The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jade is drowning in regret. She assumed this reality show was like all the others-heavily scripted, heavily edited, where all she had to do was stand around and look breathtaking. She never imagined the director was actually serious about the survival aspect.

Ana and Amanda are similarly struggling in their designer sandals and stiff leather loafers. Tina smartly wore running shoes, while Tara is entirely comfortable in her canvas sneakers.

“Task begins now!” the director shouts over their complaints, blowing a sharp whistle.

Tara doesn’t waste a single second. She grabs her duffel bag and starts a brisk hike up the trail. Tina immediately falls in step behind her. The remaining three stand in the dirt, whining for another five minutes before reluctantly dragging their feet forward.

The mountain path is brutally steep, riddled with loose rocks, and the sun is beating down relentlessly. A thin sheen of sweat forms on Tara’s forehead, but her pace never wavers. She has survived absolute hell during her missing years; a three-mile hike is barely a warm-up.

Before long, Jade’s agonizing, breathless voice echoes up the trail. “Tara! Please wait for me! My feet are killing me!”

Tara doesn’t even glance back. She knows the camera is zooming in on her, desperate to catch any reaction that can be manipulated into drama.

“Tara, are you totally heartless? Did you not hear your sister crying for you?” Ana snaps, stopping to

catch her breath.

Tara finally halts. She turns slowly, fixing her gaze on Jade, who is limping pathetically, her flawless makeup beginning to run with dramatic tears. She looks like a tragic heroine.

“Didn’t she bring this on herself?” Tara asks, her voice cutting through the humid air like a blade. “Who wears stilettos to an outdoor survival show? Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t do that.”

Her words hit the live broadcast like a bomb. The chat instantly explodes.

“Tara is ruthless!”

“I mean… she’s not wrong!”

“Jade just wanted to look beautiful on camera, is that a crime?!”

“Thank God someone finally called it out. Wearing stilettos on a hike is just asking for it.”

“This show is pure gold. Sisterhood in shambles!”

Jade’s face drains of color, her lower lip trembling violently. “Tara… how could you say that to me?”

“Am I wrong?” Tara shoots back. “A toddler knows you don’t wear heels on a mountain.”

Standing a few feet away, Tina hides a smirk. This girl called Tara is infinitely more interesting than she anticipated.

The production crew exchanges shocked glances. Nobody expected the supposedly meek D-lister to come out swinging. Viewership numbers are skyrocketing, the chat scrolling so fast it is impossible

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Chapter 24

to read.

Without another word, Tara turns on her heel and continues the climb. Tina quickly matches her pace, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Nice counterattack.”

“Just stating the facts,” Tara replies, her tone frighteningly calm. “Did they think we were filming a romantic comedy?”

When the two women finally breach the village entrance, the director cheerfully announces they get their pick of the best bedrooms. Jade, Ana, and Amanda stagger in thirty minutes later. They are a disastrous mess of sweat, smeared makeup, and sheer misery.

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