In the Wrong Arms

I was thrown into the spotlight because of a viral street photo where I was seen holding a man's arm.

The internet went wild, accusing me of being desperate for a man-so desperate that I would even latch onto someone else's boyfriend.

During a live Q&A session, actress Danna Pascall responded, "Don't worry, everyone. My boyfriend is a man of integrity. It's just that some people with no sense of boundaries keep clinging to him."

Well, she was right about one thing-some women really had no place in my home.

Because the man in the photo was my brother.

1

It all started on a Saturday afternoon when a photographer uploaded a series of street photos online.

At first, netizens were simply admiring the photographer's skills, praising how beautifully the shots were taken. But then, one particular image caught their attention.

With their unmatched detective skills, internet users quickly uncovered the man's identity-he was an agricultural researcher.

But that wasn't all. They also speculated that he might be the long-rumored but never-before-seen boyfriend of Danna.

And that was when the comment section exploded, "I looked him up-his credentials are insane!"

"Wait, so this guy is Danna's boyfriend? Then who's the woman holding his arm?"

"This man must be out of his mind, cheating on such a gorgeous girlfriend."

Then, of course, it didn't take long for them to dig up my information, too.

"Guys, we found her. She's a student at the University of Media."

"A college student becoming a homewrecker? Guess all that education went to waste."

The situation spiraled out of control online. Some reporters, always eager to stir the pot, even managed to get a live interview with Danna.

She faced the camera with a soft, composed voice: "Yes, he is my boyfriend. But I trust him completely. Throughout our relationship, he has never let me down. Unfortunately, there are always people who try to get too close to him. I believe this photo was deliberately staged by someone with ulterior motives."

Thanks to her little statement, I officially became the internet's punching bag.

Some of Danna's fans even started mass-reporting me on social media, tagging my university and urging them to take action.

While I scrolled through the barrage of comments, my best friend Tiffany Hayes was fuming beside me. "That woman is insane! She used you as a stepping stone to get famous when she was a nobody, and now she's pulling this? And your brother-what was he thinking, dating someone like her?"

I waved the invitation to a new reality show that my professor had given me and said to Tiffany, "Relax. Karma takes its time, but it never forgets."

The show was a brand-new live-streamed reality program, and my professor had secured me a spot. One of its biggest selling points was Danna's first-ever live reality appearance.

2

My name was Spencer Flynn, and I had an older brother, Jackson Lipsey. He took our father's last name, while I took our mother's.

My brother was, for lack of a better word, a genius. His life had been nothing short of extraordinary.

During his school years, he was the kind of student who could have easily secured a full ride to Harvard or MIT. If he wanted, he could have breezed through undergrad, graduate school, and even a Ph.D. without breaking a sweat.

But Jackson had his own path. Instead of these Ivy League schools, he chose an agricultural university because he was passionate about farming. His idol was Norman Borlaug, the man who revolutionized global agriculture.

With years of dedication and groundbreaking research, Jackson was well on his way to becoming one of the youngest recipients of the World Food Prize.

Danna may be a popular actress, but gossip enthusiasts all knew that her career had been on the decline for the past two years.

She used to thrive in teen dramas, but as she grew older, she desperately tried to transition into more serious roles.

Unfortunately, her intelligence-both emotional and practical-left much to be desired. Take this incident, for example-She landed a role in a historical war drama as a legendary female general. During a press conference, a reporter asked her thoughts on the real-life historical figure she was portraying.

Her response? "She was a great general who defended her country, but war and killing are just so... violent."

That level of ignorance earned her a whole new wave of backlash.

So I just couldn't figure out how she ended up with my brother. Was there some unspoken rule that geniuses were doomed to fall for idiots?

As for what Tiffany said about Danna using me as a stepping stone to fame, that took us back to when I was fourteen. Back then, social media wasn't as widespread, and Danna was still an unknown nobody.

That day, I had stayed late at school to finish a class project. By the time I left, it was already dark.

Feeling exhausted, I boarded a bus home and sat down, hoping to rest for a bit. My stomach had been feeling off, but I thought it would pass.

Just then, the young Danna entered the bus, supporting an elderly man. She walked straight up to me and asked if I could give up my seat.

I hesitated, embarrassed, and softly told her that I wasn't feeling well.

Danna, however, wasn't having it. She immediately accused me of lying.

I remembered it vividly-there were plenty of other passengers sitting down, but I was the only student on the bus. I felt utterly helpless. I hoped someone would speak up for me, but instead, an older woman chimed in, agreeing with Danna and scolding me as well.

If it were me now, I wouldn't have hesitated to call them out for moral grandstanding and picking on someone weaker just because they could.

But back then, I was just a kid. Under the weight of their judgmental stares, I reluctantly stood up, fighting back tears.

Danna took the opportunity to rub salt in the wound, "If your parents didn't raise you right, then someone else has to. Sweetie, today I'll teach you a lesson about helping others. You got that?"

At that moment, the frustration and humiliation were too much. My emotions spiraled, and coupled with the physical discomfort I had been feeling, I blacked out.

The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was someone shouting, "Call 911!"

When I woke up in the hospital, only my parents were by my side. No one else.

My mom stroked my hair gently and said, "Next time, if you're not feeling well, call us, and we'll come pick you up. You're lucky a kind stranger got you to the hospital in time."

It turned out that I had gotten my first period.

The cramps were unbearable, and I had no idea what was happening to my body. I was too overwhelmed to even mention what had happened on the bus.

If I had told my mom, she wouldn't have let it slide.

That experience haunted me for years. Then, one day, I discovered that the entire incident had been uploaded online. That was when my regret hit its peak.

The video only showed me refusing to give up my seat. Because of that, Danna was instantly hailed as the epitome of kindness and virtue, while I became public enemy number one.

Luckily, phone cameras back then had terrible resolution, and the dim lighting made it hard to recognize my face. It didn't impact my real life.

But I had found out too late. There was no way to prove my side of the story, and I didn't want my parents stressing over something that couldn't be undone.

The only person who knew the full story was Tiffany. She had never liked Danna, always saying she seemed fake. When I told her what had really happened, she became one of Danna's biggest anti-fans.

3

The day of the reality show filming arrived quickly.

When I arrived, three people were already there. Based on my prior research, I recognized them as B-list actor Leo Field, comedy actress Nydia Warren, and diving champion Adrian Begum.

I had no idea what they were chatting about, but they looked like they were having a great time, laughing and joking around. That was until they saw me-then, the conversation died instantly.

The director, on the other hand, was thrilled to see me.

Before the "hand-holding scandal," I had just been an average nobody-a producer's connection, shoved into the lineup. But after that viral controversy, I had become a walking, talking drama magnet, promising the kind of juicy conflicts that could skyrocket the show's ratings.

As I walked toward the seating area, the two male guests subtly shifted away, especially Leo and Adrian, who gave me a look that was anything but friendly.

Adrian had always portrayed himself as a devoted husband, so it made sense that he wanted to avoid being associated with me. But what was Leo's problem?

The live chat started filling up with scattered comments-

"Guys, be careful out there. Protect yourselves!"

"Hope she has enough self-awareness to stay away from Leo."

Then Danna made her grand entrance. To be fair, she was stunning-there was no denying that.

The director and the other three guests instantly lit up at her arrival, practically rolling out the red carpet.

The live chat exploded-

"OMG, she's gorgeous! Look at her, just look at her!"

"Danna is such a sweetheart!"

"She's so well-loved in the industry. The moment she arrives, everyone greets her warmly."

"Danna, I grew up watching your shows-I'm a huge fan," Leo gushed.

I shot him a surprised look. No wonder he wasn't famous-was that a subtle dig at her age?

"Your skin is amazing! What's your secret? My wife keeps complaining about how dry the air is lately," Adrian said casually.

I nearly laughed. Another clueless comment-he basically implied she was old enough to need serious skincare. Good thing he was an athlete and not a talk show host.

Nydia was about to chime in, but before she could, Danna's expression started to darken. Sensing the shift, the director quickly cut in, "Alright, alright, now that Danna's here, let's all head inside."

I sighed inwardly. So, the whole point of standing outside for such a long time had just been to welcome Danna?

"Come on, guys, Danna's been around forever! Leo saying he grew up watching her isn't even an insult."

"Did anyone catch Spencer's face? You just know she was internally roasting them."

4

With everyone present, the show officially kicked off.

The director explained that we'd be filming for three days. Since today was our arrival day and we'd all traveled long distances, the production team had prepared dinner. But starting tomorrow, we'd have to complete challenges to earn our meals.

After the briefing, we were free to choose our rooms.

The house had five bedrooms. The master suite was on the third floor, offering the best view and the most space.

The second floor had three slightly smaller rooms, but one faced north and was noticeably darker and colder.

The first floor also had a decent room, but it lacked a private bathroom and felt damp.

Everyone was in the mood to be "polite."

The two male guests immediately staked their claim-one of them would take the first-floor room, and the other would take the north-facing room. They even settled it with a quick round of rock-paper-scissors.

Then came the big decision-who would get the master suite? I honestly didn't care, but they unanimously insisted it should go to Danna.

She put on a modest act. "Oh, I couldn't possibly. That wouldn't be fair to everyone."

I cut in, "If you think it's unfair, why don't we just draw lots? That way, whatever we get is purely by chance."

Everyone went silent, staring at me. I raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed.

And that was how we settled it.

When it came time to draw, they even hesitated over who should go first, so I just stepped up, grabbed a slip, and unfolded it. "Well, looks like the third floor is mine."

Their expressions twisted into something unreadable, but I simply waved at them with a grin, dragged my suitcase upstairs, and shut the door.

Meanwhile, the live chat exploded-

"Does she have no shame? First, she tries to steal Danna's boyfriend, now she's stealing Danna's room?"

"Why is she even on this show? Just seeing her makes me mad."

"I knew she was bold, but I didn't think she'd be this shameless. How does she have the nerve to stay in that room?"

The internet was having a field day trashing me, but I couldn't care less.

Before officially joining the show, I had only received an invite-nothing was set in stone. That was why I hadn't immediately cleared up the scandal. Instead, I had used the controversy to make sure they couldn't cut me from the lineup.

I came here for one reason-to watch Danna up close. Our lives had been tangled together for nearly a decade, and just when I thought I'd let go, fate had thrown us together again.

More importantly, I was dying to know how my research-obsessed, technology-challenged brother had ended up with someone like Danna.

Jackson barely used his phone except for work.

The only reason he got caught up in the "street photo incident" was because I had dragged him out shopping for Mom's birthday present.

Coincidentally, this show was being filmed near his research facility.

If Jackson really was involved with Danna, then as the world's most petty and overprotective little sister, it was my duty to tear them apart.

After the whole room-drawing fiasco, dinner was served, but the atmosphere was awkward.

I wanted to head straight to my room afterward, but the director stopped me.

The livestream would end at 10 PM every night. If we all just went back to our rooms now, the buzz would die down. The director had clearly been hoping for another dramatic clash, just like the one in the afternoon.

5

I found a comfortable spot and sat down to watch TV.

I enjoyed watching current affairs programs because they often revealed some really interesting situations.

On the news, they were reporting about an elderly woman who had missed her bus stop and refused to get off. She insisted that the police call a car for her before she would leave.

The others had just finished eating and came over, catching this scene on the screen.

"Why is she acting like this? She's wasting public resources," Adrian said bluntly.

Nydia nodded in agreement. "It's not that old people are getting worse; it's that bad people are getting old."

Leo didn't have time to comment, but his expression made it clear he didn't approve of the old woman's behavior either.

Everyone seemed to disapprove-except for Danna, who spoke up sympathetically. "It's not that she's being unreasonable. She's old. She probably doesn't even know how to call a car herself. We should try to understand how hard it must be for her."

A silence fell over the group, even the live chat paused for a moment.

I turned to look at her in surprise. If there were an award for sainthood, she'd be first in line.

As Danna's number one fan, Leo immediately backed her up. "Danna, you're so kind. We should all learn from you."

I shot back, "If you want to learn from Danna, go ahead. Just don't drag us into it. So just because life is hard for her, she gets to make a scene? The cops already said they'd help her call a car, and she's still refusing to get off. The entire bus is being delayed because of her."

Danna gave me a look filled with disapproval, as if I were the heartless one here.

Since she was the biggest name on the show, the majority of the live chat consisted of her fans.

Her "kindhearted" speech immediately stirred up a debate.

"I'm with Spencer on this one."

"Danna is overdoing it. What the old lady did was disruptive."

"You guys don't get it. Danna is just too soft-hearted."

Not wanting to waste energy on pointless arguments, I decided to head back to my room.

The director, however, was making desperate eye signals at me, clearly hoping I'd stay and argue with Danna to make the show more dramatic.

I glanced at him and said flatly, "If your eye is twitching that bad, you should see a doctor. Don't be so cheap about it."

This incident instantly blew up on the trending list. Most people disapproved of the old woman's actions, but Danna's fans firmly believed Danna was in the right.

Sensing the situation turning against them, Danna's agency stepped in.

Her manager released a statement, "Danna is just highly empathetic. She had a tough childhood. Her father was a heavy drinker and a gambler, always wasting money at the poker table. If he lost, he'd drink himself into a stupor. Her mother was too focused on taking care of him to pay much attention to young Danna. So she grew up with her grandparents. When she saw that elderly woman, she was reminded of them."

Right on cue, media accounts picked up the story, spreading the narrative that Danna was simply too kind for this world. Her fans, touched by her backstory, rallied behind her once again.

In the end, it made Danna's fans pity her even more.