1: 1

I'm a travel blogger with a million followers, and the whole village begged me to help them promote their hometown tourism.

The rustic village-life vlogs I shot with my team went viral across the internet.

They pulled in crowds of tourists coming to check the place out.

Every household in the village opened a country bed-and-breakfast, and their income shot up a hundred times over.

But at the celebration dinner at the end of the month, the mayor and his people surrounded me.

"Ruby, it's about time you paid everyone."

The villagers around me jostled to chime in.

"Every blade of grass and every tree in this village is the shared property of all of us. You put it on camera, so you owe a filming payout."

"Seeing as you're a local, we won't ask for much."

"Ten thousand for each villager who appeared on camera, five thousand a head for livestock, a thousand for each tree, flower, or plant."

I just stood there, stunned.

Back then, I'd brought my whole team out here. Scouting, surveying, and all the post-production had kept us busy for three straight months.

Every cent came out of my own pocket. I never took a dime in commission.

I felt for how hard the village had it, scraping to get by, and I'd meant to eat dinner and quietly slip away.

And now they were demanding a filming payout?

I laughed out of pure disbelief and terminated the contract on the spot.

Six months later.

The whole village took out enormous loans to expand their tourism project.

The mayor came back to me. "You need to shoot us a promo video right now! The whole village is waiting on it to make money and pay off the debt."

I smiled, strictly business.

"One tourism promo. Five million."

"No rush. Get in line."

...

"The tourism pipeline for Brook Hollow is finally open."

I slumped in my chair, worn to the bone.

So exhausted my vision swam black, and yet something in my chest finally eased.

Three whole months.

My team and I had hauled heavy camera gear over mountain after mountain to shoot our footage.

All to help my hometown build up its tourism economy as fast as possible.

The team ran around the clock, everyone pushing through even while sick.

And finally we watched the tour buses roll into the village, one after another.

"You've all worked so hard these three months."

I paid every member five times their usual wage, my eyes red as I thanked them.

"This road out of poverty for the village, you built it with your lives."

"I'll never forget what you've done."

But my mother looked at me, aching on my behalf. "Ruby, sweetheart, you're the one who worked hardest of all."

"No commission, promoting the village for free."

"Building out the whole tourism route, even paying for the ads out of your own pocket..."

I smiled and started packing up the equipment.

"Making money out here isn't easy, and our team charges high. The village probably couldn't afford it."

"We'll slip away quietly in a bit, so we don't put anyone in an awkward spot."

The words had barely left my mouth.

Then the mayor walked into my house with a crowd of villagers reeking of liquor.

His face was sour, and he flung a few dozen QR codes at me, smacking them into my face.

"Ruby Pruitt, did a dog eat your conscience?"

"Folks haven't been paid their appearance fees, and you're already packing up to run?"

I froze. What appearance fees?

The mayor's son, Luther Welch, shoved his way out of the crowd.

He came forward with a cold sneer.

"Go on. Keep playing dumb."

"Aunts and uncles, if I hadn't been watching her so close, she'd have grabbed the money and skipped town today."

"I saw it with my own eyes. One of your videos gets millions of views."

It hit me all at once.

Every time I'd posted a promo video before, he'd secretly screenshotted and saved it.

So this had all been planned from the start.

"Ruby Pruitt films videos in our village, posts them online, cashes in on the traffic, and gives nobody a cent of appearance fees. So who pocketed that money?"

The villagers backed him instantly.

"Pruitt girl, tell us the truth. Did you really swindle us out of our blood and sweat?"

"Ha. And everyone used to say how capable you were. Turns out all that cunning went straight into robbing your own people!"

"Millions of views. Even if each of us only got a dollar from you, that's still millions."

I watched them all point and curse at me, and all I felt was the sheer irony of it.

Three months ago, they'd been crowded at my door begging me to save them.

Aunt Hope Fletcher had knelt down before my mother, saying there was no other way to bring in money and all four of her grandkids would have to drop out of school.

The mayor had gripped my hand, sobbing. "If you can help this village get rich, I'll hand you my seat as mayor."

But now their bed-and-breakfasts were booming.

Aunt Hope wore five gold rings on her fingers, and the mayor had traded up for a crisp suit.

The way they looked at me now, though, was as cold as if they were interrogating a criminal.

"You people! How can you do this?"

My mother's eyes rimmed red with fury.

"My daughter ran herself ragged with her team. Did she ever ask this village for a single cent?"

"The kids paid out of their own pockets to help you all, and now that's a crime too?"

The villagers' eyes darted away, and they fell silent.

The mayor cleared his throat and smiled.

"That's a separate matter. Ruby helped the village develop its tourism, and we're all grateful to her."

"But what everyone's owed still has to be squared away, doesn't it."

Luther jutted out his neck and jabbed a mocking finger at my mother.

"Hmph. No wonder Ruby Pruitt had the nerve to rob the village. The rot starts at the top and runs right down."

"You old hag, you won't stand up for the village, and you shield your daughter's dirty deeds instead. You're no good either."

The liquor going to his head, Luther lunged forward and shoved my mother.

She hit the ground, her forehead striking the step.

Blood poured out at once.

"Mom!"

Horror clenched through me as I rushed over and pressed down on her wound.

The moment they saw the blood, every face went white with fear.

They stumbled back a few steps, each of them scrambling to distance himself from Luther.

Frantic, I hoisted my mother onto my back to get her to the hospital.

But I'd barely reached the door when Luther blocked it with a club.

"Robbed us blind and now you want to run? Not a chance!"

"Nobody leaves until this account is settled today."

2: 2

At the mention of money, the villagers' eyes lit up again.

In a heartbeat they had the yard packed solid once more.

"Ruby, honey, we all watched you grow up. Don't you go turning cold-hearted on us now."

"We treated you better than our own daughters. Don't you forget where you came from!"

Mayor Welch stepped in with a smooth smile.

"My boy studied abroad. He's an educated man. If he says you owe us money, then that's how it is."

Luther turned to the crowd.

"Folks, when I was in college overseas, image rights over there had a price on them."

"Her camera caught your faces, so she pays for it."

I was pressing down on the gash in my mother's head, but the blood kept coming.

My chest was on fire; I couldn't afford to lose another second.

"Let me get my mother to a hospital first. I'll stay behind and settle every cent with you."

My voice went cold.

"Otherwise, if anything happens to her, not one of you walks away from this."

I watched them load her into the ambulance.

Candice shot to her feet, shaking with anger.

"Do you people have any shame at all?"

She pulled out every last thing—three months of spending records, and the contract we'd signed from the start.

"Three months of labor, equipment wear, plus operating costs."

"Over five hundred thousand, all told."

"Ruby didn't just refuse to take a commission from you. She handled the travel agency herself."

"Every family that opened a country bed-and-breakfast off the tourists she brought in cleared a hundred grand, minimum."

"Did she ever ask for a dime of it?"

A few of the villagers glanced at each other and dropped their heads.

"And who exactly are you?"

Luther snapped.

"You think an outsider gets to point fingers about what happens in our town?"

"Ruby Pruitt grew up in this town. Making money for us is the least she owes."

That was all it took. The villagers straightened their spines again.

The whole crowd started shouting over each other.

"Ruby, we held you in our arms when you were little. Now you've got money, so you push your elders around?"

"Barely grown and already sucking the blood out of hardworking farmers. Watch you don't get struck down for it."

Aunt Hope dropped straight down onto the ground and started wailing.

"There's no justice in this world. You won't give back the money you stole from us."

"My four grandbabies can't even afford school anymore."

I forced myself to breathe deep, or I'd have passed out on the spot.

"Your family can't afford school again?"

I pointed at the gold rings covering her fingers and let out a cold laugh.

"There's more than a hundred grand right there. And you can't scrape together tuition?"

Aunt Hope shut her mouth instantly, guiltily looking away.

"Ruby Pruitt, quit dodging and spouting this nonsense."

Luther's face darkened.

His eyes crawled over me and Candice with something ugly in them.

He sneered.

"You don't square up the money today, the two of you stay in this town and marry off to our bachelors. People are as good as payment."

I watched a few of the drunks start to shift toward us and pulled Candice behind me.

I forced the fury back down.

"Fine. Say it. How much?"

The crowd burst out laughing, delighted, shoving screenshots on their phones up in my face.

Every one of them a profile or a back I'd caught in the frame while filming.

"Ten thousand a head. Not a cent less."

I gave Candice a quiet signal to switch on the body camera she carried.

Then, calm-faced, I wired the money over.

The crowd saw the payment alerts come through and lit up with glee.

When they saw us gather our things to leave, Luther blocked the door again.

"Hold on!"

"Who said the only ones on camera were people?"

That greedy grin spread across his face.

"Every blade of grass, every pig, dog, cow, and sheep in this town belongs to all of us."

"Those get a filming payout too. Am I right, folks?"

The crowd whipped itself back into an excited uproar.

"That's right, my old yellow dog was on camera three times!"

"And my two spotted pigs. If they didn't have those handsome faces, you think your junk video would've pulled those numbers?"

"The jujube tree by my door, the tiles on my roof... those all count as appearance fees too."

"Five thousand a head of livestock, a thousand a tree or bush. Pay up!"

Candice laughed, thin and cold.

"By that logic, you'll charge us for breathing here next?"

"Does the air belong to your families too?"

A few of the villagers looked sheepish and ducked their heads.

"A pack of ungrateful animals!"

Candice was so furious her voice broke.

"Ruby collapsed on that mountain more than once, promoting your town for you."

"Where were all of you then?"

Something twisted in my chest.

It was true. I'd had a serious fear of heights since I was a child.

But to sell the mountain bungee-jump attraction, I gritted my teeth and tested it myself.

Passing out from terror every single time.

I never expected them to be grateful. But I couldn't stomach kindness repaid with this kind of turn.

Something in me went cold all the way through, until I didn't even have the strength left to argue.

"There are countless tourism towns out there lined up begging Ruby to promote them."

"What she lost in three months here would've been enough to buy your whole town outright!"

Watching Candice and the crowd tear into each other harder and harder,

and to spare us the worse damage right in front of me, I stepped between her and the villagers closing in.

"Add it all up. I'll pay it in one lump sum."

"But starting today—"

"Every tourism project in Brook Hollow, I'm done. All of it, terminated."

3: 3

The crowd's faces stiffened.

The town head hurried over, all smiles. "Come on, Ruby, don't act on impulse."

"You've got to have a heart for your elders. Money doesn't come easy."

"You're a blogger with a million followers. You post a couple of photos and the cash rolls right in."

"Why haggle over pocket change? A person's got to think of the bigger picture."

So they knew exactly how far they'd gone, and still wanted me grateful for it.

On my knees, handing them money.

Watching me wire out another seven hundred thousand, Luther Welch looked positively smug.

He pulled a phone out from behind his back and aimed it at me.

"Everyone watching online, are you seeing this?"

"Ruby Pruitt, that shady blogger, has finally been brought down by justice."

"You're livestreaming?" My voice stayed level.

"Heh. I'm defending the rights of our farmers, that's all. Not letting profiteers like you take advantage."

"Fine. I hope you stick to the facts."

"Who cares?"

His grin turned oily. "All I've got to do now is trash you online, and the views come pouring in."

"Guess I owe you thanks for being my stepping stone."

Candice signaled that she'd gotten all of it on video.

I didn't bother with him anymore. I turned to leave.

But the town head chased after me.

"Ruby, now that the accounts are settled, everyone's willing to let the legal side of things slide, out of respect for me."

"Tourism's booming in the village right now. We're planning to take out a billion-dollar loan for a second phase."

"You'll promote it for the village for free. Consider it making up for what you did."

"This is the villagers putting their trust in you. Treasure the opportunity."

I just kept walking.

"Sorry. Your project's too big. I can't afford to take it on."

Every villager went pale.

Without my promotion, would the tourists keep coming in these numbers?

They shot resentful looks at the town head.

Luther, though, only sneered. "Dad, don't waste your breath on them. She actually thinks she's somebody."

"It's a few tourism promo videos. That's all."

"She's not the only one in this village who knows the internet."

"But—"

Luther cut the town head off.

"No buts. Tourists coming to spend money has nothing to do with promotion."

"Our village is gold. Gold shines anywhere it goes. She just happened to cash in on it."

"Without some shady blogger pulling stunts, this village will only earn more and more."

At the word earn, the villagers broke into smiles at once.

They fell over each other praising Luther, saying he'd amount to something.

When it counted, it took a son to hold the line. No use pinning your hopes on a girl.

Behind me, the cheering rose.

I didn't know whether to laugh or grieve for them.

Did they think the internet was their family business?

If I hadn't poured money into buying reach and called in every favor I had,

why would anyone have given them the exposure?

Without a million-follower account vouching for them, why would any travel agency touch a deal that was far away and made no money?

But none of it was my problem anymore.

I took out my phone and dialed a number.

"Is this Stonebridge? Your tourism project—I'll take it."

Thomas Lambert practically jumped for joy.

"Ms. Pruitt! We've been waiting so long for you."

"As long as you can save our village, we'll cover every expense. Three million commission."

"And once the project's running steady, another ten percent of the revenue."

We set a time to meet, and I went to the hospital first to see my mother.

Thankfully it was only cuts and bruises.

The moment she saw me, she started crying.

"Sweetheart, this is all my fault. If I hadn't talked you into coming back to help everyone, they never would've bullied us like this..."

I held her hand to comfort her.

"There's nothing wrong with us being kind. The wrong is theirs, for being greedy."

"But all that money..."

I shook my head, smiling.

"Don't worry. They won't get to keep it. They'll pay it back double."

I opened the file on Stonebridge.

I started drawing up a shooting plan.

Then my phone rang. It was an administrator from the platform.

"Ms. Pruitt."

"Your account has been reported by multiple users. The platform has decided to ban it."