Chapter 2

The next morning, after a restful sleep, I headed to the filming location.

A woman with curled hair came running toward me in a panic.

"Elizabeth, I just heard your mother-in-law pressured the production team!" Wendy Williams grabbed my hand and continued, "She said your pity act yesterday went too far. She wants the producers to make things harder for you to put you in your place. Be careful."

A chill ran down my spine.

My mother-in-law, Marla Barton, had never liked me. After I married into the Greenwood family, she'd only grown more irritated with me.

If she was really pulling strings behind the scenes, I was screwed.

When filming began, I nervously looked toward the director.

"For today's task, each participant must carry eight buckets of water and fill their assigned water tank. Anyone who fails to complete the task won't get dinner."

While the other seven trophy wives on the show groaned, my shoulders relaxed.

It was just carrying water. Thank God. I'd thought they were going to make me unload eight truckloads of cargo or something.

The live stream comments exploded.

"Look at Elizabeth! She looks terrified! LOL!"

"This is hilarious. Mrs. Greenwood is a genius. This is the perfect way to deal with that spoiled brat."

"Elizabeth could pull off carrying wheat yesterday, but water? That's not easy. Let's see how she acts her way out of this one."

"I bet she won't even be able to carry a single bucket."

"I'll be nice. I'll bet she can carry two buckets!"

"Why even bet? I'm 100% certain that the spoiled woman won't be able to carry anything. The real question is when she'll have a meltdown and demand to go home!"

"Hah! I say one hour."

"You're too generous. I give her 30 minutes."

"Come on, everybody! Place your bets!"

In the studio, Marla watched me on screen with a cold smile.

The other socialite mothers nodded in agreement.

"Marla, you're so smart. Your daughter-in-law spends more money than anyone I know. But the moment she's in front of a camera, she acts like she lives such a tough life and is barely surviving."

"Exactly. Let her suffer a little today. Maybe that'll teach her to stop playing the victim."

"It'll do the rest of our daughters-in-law some good too. They're all far too spoiled."

A mocking smile appeared on Marla's lips as she spoke, "My daughter-in-law won't walk more than a few steps unless a car is waiting for her. She insists on going abroad for vacation every month.

"Just last month, she asked my son for eighty million dollars to fly around the world, saying she wanted to attend luxury auctions across the globe and outbid everyone as a birthday gift to herself. When he refused, she threatened to jump off a building.

"The Greenwood family has spent hundreds of millions on her in the past year, and she still goes on camera looking for sympathy. She's an ungrateful brat."

The others were stunned.

"Hundreds of millions? Your family is incredibly patient."

"My daughter-in-law only went through thirty million!"

Marla clenched her fists. "That's what I'm saying. She's so pampered. Let's see how long she can keep pretending!"

But when the camera shifted to the field, everyone froze in shock.

While other contestants were stumbling around and falling over with their buckets, a figure in canvas shoes and rolled-up pants shot across the screen with a whoosh.

All the elderly ladies instinctively leaned closer toward the screen, thinking they'd seen it wrong.

The production crew quickly zoomed in.

It was only then they realized it was me, with a carrying pole across my shoulders. My center of gravity was low, my posture perfect, as I moved steadily. Two full buckets swayed on both ends of the pole, yet not a single drop of water spilled.

"How… How is that possible?"

Marla's fists tightened.

I poured the water neatly into the tank and turned around. I saw that Wendy was struggling with buckets that were already more than half empty from all the sloshing around. Her body swayed, about to fall. I grabbed both buckets from her.

"At this rate, you'll finish next year. I'm almost done anyway. Let me help you with these."

Wendy's eyes lit up. Before she could even thank me, she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Marla watched in disbelief as I flew past the camera yet again, with two buckets on the carrying pole on my shoulders, and another two carried in my hands. Her fists clenched tighter.

"Very well… It looks like all those expensive meals weren't wasted on her. She's still got enough energy to show off on national television…"

Before sunset, I placed two empty buckets in front of the director, pride written across my face.

"All done! Where's today's pay?"

Looking at the completely filled water tank behind me, the director's lips twitched.

The light on his headset blinked. Someone was speaking to him. He listened for a moment, then spoke, "Oh, today's reward isn't cash."

I froze.

He shoved a coupon in my hand.

"Tonight, you can redeem this for two additional dinner rolls."

"What?"