Chapter 45

“All delivered. Pay me.” I held out my hand. Dust and sweat still clung to my palm from pushing the truck so long.

Neal narrowed his eyes like he didn’t believe me. He pulled out his phone, made a call to confirm, then hung up and looked me over with a sneer.

“Well, you’ve got some skills.”

That mocking tone told me exactly what he meant.

In his eyes, how could a woman possibly finish the job? He clearly thought the production team must’ve cleaned up after me.

“It’s still early,” he drawled, his gaze sliding over me. “Wanna do some warehouse work too?”

I ignored him. My hand stayed out. My voice carried the impatience.

“No. Pay me.”

Neal snorted. “I only pay the salary once you hit a hundred dollars. You delivered four jugs today. Five bucks a jug, twenty dollars.”

“If you come organize the warehouse, I’ll count that as eighty. That makes a hundred. Then I’ll pay you.”

My brows knitted.

In my last life, I’d heard clearly. Jevon negotiated ten dollars a jug.

“Five dollars a jug?” I asked coldly.

“Heh.” Neal curled his lip. “Five is generous for you. The market rate is one dollar commission a jug.”

He wore the face of a man who’d done nothing wrong, but his eyes flicked away, guilty as hell.

So, I ripped his little scheme open.

“You told Jevon ten a jug. I took his delivery. By any math, you owe me forty.”

Neal rolled his eyes with contempt. “Please. You’re a woman. You’re injured. You think you compare to him?”

I laughed, sharp and humorless. “I completed the work. So, what is this, sexism, or you backing out of your own deal?”

I didn’t retreat an inch. Men like him only bite harder when you show fear.

Neal’s eyes spun. He tried another excuse. “Even if it’s ten, it still doesn’t reach a hundred. I still can’t pay.”

My smile disappeared. My voice dropped low.

“Then I’ll have to go to the Elders’ Council… and ask them to visit your warehouse. See what kind of ‘not‑so‑legal’ stuff you’re hiding.”

The moment I said “Elders’ Council,” Neal’s face froze.

After a few seconds of silence, he gritted his teeth, dug out his wallet, yanked out forty dollars, and slapped it at me.

“Get the hell out.”

I bent down slowly, picked it up, shook off the dust and slipped it into my pocket. Then I walked away without even looking back.

When I returned to the little building, a crowd had already gathered in the yard.

Jevon stood at the door with his hands in his pockets, staring at me coldly.

Goselle ran up first, eyes sparkling. “Mia! I heard you carried all the water by yourself!”

“Mm.” I nodded lightly, stuffing the money into my jeans pocket.

Goselle couldn’t help reaching out to touch my arm, shocked. “Oh my God. You’re so slim. How do you have that much strength?”

I answered honestly. “I grew up in a remote mountain town. If you want to live, you haul firewood, carry water, do work. After a while, you’re stronger than most people.”

Jevon’s gaze flickered with something like inquiry. He stepped closer, glanced at my pocket, then asked slowly,

“So did you earn enough for tonight’s rent?”

I almost laughed.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

He knew Neal promised ten dollars a jug. Four jugs meant forty bucks—obviously not enough for the rooftop room rent.

Sure enough, the next second he sneered.

“If you can’t pay, it’s not too late to switch rooms with me. My haunted room is dirty, but at least you can live.”

I pulled out a crisp five‑hundred‑dollar bill and fanned it lazily in my palm, my tone light and airy on purpose.

“Sorry to disappoint you. I can absolutely afford it.”

Jevon’s face slammed dark. His pupils tightened hard.

“Mia! In front of the camera, you’re really selling your body?”

I raised an eyebrow and deliberately glanced at the camera rig in the distance, innocent as sunshine.

“What selling body? From delivering water to coming back, I’ve been in front of the camera the whole time.”

“So tell me what second, exactly, did I ‘sell my body’?”

Jevon’s face was black, but he couldn’t make a real accusation. He could only grit his teeth and press,

“Quit acting! Four jugs were forty dollars. Where did you get five hundred?”

“From part‑time work,” I said calmly. “After delivery, I went to the tailor shop in town and helped do urgent repairs on a few uniforms.”

“Four hundred and sixty for the job, plus forty delivery pay. That’s five hundred.”

I paused on purpose and let my eyes sweep over his stiff face.

“What? You still want to say my money is ‘dirty’?”

I thought that would choke him.

Instead, he got more agitated, voice rising.

“Did you go with the convenience store owner to the warehouse? Did he give you money?”

I frowned; my face darkened. “No.”

“No? Then where did it come from?!” Jevon stepped closer.

“Don’t pretend I didn’t see how filthy Neal’s eyes are. You definitely made a deal with him!”

My patience snapped. I stepped back, then raised my voice so everyone around could hear.

“In your eyes… can I only earn money with my body?”

The yard went silent, like the air had been frozen.

Jevon’s face flushed red. His hands shook, but he forced himself to shout,

“A man and a woman alone in a warehouse. What else could you do?!”

I only sneered, then turned and walked straight to the director, placing the five hundred in his hand.

“This is my rent.”

Goselle and the others quickly pulled out their money too.

Jevon stood there, face alternating between pale and green, then finally paid reluctantly despite having $2,000 from tutoring.

And he still chose the haunted room.

I snorted inwardly.

He was afraid of the audience saying he shared a room with Lilith. That was the real concern.

The producer clapped his hands. “Alright! First job done. Tomorrow you all go to a hotel as service staff. Tonight, rest early.”

He paused and swept his gaze over everyone. “Also, we’re checking rooms. No one’s sneaking snacks or cash to cheat.”

“Yvonne, especially you. I haven’t forgotten the last time you hid cookies.”

Yvonne stuck her tongue out playfully, making everyone laugh.

But I caught Lilith out of the corner of my eye, head lowered, fingers twisting her clothing hard, her gaze dark.

Soon, staff split into groups and started checking rooms door by door.