Ylona's eyes were bloodshot, her face pale.
She knew Cyrus was capable of doing exactly what he threatened.
Right now, she was still under the Warner family's roof. She had no power to resist him—so she gave in, her voice was flat with resignation.
“Fine. I'll go.”
She lifted her gaze and looked at him coldly. Deep inside, she told herself, 'Cyrus, this will be the last time I ever attend something like this with you.'
...
The next day, at the auction venue, the hall buzzed with luxury and noise.
Ylona's father, Arnold had also arrived, but he didn't come alone—beside him was Maggie, Rylee's mother.
And beside Cyrus?
Rylee, of course.
Arnold scowled when he saw Ylona. “I heard you were the one who sent Rylee away last time? Good thing she was found—if anything had happened to her, I'd have held you responsible!”
“You ought to thank your mother and Rylee. If they hadn't pleaded on your behalf, I wouldn't have let this go so easily!”
Ylona's expression remained indifferent. She had long since given up hope on this so-called father.
“My mother is dead. I don't have a living one.”
She would never accept a mistress as her mother.
Besides, the whole "Rylee disappearing" incident had been a scripted farce—orchestrated by that mother-daughter duo.
Maggie looked at her with a show of heartache. “Ylona, I know you don't like me, but you shouldn't speak to your father like that.”
Arnold's face turned crimson with rage, and he raised his hand to strike her—but Cyrus caught his arm just in time.
“Father-in-law, please. This is a public auction. Too many eyes are watching—let's not air our family's dirty laundry.”
Ylona scoffed inwardly.
Dirty laundry? Yet they had no problem flaunting their mistresses in public.
Soon, the auction began, and everyone took their seats.
Ylona wasn't interested in any of it. She just wanted to get through it and go home.
But Cyrus and her father acted like nouveau riche, bidding on item after item for Maggie and Rylee, showering them in extravagance.
A bitter realization hit her—how foolish she had been.
She used to feel guilty about Cyrus working so hard. She never asked for anything at these events, always careful not to spend his money.
And what did that save him for?
So he could spoil his mistress and his bastard.
Ylona shut her eyes, too disgusted to watch another second.
That was, until she heard the auctioneer announce the next item: a purple diamond bracelet.
She snapped her eyes open and stared at it, stunned.
That was her mother's bracelet—her only keepsake.
Years ago, when the Alvarez family was in financial crisis, her mother had sold it to help her father rebuild his business.
Without hesitation, Ylona called out, “Five million.”
Cyrus' gaze flicked toward her. In his memory, Ylona had never been one to spend recklessly. Her sudden boldness surprised him.
Next to him, Rylee pouted sweetly. “Cyrus, I really love that bracelet too. Could you buy it for me?”
Cyrus didn't even blink. He turned to Ylona and said coolly, “Rylee wants that bracelet. Let her have it.”
It wasn't a suggestion—it was a command.
But Ylona stood her ground. “I have to win this bracelet.”
“Cyrus, I've been with you for seven years. I've never asked for anything... but this bracelet, I must have it.”
“It's my mother's keepsake.”
Cyrus frowned slightly. Then Rylee leaned closer and added fuel to the fire. “But I really love it, Cyrus! Coco adores purple things—it would look so cute around her neck!”
Coco was her pet dog.
Ylona trembled with rage.
Rylee was deliberately humiliating her—trying to put her mother's keepsake around a dog's neck.
Before she could say anything, Cyrus spat sharply, “Ylona, your mother has been gone for years. It's just a bracelet. Why fight with a dog over it? Be reasonable.”
On hearing his words, her heart clenched, each word stabbing her like a needle.
Clenching her fist, she choked out, “A dog? So now a dog is more important than my mother?”
“No matter what, I will get this bracelet.”
Cyrus' eyes turned cold, displeased by her defiance. He raised his hand and called out, “Twenty million.”
Then he turned to her with a smirk. “Ylona, I am the head of this household. The money is in my control. Without my permission, the bank won't release a cent to you.”
“Come on, be good. It's just a bracelet. Stop being so petty.”
Ylona felt numb all over.
She didn't understand how the man who once looked at her with such tenderness could become this heartless.
Looking at her helpless expression, Rylee gave her a triumphant smile.
Still, Ylona didn’t give up—she turned to her father with pleading eyes. "Dad, that bracelet was something Mom gave up for you when things were tough. Please, for the sake of the love you once had for her—help me get it back."
But her father only looked annoyed.
“What a waste! Spending over twenty million on a bracelet—are you out of your mind?”
He sneered and added, “Besides, your little sister said her dog likes that bracelet. What, don’t you understand plain language?”
Everyone was blaming her, saying she had no right to want something that now belonged to a dog.
Ylona's heart ached with both pain and coldness. Deep regret surged through her—regret for having such a father, and for marrying such a husband.
In the end, the bracelet was won by Cyrus for twenty million dollars.
That night, the last memento of Ylona's mother was fastened around a dog’s neck.
