Rough, filthy hands closed in on me from every direction like a dark wave.
My scalp prickled with horror. I swung my purse wildly to fend them off, screaming until my voice cracked.
"Get away from me! Don't touch me!"
My resistance only stoked their anger. They seized my wrists without an ounce of mercy, pinning them down.
Grimy fingers rummaged over every inch of me, pawing through my pockets, my clothes, even fishing the lipstick out of my purse.
The humiliation was so immense it pounded against my ribcage. I fixed every single one of them with a venomous glare.
"You're going to pay for this. I'll shut down the resort project immediately. This entire village will never see a dime of development money. Ever."
The villagers froze. The hands clutching my jewelry went rigid.
"What did she just say? The resort project's going to fall through? How would she have that kind of pull?"
"No, no, no. I put my family's entire savings into this. Everything!"
Word of the resort had barely reached this village before every household scrambled to capitalize. For generations, these people had known nothing but poverty, and the promise of development was the first real opportunity any of them had ever seen. They'd taken out loans, maxed out credit, poured their life savings into tearing down crumbling brick houses and rebuilding them as vacation rentals, all racing to capture the first wave of tourists.
After a beat, Zoey seemed to connect the dots. Her eyes went wide and she let out a shriek.
"So that's whose bed you climbed into! The chairman of Grandview Group, the man behind the resort!"
"He's in his fifties or sixties. Old enough to be your father! And you still got on your knees for him. Absolutely disgusting!"
The villagers' jaws dropped. They stared at me with something closer to fear now, whispering among themselves.
"What do we do? She's the developer's woman. If we cross her, she'll go back and whisper in his ear."
Not a single one of them had guessed who I actually was. But I had to admit, when dealing with people like this, power and status were the only weapons that mattered.
I swept my gaze across the crowd and couldn't help but laugh.
Moments ago, every face had been twisted with self-righteous fury. Now every head hung lower than the last, terrified of being singled out.
Even Zoey had lost her bluster, inching behind Chad in small, shuffling steps.
Chad was the only one whose expression hadn't changed. His jaw was set, his face hard.
Not a shred of compromise.
"Mom, don't be scared. No matter how high and mighty she acts, she's just some kept woman. A mistress nobody would claim in public."
"I'm dating Chairman Stephen Stephenss' daughter now. Loretta Stephens is my girlfriend. All I have to do is make one phone call and tell her that Muriel is her father's side piece. Loretta and Mrs. Stephens will tear her apart."
I could barely believe what I was hearing.
Chad had betrayed me for Loretta.
"Chad, you are unbelievably greedy. You cheated on me, and now you're scheming against me on top of it. Do you even know that your precious Stephens heiress, Loretta, is actually—"
He cut me off before I could finish, his voice dripping with contempt.
"You went and found yourself a sugar daddy. Why can't I be with Chairman Stephens' daughter?"
"I'm not like you. I don't get so desperate I'll swallow anything put in front of me. At least Loretta and I are a perfect match. A power couple."
The villagers erupted. "You're with the developer's daughter? Then getting the resort built is just a matter of saying the word!"
Zoey's grin stretched so wide it looked like her face might split open.
"Of course! Muriel's nothing but a tramp selling her body. How far is that going to get her? My son is about to be Chairman Stephens' son-in-law. Getting a little resort built is nothing!"
"Then hurry up and get the construction crews out here!"
Chad aimed his phone camera at me, triumph plastered across his face. His tone was the kind of magnanimous a person used when tossing scraps.
"I'll give you one chance. Get on your knees in front of this livestream and say you're a thief. Do that, and maybe I'll convince Loretta not to make things too ugly for you."
I returned a gentle smile, enunciating every single word.
"In. Your. Dreams."
Chad's face went green with rage. He pulled out his phone and called Loretta Donaldson.
Before long, a massive cloud of dust kicked up at the village entrance, the rumble of engines growing louder as it approached.
The villagers jumped to their feet, cheering with excitement.
