She Runs the World on Money

I was the heiress of the world's richest family, and my one obsession was breaking into show business. Three years in, and I was still nobody. So to build up some buzz, I threw a fortune into joining a new show. It was a survival competition that had the whole internet glued to its livestream. Except the freshly minted "innocent flower" on the cast had declared herself a survival expert and seemed determined to make me her foil at every turn. Not only did she team up with my archnemesis and announce she was taking me on, she made a show of struggling to rig traps and catch fish right in front of me, then roasted them over a fire she'd started by hand. After all that effort, she turned to the camera and, with exaggerated caution, said to me, "Harper McAvoy, you're staring at me so pitifully. You're not hoping we'll hand over the fish, are you? "But we worked so hard for this one..." Between her survival skills and the contrast with her sweet image, she had the whole internet cheering for her. I raised a hand to block the blazing sun and pointed the other at the fat, golden fish in my rival's hands. "I'll pay a hundred thousand dollars. Hand it over." "You got it, Harper!" My rival didn't hesitate for a second and dropped the fragrant, roasted fish straight into my hands. Chapter 1 Outside the set, a huge screen displayed the livestream's scrolling comments. The comments went dead silent for a solid three seconds before picking back up. [Whoa, what just happened?] [Gina, are you out of your mind? There's no way this washed-up nobody actually has a hundred thousand dollars.] [Gina, aren't you supposed to be Harper's archnemesis? Why do you look so happy?] [My poor Suzanne, just standing there staring, tears streaming down her face.] I looked over at Suzanne Fraser. Her eyes were red-rimmed, like someone had wronged her. Was she upset because my archnemesis Gina Eastwood had just made a hundred thousand dollars off me? I felt a little bad, so I said to her, "You're Suzanne, right? I'll give you a hundred thousand dollars if you debone this fish for me." Instead, her eyes turned even redder. Tears welled up and spilled over, and she ran off crying. The comments started scrolling even faster, every single one of them tearing into me. [Harper McAvoy, you think being rich makes you untouchable? Suzanne has eight backers watching her back!] [Try humiliating Suzanne with your money again and see what happens to you!] I had no idea why Suzanne had burst into tears and run off, so I asked Gina about it. Gina pulled on the gloves she always carried with her, then got to deboning the fish for me while murmuring a warning under her breath. "Harper, you might not know this, but Suzanne has eight powerful men backing her." "Leon Robbins, Freddy Jones, Phil Pattison, Cyrus Tilman..." She rattled off all eight names in one breath. "Every one of them is a heavyweight in his own field. "Leon's company, Robbins Group, is supposedly second only to the McAvoy family itself. He's the hottest rising star in the business world right now. "And Cyrus, he's still young, but he's already swept every major acting award there is. The entertainment company under his name is packed with breakout stars..." Huh? Second only to the McAvoy family? Since when? And why did all those names sound so familiar? The netizens couldn't believe Gina was actually deboning fish for me. They erupted, accusing her of breaking character; some even doubted we were really archenemies at all. We had been, once. Then I'd simply bought her loyalty. Gina tried to talk some sense into me. "We used to be rivals, sure, but seeing as you've been paying me so well... "Take some advice from me. I have a lot of experience in this industry. Try not to humiliate Suzanne with your money anymore. Humiliate me instead." I'm the type who listens to good advice, especially from someone who'd been in the business longer than me. Gina was more established than I was. So I took her advice and stopped using money to boss Suzanne around. When I got thirsty, I "humiliated" Gina into boiling me water instead. When I got hungry, I "humiliated" someone else into hunting and fishing for me. When I got tired, I had someone find me a place to sit. Money could solve pretty much anything, so none of it was ever really a problem. Suzanne, meanwhile, did every single thing herself. The whole internet had officially decided we were opposites for comparison. The camera swung back to me, and the insults poured in. [Big deal, you've got some money. You're still a talentless hack who bought her way onto the show.] [So what if she bought her way in? She's still a washed-up nobody. Nobody can even find her old projects online.] [Now that you mention it, Harper McAvoy played a bunch of side roles in big productions back when she was starting out. Guess that explains it.] [All looks, no brains. A total bimbo.] This was actually my first time on a variety show. I'd always liked throwing money around like this back when I was working on film sets too. Everyone knew I had money. But nobody knew I was the heiress of the richest family in the world. Chapter 2 On top of that, with my looks and a figure that drew plenty of attention, people naturally assumed I'd gotten ahead some other way. I never bothered responding to any of it. Bad buzz was still buzz. For a washed-up nobody like me, any attention at all was a win. Setting the record straight would only kill whatever momentum I had. The camera cut to Suzanne, and the internet loved her for it. [No way! Suzanne Fraser, the girl who's always cast as the sweet innocent type, actually knows how to survive out here! She can start a fire by hand and cook her own food!] [God, I think I'm falling for Suzanne. Look at that muscle definition! She's gorgeous!] [Our girl clearly works out. Total opposite of that soft, spoiled princess-type narrator throwing her weight around.] [Suzanne has powerful backers too, but she earned her spot through actual skill.] I watched the comments light up with excitement. Throwing a fortune into this show had clearly been the right call. I was finally getting some real buzz, good or bad. That only made me feel better about solving every problem with money. Just past noon, the production team announced the next task. "Time to start building your shelters. They need to be finished before sunset. "Whoever finishes fastest gets a full, hot meal! Try to build it yourselves as much as possible." That last line felt pointed. Everyone glanced over at me. Suzanne flashed me a smile. [Ha, guess the delicate princess is out of luck.] [You signed up for a survival show. What's the point if you're not doing it yourself?] [Exactly, if she's this precious, she shouldn't have joined a survival show in the first place. This show is done for.] I sat under a tree, waving the plant-fiber fan Gina had made for me, and didn't think twice about the comment. The others sized up the situation for a moment before getting to work. Some groaned under their own shade trees. Others jumped straight into gathering materials. Since it was a survival show, the production team wasn't going to lift a finger to help anyone. My archnemesis, Gina, and Suzanne started building together in perfect sync. They worked like a well-oiled machine, gathering materials and weaving vine rope faster than anyone else. The other groups were scattered but making steady progress too. Only I was still sitting under my tree, fanning myself. If my parents could see me now, they'd be heartbroken. I'd never had to suffer through anything like this in my entire life. I kept fanning myself. Watching the others, I noticed Suzanne was pulling ahead of everyone else. But Gina had already warned me not to humiliate Suzanne with money again. I kept fanning myself. Then I got up, walked into the sun, and stopped in front of one of the teams. "A hundred thousand dollars each if you hand over half the wood you've cut." Nobody on the team moved. One of the men seemed to have a thing for Suzanne. He'd secretly helped her out more than once before. Seeing me make an offer like that, he stood up like he was about to give me a piece of his mind. Since nobody was budging, I didn't bother inching the price up bit by bit. I just said, "Half a million each. Your agents get paid on the spot." The man swallowed whatever he'd been about to say, and he and his teammates handed over half their wood without another word. There were nine contestants total, paired off into teams of two. I was the only one without a partner at all. I had a strong suspicion the production team had done that on purpose, though I had no proof. Aside from Suzanna's team, there were three other teams. I gathered the remaining three teams together, sat back down under my tree, and kept fanning myself. "Help me build my shelter. You'll get one million each, paid on the spot." Chapter 3 Gina had been keeping an eye on me the whole time. The second she spotted a crowd gathering around me, she snuck over to listen in. She caught me offering one million a head. She came racing over. "Harper, how could you forget to humiliate me? This is outrageous." I patted her on the head. "Fine, you can direct the operation. Two million for you." Gina's eyes lit right up. She was starting to look at me with something dangerously close to loyalty. I narrowed my eyes at her. "You know, Gina, I still miss the old you. Wild and unbothered by anyone." She scampered off happily to start directing. When I'd first met Gina, she'd looked down on someone like me, a princess who'd bought her way onto set. She'd told me to my face that spoiled brats like me had no business trying to break into show business. She hadn't been wrong. I just loved being a star too much to care. I'd tossed her a hundred thousand dollars and told her to apologize. She'd apologized on the spot. I only found out later that she'd been desperate for money. Her mother was seriously ill, which was why she'd been taking on role after role like her life depended on it. That hundred thousand dollars had bought her a little room to breathe. Suzanne turned around and realized Gina was gone. The people who used to drop by occasionally to help her had all gone off to build my shelter instead. My pace had blown right past her team's, and I ended up finishing first. Suzanne stubbornly kept her eyes red and her head down, working through it alone. When Gina came back, Suzanne choked out, stubborn to the last, "If you're going to pick Harper's side, why even bother coming back here?" Gina didn't hold back. "Over there, it's one million a head, and I'm getting two for directing. I..." Suzanne turned her head away and cut her off. "Money, money, money. That's all you ever think about. Aren't you supposed to be Harper's archnemesis? Why would you cave for a little cash? "If money's all it takes to make you fold, then you're not my partner anymore. I can finish this shelter on my own just fine." Suzanne cut Gina loose without another word. Gina, knowing she genuinely had it coming, apologized to Suzanne, then trotted happily back over to join my team. She never noticed Suzanne slip off to a corner to cry. The production crew made sure to catch every second of it on camera. The comments went wild. [Gina is such trash!] [Can somebody dig up where Harper's money is even coming from?] [I tried. There's nothing. Zero information on her anywhere.] [Guess she's such a washed-up nobody there isn't even a record of her.] [If she's this loaded, why is she even bothering with show business? This has to be a fake persona.] The production team announced that I'd won the hot meal. Nobody said a word. The comments exploded, insisting it shouldn't count since I hadn't built anything myself. Suzanne, who'd never taken so much as a scrap of criticism since her debut, went straight on the attack. "I don't accept that. My team finished slower, sure, but we still came in second. "Harper only finished first because a whole crowd of people helped her. She never lifted a finger the entire time." I stopped fanning myself and tossed the fan to Gina. "The rules only said to try to build it yourselves as much as possible," I said lightly. "They never said it was mandatory. "Besides, I paid for it. I hired them to build my shelter for me. I don't see the problem." Suzanne glared at the others, furious that I was talking my way out of it. Too bad for her, they'd all genuinely taken my money. Once you've taken someone's cash, it's hard to talk back to them. Every one of them chose to keep quiet. Suzanne turned to look at Gina. Gina was happily fanning me. Suzanne stomped her foot. "Gina, how could you ditch me halfway through for a little money to wait on that fake, spoiled princess!" Chapter 4 Knowing she was in the wrong, Gina apologized again. "I'm sorry, Suzanne. This one really is on me." "But two million isn't nothing, and Harper pays on the spot. That's hard to say no to. I..." Suzanne cut her off through gritted teeth. "Enough. I don't need your excuses. You'll toss out any shred of teamwork for a little money, and I don't want a partner like that." Gina wasn't having it, and she pushed right back. "Oh, and you've got teamwork? You only teamed up with me in the first place because I'm Harper's archnemesis and you wanted to use her as your foil. "You act like you're so above it all, but you're in this industry same as the rest of us. Playing a sweet innocent character a few times doesn't make you one in real life. "And another thing. Whether Harper's a real princess or a fake one is for me to decide, not you. "You don't care for Harper's money, and that's fine. But has Harper ever actually used her money to humiliate you? "You're not hurting for cash, so do us both a favor and stop mocking our choices." I nodded, satisfied. "There's the old Gina I remember." Suzanne's face flushed red. The moment the words left her mouth, Gina clapped a hand over it, regretting them instantly. She whispered anxiously, "Her eight backers are definitely going to swoop in now. Are you going to be okay? Maybe you should keep the two million and spend it on yourself instead." I waved her off. "I'm not worried." She'd always trusted me completely, and hearing that was all it took to put the confidence right back in her step. A commotion rippled through the crowd. Eight strikingly handsome men, every one of them well over six feet tall, came walking toward us. The one leading the group was Leon Robbins. Looking at their faces, I finally understood why they'd felt so familiar. These were the same up-and-coming talents my father had been sponsoring for the past few years. I'd occasionally heard him mention how sharp these particular men were. He'd known I wanted to break into show business and had even offered to have Cyrus Tilman, who was already in the industry, help me out. I'd turned him down. I'd wanted to make it on my own. Since I was set to inherit the family fortune one day, my father had shown me their photos before. I never forget a face, so I'd remembered every one of them. My family had backed them heavily, and we held the largest stake of anyone in every one of their companies. The moment the eight men saw Suzanne crying, they rushed over in a panic, crowding around her, fussing over her, trying to comfort her. The comments practically gloated. [Just wait, Harper's done for.] [The last woman who messed with Suzanne got wiped out by these eight guys a long time ago.] Leon pointed at me, his expression cold. "You. Get on your knees and apologize to Suzanne, or I'll make sure you're blacklisted from this entire industry." The comments went wild with excitement. [Ha, finally!!! This is so satisfying to watch!] [Poor Suzanne, she's been through so much.] [Justice at last!] I looked Leon over, unimpressed. "You'll blacklist me? You're not even in this industry." Cyrus walked over. "Leon's like an older brother to me. Whatever he says goes." His handsome face alone was nearly enough to crash the comment feed. I nodded to myself. He really was good-looking. I'd actually seen a few of his shows. Not bad. Just not very bright. Even with all my money, I'd never gone around throwing my weight around like this. They'd only been rich for a few years and were already this arrogant? Leon tipped his chin up, cold and condescending. "Harper McAvoy, is it? I'll give you three seconds to apologize to Suzanne." When I still didn't move, he lifted a hand. A swarm of bodyguards in suits and ties poured in and surrounded me. Leon gave the order like it was nothing. "Deal with her. I don't want to see her here tomorrow." Gina grabbed my arm, terrified. I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't scared in the slightest. "Leon, is this really how arrogant you are? Handling people out in the open like this? Do you have any concept of the law at all?" Leon scoffed. "In Radley City, I answer to no one." The next second, the bodyguards turned on their heels, planting themselves squarely between him and me. They were protecting me now. I chuckled, pulled out my phone, and rattled off all eight names like I was reading a menu. "Dad. Leon Robbins, Cyrus Tilman, and the other six. Liquidate everything under their names. "Buy them out? No thanks. They're good-looking, sure, but I don't like any of them. "So just let them go bankrupt."