rule breaker in our midst.’

The crowd booed, but Anna didn’t see the placard holders doing any prompting.

‘It looks like we’re going to see
two
women heading home tonight.’

Anna gasped. Her head spun towards Hadie. The other woman’s stony expression hadn’t shifted. She simply nodded at Mason.

‘Hadie. It has been a pleasure having you on the show. But as you know, phones are expressly forbidden on
Love Elimination
. You have had an unfair advantage over the other women here, women who are also missing their friends and family. Some who have taken leave or quit jobs that they love or depend on. No exceptions can be made, however sad this moment may be.’

‘No,’ Anna breathed. She meant to say it louder, but the glare of the cameras and stare of the audience sapped at her bravery.

‘Do you have any final goodbyes, Hadie?’ Mason asked.

Hadie slid down from her chair. ‘Thank you, Luke, for making me believe in men who can love and accept me
and
my son. You have been nothing but supportive, kind, considerate, understanding and generous in getting to know about me and my son. You’ve been wonderful. But I know you are not falling for me. You have eyes for another woman.’

Anna stumbled to her feet. ‘No. You can’t evict her!’

The audience whispered to each other and Mason turned his gaze on her, as did the cameras.

‘It’s not her phone. It’s mine.’ Anna looked wildly around the room, trying to catch everyone’s reaction at once. But she got stuck on Luke’s face. His frown was deeper than she’d ever seen it. Despite the chaos around them, his eyes didn’t move from her.

‘Anna, you don’t have to protect me,’ Hadie said with a sad smile.

‘Please, it’s my phone. Hadie only used it to call her family.’ Anna ripped her eyes from Luke. This was it. She’d been caught breaking the rules and her contract. The money would disappear and Kate’s career would crumble. But it was better than the alternative: letting Hadie take the fall.

‘Stop—’ Hadie started but Mason cut in, telling people to settle down until even the quietest murmurs of the audience ceased.

‘Now. One at a time,’ he said. ‘Anna, you can speak first.’

‘It’s my phone. I had it to manage my business while on the show. Hadie found out about it when we were roommates. I let her use it to check up on her son, so long as she agreed not to report it.’

‘And Hadie. What do you have to say to this?’ Mason asked. Though the crowd noise had increased in volume, they quietened to hear Hadie’s response.

‘Anna worked out that I was contacting my family. I accidentally let it slip a few times. She said she’d keep my secret. She understood how much my son means to me and how hard it was to leave him behind. But she always warned me that getting kicked off the show would make everything I’ve given up redundant. She doesn’t want the time I’ve been on the show to all be for nothing.’ Hadie’s voice cracked. ‘Anna is my best friend. And I’m so touched that she wants to sacrifice her own shot at love for me. But I won’t let her do it.’

Hadie looked straight at Anna. ‘It wasn’t a mistake to come on the show—or to stay this long—because I met you. But it’s time for me to go, Anna. Whereas you need to stay and see what happens between you and Luke.’

The audience erupted with protests again. No one wanted Hadie to go home. Anna was touched to hear yelling in her favour as well. She used the time it took Mason to silence them again to compose her features.

‘It seems that regardless of whose phone it is, both of you knew about it. Since we can’t prove who owns the contraband device, you will both be automatically up for elimination. Luke will only be able to save one. Please proceed to the upper stage.’

At least this part of the show had been rehearsed. The women had been instructed on where to stand at the end of the evening, when the next elimination was planned to take place. Anna went to stand on one marker and Hadie took the other, sliding her hand into Anna’s as she got into position. They didn’t dare speak with the microphones on their dresses.

Hadie squeezed Anna’s hand. It did nothing to quell the whirlwind inside her stomach. The combination of Hadie taking the fall for Anna’s wrongdoing and the very public way in which it was occurring made her want to vomit.

At Mason’s prompting, Luke joined them at the stage. He seemed as uncomfortable as the two women.

‘Luke, who would you like to send home?’

How they managed to pull out the ominous eviction music so quickly, Anna didn’t understand. Unless, of course, the soundtrack was always planned to escort Hadie from the stage.

‘I’m sorry, Hadie. It’s been a pleasure having you here and getting to know you. But you’re right. I haven’t fallen in love with you. And you shouldn’t be sneaking phone calls to your son from hotels. You should be at home with him.’

‘Goodbye, Hadie,’ Mason added.

Anna barely heard him. She flung her arms around her friend and held her tight.