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."

4: 4

"What?"

I frowned. The man on the other end was picking his words carefully.

"Ms. Pruitt, have you crossed someone?"

"We've had multiple reports that you're exploiting farmers and running unclear accounts."

"I'm sorry. We have no choice but to open a review."

"I understand."

I lowered the phone, and footsteps sounded outside the door.

Luther Welch shoved his phone right up in my face, cocky about it.

The words FORMAL COMPLAINT glared off the screen until my eyes ached.

Among the people who'd filed.

I saw the town head's name, and Aunt Hope's.

And every last one of the elders who used to swear they loved me more than their own daughters.

"This is slander."

I kept the anger pressed down in my voice.

He sneered.

"We're only protecting our rights. Trash like you who pockets farmers' blood and sweat has to be punished, and hard!"

"Otherwise, more of our farmer brothers will just get bullied by you."

Mayor Welch looked at me with all his official airs.

"Ruby, there's a problem with your work attitude. You need to reflect on your mistakes, and take it seriously."

"Everyone's doing this to help you grow. Don't go throwing good intentions back in our faces."

My eyes moved past the two of them.

A crowd of villagers had gathered outside the hospital, all there for the show.

I knew what this was. Pressure. They wanted to force me back into working for the village for free.

"Reflect?"

"You're right. I really should reflect on a few mistakes."

At the hard edge in my voice, a few of them turned their faces away, guilty.

I walked up to all of them with my phone in hand.

Luther folded his arms, waiting to receive my apology.

Instead, I smiled.

"I figured I'd let the contract run out at the end of the month. A clean goodbye, no hard feelings."

"But some people don't deserve to be treated kindly."

Right there in front of everyone, I made three calls.

The first was to the travel agency.

"From now on, I'm withdrawing my guaranteed backing on all Brook Hollow business. Any losses going forward, you settle those with the village."

The second was to the platform's business team.

"Cut every marketing dollar going to Brook Hollow. No more extra traffic support. Treat them like anyone else."

The third was to a real estate agent.

"Sell the old family home in Brook Hollow, cheap. I'm moving out."

Once they saw I meant it, the villagers panicked.

They crowded in, all talking over each other.

"There are dozens of bed-and-breakfasts counting on those tourists. How can you just walk away?"

"If the village misses its tourism targets, the higher-ups will come down on us!"

"You're cutting off everyone's livelihood! You're going to get people killed!"

I ignored all of it and helped my mother out.

"That's your problem. It has nothing to do with me."

Luther planted himself in front of the crowd, grinning, sure of himself.

"Don't be scared, everybody."

"It's just calling the travel agency and drumming up a little traffic."

"Leave it to me. I won't skim a single cent off any of you. I only want to do something real for the farmers."

The crowd relaxed, then turned right around and started jeering at me.

"See, that's what a real study-abroad graduate can do. Somebody here didn't actually think the village couldn't survive without her, did she?"

"A million followers? Please. You only got them riding off our village. Otherwise who'd ever follow a garbage blogger like you!"

"Hmph. We'll be waiting for the day you come crawling back on your knees, begging us to forgive you."

The villagers simply didn't believe I'd really let go.

Brook Hollow's tourism traffic was surging, and they were dead certain I couldn't bear to give it up.

What they didn't understand was that the traffic had never come from the village.

It came from me.

I got home and had barely stepped into the yard.

A thick, rotting stench hit me full in the face.

My face went dark. The walls were smeared filthy with chicken blood.

And words spray-painted across the windows.

NO CONSCIENCE. ANIMAL. INGRATE.

"This is too far. How could they do this?"

My mother was shaking with rage.

"Back when everyone was poor, we all got along fine."

"Why is it that now there's money to be made, they treat us like this?"

I didn't say anything.

I just quietly photographed the evidence and saved it to my phone.

Some people are simply dirty at the core. The light only drags it out into the open.

That night I moved my mother into a hotel in town.

Three days later.

Candice had the footage put together, and I added the contract screenshots and the photos off my phone.

Packaged it all and sent it to the platform.

The platform restored my account access at once.

And promised to open legal proceedings to protect its bloggers' rights.

I got my mother settled, then headed straight for Stonebridge with my team.

That was when Mayor Welch called.

"Ruby, you've thrown your little tantrum, that's enough now."

"The village needs promotion for the second-phase project urgently. Get back here and start work right away."

"The whole village borrowed a billion dollars this time. You hold up everyone's money, and you can't afford the fallout."

I listened to that same cocky tone of his.

And I laughed.

"Mayor Welch, one tourism promotion campaign runs five million dollars."

"No rush. Get in line."

Then I hung up on him.

But the very next moment, Mayor Welch's phone rang again.

It was the leadership from the county seat.

"Jordan Welch, what's going on with your village?"

"Three days straight, and not a single tour bus."

"What exactly are you people up to?"

In an instant, the color drained from Mayor Welch's face.