Chapter 2She Runs the World on Money

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."